Holilday Gatherings

I so enjoy all the holiday gatherings that come this time of year, from the special holiday concerts and programs, to my quilt bee party's to my Herb Society parties, I love them all.
My first quilt bee party was this week, along with a wonderful meal we exchanged our snowmen blocks. We each made 6 of the same blocks (any size), kept one for ourselves, the rest we wrapped and exchanged at the party. This is my finished snow globe snowman

with a Swarovski crystal snowflake.

What a wonderful variety we all received (missing one that will be ready next month). Every package was so much fun to open.
We're doing this again for the next few Christmases by the end we'll each have enough to put together a nice size friendship snowman quilt.

I have a few blocks I hand embroidered a few years ago that I'm also adding to the quilt.

Our hostess also made us a cute wool mitten ornament,

which I added to my snowman tree. Most of the snowmen are hand-made from my girlfriends starting in 1990. The tree skirt is a hand stitched quilt from the late 1800's. This tree has so many memories. I set it up in my dining room.

My next gathering is Herb Society. For our Christmas party we come together everyone brings green, berries etc. and snacks to share and we spend the afternoon making fresh arrangement for our homes.
I was so busy working on my own I only took a few pictures.
I love the white pine wispiness of this wreath.

An arrangement for the dinner table with fresh flowers.

These arrangements were made for a different tables at a gathering using a lot of dried plants.

Some large door swags were made with sweet grass rope worked through it.
I should have made one of these, next year.

I made this one for my daughter in a vintage ball jar and 3 candy canes for her children.

This one for our very friend (like a daughter) Vicky who loves penguins and is doing our Christmas Eve table in a penguin theme for the kids.

For my living room I made this in my copper pot with copper berries and white doves. My white nativity scene will sit by it.
Notice the beaver chew sticks Donna:)

The next gathering of course is to put up the tree, I had two good little Santa's who did it,

and one little Elf who wasn't much help until the ornaments came out.

I bought this sculpture when we were visiting our friends on the Mississippi. The artist is Isabella Bloom who is now dead but her art work lives on. She is quite famous in the Quad Cities where she lived and had her studio. I visited it once when she was alive and am thankful I had the opportunity.
She is quite heavy about 25 pounds and made of cement.

Her name is Violet, she will sit on my porch this summer by her "brother" along with my large pots of flowers.

I hope you can read this picture, I love the saying (found it on pinterest).
And isn't it so true.