Secret Santa blog exchange

This Christmas I took part in three gift exchanges.
The first one was the Etsy Greek Street Team Secret Santa Exchange about which I blogged here.
Then it was the materials exchange of  In My Closet blog. You can read all about it here.
And finally I took part in the Secret Santa Blog exchange which was organised by Zina of
efzin creations and Gia of One Perfect Day.

I  received a lovely parcel from Helen of ah kounelaki blog.
Helen sent me a beautiful fuchsia picture frame which she embellished with lace and beads, along with a blue felt flower brooch and a cinammon stick and ribbon tree ornament!
I loved everything, thanks Helen. I am looking for the perfect thing to stitch and put in the frame!

You can find Helen here on facebook.
I had to send my gift to Katerina of Kyriaki sto spiti (Sundayprojects) blog. I made a card with felt and embellishments

and I made a paper weight out of a felted wool ball on which I stitched sea glass and beads. Katerina liked my gift and you can read all about it in her blogpost here.

I am glad you liked my gift Katerina!
Zina and Gia thanks for organizing this! It was fun!

Some purchases and a gift!

I have little money to spend on purchases but some things just beg you to come back home with you at times, don't they?
So here they are in random order....
Three little tables from IKEA bought at very good prices during the sales.
First the IKEA PS 2012 side table. It comes in three different styles. Flat, fruit bowl top, or four bowls top.
You can see them here.

(This photo is from houzz site)
I bought the fruit bowl top one for 15 euros. I put my felted stones inside and covered it with glass. It looks great as a display and I can take great photos of my stones too.Barca seems to agree.

Then two small side tables made only of wood and glass for 10 euros each. I put some of my grandma's crochet on top. All three tables are in the living room as we didn't have any side tables there.

Those lovely colourful socks, one for each day of the week I bought at Lidl.

 Then this online purchase from a favourite shop Dutchsisters. They make amazing bags from vintage embroidery. They even added this lovely heart on the parcel.

The embroidery is all around the bag, so I can hold it on both sides.

When I went to buy a book for my Godson, I just happened to see this notebook and all of a sudden I realised that I could buy Geninne's notebook-journal here at home. I bought it at Public. You can find it online here.

 There are empty pages to draw or write.

 Pages to colour.

 Pages to paint in watercolours.

 And lovely colourful pages.

 I tried to videotape the pages as I have seen being done on online bookstores but Barca didn't really allow that. Still you can have fun with her here.

Finally a gift I recently received from a very generous lady. Zina of EfZin Creations chose me among her other blogland friends to gift me with one of her lovely jewelry pieces. She even managed to choose the proper colour for me, blue.

(Photographed on an otchipotchi stone)
You can find her shop on etsy and read her blog too. Thank you Zina.

Christmas Gifts

This year I tried not to spend too much on gift giving. So I made my own gifts.
I also tried not to spend too much on gifts to myself.
I had to buy my cologne as it had finished and found a day that there was 30% off. Pure White Linen, I have been wearing it for years.I love the little sample gifts they give with the purchase of the cologne.
I also bought 2014 charms and some felt wool for my stones in colours I didn't have.

 That was something I hadn't done for a long time! Buy craft magazines. I bought my dear
Marie Claire Idees which is so good and so cheap. Inspite the fact that I don't speak French, at least I can see the great pics.
I also bought Crafts Beautiful for the felt ornaments it had in the kit and hope to make them.
Finally I bought Mollie Makes for the first time. I had heard so much about this magazine but it is soooo expensive in Greece. But again I really wanted to buy it for the felt kit on the cover and to have the experience of it at last. It is very good. I really loved reading it. I want to try so many things in it.

 Now things I received. A little money that I gave good use to (more on another blogpost).
Two bags.

One from hubby(red) and one from my cousin (felt grey).Unfortunately there was a pin on the grey bag and I lost it!
And a watch from hubby!No it isn't gold.

This lovely coffee maker from my sister-in-law. And lots of coffee and chocolate!

I love making filter coffee without having to use the big coffee maker.

This little porcelain bird from one of my students. I haven't received a gift from a student for ages and it was a nice surprise.

Hubby and I received this beautiful dish with homemade cookies from one of his old students and there were beautiful metal gifts in it.

 The children are designs from an old school book and the other two are Shadow Puppet figures.

I also received my photo portrait from school.

And a gift from my best friend this felt bag with chocolate.

And the things I gave.

This felted stone to my best friend.

 I also made her the fairy bread (I found the recipe in DesireEmpire blog. Thanks Carolyn!). It was super easy, really beautiful to look at and absolutely delicious and the kids loved it and also my effort to make something from their mum's background was appreciated).

 And one of my felt ornaments.

 I made my niece this pendant. I bought the metal charm, painted it and added beads and laces and a chain. She loves photography! That's why I chose this charm.

 I made this stone for my cousin in Athens.

 And this huge one for my other cousin. I had found the coin at the beach and thought that since he is an archaeologist it suits him although it isn't a very old one.

 And this one for my other cousin.

I also made this felt ornament charm for my sister-in-law.

I love making, giving and receiving gifts! Don't you?

New Year's Resolutions

Don't we all make?

Do you ever manage to keep them?

I try but do not always succeed.

2014 new year's resolutions for me are:

1. Refresh my driving skills and drive our new car!

2. Learn how to crochet!

 (I said this last year too and I made some effort and learnt a couple of things myself  from the Internet but need to continue)

3. Be more on time with answering my e-mails and mail!

4. Start doing cross stitch again!

(2013 wasn't a very good cross stitch year!)

5. Make lots of felted beaded stones.

6. Travel, travel, travel!

7. Organize my time, my day, my space better!

8. Keep off the computer as much as I can!

(I really don't know how this is possible!)

Photos that accompany this blogpost show my beaded felted stones that during the months of November and December were either given away as gifts or sold.You can still find some at thalasseaglass, my little shop.