Hi everyone!
I was in last years swap which was so much fun! So yeat again can't wait until we start unwrapping our pressies this year!
Love Vicki

Hello. hope this works, looking forward to more updates,
Marion, Nelson

A PRACTICE FOR YOU

I want to share these special photos with you all, and to also give you a chance to have a `little practice' on `posting a comment'
I had my 6 yr old grand daughter to stay with me a couple of Saturdays ago , and on one of my many visits to Spotlight I found this modern day version of French Knitting -far cry from when I used to use wooden cotton reels and nails .

But before we embarked on French Knitting , I needed to felt.


Stella very keen to
play with Nana's wool -and have a go.
This is the dear child felting -
just look at her concentration, she produced a very nice piece of Red Merino felt -never too young to learn



The French Knitting was a HUGE SUCCESS, Stella likes crafting, and at Spotlight she took forever deciding what colour wool to use -finally a pretty pinky , lavender colour was chosen -very Stella -honestly she was HOOKED, I felt so proud of her efforts , she is a good girl and like her Mother and Nana, enjoys `fiddling'

Thank you to everyone!

This email is a couple of days late sorry! Miranda, i was just speechless, what a beautiful bookmark and the work involved in it! It is just delightful and it will be used, Thank you so much!
It is sad to see our 12 swap days come to an end, as it really has been an amazing and the most enjoyable experience! Thank you to each of you for the lovely gifts, and to liz for making this all happen!! I am now looking forward to the next one!
Love Vicki
xox

CAIRNS CHRISTMAS TREE

Double click on Jean's tree to enlarge the photo and you can see our gifts -awesome!!
Liz

Merry Christmas to all

Thanks Miranda for the lovely bookmark. Such delicate work and the wrapping was great even thou I know it caused some stressful moments.

Merry Christmas to all of you, and safe and Happy New Year.
Everyone has sent the most beautiful gifts all individual and creative so thanks very much for a great 12 days. Look forward to the next swap.
Cheers Hazel

To my swopper friends, I hope all had a lovely day yesterday and I am sure Santa was kind to you. Some how my day got away from me. I visited at our little hospital to make sure Santa arrived with the patients gifts and was blown away when 40 people turned up for morning tea. I am told that never before have so many people joined in for Christmas morning with our long term residents. It was such a happy morning and a pleasure to be part of it. Thank you to Wendy Jean Amah and Miranda and to any one else whose gift I have forgotton to thank them for. I have loved them all and the excitment and anticipation of opening the little parcels. Funny I even got excited about opening my own to see which one had returned to me. I got a book in my christmas parcels which has already given me ideas for next year so I hope we can all take part again please Liz. Liz an especially big thank you to you for keeping us in there when you yourself was having a difficult time. So a big hug from me. HAPPY NEW YEAR to everyone may 2009 bring you happiness and pleasure. Love to you all Adrianne

AMAH'S (EDNA) email

Miranda -What can I say
I will think of you when I use the beautiful bookmark as I do a lot of reading.
Thank you so very much, I feel so happy to have been able to take part in this wonderful Xmas swap.
Haven't we had some fabulous gifts and made such kind friends??
I do wish you and all the other swappers!! a happy and healthy coming year and roll on the next swap !!!!
Love to All ( Amah Edna

MIRANDA'S GIFT TO US

MERRY CHRISTMAS
Stunning, amazing, beautiful, gorgeous, lovely
Miranda I am so, so impressed , in fact stunned would be a more correct description of how I felt.
We actually opened them last night together, Amah, Rachael and I, and that was special, as we ooooohed and aaaaahed,
Jean from Cairns rang this morning (I stayed at Rachaels) and she too `blown away'

A very small profile of Miranda as I am not showered or dressed.
Miranda is another of my `dear Nelson' friends, and like all of us has fiddled over the years and I did know that she could crochet, but have never seen any evidence before - our bookmark is inspirational.
Thank you dear friend and I am so glad you took the challenge , your wrapping is gorgeous and imaginative, and you always say you have no talent -mmmmm !!!!!!!!!!!!
Hopefully we will all contribute to our blog, until the New Year as it will be fun to chat about our Christmas.
Liz

Hi everyone, so sorry I haven,t said thanks to Rachel, Adrianne, Wendy, Jean and Edna. I have been very busy finishing of xmas presents that I have been making, All done now. I have enjoyed this very much and cant wait to open the last one in the morning. Thanks, Marian

Thank You Everyone!!!

I just wanted to say thank you to everyone for your wonderful and clever gifts and for making this one of the most enjoyable Christmases I've had since I was a child!!! I haven't been able to get on the computer over the last couple of days and my apologies to Adrianne, Wendy, Jean and Edna for not thanking you on the day I opened your gifts however we (Seini and I) were blown away each morning by the beautiful gifts we saw when we unwrapped your parcels and I feel very lucky to have been a part of this great Christmas Swap - very humbled and touched by the time and effort everyone has put in to their gifts, you are all wonderful people!!! Have a relaxing day tomorrow and best wishes for the New Year to you all,
from,
Miranda and Seini xoxo

OUR 12 TH DAY -

Merry Christmas to you all, we are going to open Miranda's gift at 12.01 , should still be up, but may not post, will see :):).
I hope tomorrow is a special day for you all, and that it will be as fun filled as our last 11 days have been.
Take Care Dear Friends and family and a big thank you for sharing `My Dream' and making our swap come true.
LizXX

Christmas Tree in Cairns :)

Merry Christmas from Cairns

Thanks you so much to each and every one of you - special thanks to Liz & Rachael for getting me involved in this very special Xmas Gift Swap - I so enjoyed making my gifts to you and of receiving your gifts to me. I just want to keep going ewith more :):):) Merry Christmas to all of you and take care Love Jean

Thank you Adrianne,Wendy, Jean and Edna
Wow haven't we been lucky, sorry in not getting on here sooner.
Adrianne I loved the blue/star xmas ball - my colours very clever. Wendy you made a fantastic job of the mosaic tile cross, well done.
Jean your gift cards are just lovely - yes too beautiful to use! Marian will love those as she is into scrap booking (infact she has whipped up a garden scrap book for me for xmas - just lovely)
And today we have this beautiful cross stitch xmas decoration - I can't believe you are 82 Edna what amasing work.
Only one to go, I'll say thank you now to Miranda for day 12 as not sure if I will be on the blog on xmas day.
A big THANK YOU Liz this has been great, I have loved been part of the 12 days
Merry Christimas everyone
Love Cheryl

AMAH'S (EDNA) GIFT TO US

12 of these , and 24 pieces of tiny cross stitch to make this most beautiful and exquisite Christmas tree decoration , plus assembling the pieces to make it , and look-that isn't all......... Mine has a little boot attacked to the bottom, plus the red ribbon to hang it -it is so lovely and I am so impressed that Amah at 82 can actually see to stitch such fine work.
And I do believe that it is stuffed with Lavender - FANTASTIC!!!
Amah's tag was so nice and my camera didn't pick up the other side , but there is a nice little (Stick On) Christmas message as well.

Another wee parcel, that gave no indication of the contents -surprise!!!!
Amah, as you will all realise is my Son-In-Law's maternal Grandmother, and when Steve was a little boy , he couldn't say Grandma (or I think that is the story)
And yes, Amah has crafted and stitched for ever, and if any of you are ever here at Christmas time, -her house is filled with the most beautiful Christmas decorations of all kinds, beautifully made -I am lucky enough to live close by.
Thank you Amah -your gift is simply beautiful and soooo neat
Liz

EMAIL FROM AMAH (Edna) 23rd Dec;

Hi Jean ,
I didn't have a clue who the gift was from today !!
No name on the parcel ! but what a lovely idea thank you very much
What will tomorrow bring?
Gets exciting doesn't it?
Mum

JEAN'S GIFT TO US

I never want to use them -and if I do, then the recipients would have to be pretty special to appreciate the dainty and delicate, dear little gift tags.
What could have been in the little parcel? - the Customs declaration said `CARD' so no true indication of what was inside.
Jean, these are fabulous and I do feel that you must have a wee stash of Japanese papers.
They are all perfectly made, with minute detail -how patient you must be as I can see that these little gift tags were not just whipped up, as they are so perfect
Your colours and layout are perfect -I keep looking at them

The wrapping was also done beautifully, and did you all see how the red tissue sort of poked out like a wee border? -definitely Japanese influence.
Jean just so happens to be Rachael's' `Mother-In-Law' and Stella's Gamma, so I obviously have known Jean for many years, and again like all of us, has fiddled, stitched and made things for ever -she also used to do `framing' and had a workshop.
Jean has always loved all 'Japanese' things and Rachael has on her walls various fans , prints etc from Japan.
Thank you Jean -the gift tags are magnificent, that seems to be the wrong word , as they are too dainty for such a big word.
You are in Cairns, but this Xmas Swap has brought you much closer to home, friends and family.
Have a wonderful Christmas
Liz

FANTASTIC!

Thank you Wendy! My cross is blue,white and red, and i just love it! You have put a lot of work into them with all the little pieces in the mosaic.
I cant believe we are up to opening parcel 10 tomorrow morning! This really has been amazing and i will miss the amazing little surprise/gift each morning, when we finish!
Vicki xox

EMAIL FROM AMAH (EDNA) 22nd Dec

Hi Wendy

What a beautiful bag, complete with beaded tie, then when I opened it----
What a kind thought for the right time of the year, very appropriate and lovingly crafted each day brings us closer to the last gift- hope we don't all lose touch ?

Have a good Christmas and a bright New Year
Amah- Edna