25 Posts of Christmas- #25 Aprons!

I'm so glad a few folks said they'd like to join in! I'm glad to start my first post of 25 Posts of Christmas! Here is who else is joining in so far:

Chef Messy- Kim
The Felt Mouse- Jennifer
Simple Living in A Complex World- Lisa

Thank you! It's just for fun, and I hope more folks join. I guess I need to be a better example and actually start on Dec. 1, but I have a good excuse...

I wanted to wait until I got my apron swap package! The past week hasn't been much fun. After going to the dermatologist, a week later I had to start some antibiotics... and to those antibiotics I had a very bad allergic reaction this week! It all started with a migraine, then a fever, then hives, then this crazy red rash that made me look really embarrassed all the time. Besides the way I looked, I was acting pretty funny to anyone who didn't know I was having an allergic reaction... I would try really hard not to scratch so I twitched like crazy! I'm sure I looked pretty funny! I finally felt some relief yesterday, mid-afternoon.

I couldnt' wait to get home from work- I hoped my apron swap package had arrived. It hadn't. So I wanted to do a little research and see who'd recieved their aprons so far... I went to my friend Kim's blog and just died when I saw the design (in process even) -- it looked gorgeous! A beautiful bird! I became curious, but when she emailed and mentioned that she hoped the delivery would arrive to her swap reciever by today, I ruled her out as my apron-maker. Why would she (if she drew my name) put my apron in the mail when she lives just 5 minutes away? I decided I'd just have to look for a box on Saturday, and went on about our day.

We went to look at artificial trees... I know, I know... It's got to be real... but I do feel bad to cut down trees to display for less than a month in your home (but that's a whole other story). I wanted a white tree (if we were going to go fake) and Jeremy wanted green (fake)... so our compromise was to get a real tree! Because we got ourselves a truck, we put it to good use and brought it home.

We got all the Christmas storage boxes down from the attic and started rearranging the house... what a mess it still is. So I had boxes all over and tons of stuff everywhere... I'd already scared off the dog and cat (they dont' like hearing crinkling paper) and the husband said he was feeling clausterphobic... and the doorbell rang!

Who should be at the door but Chef Messy (Kim)? I was so thrilled to see her! She was delivering a gift- the apron swap package! I can't tell you how nice these are-- totally gorgeous and adorable don't cut it. The first one, the "bonus", is just so much fun. I was looking at something similar online yesterday... I like this one more though, the ruffles were a bit much on these.

And now for The Apron! She chose a lovely sea green and beige (some of my favorite colors, all because of this painting) and she hand painted lovely flowers and bird on a tree branch.

Lovely! The photo is a little dark.

Her recipe cards even match perfectly! Can't wait to try these-English Toffees, Pumpkin Roll-ups and Christmas Caramels. Kim, you really do need to get into some kind of design work! These were wonderful! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

If I had drawn her name, I don't think I could have kept it a secret. I'm not good at surprises. It's not that I like to spoil the surprise, it's that I'm so excited that someone's going to be surprised that I just can't help but want to help them be surprised/thrilled now (rahter than later). Confession: Growing up, I always found the secret stash of gifts. Always. And it didn't stop there. I was an expert peeker. Knew just how to peel the tape without ripping the paper. Patience is a nice virtue, I hear! :)

I actually drew Jennifer's name! I went with her favorite colors- red and aqua. This was really a lot of firsts for me- my first use of a pattern (which I had a really hard time with), my first apron on a sewing machine, my first time using single fold bias tape, and my first time embroidering. I really, really hope she likes it. I know she's going to have a themed dinner- White Trash Christmas- so I included a few Southern favorites (Cheesy Grits Casserole and Cheesy Biscuits) since she's all the way out in California. Don't get me wrong- being Southern doesn't make you White Trash, I just thought biscuits and grits would go great with her Beer Butt Chicken.

Hope everybody had as much fun doing the apron swap, and have a great weekend!