Precious Gift

I love penguins.  I have collected them for many, many years.  In my collection, I have literally all kinds of penguins.  Made out of many different kinds of mediums.  From wood, to metal.  Ceramic to brass.  Glass.  Plush.  A penguin made out of LEATHER.  And a lot more.  (Including a penguin tattoo!)

This year, as part of the Make My Christmas,  a friend of mine drew my name.  She remembered this tidbit about me, and here is what I got from her:

 She did a pencil drawing of a penguin for me and framed it!

Isn't it amazing?

A few years back, she visited Africa, and in her travels there, they came across a colony of penguins.  She took a bunch of pictures, so she made a collage of those pictures and put it on the back of the frame!

But she didn't stop there!

She recently had a milestone birthday, and a bunch of us went down to the OuterBanks for a birthday weekend celebration.  Unbeknownst to me, she was finding driftwood pieces on the beach, and collecting bottle caps at her party.

And out of that, she made me THIS:

The bottom of the body is a piece of the license plate from when she owned a motorcycle.

Isn't it GORGEOUS!?!?  So innovative, and so much fun!  It is hands down the most creative penguin I own.  And the best handmade penguin I have in my collection!

I can only imagine the time and thought that went into this.  And then I realize that's what I do when I quilt.  I try to capture the recipient in the fabric.  I think of them the entire time I work on it.  I hope it shows, and I hope they can tell it was made with love.  Just like this guy above was!

What's your favorite handmade gift that you've received?


AMW

Busted...

Well, I got busted big time.  Here is a text I received last week:

"So no random thoughts since Jan 4.  Whats up with that?"

LOL!  Don't you hate when your friends are RIGHT!?!?

So since KDF was the one who busted me, I thought I'd feature her in this post.  See, she was the name I drew for Make My Christmas!

You may remember how worried I was after THIS post.  I went to talk to her the morning of the party, and she was amazing, and it all worked out.

And I got it finished and delivered to her...  Wanna see it?  Here ya go:

I'm not sure if you can tell, but she's a big football fan.  Specifically, a Pittsburgh Steelers fan.  (I know...  hard to tell....)

And I think she was pretty happy with it.  In fact, the day after I gave it to her, I got this picture sent to my phone:

But don't tell her I'm using this picture, k?  She doesn't like it...  But since it will be MONTHS before she checks this blog again, I think I can get away with it.

And then she posted this one on Face.Book, so I guess it's is safe to use, too...

I adore this chick, and was THRILLED that I drew her name!  Keeping the secret was BRUTAL!!!  But the payoff of giving her this quilt made it worth it.

Love ya girl!
AMW