Happy Birthday Sarah

Yesterday I celebrated my 50th birthday. We had a wonderful day! The weather was nice and the people I was with made me all very happy. Together with my family, my parents, my sisters and their families and two aunts, we had a wonderful time at Kasteel Elsloo.

In Holland, when a woman turns 50, we say, 'ze heeft Sarah gezien' (she saw Sarah - for men it is Abraham). Many people put a Sarah or an Abraham doll in front of their homes, so others see that they have become 50. I strictly forbade my family to do this. So look what Laura made for me:

a little Sarah of 10 cm. Isn't she sweet.

Then she made another one.

And look at the lovely stitchery card a sister of mine made. She is the one who already finished her 12 Days of Christmas stitchery!



These were the buttons I walked around with yesterday. All those who joined my party received the button on the right. Ger, Laura and Thijme had great fun preparing this!


Look at the lovely cushion I received from Micki! The colors are beautiful and I love 'vuurtorens'! Thank you so much, dear Micki, for this lovely cushion. It has a special place in our home!
And talking about Micki. When I opened my emails on my birthday, I read the news that I won Micki's wonderful gieaway. Please see the picture on the left side bar. I could hardly believe it.


And look at the loveliness I got from my dear friend Jutta, with whom I am making Leanne's House. I adored her stacked cups quilt, which she had as a giveaway. And look what she made me. Now Jutta also knows I love stitcheries by Ursula Schertz. She got me a lovely pattern with lovely thread I have never worked with before. She also made me a lovely needle keeper, which she designed herself. Inside there are needles, which she named, so I can see which one works best for me. Thank you so much, dear Jutta for these lovely presents!

I also want to thank all those lovely blogging friends for sending me the best wishes for my birthday from all over the world! It is wonderful knowing you all (((O: And it means a lot to me!

This will be my last post for three weeks or so. I hope you all have lovely, creative and happy weeks with lots of sunshine! I look forward to be back (O:

"Worry never robs tomorrow of its sorrow, it only saps today of its joy."
- Leo Buscaglia

Cupcakes, a lovely Spring Fling Round Robin Quilt and something new

I needed something new to do. Somehow fabrics don't inspire me at the moment. So I went to the knitting shop and bought myself some wool, which I was planning to do for a long time. The woman was so kind to let me borrow the book, since it is no longer for sale. Next week I will buy some other colors to these two. I am going to keep it in the pink range. Maybe some purple.

Lyn told me she had send me a parcel. It arrived this week. Look at all the loveliness she send me. So many lovely cupcakes to admire and to work with (fabrics, buttons and a pincushion, shopping booklet). The mug is so pretty and so my color. I haven't dared using it yet, afraid something might happen to it.
Thank you my sweet dear Lyn, for these lovely presents. You spoil me way too much!

And I finally made the Card Wallet, designed by Lisa at A Spoon Full of Sugar. Lisa and her daughter Sarah make lovely projects and have wonderful ideas! Please go have a look at her blog. It will really inspire you!

The inside is a bit crooked. I once again learned to read the directions before starting. Not my strong side ...

And look at the lovely quilt that came back home this week. I made the middle block and three lovely quilters made the two borders and finished the quilt. I did the same with three other flimsies. Thank you Margaret, for organizing this! It was very challenging to work on this swap!

"The world is a great mirror. It reflects back to you what you are. If you are loving, if you are friendly, if you are helpful, the world will prove loving and friendly and helpful to you. The world is what you are."

-
Thomas Dreier

Have a lovely weekend and a creative and happy week!

I am overwhelmed

In the past two weeks, several parcels have arrived my way. I am really overwhelmed by all the kindness and generosity.

The first suprise came from my dear blogging friend Dzintra. Dzintra had a giveaway a few weeks ago. She let Joanna draw a winner, which wasn't me. Then her DH asked her if she wasn't going to have another winner. Well, that was me (O: I won the 'Fly Away Bird' pattern by Hatched and Patched. I love her patterns!
Look at the bright yellow star Dzintra added and the little bird buttons reminded her of me. Thank you so much, dear Dzintra! You are very special to me.

I have been visiting Bev's blog for about a year now. Bev makes wonderful projects and you should see what she grows in her garden! She won Dzintra's first prize. Now how funny is that? Bev send me a lovely parcel with Australian magazines (O: and some lovely Debbie Mumm machine stitcheries. The cards she added are handmade and very pretty too.
Thank you sweet Bev, for this wonderful suprise. The magazines have such wonderful projects. I will soon hope to find time for them!!!

And as if that weren't enough... Terry and I have been mailing on very regular basis. She ends every mail with a lovely self made siggy. I enjoy each and everyone of them, Terry!
She asked me my address one day, saying she had something to send me. Look at the gorgeous little quilt she made for me. The fabrics really are me and I love the way she machine quilted it! I will try that with one of my quilts too one day. (The little circles were left behind by the candle holders I put on this quilt.)

The picture really does not do this quilt right. I tried to give a better impression with a detail, but it is really much prettier!

So the past few weeks have been full of suprises! But, I have been busy too with some projects! I actually finished the mini blocks to the second block of Leanne's House. I now have to sew them together.


I have also been working on the Spring Fling Round Robin 3 quilt. I have finished quilting it and now I have to put on the binding. Something always went wrong with my binding. So I asked Jacqueline at The Log Cabin quilt shop. I made a very easy to fix mistake. Thank you, Jacqueline, for showing me how to make the binding!

Next week it will also be time to send away my Christmas in July parcel. Some finishing touches to be made. Unfortunately I have not found Christmas paper to wrap it up in. Ah, but that will make me creative, to think of something else (O: I must say, it has been fun to work on Christmas projects so early!

And just a quick peek on what I have also been working on with fabrics from Kaffe Fasset, which I have had for about 10 years now. I just randomly put the blocks together and am not sure how I will make it. Still many blocks to make with these wonderful fabrics (colors are much brighter in real).

"For every beauty there is an eye somewhere to see it. For every truth there is an ear somewhere to hear it. For every love there is a heart somewhere to receive it."

- Ivan Panin