Special gifts for me

I had a great Christmas, and was really very spoiled with many thoughtful and generous gifts from my family and friends! I thought I would share a couple of the homemade items with you.

I participated in a couple Christmas swaps this year, and while I am still waiting for one to make its way here from Australia, I am loving this beautiful garland from Lauren, along with these sweet little gnomes she included for my kids. She also included a yummy recipe (and sample!), some tea, and a lovely story and tradition shared by Lauren and her husband. I loved it!
I also received something very special this Christmas from a coworker. Denese and I spend all day side by side at the office, chatting and having fun, comparing stories about our kids and life in general (and oh yah, working, too!). She doesn't sew, but she likes to dabble in paint. This year for Christmas, she surprised me with one of her paintings. What really warmed my heart was all of the thought that went into this! She checked out my blog to see my quilting style, then took a modern quilting book out of the library and based her geometric pattern on one of the quilts there. She included 5 mini-squares- one to represent each person in my family, and even put in a backwards hidden "K'.....can you see it in the brown block on the bottom right? I was so touched by all the thought and time put into this special gift! Thank you, Denese!! It is now hanging on the wall in our computer room at home!