Matchbox #25 & MERRY CHRISTMAS

Look at this silvery beauty! A perfect finish to the 25 Matchboxes of Christmas 2010!  Thank you so much to Freda of Sew Whats New ~ this is such a pretty matchbox and it has a sweet frosty charm inside too!

Thank you so much to Linda of A Swap For All Seasons......Linda you are the BEST swap hostess ever!

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Well here they are ~ all 25 of the matchboxes.  Each one a treasure that represents a sweet lady out there in the "Land of Blog".  What a wonderful land it is. For me it's been 2 1/2 years of blogging memories ~ inspiration, laughter and smiles, prayers, a bit of tears and especially the chance to make new friends!

Merry Christmas to Each One of You!
You have blessed my heart in so many ways!! 
I pray that the Lord blesses you in a very special way this Christmas Season!

Blessed Christmas Eve & Matchbox #24

Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.  For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.  And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: “ Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”

Luke 2:10-14

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Matchbox #24

This snow angel is from Mary of JMP Pastimes.  Such a clever idea!  I love anything that uses sheet music...don't you?  And inside another sweet little snowman face and a cute charm!  Thank you Mary!! 

 

Babies...A Day Late & Matchbox #23

Did anyone notice that I didn't post a picture of my grandbabies yesterday? I always post a peek at them on Wednesday...but this Wednesday just got past me too quickly!  So here's a quick pic today. 
One of these little cuties will have an announcement to make next week!

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Matchbox #23!!!!

 

You know what that means, don't you?!  Only two more days until Christmas!  Lucky me has the next five days off from work.  It's a good thing too, because I still have quite a few things to finish up.  Today I have to go buy my last Christmas gift and finish wrapping presents and do a bit of cleaning. Tomorrow (woo hoo ~ Christmas Eve!) we'll be putting the finishing touches on everything, plus doing a little baking and then going to the Candlelight Service at church. Our Christmas Day will be pretty different this year.  Charlotte will be opening gifts here Christmas morning and then we'll exchange a few others but our big Christmas celebration won't be until Boxing Day, the 26th.  The whole family will gather for lunch and present and dinner and games and fun!!!  I can't wait!  I'm looking forward to having some quiet time on Christmas Day to reflect on the "real reason for the season".

Now, about this matchbox.....lucky me received a second one from Valery (AKA Mrs. A) of It's An Alien Life!  Her first one was so cute ~ it had all the traditional Christmas colors that I love plus a sweet little pin inside of it.  This one has a wintery look and tucked inside of it is a very cute necklace!  Thanks Mrs. A!

My Windowsill & Matchbox #22

I don't mind washing a few dishes when I have these cuties to look at on my windowsill! Don't they look cozy on that little bench!

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Matchbox #22

I love this matchbox....the colors, the glitter and the cute snowman just make me smile!  Kelly of Cherry Kingdom sent this little treasure to me!  Look what's inside...paper-dolls, a snowman and a "ticket to the royal Christmas ball" (a girl can dream, right!)  Thanks so much Kelly!! 

Happy Mail & Matchbox #21.

Surprises in the mail are such fun! Just look at this beautiful surprise that I received from Diane Knott.  It's a heart trimmed with beads. I'll hang it on the tree for now and then I'll find a special spot for it in my craft room.  I love all the tiny beads. Click on the picture to get a better look.  Thank you Diane!!

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Matchbox #21

Cookies for Santa!  Isn't Matchbox #21 just yummy?!  The little letter beads are so cute and the color scheme is so pretty! I love the Christmas tree charm inside ~ perfect for a neck chain I have.  Thanks so much to Denise of Blooming at Beagle Run Cottage.

IBand & Matchbox #20

Check out IBand!  This video is three songs and about 7 minutes long. 

Now personally I prefer traditional instruments...but I have to admit that this is really cool and very fun!  I really liked it a lot! 

Thank you Regina (Tales from a Leakey Faucet) for sharing this on your blog!

North Point's iBand from North Point Web on Vimeo.

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Matchbox #20

I think this little matchbox is so sweet.....and very unique.  Heidi of Queen For A Day made this matchbox look like a tiny house complete with a tiny tree!  Wouldn't you love a front door like this one?!  Tucked nside is a Santa yearbook picture.  What a cute, cute, cute idea!  Thank you Heidi 

Matchbox #19

I really love the traditional red & green for Christmas ~ so it any surprise that I love this sweet matchbox that arrived all the way from Hampstead, England?!  Thank you so much to Valery (AKA Mrs. A) of  It's An Alien Life.  I really like details on this one and I love the adorable pin inside...it's on my jacket today as a matter a fact! 

Matchbox #18

Thank you to Molly of Material Gal Molly for my 18th matchbox!  (oh my ~ that means it's only one week until you know what!)  #18 is a pretty gold box with a seashell on it AND in it! There's a little message inside about where it came form and she wrote "from my shore to you" on the sides of the matchbox. Love the simplicity of this one!!

COMING SOON!!

Our wonderful hostess Linda of Grace Filled Moments will be announcing the Winter Swap in the  A Swap For All Seasons  group.  Linda has the best ideas for swaps.  Check out the A Swap For All Seasons blog on January 2nd to find out what her next amazing idea is!!

It Snowed! & Matchbox #17

Yep, we got some of the fluffy white stuff yesterday.  It looked so pretty! But by the time I got home it was too dark to take any pictures.  So I snapped a pic of this happy fellow.  I got him at a thrift store a couple weeks ago.  $1.81 ~ pretty good deal I think! 

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Matchbox #17

Jan Roberts of Art Friendzy created and sent Matchbox #17.  Pretty ribbon, pretty paper (that I forgot to get a good picture of) and a fun little "ticket to Santa"!  I love the contrast betwen the inside and outside of this one.  And look at the puzzle piece charm tucked inside...very unique...very fun!  Thanks Jan!!

It's Mine & Matchbox #16

Remember this post about the pillow I fell in love with?  Well, I bought it! It's mine!  Not only did I get the pillow I also got a chuckle too!  The box arrived from Dayspring and I thought it looked a little small considering it contained four boxes of Christmas cards, a book and my pillow.  I opened it and removed the book and the cards and the pillow....cover!!  Just a cover....nothing in it!  But I found a pillow at home that fits it perfectly!  I really need to read the descriptions when I order things.  : )

Looks pretty good ~ don't you think!?

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Matchbox #16

Matchbox #16 arrived all the way from the UK!  It was made by Hope of Pixies Ponderings.  Isn't this the cutest Santa ~ he's winkin' right at you!  I love the clear snowmen charm inside ~ wish it showed up better. Do you see that shiny red nose peeking out frominside the matchbox?!  Thak you Hope! Love this one!!

Only nine more of these to go.............

Gramma's Little Elves & Matchbox #15

It sure is hard to get this little ones to pose for a photo.  But at least we got them to look at the camera!  This was about 10 days ago at Penelope's house.  Doesn't she have a pretty tree?  The tree has moved since this was taken....it's in the big kitchen....on the other side of the gate.  Charlotte has been staying at Penelope's house since her nanny had her baby.  Two Toddlers vs The Tree. The tree lost!

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Matchbox #15

Elena of The Traveling Princess sent me today's matchbox.  I love all the sparkle on the Christmas tree and look how she attached the #15...it's a little flag on a pin.  Inside I found a little "hope" and a wonderful charm!  I have the perfect chain for it to dangle from.   Did you notice something extra on the front of the matchbox?  It's a sparkly breast cancer "ribbon"!  Thank you Elena....this one is extra-special! 

I'm Having A Giveaway & Matchbox #14

Giveaway Time!

I'm closing in on 800 posts and we're closing in on Christmas!

What better time to do a little giving!  It's my favorite part of Christmas.

Here are several things that I made that I'd like to offer as a giveaway.  A collage with an image of a sweet little girl on it, a journal for your "thoughts", a paper mache' box with a little surprise inside, and a fabric heart with a princess tag.  I'll also include this pretty basket of eggs.

Please leave a comment for one chance to win.  If you mention my giveaway on your blog leave a second comment letting me know and you'll have two chances to win.

I'll choose a winner on Sunday, December 19th.

 

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Matchbox #14

Thank you to Linda of Lambworld for Matchbox #14.  Love the image on this one....Father Christmas and a sweet little girl ~ love the red polka dot bow!  A little heart trimmed with some more polka dot ribbon was tucked inside.  Thank you Linda. This one is so cute!!

My Office & Matchbox #13

My co-workers and I are blessed to have a boss who likes Christmas.  He loves what we do to the office each year!  We put up a tree and a snowman, play Christmas music and decorate our own spaces.  It's a small office but we try to make it very festive.  Here's a peek at some of our decorations.

 

The snowman light, bears and squirrel are all part of my desk decorations.  I think squirrels are so cute. I love to watch them and I love to discuss the "sweetness that is a squirrel" with my boss.  He's not very fond of squirrels...so you can imagine how those conversations might be.  I decided that he needed a squirrel of his very own...so he could really see just how cute they are.  So for one of his Christmas gifts I asked Michelle Palmer to draw a squirrel for him.  Here's what she came up with!

I framed her drawing and added a little definition inside the frame.  I asked her to personalize it and she put his name on a little tag.  I just love it!  I think he liked it too!  Michelle has an Etsy shop where you can find many more of her wonderful drawings.

I must admit that Geoff doesn't love EVERYTHING we do to the office.  I'm sure he wishes we'd leave "Hank" the deer alone.

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Matchbox #13

Matchbox #13 comes from Sherry of If I Could Set My Soul Free.  Itr's so festive and bright.  I love the paper Sherry used to cover and line the box and I really love the tiny tree garland she tucked inside.  It will be perfect to wrap around a tiny tree that I have! Thank you Sherry ~ this one is so cute!