CCC Blog Hop Day 3

Now it´s time for you to cruise back across the state border, from Iowa back to Minnesota. Today´s  designer in the hop is Terry Atkinson from Atkinson Designs. She is sharing a pattern for a fun gift idea. It is so cute and creative, you have to check it out. I have known Terry for quite some time since we are both in Minnesota and have gotten so lucky to be her booth neighbor at quilt market a couple of times. She is the best booth neighbor, she is up for anything. When the show is slow (usually the last 3 hours on the last day), booth pranks are my favorite thing. Last spring we did some pole dancing (as you can see in the photo)....we shot rubber bands over the wall into each other's booth....but probably the best prank was when I got her at the end of the show because of her family's love for our Icelandic chocolate he he! Click here and scroll down to see what our bad birdie did to Terry's table!!! Make sure you go visit Terry and comment on her project.

 

Our story theme for the day in the blog hop is Christmas gifts. I had to think about that one for a bit to figure out what story I could tell you about gifts that I have gotten or given. (My husband thought that having to think about it too long was not a very good indication of him doing so well in the gift giving field! shhhh, let him think that!! He might want to make up for it this Christmas)

 

A few very special gifts from my childhood came to mind. When I was probably 5 or 6 years old, I got a barbie doll house, that my mom had built herself, complete with flooring (leftover carpet remnants), curtains, homemade furniture and everything. It was awesome. There must be a picture of this house somewhere at my parents house so I am going to have them dig it up for me, scan it and send it to me.

 

Another favorite is when I got my red bike. It was always very exciting when the gifts were put under the tree (which was not until christmas eve morning) to secretly check out what present was from mom and dad. I would scope out the size, shape and if no one was looking....the weight. But this year, I couldn't figure it out. It was this box that was very light, not too big and didn't fit any of the things on my wishlist so I was stumped. It didn't help that my mom gave me hints like "you are gonna be so surprised" "you are going to jump out of your seat when you open it". It made me kind of scared as I was opening the present....I think I thought that something was going to jump out of the box! As I open it very carefully, there is tissue in there.....rip it out and all there is in the box was a note that said: "Ha, ha, ha....go out to the garage to find your present!" And there it was, the red bike that was at the top of my wishlist. It wasn't quite this one in the picture, but very similar! There is also a picture of my-very happy-self with the bike, somewhere in my parent's photoalbums. Another one I need to have them dig up!

 

If you are one of those overachievers and have already made one of the free projects in the hop, we would love to see it. Pat (the group's computer guru) created a Flickr group, especially for the hop so that we can see and share photo's of your projects. She even has instructions and tutorials for you on how to upload to the group. Here is the link: http://www.flickr.com/groups/1256651@N20/

 

Thanks for all the comments on the block and the recipe. I really hope you try it. (What I meant with fine oats is just not very coarse. Oats seem larger here in the US than what we are used to in Iceland. I just pop then in my food processor for a few seconds) You can still comment on that post to try and get lucky and win the magazine, the winner will be drawn next week. Also make sure you are commenting on everybodies project posts for the grand prize.

Comments

[Cheryl Petty]

My favorite gift was a doll that my mother gave me when I was 8. My family couldn't afford to buy all of the outfits and so my older sister made me an entire trousseau. I still have the doll, her case and all of those beautiful outfits my sister made. Recently my sister and I were digging through old family picures and we came across the orginal patterns she used for those doll outfits. I am fifty-seven now and I always remember that Christmas long ago when I got that gift and now I have the patterns too, as well as the memories!

[Susan Brooks]

I love this walk down memory lane.

[Mary Burn]

I earned my first bike by picking cotton one summer. It was my pride and joy -- had a basket and a light on it.
Thanks for including me in your giveaway.

[Susan]

Great story! I remember my first bike-looked a lot like yours only blue. Every day during our Christmas break I was gone for hours riding-times were simpler then....

Thanks

[Martha Robinson]

My brother would find the Christmas presents every year before Christmas and even get stuff out to play with it without Mom and Dad ever knowing. Maybe that's why, to this day, I still will peek at presents of mine if they are left under the tree.

mtower@bellsouth.net

[Beth Patrick]

thanks for sharing!

[Leslie Schmidt]

My mom always got my sister and me a new doll for Christmas. We rarely asked for a specific one, and Mom was very good at not getting the one that everyone else was getting. We got dolls called Dollikin, Sunny Tears, Tammy, Amosandra. My Sunny Tears was so real looking (to me) and Mom sewed her whole layette. Then 3 months after my mom died, I got a real baby--my son was born the day after Christmas.

[Jayne Honnold]

Thank you for the great ideas! Jayne

[arlette]

Memories... I have a special memory with a bike as well; I always wanted one for christmas, but I never get any, and all the christmas was really sad, because my dream gift wasn't there, well, long story short, I got a bike in the high school, in the lotto, they were giving away a bike, and tadaaaaaaa I won it!, can you believe how happy I was?, then my parents didn't buy me the bike for christmas!

[Sheila Carita]

I remember my first "big girl" bike... purple, "banana" seat.... it was wonderful!!

Thanks for sharing

Sheila

shecarita(at)yahoo(dot)com

[Sue Goodin]

My favorite Christmas was the year my youngest then 2 1/2 wanted BREAD for Christmas (yes she loved bread). So I put a BIG bow on a loaf and put it under the tree. She was so excited when the girls got up that she ripped into the bread and would not open another present until she had several slices of bread eaten.

[Sandi]

I remember getting a red bike for my birthday. Loved it til I crashed into a fencepost. Forever after that you had to hold the handlebars just right because they were permanently bent in my little crash. :-) I'm not really an overacheiver but I did finish your quilt project just a bit ago and posted it to Pat's flickr group. It was fun to do. Thanks so much for the great tutorial on it!

[Margot]

Thank you for your memories.
I loved to bike in his youth.
hugs

[Jocelyn]

Thanks for sharing such a special memory.

[www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1592097682]

Love the bike story which reminded me of the Sears bike my sister and I rec'd as a sharing gift. We lived on a hillside, so only had a short distance we could ride it and that level part of the country road got a lot of use by that catalog ordered gift.

DI

[Christine Thomas]

Thank you for your memories.

[Debbie St.Germain]

I remember my first bike. My dad found it at the dump and he fixed it up and it looked brand new. With eight kids in a family, having your own bike was a luxery;)

Debbie

[Chris G]

Thanks for sharing. I remember getting blue figure skates with fur around the top. They were my favorites.

[Melissa]

That's so fun! I never got a bike for Christmas, but then, I always wanted books instead. :)

[Patty]

It's so fun reading about Christmas memories.

[Tammy L]

I love your bike! I got a trike when i was 2 and thought I was really cool.

[Julie in WA]

I remember getting a Barbie Doll case one year. I still have all my Barbies and stuff in it; I thought my daughter would love it as much as I did. But no, she had her own ideas, bought her own Barbie's at garage sales, and has collected more Barbie stuff than I ever had!

[marta]

Amiga, gran historia de recuerdos. Los regalos favoritos son aquellos que han hecho mis hijos cuando pequeños con sus manos, aun conservo algunos.

[Cindy]

One year I got a Barbie house too but it wasn't homemade. But I sure used it alot - ALOT! Barbie - she's been around for years. Even our 5 year old granddaughter loves her Barbies today.

[Cindy in TN]

I am really getting the Christmas spirit. Thanks for the blog hop!

[margi]

oh man, the bicycle days! My brother and I got in so much trouble with our bikes, being daredevils. Of course, we had to take them down the snow hill first thing.

[Darlis]

Enjoying the blog hop. Thanks for sharing your Christmas memories.

[Iva]

This was such a great idea for all of you to share your Christmas memories. I've enjoyed reading them all and recalling some of my own. One of my favorite Christmas/birthday gifts was a bicycle very much like the one in the picture.

[Mimi]

This 12 days of Christmas is fun. I have not made any of the projects, yet. But could sure use Pat the computer guru over here at my house to teach me how to put things on flicker, etc. Until later, jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all....

[Kate]

Very much enjoying your Christmas memories; your project is next up on my sewing list and your chocolate balls recipe is sitting on the kitchen island ready to be tried out. I think I need more hours in a day to keep up with the projects and recipes! Thanks for sharing, K

[Jewel]

I remember my Barbie house Christmas too! Thanks for sharing.

[Jenny]

Cute memories and glad you had such a fun booth partner. Sometimes those trade shows can kill ya with boredom - but it sure doesn't sound like you had that problem!

[Donna]

I feel ignorant, but is the apron pattern on the link? I went to Terri's blog and found the most adorable pattern for a mug gift and know I'll be using that one! Love the stories! It brings back memories of my own childhood Christmases!

[Betty]

You got the Barbie which I wanted and I got the accordian which few wanted!

[Busy Little Quilter]

Christmas mornings were always exciting at my house, too. I remember getting my first tricycle when I was about 3. It was red and made out of metal. I still have it somewhere.

[Wendy]

I'm sure your story will set off many trains of thought. I remember a few times giving my children gifts with only clues in them that sent them to find another package which contained a clue to find another. They still recall those fun hunts to find their true present.