Mini Tree Skirt Swap and Other Stuff

It's been more than a week now since I found a package on my front door step. I was filled with excitement because I knew there was a special gift inside. An online group to which I belong does a gift exchange each year. Last year we swapped quilted Christmas stocking and this year we decided on tree skirts for small Christmas trees, along with three ornaments and some sort of a treat.

I was a very lucky girl! Kristie (Quilt Harvest) had my name this year and she made the above tree skirt using the Thimbleberries Wild Goose Chase pattern. I could hardly believe my eyes when I saw that Kristie had actually cut into her all time favorite Thimbleberries fabric to make my gift. It's the red fabric from the Holly Hill line. See the Christmas tin? It's filled with red and green M&Ms. Kristie knows that I love to snack on M&Ms and drink diet Coke while I sew. She told me that she actually had a diet Coke packed inside a plastic bag and had planned to send it too, but her DH told her that was a bad idea. That's okay...I have diet Coke here at home! LOL!

One of the ornaments that Kristie sent was a little frame with a picture of the two of us at our first Main Street Cotton Shop retreat in Hutchinson, MN. That's me on the right and Kristie on the left. I think that was way back in 2002 or 2003, but Kristie will correct me if I'm wrong.

Above is the tree skirt that I made for my friend, Erica, who lives in Alberta, Canada. I shrunk the Buggy Barn tree skirt pattern from the Stir Crazy book. I was able to get two mini tree skirts from the eight FQs that I used. I still need to finish the one for me.

Here's another picture from my home. Look...there's me and Kristie again! The Trip Around the World quilt is one of the first quilts that I made and is the only one that I have hand quilted. The quilt was actually made from scraps that were left over from a log cabin quilt that I made for my brother's family. I used a free pattern from Connecting Threads that is no longer available (although there is a similar one that is throw sized).
Friday was the 9th grade night dance at the junior high. Blondie (left) and her friend got together early to take a few pictures. These two have been best friends since birth...really! Their birthdays are eight days apart. Although they're both very busy, they spend a lot of their spare time together hanging out with friends in the neighborhood and riding their longboards.
On Saturday the Ballerina (center) invited two of her best friends to Clara's Tea Party. They had a great time eating finger sandwhiches and cookies and listening to the story of The Nutcracker. This Friday and Saturday the Ballerina will be dancing in four performances of The Nutcracker as a soldier. I'm sure there'll be more pictures to come. lol!