Saturday, October 30, 2010

secret santa :)



2011 is going to be a lovely year :)


have you ever played secret santa?
i have in years past. we used to draw names at work and fill each other's stockings with little items we thought the person we drew would like. I remember it was a bit cheesy at times and often getting things i didn't really like. but in the end i liked the idea of it :)

so today i wanted to share with you what i will be giving away this year as secret santa.

I was playing around with the idea of creating something useful and lovely to give and came up with my version of a 2011 calendar. I feel this year Mona and I have really bonded photographing a few items that looking back on make me really happy :) I'm not a professional but definitely an enthusiast and i cannot wait to see what 2011 will look like through the lens.



I even included some of my favorite photos I took for my inspire lovely class. I love the little bits of goodness all collaged together to create a pretty picture :) I have a feeling it will bring cheer throughout the year. xoxo ( i put a calendar up on my etsy just in case you would love to give one too :)

inspiration calendar

So thinking on that cheer, I'd love to cheer one of you with a 2011 calendar of your own. Maybe even give to a dear friend or loved one. Whatever you wish. If you would like to be entered to win a calendar please leave a comment answering this question:

What is the best gift you've given or have received and why?

mine was my sewing machine a few years back. my parents gave me money before christmas to buy my own gift. ( that way you get something you really wanted and they didn't have to hassle guessing at what to give ) I knew exactly what i wanted and bought it :) I loved that never in there wildest dreams would they have thought to buy me a sewing machine! lol! you should've seen their reaction. it was hilarious ;P

My favorite gift because i cannot imagine creating without it. I also love the gift of choice. I never want to give something to someone without really putting heart and thought into what they would love to receive. I put a lot of heart and thought into this wee calendar and would love to give you one too :)

I will pick a winner this monday. AND i want to thank you in advance for sharing a little bit of your story with me :)
-internationals welcome!

2011 looks lovely already :)
xoxo
-d

35 comments:

Vanessa said...

the best gift I have ever gotten was a sterling silver coffee bean necklace from Tiffany's from my best friend. She had the same necklace that her fiance bought her. I was her maid of honor and asked if I could borrow her's to wear on her wedding day, since we both worked at a coffee shop and she and I met her fiance there and that's where he proposed. I figured she had forgotten about lending it to me and I didnt want to bother her with such a thing the week of her wedding. Turns out she gave me my very own the night of her rehersal dinner. I was so surprised and shocked. I love it so much, and it was my first Tiffany's piece. I have worn it every day this past year for luck since she and I are now opening our own coffee shop and roasting company next month!

martha brown said...

The best gift that I have given was a collage on canvas that I made for my mother. The subject was her mother, my grandmother who passed away when I was 15. I used copies of pictures of my grandparents, colours that my grandma loved, and some quotes that I remembered her saying. My mom cried when she opened it... it was perfect...

Jen said...

My favorite was a Petax DSLR camera! I pooled all the Christmas money(and birthday money!!) I was given two years ago and bought it:) Third happiest day of my life(getting married and the birth of my daughter being the other two;)).

j.leija said...

I don't know if best gift EVER, but my sweet boyfriend got me a very thoughtful scrapbooking gift. It's a stamp. No big deal but it was the thought behind it that makes it special. At some point along the way, I mentioned that I wanted a wood grain stamp. Totally in passing, didn't even realize I had articulated it to him. 3 months later, what do open up on my birthday...?!? A wood grain stamp. He told me he went to 2 different Michael's to find one. It made me feel special. And realize that sometimes, he actually *does listen!!

Denise said...

you may not be a professional but you take the most amazing photos Debee!

Favorite gift? My father bought me a Christmas present a few weeks before he died. He died on December 10th and so it was pretty special that I still got a gift from him. I was 21 years old and living in my own apartment. He bought me a microwave. I thought it was so strange, I mean a microwave. I never even used it, still don't really like them but I moved that thing at least 2 dozen times over the years. It was always there, keeping me company, reminding me that my Dad loved me.

Cherie said...

The best gift I ever recived was a promise ring from my boyfriend when I was 17. He made me go on a scavenger hunt for it. We got married 2 years later and are still happily married after 6 years. I wear it on a necklace since I now have my wedding ring :)

Christina said...

My best gift is my little girl:) I know, I know! Cheesy, right? But she really WAS a gift because she was a -- erm -- surprise baby:) On top of that, she was born at 25 weeks ... a micropreemie. Three years later and I am reminded every single day I see this healthy, funny, beautiful little monkey of how lucky I am that Fate realized how much I needed her, and gave her to me.

Natalie Elphinstone said...

I think some of the best gifts I've been given have been the personalised ones. Even if they're 'silly' ones like t-shirts with printed photos on them. But my favourite would be when my husband gave me a beautiful Lisa Leonard necklace with a pendant personalised with each of our girls' names. I wear it all the time :-)

curlyqmosaics said...

The best gift I ever received was one I received from my husband when we were still just dating. It was for Valentine's Day. He bought me an Abercrombie & Fitch belt. The buckle was surrounded in rhinestones and engraved in the center was A&F. (of course to us, it meant "Amy & Frankie." I still cherish it to this day!

Shaina Longstreet said...

i am seriously IN LOVE with this calendar. amazing!!

the best gift i have ever received is my nifty fifty camera lens. my husband bought it for my anniversary present this year and it has been invaluable in my growth as a photographer.

Lea said...

the best gift i have ever given was to my sweet husband. i bought him a bike for his birthday. he was not expecting it at all and his mouth dropped open-gotta love a good surprise. he had lost a stack of weight of was living a healthier lifestyle and i wanted him to know i was supporting his efforts. when he makes his mind up about something, he gives it his all which is so inspiring i think.

Valerie said...

Your calendar is gorgeous!

The best gift I have ever received was from my then boyfriend (now husband). We were just in the beginning stages of our relationship, and I had just moved to America from Holland (where I grew up). He must have caught on that I was really homesick for Holland. So for Christmas, he gave me a huge box full of my favorite Dutch goodies! It was so special!

Geralyn said...

What a gorgeous calendar!

I've had lots of amazing gifts, but here's one of my favorites. The Winter Olympics 2010 was in my city (Vancouver), so it was very exciting. The only sport that I was interested in watching live was figure skating, but tickets for figure skating events were very hard to get, as well as expensive. My dad, who was out of town, managed to get some tickets and he mailed them to me and my mom. They were really good seats, and the best part was that he kept it all a surprise and we didn't find out what he sent us until we opened the envelope. It was such a memorable gift and experience :)

Jina said...

the best gift i ever gave was to my mom one mother's day... it was a journal. we pass it back and forth and chronicle our thoughts and the events of our lives. i know someday i will cherish this even more than i do today.

Dinnad said...

The best gift I ever gave was a pair of earrings to my aunt. My uncle passed away a few months earlier and i used his wedding band to make her a pair of earrings that she loves to wear. It felt good to give something that brings so much joy!!!

Unknown said...

Love the calendar! What a clever idea. :)

My best gift is my Salvation.
Bar none.

My best worldly gift is probably my camera - I have gotten and been able to give more joy than anything else I've ever received.

Love, Carrie said...

My sweetie bought me a puppy for my birthday this year....and he is soooo cute! He looks like a little fox. I am so in love <3 Carrie

Unknown said...

the best gift I've ever received were pet hamsters. I was 9 and totally thrilled with three lovely rodents running around the cage (:

the80sme said...

I named a star for my boyfriend and I and now every time its dark outside we look up to the sky and think that somewhere out there there's a star with our names, priceless!

Linda said...

WOW, I really love your calender!!! ♥

Melissa Mann said...

Was looking at that calendar earlier this week. Absolute eye candy. Thanks for the chance to win it!

Best gift I've gotten. Hands down, my Rebel. The hubs bought it for me three years ago for my birthday. It is by far one of my most valued possessions.

Erin said...

Beautiful. You are so talented D! Thank you for sharing in the yummy goodness.
The best gift I have ever recieved was just after I had my son. It might sound kinda cheesy and self-centered but it helped me, clarified things for me and made me sit back and realize that life is full of ups and downs. My sisters got together and gave me a gift certificate to a store that sells Matt&Nat handbags. They are made in Canada and vegan and expensive. I normally can't afford this sort of thing so I just admired the one I wanted from afar. Well my son was about 6 months old and was waking 3 to 4 times a night to feed for half an hour to an hour. I was sleep deprived and zombie-like. I started to get depressed because I couldn't keep up with the daily. My sisters gave my the gift certificate on Christmas day and inside the card was written a note telling me I had ALL DAY boxing day to myself. No baby. I cried. And then napped and then showered and braved the mall to get the bag and actually look in a few shops. I felt normal again and had regained a little piece of myself. This might sound whiney or weird but I think you give a little piece of yourself to your children and learning how to fill that little hole with something new like the crazy amount of love you have takes time.

Danielle said...

Lovely calendar! The best gift was a teapot given to me by my husband b/c in the bottom of it was an engagement ring. Thanks for the giveaway.

Dawn McVey (dawnsing) said...

My husband is a great gift-giver but one that stands out is our gorgeous baby grand piano. I don't play the piano really well, but he knew I'd always wanted a piano of my own. We'd often looked at them together, when out and about and one year, he bought the piano he know I especially loved and had it delivered as a surprise to me. In fact, he scheduled the delivery for a Saturday morning when he knew I'd be sleeping in, hoping that they'd get it delivered before I woke up. The funny thing is, there's no keeping it a secret when they're hauling a baby grand piano in to your house and hammering the legs in place with a mallet. Haha.

Anyway, it was such a lovely gesture and came at just the right time, as my Grandpa had just gotten sick and was in ICU. As it turned out, he passed away just a week or so later and that piano offered a great bit of 'therapy' to me as I was able to play and play as I dealt with Grandpa's death.

I love my husband and am forever grateful for his thoughtfulness.

Thanks, Debee, for a fun giveaway! Your calendar pages are beautiful!

Živilė said...

I really love your photos & your crafts.
The best gift I got was a cooking book. The receipes were easy to follow, and pics looked so delicious, that I actually started to cook :)))

amytangerine said...

When I turned 30, my parents gave me the best gift. They paid for my Lasik. For most of my life, I have had to wear glasses and contacts. To be able to see the alarm clock every morning is such a gift! thanks for the chance to win your lovely calendar!

Keshet said...

My friend gave me a stuffed sheep from the Serta commercials, which I love!

marcy said...

the best gift i ever gave was an apron embroidered with my daughter's bake shop logo on it (she's 11, but dreams of opening up a bakery). ;)

Jenny said...

I don't know if this was the BEST gift I have ever received, but I will always remember it and it was pretty cool back when I got it...the huge pink Barbie dream house!!! My friend had it along with every Barbie accessory known to man. I wanted that house so badly! The week of my birthday, my grandparents came over to see me. I was outside rollerskating and I'll never forget seeing them drive up to my house with the big pink house in the back of their car already assembled!!! It was a dream come true..guess that's why they call it the "dream house"! LOL!!!!

jacelyn darelam said...

Hmmn thanks Debee, well... one of the best gifts I've ever received (Ive two of them) would be my 2girls... I never thought I would love to be a mom... as I was a workaholic, but now I am addicted to being one! They are my joy and inspiration. So far... the best gift I think I've ever given to someone... hmmn my brother's tatooing machine and maybe financing his education... =)

Mari said...

omg!!! your pictures are amazing, I love the way you put all the bits and pieces together!!!! They are eyecandy!!

the calendar is amazing!!!

Marie Kristl Flid said...

oh yes, i love palying secret santa! i played it once while studying in germany and it was really amaising! i played with the students from our dormitory. that time i got some baklava and it was delicous :)

my favourite present was.. mmm... there were 2! canon selphy photo printer that i got from my boyfriend for my latest b-day (you might have seen it on one of the photos i made for your class :) ) and the 2nd - the Drakonomicon book that i got so unexpected from ym best friend quite a long time ago! she ordered it from amazon when iternet shops were not popular at all and ordering from abroad was something really wonderful! the sad thing is.. i don't have the book any more, it was left with my ex-boyfriend as i left him....

lauren said...

your work is such an inspiration!! the best gift i have received to date is a blueberry muffin. back in high school history class, i mentioned to a guy friend at the start of the school year that all i wanted for christmas was a blueberry muffin...fast forward to our last class before break and in he walks with one!! it was the kindest thing! still makes me smile today! :) *

wandalicious said...

Debee,
One of the best gifts I gave this year was a wall hanging I made for my mom. It was my first fabric / mixed media collage. I took an old photo of my grandmother (her mom) and my great-grandmother and transferred them on to fabric. This was a special photo, because they had been forced to leave Armenia during the diaspora, been separated for 13 years, and then reunited. They were in Mexico, waiting for paperwork to enter the US and be reunited with my great-grandfather. We have almost no photos of the pre-diaspora time, no family mementos, nothing. Just this one photo, and I made a wall hanging that said "You Never Walk Alone." It wasn't very well done, I'll admit. Very wabi-sabi. But it made her cry! I loved making something that had true meaning. Thanks for sharing your AMAZING photos. I have your photo postcards and can't send them - I am hoarding them b/c they are so pretty!

Anna said...

Oh Debee, I love this calendar!

The best gift I have ever received was my first camera. Sadly I don't have it any longer, but it was the beginning of a life long love for photography.