Crafting Sistas - the glue that binds us together

Tonight was a night for the "good towels."
We all have them, don't we? Those special towels that are folded neatly and sitting on the shelf in the linen closet, just waiting for that significant someone to arrive -- waiting for the opportunity to show off...towels that hang in our bathrooms, but only when special guests are coming. We might even fold them a little differently, making the mere hanging of them that much more momentous.
Mine are pink towels with embroidered flamingos on them -- given to me one year for my birthday by my mother.
I love flamingos. Their long necks make them the most graceful creatures on this planet. And pink? Well, suffice to say -- I love the color!

Tonight was special.
It was my turn to host the monthly Crafting Sistas.
A group of my closest friends meet once a month to take on a new project, introducing us to new opportunities, so to speak.
December has traditionally been my month to host -- since the inception of Crafting Sistas. We have drinks, eat dinner, make crafts, exchange cookies and sometimes we exchange gifts.
I must be honest -- I was not looking forward to this night, but I threw myself into it and viola, it was fabulous.

My Crafting Sistas are just that - my sisters.
We are with each other through thick and thin, and this year, it's been mostly thick. One sista's husband was in a life-changing accident; another sista's mother died unexpectedly, forcing her to relocate out of state in order to care for her father and grandmother; another sista found herself unemployed only a few years away from retirement age. One sista had a beautiful baby girl, while another rejoiced in the birth of her granddaughter. One sista mourned her empty nest as her daughter left for college; another mourned her empty house as her mother's passing left a void needing to be filled.

There are 12 of us. And through it all, we've been there for each other...making tonight that much more meaningful to me.

As everyone arrived, we had Peppermint Martinis, with glasses rimmed in peppermint pop rocks -- what fun! For dinner we started with a cranberry/orange/apple appetizer, then salad, then the main course of Spaghetti Carbonara (I make mine with blood orange olive oil and sun-dried tomatoes), and for dessert - a pumpkin turnover made from this year's Halloween pumpkin. All yummy. Red wine, white wine - - and a twinkling light in each glass.

Then it was time to craft, and here's one of our projects:

Fill a white pillowcase with polyester fill and tie off the top using a rubberband. Create the head of the snowman by tying his scarf around his neck. Cut small, nickel-sized disks out of black felt and glue on for eyes and mouth. Make a small cone shape using orange felt and glue in place for his nose. Put on his Santa hat, or an old stocking cap and you've just made your own snowman. Great for those of us living in sunny F-L-A.

This one only took about 20-minutes, but we had a load of fun.
Then we made the cute little Cupcake Paper Christmas Trees that are detailed in my Dec. 1 posting entitled "I've got something in my pocket."  http://alwaysonmymindforeverinmyheart.blogspot.com/2012/12/ive-got-something-in-my-pocket.html

Mom loved Craft Night as much as I did. We usually make a huge presentation of our cookies/sweets and Mother has always been our judge, awarding big prizes. Last year, we all started with brownies, but as I always say, "It's all in the presentation." Last year's winner cut her very thin brownies, glued the pieces together with icing and made a nativity scene! That's how serious we take our "Cookie Exchange."

Finding ourselves without a judge this year, we played things a little lower, and had the normal, run-in-the-mill cookie exchange after crafting. Still fun!

While sitting with Mother during her transition into the Lord's arms, I knitted...another gift I learned from her. I knitted and knitted -- 12 scarves, one for each of the Sistas. So, tonight my sisters not only went home with new holiday crafts with which to decorate their homes, but they went home with a special hug around the neck from me.

Thank you to my Crafting Sistas for getting me through these days. I'm forever grateful to you for your love and friendship.

You definitely deserve the good towels!