A peek in my china cabinet...

During my last post, as I took pictures of the lovely biscornu that Roz sent and carefully put it on display in my china cabinet, I thought...wouldn't it be fun to post some pictures of the lovely gifts and exchanges my friends and exchange partners have sent over the years?  I keep them all near where I spend a lot of time, and it reminds me of those I've met online over the years.  Those I know who are going through trials, I pray for them as I am reminded of them.  I'm one of those crazy people who collects friends along the way, and very rarely do I let them forget me...hahaha.

So...here they are...

My friend, Sonya, stitched this peacemaker piece for a birthday one year.  And of course, Roz's biscornu...

The teacup pincushion was also stitched by Sonya, I wish the picture showed how small and delicate this cup is, and she knew my favorite "thing" is violets.

The DJ pillow was a gift from the lovely Miss Mouse, again people seem to know my favorite color is purple...haha  I love the way she finishes things...

This too shall pass was from a fellow Sister in the Lord from Alabama.  She and I shared a cancer journey at the same time.  Mine through breast cancer, hers through her husbands cancer.  She always seemed to know when to send an email, card, or gift at the exact moment I needed encouragement.  Her friendship is a blessing to me, a true gift from God, and one day I hope to meet her face to face.

This beauty was from Frances from Friendly Stitchers.  It has to be my favorite biscornu of all time!!

These two pillows are from Gillie.  I love the way she personalized them, you can't see from the spring pillow, but it's personalized on the back...and the alphabet has my initials in a different color...she is so creative!

Meari finished the stitcher's heart.  I was so lucky to be her partner in that exchange.  It is beautifully stitched and finished....the humbug was a gift from a St. Michaels weekend and included two counting pins.  I keep it handy, you never know when you need counting pins!!  And the bag of marbles was from Mouse...she heard I had lost mine, and was kind enough to return them....thoughtful, right?  I keep my eye on them there, I hope I never lose my marbles again!!

This humbug was another gift from Mouse.  She is always sending something fun!

This was stitched by my friend Sonya.  I wish you could see in person how beautifully this is stitched and finished.  She and I also share a faith in our Lord, and I'm lucky to have her in my life.

You may be wondering why I have so many violets.  My Grandmother's name was Violet.  She taught me to stitch, crochet and many other things.  I didn't see her often, but she had a profound impact on my life and considering I was almost named after her, we had a special bond.  I have a picture of her when she was 16, and my son always thought it was a picture of me....I looked so much like her when she was younger.  She loved violets...and when I joined a sorority in my college days, their flower was the violet.  For some reason, they  just keep popping up in my life.  One of my prized items in my cabinet is a cup with violets on it that was hers.  For the longest time it was the only thing I had that had been hers.

So there you have it!  There are other stitched items floating around here, but that's all that's in my china cabinet.  I hope I didn't bore you with my tour.  See you in a couple of days for the gifted gorgeousness post!