first giveaway of the new year

i am so very thankful for all the beautiful handmade, vintage, edible and carefully chosen gifts and cards that i received for christmas this year 

here are a few that i managed to photograph on the rare occasion the sun peeked out over the holidays

I would love to have a giveaway to celebrate a new year of making and giving

the winner will be able to chose from something already made ( a covered stone) or the creative materials to make something ( hand dyed and vintage) 

so leave a comment, let me know about something handmade you gave or received 

or a special recipe you cooked up over the holidays 

or just say hello

i will close the comments on sunday at midnight 

xo

Comments

[Nicole]

So many lovely handmade gifts for the equally lovely Margie! I love that you are offering your own beautiful handmade gift (no need to include me though, I have been blessed already with beautiful Margie treasures)

The thing that touched me the most this Christmas was the care and attention everyone took to make their homes so inviting, and the meals so carefully prepared and special. It was wonderful to celebrate and create a lovely time together.

[MzTallulah]

Happy New Year Margie, I hope to have the privilege of following you during 2012 as well. What lovely presents you got! I received yarn, and immediately turned some of it into a hat and mittens for my daughter. I was lucky to have my parents stay over Christmas and New Year, which means I did very little cooking but enjoyed lots of yummy food; my favourite is probably the Zelten, a Christmas cake with lots of candied fruits, nuts, and sultanas, all soaked in brandy before being incorporated into the dough.

[Jennifer]

I pushed pretty hard again this Christmas, and made quite a few items. My favorite were some nature exploration bags I made for my kids. They were filled with supplies to explore, such as bug catchers and colored pencils with a sketchbook.

Thanks for the giveaway, Margie, and Happy New Year!

[Leau]

I had a lovely time printing out pictures I had taken over the year on transparencies and then placing them like stained glass windows on candle holders. Each one was specific to the fun times the recipient and I had together. I loved making them and loved seeing people's faces when they realized what the photos were! You are such an inspiration with all of your loveliness...Happy New Year!

[Lori Hirayama]

For my family members I made fabric bags. In the center of each bag I did an embroidery design in the sashiko style. I loved the bags and had a hard time letting them go! : )

[Greta]

It was Christmas here this weekend, but I did want to visit my favourite blogs this weekend. I'd love to share the two main features of this weekend's holiday meal: rack of lamb with mustard-thyme crust and Lumberjack Cake. They were both such hits - and what is important to me, very tasty, but not too time consuming. Bon apetit!
P.S. tee hee, it is not midnight here, but I do not know what the time difference is!

[Greta]

P.S. The recipe links did not seem to transfer to the published comment (I used html). The lamb recipe is on epicurious.com, and the cake on 7x7.com.

[Tallulah Maggs]

What a wonderful giveaway :) I made lots of scarves as gifts, 4 in total! I am a newbie knitter and really enjoyed making and giving knitted items!

[Izzy]

I made two pairs of socks this year, my first socks, both of which were received with the kind of enthusiasm that spurs one on to make more! :) I read your blog regularly, especially when in a searching kind of a mood, and it offers warmth and comfort and inspiration. so a big thank you. x

[linda]

I received the gift of being able to spend Christmas eve with my mother, at age 86, one counts those times as blessings. I very much enjoy your blog! Happy New Year to you.

[domestic diva]

I made homemade yummies for all of our friends and family.

[Fanny]

Happy New Year!!! Thank you for a hosting a giveaway. =)

The best handmade item I've ever received is a Hello Kitty coin purse that someone hand-sewed for me out of felt. Its so cute and delicate that I can't convince myself to use it. I'm too afraid to get it dirty.

[Sarah Lee]

i gave some yarn to my dad. ha! he asked me to make him a scarf and so i jokingly told him i'd teach him how to make it himself...yeah right! sure, men can knit, but not this one! i guess i'll have to make it for him after all.

[Melissa]

I had great plans for giving handmade this Christmas, but due to lack of planning (and a little bit of laziness) on my part, a lot didn't end up getting made. A few little things I did manage to sew up as gifts were a tote bag, tissue cases, kids pajama pants, and some zippy pouches. The rest of the gifts were purchased from local craft markets so at least they were still handmade.. Just by someone else :-) Thanks for this generous giveaway!

[mrspao]

Hello. I really love your blog especially the beautiful things you make and your gorgeous cats. I made my friend a beautiful blue necklace for Christmas.

[Anne-Marie Davies]

Sadly the only crafting I got to do this year was folding the Order of Services for my Mum's funeral.But then my daughter was so brave and read the psalm so beautifully, and she's handmade!Have started crocheting a rock for a happier New Year

[tara]

I'm late, Margie but that's okay. I wouldn't have wanted to have been included since I won your last giveaway. I should rephrase that: I would love another chance for one of your stones but a sometimes annoying sense of fairness would have stopped me. I made each of my two sons a chewbacca stuffie but my favourite handamde gifts were the paintings they made for each other. I am curious about the first photo. What is the mason jar item?

[zura]

best gifts! I gave 2 handmade paper stars :)