Birthday Goodness

Hi everyone!

Thank you for the wonderful response to my last post. This, along with the news I was sharing in that post, helped me go through this week - I was alone, but definitely not lonely. Thank you, friends.

My birthday was more than a week ago, but I still haven't posted about the gifts I received. Sylvie had told me her package would come a wee bit later (you'll soon understand why!), and I thought I'd wait for it before posting the birthday goodness that reached my mailbox this year!

I'll go in chronological order, starting with the pretty, pretty heart that Karen stitched and impeccably finished for me:

It is so fresh and feminine, isn't it?
Eyelet lace is a favourite of mine... I love it!

Karen is a bit naughty, as I'd asked everyone here not to make me anything this year... Yet she's such a dear friend, I couldn't possibly owe her a grudge now, could I? Thank you Karen, you already know how much I like this heart - it hangs on the wall above my desk and I can gaze at it while working, whenever my eyes need some rest from the computer. :)

My friend Doris in Alsace sent me a lovely parcel. I don't want to overload this post with pictures, so you can see all the goodies she sent me on my French blog. I'll just share here the gorgeous sewing case that she stitched - again, in my favourite shades:

Bisous to you, Doris!

At the beginning of the week I received two lovely surprises from a couple of French friends:
Marianne sent me this cute kitty:

Is she begging for cuddles or for food? Both, don't you think?
Thank you Marianne :)

Renée stitched this very apt bookmark:

(The Lord is my strength and my song)
From Psalm 117/118, which I sang at Easter!
Thank you Renée...

Last... but definitely not least... came Sylvie's parcel. Many of you know that Sylvie is my dearest friend, not merely online, but in "real life" as well, and I believe the feeling is mutual :)
Sylvie has a very busy schedule. Besides her regular job, she follows a training which involves a lot of work. Despite my asking her to concentrate on her own stitching instead of spending time stitching for me, Sylvie did not stitch one, but two gifts for me... her gifts did not involve simple stitching, but tiny over-one stitching... and one of those gifts, as you shall see, bespeaks an incredible amount of work and minute care.

To say I gasped would be an understatement - I was actually in tears when I had finished opening all the packages. Mind you, I'm not a big weeper. I can be teary-eyed when I'm moved, but having tears rolling down my cheeks involves a whole other level of emotion.

Sylvie even made the card - isn't she multi-talented?

I started by opening this sweet little pinkeep - little only because it's stitched over one.

Then I found a darling cat potholder (that shall decorate the kitchen rather than be used) and the gorgeous threads. I'd never seen or touched Gloriana threads before, and they are scrumptious.

Then... There was this.

This is the most exquisite piece of stitching and finishing I have ever seen...
And Sylvie stitched it for me! Can you imagine?
I just can't figure out how she ever had the heart to give it away.

(Yes, the beautiful scissors were part of the gift, too - actually this is why Sylvie didn't manage to post her package earlier, because the scissors were late in coming.)

Thinking of all the care she put into this... of the many, many hours of stitching and then assembling... Examining all the tiny details... I just couldn't help crying.
(((((Sylvie)))))

No, with all the love pouring into my virtual and real mailbox, I could definitely not feel lonely this week!

Wishing you all a beautiful weekend.