Gifties

My daughter Jill made candles this year and even covered boxes of matches to coordinate the set. She really knows my colors!

My daughter Paige gave me this book by Vivian Swift.  It's a delightful watercolor journal of a year in the life of the author.

I had a wonderful Christmas and I'm looking forward to a new year of creating art.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!

A Rare Sight

Our daughters have gone home after the holidays, we are starting to get the house back in order and I am able to set up my sewing/painting/crafting table again in the spare room.  To see the surface of the table completely clear of clutter, the sewing machine and art supplies is a rarity.

A Big Thank You

Thanks to my husband and my dear friend Sherry, I  received a start of the colorful dishes I have been admiring for several years.  They are made by Waechtersbach of Germany, come in beautiful bright colors and each piece is purchased individually.  I plan on adding more to the collection during the year.

Merry Christmas

Fat Quarter Swap

I participated in a fat quarter swap through "15 minutes play . . . Bumble Beans, Inc."  These are the fabrics I chose to send to Teresa in Portland, Oregon.  Visit her site at crinkledreams.com and take a peek at her Etsy shop. 
Happy quilting Teresa!

Cookie Time

almond crescents

thumb prints

Palm Beach biscotti

Orchid Spikes and Christmas Lights

My cymbidium orchids have new bud spikes.

Now the wait begins until the flowers open.

You know you are in Southern California when you have Christmas lights and orchids out on your deck at the same time!

Christmas Cards

The Christmas cards I chose this year came with plain white envelopes - way too boring!  So I did a quick fix with star stamps and ink pads, an easy solution to add holiday cheer!

Waiting for Santa

I cross stitched these two little ornaments in 1982 for my daughters.  They are only 3" tall and the stitches are really tiny, my eyesight was a lot better back then!

Our tree is up and waiting for family and friends to help us celebrate the season.

Toasty

Poipu, Red and their ceramic buddy always catnap in front of the fireplace on nippy nights.

It's a Wrap

For over 30 years, my friend Sherry and I have exchanged gifts.  This past Saturday, we celebrated Christmas and Sherry's birthday.  Sherry is a raspberry/fushia/silver devotee and I always wrap her gifts in her favorite colors.

Sherry knows I love bright colors and if you are from San Diego, you would recognize this wonderful box from Bazaar del Mundo in Old Town (one of my favorite shops).

We put a lot of thought into the wrapping of our gifts and it's almost too hard to open them.

Finished Top

The Block of the Month quilt top is finished!!  Now I need to make the back, pin it and quilt it before the end of January.  I really went out of my comfort zone in patterns and colors but I think it turned out great.

I didn't have enough fabric for the borders, so I inserted random reds and yellows around the edges.

Deck the Halls

We don't have our Christmas tree yet but the house is starting to look very festive!!

Groovy

When kellygirlquilts.blogspot.com shared this fabric on her site, I knew I had to have some. I love my lime green beetle and have a collection of toy cars, leaded glass ornaments, rubber stamps and even a charm from Brighton Jewelry - but I had not seen any fabric before. 
Kat, from Kelly Girl Quilts, and I exchanged several emails as I tried to locate some of the fabric but I could not find this print.

These arrived in the mail on Saturday from Kat.  How do you find the words to thank someone that you have only met through the internet for their kindness and generosity?  Not only did she share the bug fabric, but she also sent me some wonderful lime green fabric and a custom made mug rug!

THANK YOU SO MUCH KAT, YOU HELP ME BELIEVE IN THE MAGIC OF FRIENDSHIP!

Deadline

The deadline for our FINISHED Block of the Month Challange quilt was December 1st.  As you can see, mine is not done.  Luckily, the deadline has been moved to the end of January.  Now I can take down my sewing table and start getting the spare room ready for Christmas guests.