Advent Final Gifts And Christmas Gifts!!!

Christmas all over for another year...almost...and what a fun time it has been!!!

Gifts given...gifts received...new blogging friends made over 2009...

a lovely place to be...

First of all...Natima has put together a few pics from a previous post of mine and I have used them as a Header...Thank you so much Natima!!!

This gift above from Simone in The Netherlands (this should be further down together with other gifts)...

Warming Fire tea bags...a delicious scent and something I have not see over here...

I look forward to trying these out Simone!!!

Lovely bright fat quarter...perfect summery colours!!!

Together with a little notebook...

Thank You so much Simone...further down you will see the little Figgy Pudding decoration up on the tree!!!

Above are the last of the Advent Gifts from my Partner Carol ...


The final gift from Carol opened up on Christmas morning was this delightful little bag...along with a little needlebook...
The stitched words on the bag are...in my heart there lives a joyful song...the road to a friend's house is never too long!!!

Check out the fine stitching...just beautiful Carol!!!

And here is the needlebook opened up...gorgeous soft Autumn colours...
Thank you so much Carol...I have had so much fun (along with JoJo) in participating in this Advent Swap 2009...

And many thanks to Fiona for organizing this wonderful Swap!!!

This is the bag I made for Carol...

all Carol's gifts packaged up ready to go for opening up on 1st December...

Above are gifts received from blogging friends...

This seaside stitchery book from my friend Geo (no blog)...

Thank you so much Geo...I love it, many projects in here to keep me busy!!!

This one from Natima , Thanks Nat...I don't have a pastry brush this size!!!

Simone's Figgy Pudding hanging on the tree...

Thank you Simone...it looks great!!!

And from Andrea this gorgeous green and gold bauble...

Thank you so much Andrea!!!

And of course I had to put this under the tree for myself...

couldn't resist it when I saw it!!!

And this you-beaut 2010 Paris calendar from Geo!!!

I have thoroughly enjoyed this Christmas...

and also 2009, meeting new people here in Blogworld...
getting to know other people better...

It's just been fantastic!!!

So from my little ol' blog to yours...wishing everyone a very Happy Healthy and Prosperous 2010...May you all have a wonderful year...Dzintra

January, the month of new beginnings and cherished memories, beckons.

Once again the days are sunny and hot...
School is over, summer holidays have begun...

This is the month to dream, to look forward to the year ahead and the journey within.

Sarah Ban Breathnach, Simple Abundance

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Advent, The Third Week...Christmas Decorations...and a Christmas Cake!!!

Here we are...2 more sleeps to go until Christmas Day!!!

This Christmas JoJo requested a Fruit Cake...not normally part of our (European) tradition...but very much a part of Australia...

I made this very easy-peasy cake...for which the recipe can be found on my other blog, My Dolce Vita ...

The Advent Swap hosted by Fiona is just about over...2 more gifts to go!!!
How I have thoroughly enjoyed this Swap with my Partner Carol...it has been so much fun waking up each day to a gift to open...with JoJo's help of course!!!
One of the gifts...this great panel above...Needlework Diva on Duty!!!

the gifts for the last week...

one of which was this Stitchery above which I have slowly been working on!!!

Meanwhile, my dear blogging mate and personal friend...Natima has asked me to show some of my decorations for Christmas...
our tree above...

Christmas just cannot go by without a visit from Santa!!!

a little cone stitchery filled with red berries...

Gumnuts decorated with sparkly bling by JoJo at her day programme...

JoJo has also made some bon-bons...little trees and a pudding!!!

Meanwhile...in our backyard this beautiful blue hydrangea just before the 43c heat got to it...

This gorgeous table top panel I recently purchased for a member of our family as she is so into horses...I just knew it was for her!!!

Christmas is not a time or a season, but a state of mind.

To cherish peace and goodwill, To be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real Spirit of Christmas.

If we think on these things, there will be born in us a Savior and over us will shine a star sending its gleam of hope to the world.

~Calvin Coolidge, 1872-1933~

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas...Priecigus Ziemmasvetkus...Buon Natale...Nollaig Shonna Duit...Good Yule...and a safe and Happy Healty and Prosperous 2010...

Nollaig Shonna Duit...Happy Christmas To You...A Very Special Christmas Giveaway from Micki!!!

Ho Ho Ho...

A very special Giveaway hosted by the wee Lassie Micki from Ireland...

gifts include a beautiful Belleek China Santa...

odd Irish socks with a Shamrock...

Butlers Irish Chocolate Truffles...

A Christmas copy of the Irish Quilting magazine...

and a few other goodies...

including a card showing some thatched cottages over in Ireland!!!

Micki will draw this on 22nd December...

Good Luck Everyone!!!

Advent - the Second Week and a Touch of Paris!!!

Second week of Advent has passed now...and here are my gifts from Carol below...

A framed stitchery...coasters, green and red one side...printed the other...

soap and face washer...a little Santa,

and quilting labels...What a surprise Carol I received on opening this morning's gift...

(don't know why this is happening...the photos are turned around from what they are supposed to be)...
the labels say Mode de Paris!!!
I tend to collect things with Paris on them!!!
Thank you so much Carol...now I think I will have to try to find something French inspired to make using this label...I just love it!!!

Below is this striking moonlit card received from Julie..



Meanwhile through Cathy Penton I have been very fortunate to meet Julie ...
Per chance I went over to visit Ruby for the first time and unbeknownst to me she had a giveaway going...I fell in love with her blog and photos of Italy...I left her a comment and blow me down...I won the giveaway!!!

The giveaway happened to be one of Cathy's beautiful charms...

Check this out...PARIS!!!
Can you imagine my utter delight on reading that I had won this...I was in 'Paris' all day!!!

The back of the charm...
So opening today's swap gift was extra special Carol...
which inspired me to show some of my recent purchases!!!

Tea...for 1!!!

Yet another recipe book...I just love them and can't help myself!!!

And this apron...full of Eiffel Towers, how cute!!!

Close up of the fabric...turned around again???

A little poster of the Tower...

even serviettes!!!

And to top it all off...Vicki Archer's latest book...FRENCH ESSENCE...with photography by Carla Coulsen

Ambience, Beauty and Style in Provence!!!
It can't get much better than that!!!
I know what I'll be doing all weekend now...have a good one everyone...Dzintra

Advent Swap...The First Week...Plus A Win!!!

Here we are...first week of Summer with the heat back...and the first week into the Advent Swap run by Fiona!!! What a grand time I have had opening a gift every day from Carol...and I have to admit that every evening now I wonder what my little surprise will be tomorrow...and every morning I'm out of bed...with JoJo too sometimes...all eager to start the day opening the next numbered gift!!! This swap works with one little gift opened up from 1st-24th December and a larger 'main' gift...hand stitched to be opened up on Christmas morning!!!

Carol has drawn a little picture for every day...numbered it and attached it to each one...how cute is that!!! This swap works that the first gift opened up is on the 25th...and then working down to no 1 to be opened up on Christmas Day...Above are the first few numbered pics...and to the right above are all the little pressies laid out!!!

Here to the left is my gift from Carol...and to the right is the one I sent her!!! I'd say we were both thinking along the same lines here LOL!!!

Above left are the gifts for the last week...vintage lace...vintage buttons...fat 1/4...gorgeous pins...a little scissor fob...and a little light...

How lucky can a gal be...amongst all this I received a giveaway win from Vicki ...above right...

lovely bright packaging...

and inside this handmade orange and purple button bracelet...made on a nearby farm to Vicki's over in California!!! I love it Vicki...the colours are so vibrant...and by co-incidence when we were first married our bedroom was decorated in orange and purple...very 1970's!!!

Thank you so much Vicki...this is a fun bracelet!!!

Meanwhile through blogging I have met Sheila , who had seen that I was reading the

Elm Creek Quilters books and very kindly offered for me to read The Persian Pickle Club by Sandra Dallas...which is sort of along similar lines to the Elm Creek series of books...

Thank you so much Sheila for your generosity in loaning this book to me!!!

And I thought the book and the bracelet look so cool together!!!

This little Santa holding the rusty star sits on the old meat safe watching over my Advent gifties...he was stitched a couple of years ago now and sits perfectly here!!!

A design by Helen Stubbings of Hugs'nKisses...

Don't know about everbody else but I have hardly picked up needle and thread these last few weeks...a few other things to attend to these days...and I often hear the call of the sea and can't resist going down to the beach!!!

Hope you enjoy these last few weeks just before the busiest time of year!!!