Gifted Treasures Received

Holiday Greetings to you! Thank you very much for wishing me and my family a Merry Christmas. Our Christmas was wonderful. Today is the 3rd day of Christmas. January the 6th is the 12th day of Christmas. So therefore it's still the Holidays. Makes me happy to know it's not over yet.

I finally decided what to serve for our Holiday meals. Our menu for Christmas Eve was turkey sandwiches, lots of different cheeses, dips and crackers. After an early dinner we went over to Nannies house. There we exchanged gifts with the family and had desserts. For Christmas day there was BBQed filet mignon wrapped in bacon and baked pounded chicken breasts stuffed with spinach and cheese. We picked up my grandmother "Nannie" and brought her over for Christmas dinner. We all had a very lovely time together.
I was so blessed to receive some gifts from stitching friends that I waited to open them on Christmas morning.  And oooooooh how surprised I was. I couldn't wait to share with you. This is a very heavy photo post so grab your favorite beverage and enjoy. You won't believe how blessed I am:

 Look at what sweet Vickie gave me! A beautiful card, a felt heart with gorgeous marking pins that she elegantly beaded herself and then.....a elegant pen that she added black linen stitched over one with pretty PINK thread. Isn't that cool? What a great idea. I love them Vickie Thank you very much my friend.

 Then look at what precious Shirlee sent me. She made for me a beautiful ornament stitched on perforated paper and mounted it on a darling sled. I absolutely love it Shirlee. I've added it to my stitchers tree and I plan to leave my tree up. So I will get to enjoy seeing it. It's not getting put a away for a long time:)
Thank you my friend for your thoughtfulness and for gifting me with one of your stitched treasures.

 On the 24th - Christmas eve day, I went and got the mail and look what was waiting for me! This is a postcard from Chiara from Italy. Can you believe it?  It's actually a cross stitch chart! Oh yes I will be stitching this design  for Valentine's. Thank you sweet Chiara! Love it!!

I had received a parcel from my very special friend Lee in New Zealand. She had instructed me to open the box and open a gift she had wrapped in green bubble wrap - it was something for my tree. This is what I found...A darling New Zealand Fantail bird jingle bell ornament. I added this to my stitchers tree and every day when I walk by I tap it and make it jingle. SO super cute. I LOVE it Lee and have been enjoying it everyday. Thank you.

 And on Christmas morning I got to open the rest of Lee's gifts. Where do I begin. Words cannot express my appreciation and gratitude but I am going to do my best to do so.
Inside the box every item was wrapped individually so I had placed them under my stitchers tree. Lets have a closer look - shell we....

 I have named these remarkable stitcher's necessaries my "Victorian Downton Abbey Set" because they are so elegant looking. I was so overwhelmed and touched that Lee made everyone of these for me. Can you see all the details and finishing in every item Lee added? Yes she even added beads on top of the lovely trim surrounding the tape measure.

 LOVE the stitched silk roses and the beautiful victorian background fabric. Do see the gold butterfly charms?
Now lets have a look at the triangle needleworkers keeper....

Pink Rose budded marking pins

and the mother of pearl hearts. Now lets have a closer look at the gold handles...

 A beautiful pair of gold scissors that Lee attached a black handmade cording with 

a mother of pearl heart fob. At this point I cried - lost it....

 Attached to a floss tag fob Lee gave me packages of beautiful crystal Delica beads by Maria George.
The packaging on the beads has gorgeous silver scrolling and elegant pink script labeling Maria George. Love the pinkeeper with pearls surrounding it.

A wooden hornbook floss keeper from the popular elegant needlestore "Heirlooms" in Napier New Zealand graces a small stitched fob with handmade tassels Lee made. Lee I cherish and treasure you, our friendship and all of the spectacular gifts you created for me. Your amazing talents are breathtakingly gorgeous.
Thank you ever so much Lee and for spoiling me.

The day after Christmas I received a parcel in the mail and inside were these beautiful flosses that I was a winner of Nancy's 12 days of Christmas giveaways on her Victorian Motto Sampler blog. WOOHOO - I won 10 skeins of her wonderful flosses.
Thank you Santa Nancy for your generosity. Your flosses are sooooo pretty and they feel silky.

 From my #1 sister (my only sister) I received all these goodies. I got a magazine that came with some silver metallic thread, Margaret Sherry Christmas designs, buttons, sachet bags, fabric and a Joann's gift card.

 The elegant gold brass needle holder matches a gold brass seam ripper that I have. 

Thank you Nicole for all my gifts and for your thoughtfulness. 

 Santa brought me Gingerbread Tree Etui chart by The Victoria Sampler and the needed 28ct Almond linen to stitch it on. How did Santa know? Just what I wanted. LOL!!!

 Well I didn't finish stitching Victorian Merry Christmas by Nancy Turner, but here is my progress. I am going to keep stitching this project till I finish. This has been my go to project during the holidays.

This apple strudel I brought to Nannies house for our get together Christmas Eve. No I did not bake it. Mike's pastry shop did. When my uncle had some that evening he said it took him back to the pastries he had in Germany. So that's a big compliment. It was very good.

 My aunt brought this cake also for Christmas eve. It was a coconut cake with buttercream filling. It was so beautifully decorated for Christmas and was good too. I'm not a coconut fan but I liked this cake.

Thank you for all your loving comments, for your friendships and for making my Christmas very special.
With my Love and Appreciation - Annette