It’s Wednesday and time for a little peek at this week’s Pals Paper Arts card. I have taken a break from the red and green of the Christmas season, and have created a Calypso Coral non-holiday card using Designer Series Paper, stamps and embossing folders from the new Spring catalog. I hope you will join me Thursday for the reveal!
Blog Candy
I love this time of the year. The music! The trees! The celebrations! I love it all…especially the presents! I LOVE giving presents. I always try to find something from the heart for each person on my list. In recent years, I have done the best job with the presents I have given my sister and her husband. One year, I traced our family tree, a year-long labor of love. Of course, it is not complete. But in a year I got a great start on it. Another year, I secretly typed the manuscript of an unpublished book, written when they lived in Nome, Alaska. I scoured the internet for photos of Nome in the early 1960’s, and contacted Nomites for their help. Yep…these were two of my favorite presents. I love to give!
In keeping with the giving spirit of the season, I am offering Blog Candy. One lucky person will receive a Sizzix Texture Boutique Embossing Machine. All you need to do is leave a comment on this post, or any post between now and Sunday. A winning name will be randomly selected at 10:00 PM CST on Sunday, December 23 and announced on Monday, December 24th. I can only ship to US addresses. But on December 24th, I will have more Blog Candy which I will be able to send anywhere!
As a comment starter…What is the favorite gift that you have either received or given? Mine was a pony saddle. Santa left it for me when I was in second grade. Santa is a wise, wise man!
Ann, What a wonderful Blog Candy giveaway! I love your blog, and I love all of your amazing projects. My fondest Christmas gift? When I was very, very young, I wore corrective braces on my legs (a la Forrest Gump) and also had to wear corrective shoes. I remember receiving my first pair of tennis shoes one Christmas (my braces were taken off close to Christmas). I thought they were the COOLEST! Mom had to remove them in my sleep because I wouldn’t even take them off before bed. Who’da thunk shoes could be such a well-received gift?
Each year, I give our family photo calendars which provide a highlight of some of our favorite events and memories. These are always a big hit and bring many smilies to my loved ones. They take a lot of time, but are so worth it in the end. I have thought about going digital, but haven’t made the leap yet as everyone likes the handmade touch.
Every year there is at least one gift, that I think came out especially well. This year I gave my coworker some of her favorite snacks all decorated with great papers and snowflakes. It came out so cute that she said she saved the Pringles can. Lol
Love all the details in your card! The cloud embossing folder looks like little pearls all over that 2.5 inch circle with umbrella! Perfect! Thanks for the blog candy offer!
I would have to say the Santa ornament I get each year from my Dad is the best present I get. I have a large display and love to put it out on my Buffett for everyone to see.
My favorite gift is one that allows me to give and to receive. I give my granddaughter one shopping trip to the outlet malls. She’s 9 years old. We stroll around the stores, get something to eat and just enjoy each others company. She gets to pick out something that she wouldn’t even think about asking for and I get to see the smile on her face. It doesn’t get better than that!
Giving my husband an empty box saying it was overflowing with my love.
A gal after my own heart. I love giving also; I receive a gift back when my gift brings joy and a smile to someone. One of my son’s was born the month before Christmas and the second a little more than a month after Christmas. They have been our best gifts. And now we have the anticipation of a belated gift – the birth of our first grandchild in January. You can’t ask fro more.
This is a beautiful card – love that new DSP and all those pearls. I would love to visit your craft room and see just how much stock in pearls you have. 🙂
Thank you for asking this question. I have enjoyed reading your other reader’s responses to it. I cannot remember one single gift given or received, but some of my favorites to give have been things I made – papercrafting, crocheting, knitting, cross-stitched pieces, needlepoint, and the scrapbook albums and framed photos. I am not sure this is my “favorite” to receive, but for years I asked for and received a Whitman’s Sampler box of candy. My husband gave me four gifts our first Christmas as a married couple 37 years ago, and that was one of them and that tradition continued for years. At some point, it stopped, but after telling our 13-yo daughter about it, we have revived it (sort of) by giving her one, which we all share of course.
I hope Brady is feeling better and will soon be good as new.
Hope Brady is recovering well. My favorite gift was the very first Barbie doll in 1959 from Santa. Learned several years later that my Mom looked high and low to find one for me ~ guess that’s what Moms do to make their children happy. God Bless Her!
When I was 8 years old I was given a brand new sled, as mine had gotten ran over by my dad’s truck the winter before. There was a huge hill that we sledded down every winter behind my cousin’s house. I was so glad to have receive that sled so I could join the rest of my cousins on that hill!
Kristine McGee
When I was young, each Christmas I would receive tickets to The Nutcracker Ballet. The whole family would dress in our Sunday best and make an evening of attending the ballet, going out to dinner, and looking at the lights in Temple Square in Salt Lake. These are very precious memories, the best gifts of all.
That is such a beautiful card!! I have to say my favorite gift that I’m givin is one that I will be givig this ear to my mom. It is a photo of two of my girls framed and “scrapped” using the spice cake product suite as inspiration. I loved that suite and the photos is soo perfet for those colours. I know y
Mom is just goig to love t. I can’t wait for her to open it!
I love the colors you chose. I sure it will be a beautiful card with fantastic detail. Merry Christmas!
Having my son and daugter-in-law with a baby in the oven, coming is the best present I could ask for.
One more thing I should have checked my “spelling seeing as I typed to fast and goofed up at least three words. I really do know how to spell. hahahhaha
Diana from WI again
Diana from Wisconsin says
Ann,
I commented on your card from a day or so ago but today’s card with the umbrella is really great too. Two years ago I was talking to someone and wishing SU would have an umbrella in theire stams. Well lo and behold now they do I am preety excited after seeing your card, and I rec’d my new catalog yesterday. yeaaa
Diana from WI
My favorite gift I have given was when my sister and I,along with our husbands, gave our father a dachshund for Christmas. We totally surprised him and he loved that dog so much. She was his constant companion and provided him with lots of comfort as he battled cancer. She provided us lots of comfort when Daddy lost that battled.
Thanks so much for the chance to win this little cutie!
Inky hugs,
Janet
What a generous giveaway! I love giving things I make myself,one year was hand embroidered hand towels, another was aprons and matching pot holders, this years is sets of cards, always handmade things.Merry Christmas and thanks for sharing your creativity with us, I enjoy reading about your dogs too.
Over the past few years I have quilts for each member of my family. I loved presenting them to each person!
Ann, I watch your blog everyday! You do such beautiful work. My greatest gift was a little brother just before Christmas. I was 9. Thanks for offering this great prize!
First, A very Merry Christmas to you and yours this Joyous Season.
Second, Brady get well and this is THE opportune time to drink all the shakes you want!!!
Third, My favorite Christmas Memory is: I am the oldest of seven children. Every year my parents would go out on Christmas Eve and Santa Shop. So my Sister, one year younger, and myself would be the designated baby-sitters. We would make oatmeal or pancakes for dinner and then we would make hot cocoa for all of us and sit in the livingroom with all the lights turned out except for the tree and sing carols and Christmas Hymns with the younger ones and just have that special Christmas moment with our brothers and sisters. Also a footnote…On Christmas, with seven children, Just two or three gifts apiece under the tree made it look like payload from Santa! When we bought for each other, mixed with Santa’s on Christmas Morning, WOW!
Cheryl McAskill
c.mcaskill@verizon.net
Merry Christmas to you All!
Merry Christmas! My best Christmas gift, is a home cooked meal for friends and people I know who have no other place to go on Christmas eve! I hate the thought of someone being alone on a holiday. They enjoy the fooopd and company. I love the laughter and smiles, new friends and old ones, sharing the wonderful gift of love! The greatest gift of all!
Merry Christmas! My best Christmas gift, is a home cooked meal for friends and people I know who have no other place to go on Christmas eve! I hate the thought of someone being alone on a holiday. They enjoy the fooopd and company. I love the laughter and smiles, new friends and old ones, sharing the wonderful gift of love! The greatest gift of all!
I guess I didn’t read well, but reading your blog followers’ replies I was reminded of a special gift that I’ve given and received – pictures of parents…I’ve given pics of our dad to my brother and sister and have received the same from my BIL of my DH’s parents…love those, what treasures!
WOW…that is some candy! Thank you for the chance to win it…. Your gifts to your sister and her husband are fabulous and wonderful ideas and I can only imagine how they loved them! My favorite gift was a red and white dress that my daddy picked out for me…it was a sort of sailor style with the fullest ever skirt…I could make a complete circle when I twirled…I loved that dress and the fact that my dad picked it out! Another was my last doll..she was tall and her knees bent so that she could kneel and walk (with help of course!). Thanks again!
Wow, that is some blog candy! Interesting peek with the pearls and all! Hugs to Brady – I had my wisdom teeth out once around Christmas – not the most perfect time with all the goodies around. Mine, weren’t impacted either.
After my parents died I was faced with the house full of stuff. Fortunately, a family moved to Burlington who basically came with just the clothes on their back and each a suitcase with essentials in their car. I was able to give them furniture, household goods, some food, and just tons of stuff. It broke my heart when the mom found a set of dishes in mom’s cabinet and she started crying! She had bought a cup from that set at the Salvation Army for $1.00 and was pretty upset that she had spent that much and then to find a matching set in the cabinet was just too much for her to handle. We cried and laughed for an hour about that! Then her daughter fell in love with an old lime green leisure suit jacket my dad had from the 70s and it fit the teenager! She loved it and wore it all the time. Then, one day a lady offered her $35 for it and I told her to sell it if she wanted to – it was hers. She held out and got $50 for it! It sure felt good to help this family and to continue to help them until they decided to move back to their home in Washington State to be near relatives. They came and left us in a short period of time but it was so worth it!
Chris R. from Iowa
P.S. you will notice my card hasn’t arrived – I am still working on mine!
I don’t know what I did wrong, but the annonomous that just came through was me, Lorie Betz.
Thanks again for all your great stories and teaching on your blog. I love the pictures of the puppies. Prayers to Brady. My son went through the same thing.
Sounds like we are going to have quite a blizzard, a great chance for me to create cards. My favorite gift came when I was about 10. I was the oldest of all the grandchildren. Everyone else played together and I was the odd ball. Well, I got a small transistor radio and a ski jacket. This made it possible for me to sit in the swing on the front porch and listen to my radio. I felt very special. Blessings to your entire family. Merry Christmas.
My fav gift was a locket he gave me just 3 months b4 he died. I will always treasure it. Dar
My favorite gift is from My Oldest Daughter who gives me a gift certificate for a manicure and pedicure and has done so for the last ten years or so. This may not sound so special to many but this is a gift that is designed just for Me and not to be shared with anyone else. Very personal!
Happy Holidays to You and Yours!
Wow! What a generous blog candy – thanks for the chance to win! Merry Christmas to you!
You typed a manuscript?? That is awesome!!!
My favorite gift is this year, I’m going to see my daughter and son-in-law, they are going to have my very first grandchild in May, but I’ll get to see her pg. 🙂
Ilove the blog candy, that is an awesome gift!
your sneak peek card looks rather interesting and look at them pearls. :}
My first great gift was when I was 12 and received a brand new bicycle.
Second very special gift I received was an engagment ring way back in 1968. That was one day I will never, ever forget.
Thank you Ann for this opportunity.
ColleenB.
Hopefully Brady will recover quickly. I remember those “wisdom teeth” days! And, it is a relief to hear that I am not the only one running out of time with Christmas cards. As for a favorite gift – mine had to be a new pair of speed skates. I could hardly wait to hit the ice with them.
I also love to give. My favorite gift I gave to my daughter and to my daughter-in-law was cookbooks with family favorites in it. It was all made from scratch and they loved them! Also through the years I have made scrapbooks for each of my grandchildren from birth through high school graduation. The three oldest ones have graduated and each one has at least three or more books. Still working on the two younger ones. Heart goes out to Brady – hope he recovers quickly.
Love your blog! The most memorable gifts received were the birth of my first son on 12/26 and my second on 12/21. Remembering to buy birthday paper has always been an effort. Merry Christmas.
Thanks for such a great topic and the opportunity to share. I read all of the previous comments and they are so heartwarming! My favorite gift came from my brother when we were teens. I wanted Nike tennis shoes in the worst way. He wrapped each shoe separately in disguised boxes because that was all he could afford to give me. I was so happy! Merry Christmas to you and your family!
Gale S.
My favorite gifts given are the books that i give to my son each year. They always reflect what he is into at that time. He has a love for books that he received from me and i try to encourage the love by making it a special gift.
Ann, I look forward to your creations each day and find many ways to use the stamps that I already have and ones that I want as well. Thank you & Merry Christma
Well, I have two favorite things that we have done for grandchildren. We gave all of the four oldest girls American Girl dolls one year and they went crazy.
This year they are really going to be jumping and screaming……we are taking our entire family to Disneyworld (5 adults and 6 grandchildren).
Looking forward to seeing the rest of your card. I see a new embossing folder being used. Thank you for being so generous in all that you do!!!
What a fun giveaway!
My favorite gift was very recent. My piano has been badly out of tune for quite some time and even had a key that didn’t work. My son and his girlfriend gifted me a prepaid visit from a piano technician for my Christmas gift. They even made the appointment for me, and told me when he was coming. This sweet and totally unexpected gift warms my heart and has inspired me to begin playing the piano again!
Poor Brady! I hope he feels better real soon. My favorite Christmas present ever was a pair of white ice skates that Santa brought. My dad got hurt and was off work, no money coming in, but the guys at his work got together for our presents and we were all delighted! I still love the image of ice skates during Christmas time as a reminder of that very special childhood Christmas!
Ann… loving the colors on your peek and the new emboss folder is soooo cute. I just ordered that EF and can’t wait to get it.
My favorite gift to give/recieve was my FIRST scrapbook I made for my FIRST grandbaby. I put soooo much love and time into making it and it gave me soooo much pleasure to give to my daughter. Great beginning of the NEW HOBBY! PAPER!
Oh I feel sooo bad for Brady. I had THREE wisdom teeth ‘pulled’ in one setting… OUCH! I still remember the pain of the swelling I had afterward. My head was Huge. I certainly wish him a quick recovery so he’ll be good as new for Christmas.
PS: I JUST realized that Christmas begins MONDAY!! I keep thinking I have until next weekend. OMG.
Those are truly gifts from the heart, the best kind. I hope you and yours are going to be all well for the big day. Keep up the good work , and thanks for thinking of all of us.
The best gift I ever received was a simple gold necklace from my father. Scripted on it was “Someone loves you”.
Four months ago, I “received” a great niece! So this year I get to give little girl clothes!! So much fun!!
I wanted a birthstone ring in the worst way when I was in 8th grade. And as all Christmas’s my sister and I would would get pretty much the same gifts only different in color or shape. So , this one Christmas my sister opened a small pkg. and here she got a birthstone ring,so I’m looking high and low for this little pkg. but none to be found under the tree, I was broken hearted and crying as you would expect. Just then my Mother said there was a gift for me in my bedroom in my jewerly box and there was my ring!!! I still have it and wear it to this day !!!!!! Best memory and gift ever!!
Ann, you have given some amazing presents to your family for sure. Doing their family tree is an awesome gift. I do family history research regularly and love to do it.
My favorite gift I have received is my roomba floor cleaning robot. My hubby gave it to me a few years ago and it is STILL my fav thing. I just turn it on and go to work and when I come home, my floors are clean!! Like having a maid! (grin)
Well….mine is a little sad. I had the PERFECT “gift” for my parents on Christmas, 11 years ago TODAY! I was going to tell them I was pregnant with my first child…their first grandchild!! I found out I was pregnant on Dec 18th, 2001, and since it was a week before Christmas, I figured I could try to hold in this surprise till Christmas morning. I’m actually quite shocked I did. My mom and I were SOOOOO close (I’m an only child, and she was a young mom…19 years older than me), so we shared everything together! We were more like sisters or best friends. And I almost called her numerous times on the 18th, but I thought, no, I can really make this a special Christmas for her this year!! BUT, I never got to tell her at all. Exactly 12 hours after I found out I was pregnant, my mom died suddenly of a heart attack….on Dec 19th (same as today). I was in utter shock!! She was only 52 years old!?!?! I still, to this day, feel horrible for NOT telling her something that would have made it the best Christmas in the world for her. So even though my answer to your question is sad, it’s the truth….that was the best present I was going to give. (I find it interesting that you asked us this question today of all days. Maybe my mom had a part in that?!) I would love to write more, but I’m having a tough time seeing the screen now through my tears.
Every year that I spend with my children and grandchildren is the best Christmas ever as they are the best gift I could ever have! As I get older [No!!!] I appreciate the people around me more and more! Love your sneak peek and can’t wait to see it tomorrow.
I received a pair of boots with red laces for Christmas. I loved them. They weren’t very warm for the Michigan winters but I didn’t care.
Mary M.
When I was quite young I loved the Dick Tracy cartoon in the Sunday paper. Bonnie Braids was one of the characters in the strip and I desperately wanted a Bonnie Braids doll.. I was overwhelmed when I found it hidden in a closet prior to Christmas. Needless to say my mom was pretty upset and I wondered if it would be under the tree Christmas morning. I was pretty lucky in that mom had a soft heart and Bonnie and I did meet up under the tree.
The best gift I have recieved is the announcement of my 2nd grandchild(Ben) being on the way. Happy Holidays and thank you for the wonderful samples and instructions this year.
My favorite gift will be one I am giving to my daughter this year. I lost my mom this year and I have taken her bathrobe and made a stuffed teddy bear out of it for my daughter. Shhhhh. She doesn’t have a clue. I am so excited for her to open it. Merry Christmas!
My favorite gift will be one I am giving to my daughter this year. I lost my mom this year and I have taken her bathrobe and made a stuffed teddy bear out of it for my daughter. Shhhhh. She doesn’t have a clue. I am so excited for her to open it. Merry Christmas!
My favorite gift was a toy cash register when I was about 8 or 9 years old! I was able to have a grocery store after that which I “made” my family members visit! However, I enjoying giving much more than receiving since I’m an adult!
I love your blog, and though I don’t comment often, it continues to inspire me! Christmas blessings to you, Ann!
My favorite Christmas present was an under the counter TV radio in the kitchen. That way, when my husband says, You have got to see this play (sports related); then I don’t have to stop what I am doing and run into the living room to see the play. Thanks for the opportunity!
My favorite gift to give was after my Mom passed, I took some of her fine china plates and had pins and necklaces made for my sisters, sister-in-law and graddaughters made as a rememberence of Mom, who collected china cups and saucers. At a craft fair there was a woman who was selling items made from china is where the idea came from.
Debbie Gasko
My favorite gift I gave my 4 Daughters one year was a album of all our family recipes going back 5 generations. It was fun making them.
debbieanng@yahoo.com
Can’t wait to see the reveal, Ann. It looks scrumptious! My most favorite gift given would have to be not a Christmas present but rather a Mother’s Day gift to my mom. It was a simple begonia but she loved that plant. She would call me daily and tell me, “Today I counted and my plant has 125 blossoms.” “Guess how many there are today? 134!” It brought her great joy for a long long time and her joy overflowed onto me!
Hugs to Brady. I can sympathize with you. My daughter had a root canal done last Friday and she is in great pain. She’s been an antibiotics and pain meds but continues to hurt badly. She came and got me up early this morning in tears. We’re going back to the dentist today. When our children hurt, we hurt. Most people won’t remember that they didn’t get a Christmas card from you one year but…Brady will forever remember that you loved him enough to stay by his side and comfort him during this time. Cherished memories!!
Thank you for sharing your talents! You are such an inspiration.
Christmas Blessings to You and Yours!
Hi Ann!
I wish Brady much comfort after his surgery!
My MOST favorite gift was from my husband about nine years ago. He thought it would be the Diamond Earrings (I took them back) . . . it was the next present I opened that brought me to tears! It was an antique framed LAST SUPPER picture. I immediately starting crying with sadness and joy all at the same time. It was almost just like my Ninnie’s that had always hung in her dining room. I had wanted a Last Supper picture for years and now this one hangs in our dining room with such love in our home. The diamond earrings were replaced with a Wedding ring. We were married within three weeks of knowing each other and at the time I received the earrings, we’d been married 18 years. I was still waiting on a Wedding ring and so I had no use for Diamond Earrings at that time. I’d love to have a pair now though! 🙂
Merry Christmas to you & yours Ann! And to Brody, Muffy, and Lexi as well! 🙂
Oh my goodness, I’m a giver too! Hope Brady heals quickly. The best present I ever gave was a guitar & lessons to my daughter. Growing up, we could never afford music lessons for three children and the schools didn’t offer it. She wanted to play guitar so much and it broke my heart. Now that we are empty nesters, & have a little more money then in the past, I surprised her with a guitar one Christmas – she was 25 years old and the tears were flowing!! She learned to play and still does. It’s the gift that keeps on giving! Merry Christmas to you and your family.
Hi Ann,
I am excited to see the new spring catalog.
I only remember one gift when I was a child and it was a walking doll. This is back in about 1954.
Diana in WI
First, (((HUGS))) to Brady. I’ve had my wisdom teeth removed (one impacted) and it was NOT fun. My heart goes out to him.
Second, that cloud embossing folder looks like a whole BUNCH of tiny pearls – that must TOTALLY make your day. 🙂
Third, the favourite gifts I’ve given are the ones I’ve given to my husband when he HASN’T managed to guess what they are!!
Still working on my own cards so I can relate. Wonderfully thoughtful gifts you’ve come up with – thanks for the inspiration and sharing those out of the box ideas. Thanks too for sharing the little embossing machine. And I hope Brady is none the worse for wear with the surgery. I know ice cream is usually prescribed for tonsil removal but surely wisdom teeth removal requires something special as well. {hint, hint}
Special gifts that come to mind…The year I thought we were giving my Grandmother a new Winter Coat and it really turned out to be a guitar for me would qualify. I think I was 11 or 12 and boy did I try to be really glad that that great big box under the tree was for my much loved Grandma. But as we all know kids want the biggest right? LOL You could have knocked me over with a feather when it came to me with a guitar my Dad had handpicked from a tiny factory in Mexico. I still play it to this day and love it more and more as time goes on. Having and playing that guitar freed me to sing with all my soul and I haven’t stopped since.
Thanks Ann for reminding me of special gifts. And a question…did you also get the pony to go with the saddle?
I think the best gift I’ve ever given will be one I’m giving this year ~ a train set for my husband. He’s always wanted a train set, and he said a while back that when he retires (which he’ll be doing within the next couple of years), he thought id would be fun to create a train layout downstairs so that he could have something to do with grandchildren. So, I thought I’d get him started this year. I can’t wait until he opens it ~ I think he’ll be really excited! And, it will give him a hobby for his retirement!
Thanks so much for the chance to win the Texture Boutique ~ looks like it would be a terrific addition to my cardmaking supplies!
Merry Christmas to you!
Ann what a special gift you gave to your sister! I made a scrapbook for my sister’s 25th Anniversary one year and it was one of her favorites.
Hi Ann
I just got the last of my cards out the door. I cheated on some and used some boughten ones I had around here for years. So many people to say Hi to and Wish them a Merry Christmas,
I hope Brady is feeling better by the Holidays. Sometimes the socket hurts for a while.
Hope the Twins and Lexi keep out of your way as you try to finish everything. Tail wags to them from the Girls.
Ann, Thanks for the oportunity to win, and thanks for such a wonderful topic. It is so nice to sit here and remember those cherished memories. My favorite Christmas was would have to be when my Grandparents took my sisters and I to Florida and Disney for Christmas. I don’t remember a lot about it, because I was young, but I remember a lot of fun! My favorite gift would have been a new winter coat from Grandma and Grandpa for Christmas.
I hear you on the Christmas cards! I thought I was all set, but ran out (gasp) when I got to the O’s….So maybe “Happy New Year” cards?? Today I’m dipping chocolate with my younger daughter. Sweet and messy fun.
As to favorite gifts….that is a tough one. I think it might have been the year my two daughters, who were cash-strapped teens at the time, pooled their baby sitting money and bought me a set of dishes I had been eyeing. I came down in the morning, and the little rascals had the table all set with the lovely dishes. They were just inexpensive, but came at a time when we had very little money as a family, and I knew how hard those girls had worked to do something so special for me. And yes, I cried. Thanks for the memory, Ann!
I think my favorite gift was from a Christmas many years ago when my Dad set up a Lionel train set up around our Christmas tree. I love seeing your creations, Ann and reading your blog entries. Thanks for sharing with us. Merry Christmas!
Oops, my iPad is not happy to be up so late and I think it ate my message. I was saying the new embossing machine is perfect as texture makes our cards come alive. One of the best Christmas gifts I have ever given was in 2006 when I gave my husband a new car on Christmas morning. My son and I kept the secret for weeks and everything went perfect. It was so much fun to enjoy my husband’s genuine surprise. We drove over to our daughter’s home in our PJs just to share his good news. They weren’t surprised at all because my son-in-law is the one who helped me get the car in the first place as he works for the local Chevy dealership and brought the car home from work and kept it at his house so we could come over at dawn and drive it to our own driveway for the big Surprise! My husband is 76, but that morning he was a 16 year old boy again with the biggest grin on his face that lasted for a long, long time! This month I paid the final payment, so now I have the biggest grin and more money for my stamp addiction! Thanks Mary!
Hope your son is feeling better. Your projects are always amazing. I think my most favorite Christmas present was a set of play dishes with one missing when I was a child. I received a note from Santa apologizing for the missing piece, said it had falled out of the sleigh while he was delivering!!
My favorite gift I received as a child was a purple bike with a banana seat (remember them??!!). It was from Santa… later I learned that there were no purple bikes to be found so my dad took apart a green bike, painted it purple and reassembled it. What a labor of love.
I love giving gifts to my husband and children but my favorite recipient is my mom. She asks for nothing (ever) so finding something she loves is an amazing feeling.
Thanks for the excuse to wander down memory lane!
Anne
Last year my sister wrapped up the huge Nativity set that was my mother’s and my great aunt’s. I started crying when I opened it. I was so impossibly touched. I remember looking at it when I was a little girl and loved it. Brady drink a lot of milk shakes and smoothies. It will help.
Carey and Roscoe (the swap eating dog)
Ann, It is so true about finding the right gift for that special person. One that comes to mind for me is years ago when I did ceramics I made a cookie monster jar and my youngest daughter always loved it and one Christmas a few years back I wrapped it and gave it to her. She was thrilled to have it. Although I didn’t give this gift it was a perfect one. When my granddaughter was almost 3 she kept watching the video of Annabelle and her aunt was out shopping and saw a stuffed Annabelle. We put it under the tree not wrapped. Her face was priceless that Christmas morning.
Hope Brady is feeling fine. No fun having any kind of surgery.
Merry Christmas.
Love your post today, Ann. It’s so wonderful to give gifts from the heart. Two of my favorites gifts I’ve given: made a scrapbook of photos of my Mom to give to my Dad after she passed away. The other was an album filled with copies of my Mom, aunts, and close family friend favorite receipes and made into a scrapbook to give to my sister (made myself one, too.) So wonderful to pull it out and see their handwriing.
This looks wild, can’t wait to see it. Not too sure about my favorite gift but the one I remember most often was a Hopalong Cassidy cowGIRL outfit : )
Whoever said it’s better to give than receive was so right. Your gifts to your family sound like they were so heartfelt. One year I didn’t have much money so I made little albums for each of my family members from all the pictures I’d received of their kids, family events and so on and sent them off. The outpouring of love I received for those gifts showed that it’s not the value it’s the heart behind the gift that really matters. Love your blog Ann and it’s like a gift each time I visit it. Thanks for all your shares and for this opportunity for blog candy. I live in California.