Secret Santa Swap 2012 by The Apronista

As you all know I participated in a couple of Halloween Swaps last month and loved it.  Now I am hooked!  The other day I was literally googling to see if I could find others and found a really cool one at http://flirtyapronswap.blogspot.com/ by The Apronista, Shawnee Halligan.  I am so excited.  Her swap is a little more structured and I am required to post my questionaire and info here on my blog so here it goes....

1. What are your hobbies?  Making a house a home, Sewing & Embroidery, Texas Native Gardening, Baking, Scrapbooking & Paper Crafts (card making).
2. What are your favorite colors?  Rich Ruby Red, Dark Green and Vintage Gold
3. Do you collect anything? Seasonal Dishes & Tabletop Items (love snowflake and gingerbread items), Vintage Sewing Memorabilia, and commemorative postage stamps since I was a child
4. Are you allergic to any fibers or animals?  None
5. Do you have any pets?  Yes, a black & white Piebald Daschund named Oreo
6. Coffee, Tea, or Chocolate?  Not a fan of dark chocolate, coffee or tea (yes that is weird).  Love Milk Chocolate...
7. What do you like to read? Yes, magazines & books mainly anything from Better Homes & Gardens or Good Housekeeping... not much into fiction but like biographies from women I admire.
8. Do you prefer Cookies or Candies as a sweet?  Love anything with pecans, candy or cookies....anything with caramel, pecans, walnuts, and fudge.
9. What is your favorite holiday treat?  Candy Cane Kisses by Hershey's
10. Describe your favorite holiday tradition. Traditional Mexican Catholic Posada on December 24, Virgin de Guadalupe mass and Las Mañanitas with live mariachis on December 12 at dawn and christmas shopping with the family afterwards
11. Did you believe in Santa as a child?   Yes, very much so until I was about 8-9 years old.
12. When do you open presents?   We open some on Christmas Eve and some on Christmas morning.
13. Do you put up a tree and when?  We put up several trees in our home.  A large one in living room and small ones in kitchen, dining room, and some bedrooms. 
14. Does your tree have a theme?   Living room tree is traditional stuff in red, gold, bronze and green, kitchen one is gingerbread and cooking items, daughter's bedroom one is whimsical bright stuff like hot pink, lime green turqois, etc. 
15. What has been your favorite gift to give? to receive?    I love the Texas-shaped Waffle Iron I got from my husband and the Cricut I got from my parents many years ago.  Gave Micaela a Janome mini sewing machine last year and a dollhouse many years ago- she was over the moon for both. 

Secret Santa Swap package should be a minimum of $15 in value before postage, and include the following:
At LEAST One Handmade Item

Something to Read (book, magazine, poem)
Something for the Tree (garland, ornament, topper, skirt)
Holiday Goody (candy, cocoa, tea, coffee, chocolate)

Challenge: Include one gift for each letter needed to spell out a word from the season (SNOW, JOY, FAITH, LOVE, HOPE, GIFT, TREE, JESUS, STAR, SANTA, etc). Of course, the perfect gift for an "A" is an APRON.