At last, my long lost SSCS 2014 gift has arrived!

 

I did participate in Chooky’s 2014 Secret Santa Christmas Swap last year, but I haven’t been able to tell you about it. 

Poor Chooky has been chasing around trying to find my SSCS 2014 swap gift as it seemed to have taken a ‘detour’ on its way from the US of A to my place.

via site

But it arrived this week, thank goodness!   I should have known, if anyone’s was going to go astray, it would be mine!  My SSCS gift that I was sending to my partner in 2011 took the long road, and it wasn’t until the end of January that it found its way to its destination…but it did get there, so I was totally relieved!  So deep in my heart, I knew this one would get here, and it was worth waiting for!

Carol made me a beautiful woollen table runner and, as she got caught up with the day to day’s (as we all do!), her hubby made me a beautiful ribbon winder/spool holder in  place of the ornament….it’s absolutely gorgeous and I love it….definitely worth the wait. 

I also received some peppermint bark chocolate and a very spesh Darjeeling teabag…can’t wait to try that.   I would have loved more of the chocolate, but my ‘boys’ devoured most of it….I did get a taste though, and it was, *burp* delicious!  Nothing like anything I’ve ever seen in Australia before.  

That’s the great thing about swaps – you get to ‘experience’ things you wouldn’t ordinarily experience, from other parts of the world.

And my swap partner I was sending to was Gracie, in the US, so I thought a little winter white would fit into her decorating scheme?! 

Gracie is fond of chocolate and thimbles, so I sent her some Lindt (which happened to be her favourite) and a pretty thimble I’d picked up for just such an occasion.  Linen was on her list of ‘loves’ so I designed the Christmas ornie just for her -    Reminds me of the gingerbread houses you see all around at this time of year. 

The stitchery is a free Red Brolly design which I’ve stitched with threads in Gracie’s favourite colour- lavender, Cottage Garden threads, of course……as well as some traditional red and green….well, it IS Christmas!

photos via Carole’s blog

I do have some other Christmas gifts I must show you, but seeing as some of them I’m giving to some very special stitchy friends tomorrow (because I haven’t had a chance to catch up with them in S-O-O-O-O-O-O-M-E time), I can’t show them just yet!  But I promise, I will! *wink*

Swaps are such fun aren’t they?

xox Sugary hugs :o)

SSCS exposed!

I can’t believe Christmas is over for another year and now we’re looking forward to the New Year and all it has to bring. I was soooo looking forward to Christmas day this year, not only to celebrate the reason for the season, but these special gifties, the ones that came all the way from Josie in Scotland, were sitting there taunting me! Well…..guess which ones I ripped open first????  (I have said, I’m not one for niceties when it comes to opening presents….however…I am keeping all that gorgeous red ribbon for some very special projects!) Yep….these ones!   Don’t know how my family felt but these had been keeping me guessing for weeks!   I opened the ‘jiggly’ one first to reveal……… some yummy jelly jube lollies and the most GINORMOUS jelly beans I’ve ever seen!   They breed them big in Scotland!!! And just to prove it to you, here’s a ‘normal’ sized jelly bean next to them…….could you imagine if I put a jelly belly bean there???…Just like the three bears!!!! hee hee   I haven’t been game to try one yet in case they have magic powers and I grow just like Jack and the Beanstalk!!  Have enough of that problem just with all the Christmas goodies we’ve been eating!!! LOL There were also some beautiful Kirstie Allsopp sewing accessories….a pincushion, thimble and pins pack and a retractable tape measure…..just gorgeous…..and just how did Josie know I love watching Kirstie Allsopp do her ‘handmade’ thing on PayTV!!!! and as if that wasn’t enough……the ‘main’ present just blew me away!!!!   Check out this absolutely GOR-GEEEEEE-ous stitchery bag…… Again….Josie must have a telepathic connection….I had planned to do this Leanne Beasley stitchery ‘one day’ on something special!!!  I’ve collected all the Vignette magazines and drooled over them too!  How on earth did she know!??!!? Look at her stitching….isn’t it just perfect???…….. and the hand quilting just is divine!!!….. ….along with the red spotted lining!!!!!!…my favourite *wink* And now I can reveal what I sent to my SS…..Berit all the way from Norway….   The designs came from this little book.. …an absolute ripper!!!! You can visit Berit HERE to see how she has used it…..her house is just so pretty! A super huge THANK YOU to you Josie and Berit….and to Chooky too, for hosting yet another magnificent SSCS swap this year!  I know I said I couldn’t possibly do another swap this year….but I’m sooo glad Chooky intervened!!!!!   And now I have more bloggy friends in the world that I can visit…..Chooky is just like the e-Harmony matchmaker for bloggers!!!!! Hee hee. Off to start planning some crafty business for 2013! Big sugary hugs xox :O)    

SSCS exposed!

I can’t believe Christmas is over for another year and now we’re looking forward to the New Year and all it has to bring.

I was soooo looking forward to Christmas day this year, not only to celebrate the reason for the season, but these special gifties, the ones that came all the way from Josie in Scotland, were sitting there taunting me!

Well…..guess which ones I ripped open first????  (I have said, I’m not one for niceties when it comes to opening presents….however…I am keeping all that gorgeous red ribbon for some very special projects!)

Yep….these ones!   Don’t know how my family felt but these had been keeping me guessing for weeks!  

I opened the ‘jiggly’ one first to reveal………

some yummy jelly jube lollies and the most GINORMOUS jelly beans I’ve ever seen!   They breed them big in Scotland!!!

And just to prove it to you, here’s a ‘normal’ sized jelly bean next to them…….could you imagine if I put a jelly belly bean there???…Just like the three bears!!!! hee hee   I haven’t been game to try one yet in case they have magic powers and I grow just like Jack and the Beanstalk!!  Have enough of that problem just with all the Christmas goodies we’ve been eating!!! LOL

There were also some beautiful Kirstie Allsopp sewing accessories….a pincushion, thimble and pins pack and a retractable tape measure…..just gorgeous…..and just how did Josie know I love watching Kirstie Allsopp do her ‘handmade’ thing on PayTV!!!!

and as if that wasn’t enough……the ‘main’ present just blew me away!!!!   Check out this absolutely GOR-GEEEEEE-ous stitchery bag……

Again….Josie must have a telepathic connection….I had planned to do this Leanne Beasley stitchery ‘one day’ on something special!!!  I’ve collected all the Vignette magazines and drooled over them too!  How on earth did she know!??!!?

Look at her stitching….isn’t it just perfect???……..

and the hand quilting just is divine!!!…..

….along with the red spotted lining!!!!!!…my favourite *wink*

And now I can reveal what I sent to my SS…..Berit all the way from Norway….

 

The designs came from this little book..

…an absolute ripper!!!!

You can visit Berit HERE to see how she has used it…..her house is just so pretty!

A super huge THANK YOU to you Josie and Berit….and to Chooky too, for hosting yet another magnificent SSCS swap this year!  I know I said I couldn’t possibly do another swap this year….but I’m sooo glad Chooky intervened!!!!!   And now I have more bloggy friends in the world that I can visit…..Chooky is just like the e-Harmony matchmaker for bloggers!!!!! Hee hee.

Off to start planning some crafty business for 2013!

Big sugary hugs xox :O)

 

 

Christmas has arrived at Sugarlane….

Finally, finally, finally!!!! Why is it that every Christmas seems to creep up so quickly and everything is left to the last minute in our household….please reassure me…..it’s not just in MY house, is it???? Friday was the day to set up the Christmas tree and decorate the house…..well….in a minimalistic type of way! I think I left half of the stuff in the boxes as, for just a few days, there doesn’t seem much point in dragging it ALL out!!!! So I thought I’d take you on a quick Christmas tour of some of the Christmassy stuff at Sugarlane place!…. Our tree….all decorated with the stockings set out ready for the “Santa fill”…..some special Santa hats which MUST be worn when giving out the presents……a plastic bag……????? Well….can’t give away too much can I???? someone might be reading!!!! *wink* My lovely, new ornie gifted to me by the lovely Fiona nestled in amongst all those baubles and tinsel…. Isn’t Gingie so cute??? He sits alongside my other new ornie I received from Josie in the SSCS this year…. I just love ‘em both! And my precious nativity scene sitting on the beautiful, and just as precious, table runner Jen made for me last year in our swap…. my Baboushka Santas keeping watch over the proceedings… the mini Christmas tree DS made for me MANY years ago with some other little decorations bought from op shops and gift stalls for me by him in his single digit days….. and the lovely white tree which hopefully will bring cool thoughts to our tropical home over the Christmas season. The beautiful runner underneath is one made by Kornelia for me in the 2010 SSCS. The candles have a very special purpose….especially during our cyclone season when the power goes out constantly!!!! One of the first stitchery projects I did….my santa swag….. a gorgeous swap gift I received from Illene last year… and a simple reminder to all that Christmas is all about Hope and Joy! Christmas time is also about the beautiful tropical fruits we are so lucky to have up here……yummy lychees from a friend’s tree….grown in their own backyard and harvested BEFORE the fruit bats and parrots could get them!!! ….even some funny looking ones!…… which remind me of Sesame Street characters, or is it the Muppets, for some reason!!!! hee hee And the beautiful tropical sunsets seen from our own front yard each night….aaaaaahhh……I love this place (but I would love a white Christmas too!!!) Are you ready for Christmas, or are you like me this year, and leaving it to the last minute? Sugary, Christmas hugs :O)