Birthday Threads!

Cath at The Stitchin' Chicken organized a 2014 birthday thread exchange that I am participating in.  What is a birthday thread exchange??  I send a card and three skeins of stitching thread to the other participants as their birthday approaches.  In exchange, I receive three skeins of stitching thread and a birthday card from each of them.  This exchange has been fun and I've enjoyed keeping up with these ladies through their blogs.

My fiftieth (50!) birthday was last month.  Let's take a look at the sweet cards and pretty threads that I received from the other thread exchange participants........

Mary Jane lives in Peoria.  Look at the stash I received from her.  Two skeins of variegated DMC and a skein of Weeks Dye Works hand dyed floss.  Can you see the name of the hand dyed floss......Peoria Purple.  How clever is that??  Weeks Dye Works needs to come up with a Lewisburg Lime (or something similar) so I can send clever gifts like Mary Jane!  Thanks Mary Jane!

Next up is my treat from Vicky (Waterbury, CT).  Can you EVEN take your eyes off of that birthday card? Ice cream is a favorite of mine, Vicky.  How did you know?  Look at the pretty DMC that Vicky enclosed.  One of my all time fave DMC colors is 931 (that is the blue at bottom right for all my non-stitching friends).  I find myself using 931 a lot!!  Thanks Vicky.

Valerie from California also sent three gorgeous DMC colors.  Don't these colors just SCREAM summertime?  I need to look through my stash of patterns for a little summer sampler which will be just perfect for these threads.

And if Valerie's threads scream summertime, then these DMC threads from Nicole absolutely SCREAM springtime!  What pretty pastels!!  Thank you Nicole.  Oh, you will notice from the photo that Nicole is from Canada.  Don't you love how the threads match the colors of the birthday card?

Gaynor lives in County Roscommon, Republic of Ireland!  The coordinating DMC colors that she sent is so pretty.  Thank you Gaynor!!

Sharon from Manchester (United Kingdom) sent a skein of blue cotton thread which was made in Denmark.  I think I would like to use this particular thread to stitch a small one-color sampler.  The other two skeins that I received from Sharon are hand-dyed floss.  I love stitching with hand-dyed floss.  The color variations add a unique look to stitched pieces.  Thanks Sharon!

And last....but certainly not least......Another summery color selection was sent to me by Cath who lives in England.  I immediately think of watermelon when I see this color combination.  Thanks Cath......not only for the sweet card and pretty threads but also for organizing this exchange!

Does anyone else see the common color scheme of purples, blues, and bluish purples that many of these ladies sent?  I think it is quite incredible seeing how the only suggestion that we make to one another is the TYPE of thread (DMC, overdyed, metallic, etc) we prefer, not the color.  The thread colors sent to each recipient are strictly chosen by each sender.  

Thanks again, ladies, for your birthday sentiments and the pretty threads!  Looks like it's time for me to stop blogging and start stitching!