A Stitching Evening of Surprises

This past Saturday evening, I got together with a group of stitchers for a festive holiday party. I had to work at the shop that day so I was the last one to arrive. As soon as I walked in, I was greeted with package after package of lovely stitchy surprises!

You will see l to r (top row), a beautiful, quilted candle mat with candle, a stitched and beaded scissor fob with my initial and l to r (bottom row), homemade crackers and holiday music, a perfectly stitched and finished floral ornament and a handmade needle minder.



But wait, that's not all! L to r (top row), the ornament I received in the exchange, a Victoria Sampler "Biscornument", a cute, little snowman plaque, l to r (bottom row) Candy Apple hand soap with decorative snow scene cover and lotion (the Santa in the picture is mine used as a prop, a lovely, golden reindeer ornament and a decorative hand towel and Very Bradley mints!



Am I lucky, or what? I won't mention what I gave because it pales in comparison to all the awesome gifts I received. These gals have really raised the bar! My mind has been reeling as to what I can do for next year. There are 10 in the group, so if it will be handmade, I need to get started NOW!

My dear friends, if you are reading this post, thank you again from the bottom of my heart for gifting me with such wonderful presents. You sure know how to make a gal feel special!!

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Quick Trip East

While at the retreat in Shipshewana this past October, I ordered an item from Yoder's Hardware store. I was waiting and waiting for it to come in. I had hoped it would come in during November because I wanted to meet a friend of mine who would just happen to be out in Shipshe on a Quilt Retreat around Thanksgiving. Well, they called last week to tell me that my item was now in stock. It was a large item and I knew it would be cheaper to drive and pick it up then to have it shipped to me. Two weeks before Christmas was not the optimal time to make a quick trip to Shipshewana, but if I didn't go on my day off this week, it would be at least a month before I had an opportunity to get out there.

The drive was pleasant, the temperatures, mild and I was able to stop at the Blue Gate and "Christmas store" to check out what was new. Here are some pictures right before evening set in.



I picked up what I ordered at Yoder's and after quickly making a few purchases of Christmas gifts, I set out for home. I wish I had more time to stay and take in all the lovely, twinkling lights, but that will be for another day.

I was able to snap a quick shot of Rob, the UPS guy that brings all the wonderful, stitchy designs to the shop.



Jill brought in some finished Ink Circles designs a few weeks ago that she will be giving as gifts this Christmas.




Marilyn also stopped by with some finishes of her own. My goodness......so many samplers, so little time!





I hope to bring you some more updates of customer framing and/or stitching projects within the next week. Thanks for stopping by!