My gift from the bride

I love it when a gift is given with care and thoughtfulness, and my gift from the bride this past weekend really hit the nail on the head. She and I are close, and we emailed quite a bit about everyone else's gift - she wanted to make sure that she picked something that would be meaningful to each of her bridesmaids, and she did just that. She put together a scrapbook of old photos, letters, ticket stubs, etc., for her maid of honor. For another, she made a lamp filled with shells from their trips to the beach, and for another, she bought a boxed set of a movie adaptation of a favorite childhood book.

For my gift, she tracked down my online wishlist (she never asked for it directly, so she's a pretty smart cookie) and picked several stitching pieces that I really wanted, but never managed to purchase for myself. I love that two of the charts she picked are for ornaments - I am ridiculously sentimental when it comes to Christmas ornaments, and every ornament on our tree has special meaning to us. Now when I stitch these up, they will forever remind me of Kerri and Mark's wedding.

She chose

• Imaginating's Nutcrackers II (Germany, Ireland and France)
• The Sweetheart Tree's Irish Shamrocks Chubby Nutcracker
• Little House Needlework's Snowflakes

She also included a package of bobbins that I use for winding threads, and some Thread Heaven. I was so touched that she'd take the time to track down my list and find items that would have special meaning to me. All she really knows about stitching is that I do it - she's not a stitcher herself.

Of course, now this probably means I should a) put down the computer and do a little stitching, and b) finish up the piece I stitched in honor of my cousin's wedding!

Jungle Baby Birth Record

Jungle Baby by Imaginating
Stitched over 2 on 32 ct. Antique White
with recommended DMC Floss
(name intentionally blurred for privacy)

Believe it or not, I started this piece just before the baby was born, and was working on it while we were down the shore on vacation and his mom was in labor with him. Andrew, or Drew as he is better known, took his own sweet time getting here. It's a good thing he's such a cutie - his mom was in labor for almost two days!

The piece wasn't finished when I got to meet Drew for the first time, but he did get it the day before his six month birthday. (Go me! Usually it takes me a little longer.) We had a lunch date with Drew and his mom the other day, and I handed over the completed piece, as well as his ornament, coming in the next post. Drew seemed to like it, and his mom loved it. She couldn't wait to get it home and put it in his nursery.

My son is 8 months older than Drew, and the difference those eight months make is incredible! I remember holding Drew for the first time a few months ago, looking over at Nick and thinking, "There's no way my Nick was this tiny!" And in a few months, Drew's mom will look at another baby and think the same exact thing. As all you moms know, these little ones grow CRAZY FAST. Drew's a little older now than the last time I saw him, and he's such a cutie. He's got the most adorable chubby little cheeks and big, bright, cheery eyes. So cute!

I'm so pleased with how this came out. I think it's going to look great in Drew's jungle themed nursery (jungle themes seem to be very popular these days). And yes, it is framed in a standard 8x10 frame from the craft store. I've been leaving the glass out for pieces that won't be hung in a high traffic area or somewhere they'll be exposed to things like grease. Since this is going in a baby's nursery, I don't think I'll need to worry about the piece getting too dirty.