Christmas Stamp Camp

It was fun hanging out with some of my best friends on Saturday.  My very favorite part of  Christmas Stamp Camp is the handmade gift exchange.  I'm always so impressed by the talent that lurks within our small knit group.  This year I was smart enough to take pictures of everything, although I had to wrestle them away from some who didn't want to part with their special gift for even a minute. 

First I'll start off with a picture of the group that attended the event.

In the back row; Sara Miller, Jean Clark, Michelle Thurston and Chris Williams.  In the front row; Chris Chick, Carol Stofer, Judy Charlton and Cheri Ruble.  Best Friends Forever!  Many thanks to my hubby, Paul, who took the picture.

Now I'll show you all the awesome handmade gifts that were exchanged!  This first gift was made by Chris Williams, a perfectly crafted basket of Christmas flowers!  This would really look nice in my bathroom! 

This next gift was made by my sister, Judy Charlton.  The candle cozy snuggled the bottom of the candle.  The pickle on the right was cross stitched, too cute.  And on the left is a gripper for opening jars.

This next array of gifts was made by Michelle Thurston.  A gorgeous easel card using the Snow Flurry Bigz Die, and it's hard to see but there is a delicate little ornament made with the Ornament Keepsakes stamp and the Holiday Ornaments framelits.  She also crocheted this cool potholder and this beautiful scarf! 

This little throw pillow was made by yours truly.  I fell in love with these new fabrics at Sew Unique Threads and just had to make something with them, so, this little pillow was my creation!  The five buttons are discontinued Stampin' UP! Night of Navy buttons.  I couldn't believe that my sister drew the number for this gift, as she's gotten my handmade item three years in a row! 

If there were rules about our handmade gifts it would be that it must be something that directly relates to Stampin' UP! and shows the creative paper crafting savvy of the gift giver.  This next gift, made by Jean Clark, is just that.  We all oohed and aahed about this wonderfully constructed collage.  Everything except the tray is from Stampin' UP!  It is a perfect example of what Stampin' UP! is all about!!!!  Kudos to Jean!  It looks like all of these Stampin' UP! products came from the Holiday Catalog.

 

This sweet little gift set was made by Cheri Ruble.  This wooden box was covered in designer paper, and that cute little owl tag is from the Snow Festival Designer Printed Tags.  The tiny knitted pieces were just adorable, and will look so cute on a tree.  She also made some yummy looking peanut brittle.  I came very close to snatching a piece when no one was looking.

I am a knitter.  And I'm well aware of the time it takes to tackle a shawl.  That's why I was totally, and I mean totally, shocked when I opened my gift and found this amazing shawl.  It was made by Sara Miller.  The detail is gorgeous, and it's the same color as my eyes.  I'm wearing it this Thursday when I go to GR to knit with my daughter's mom-in-law as she recovers from knee replacement surgery.  I'm excited for both Sandy and Kathy to see it!

I'm glad there are no rules with our exchange.  Certainly we expect that time and thought go into the gift, but time and thought can go into a holiday dessert, or an array of holiday cookies.  No one is ever disappointed, after all, it's not about what we get, but what we give and the love that went into it.

I hope you enjoyed the little peek inside Christmas Stamp Camp.  I'll be sharing the projects that we completed over the next few days.

Thanks for stopping by!

Want to check out the Holiday Catalog, just click HERE