Shopping, Stash, and Surprises

My final box arrived from California late this morning...it was the box I was waiting for...the one with all my stash and surprises! Opening the package was treat, as I was excited to see all the pressies and pretties I collected on my trip...

This first photo is of the special Elegant Stitch Workshop gifties...the terrific treats that each attendee (and me) received...a wooden thread pallet and corner gauge - both engraved with Harvest Workshop 2011...and the most adorable little Moda pouch with three pockets and three tiny jars inside - one with needles, one with buttons, and one empty for tiny treasures.

...and I just had to show my name tag - how cute is that?! - with a pumpkin and a blue ribbon - all the attendees had one...so very creative and I just LOVED them!

I received several WONDERFUL gifts while at the Workshop - I am always touched by the kindness of retreat attendees....seems I always have a few special presents to take home. Pam, Lara, and Kim brought me the largest bag of Ghirardelli Chocolate I have ever seen (I plan to bribe my husband with some of it!)...thanks to the three of them, my sweet tooth will be taken care of for quite some time...here is a shot I took of just a few pieces....

...and after class I found out Sandy had left me a surprise gift bag...inside, it had the sweetest card and this LOVELY lavender scented sachet. Sandy - I'm not sure how you knew that I adore the scent of lavender - it is one of my favorites - thank you so very much - I love it!

Finally - take a really good look at this...it is my favorite new piece of jewelry! This is one special beaded button bracelet...Lois made it especially for me...all the buttons represent autumn motifs I used in the "Harvest Huswif" piece that I designed for the class. I truly adore everything about this bracelet...seeing it instantly makes me happy...and I will treasure it for years to come. Lois thank you so much for making me such a gorgeous memento of our time together....I heart you!

I did quite a bit of shopping at Elegant Stitch - in fact, after the events were over, I *made* Lois take me back to purchase a few more things. I can't show everything here, as I did some holiday shopping for my close friends...but I will show you what I am adding to my stash...

First of all - this beyond beautiful needlework accessory from La-D-Da (the very talented Lori Markovic) - I can't wait to get this on the arm of my stitching nest chair - the photos do not do it justice - it is spectacular...

Of course I picked up more pins and buttons...note the larger version of the owl button from my bracelet (I love him!)...and the pretty petite pins on the light blue card in the lower right-hand corner - these are Lady Dot's Marking Pins and they are just precious...

And finally, Annie had the newest installment of Blackbird Designs Loose Feathers Club ready and waiting for me (look at the fabulous autumn floss colors) - I have every single Loose Feathers design that has been released from the beginning - I have been on the automatic with ES since day one - now I wish I could find time to stitch them all... I also picked up Barb and Alma's latest book "A Schoolgirl's Work: Samplers from the Spencer Museum of Art".

I was lucky enough to spend a day in Berkeley, CA with Lois - she planned for us to visit some great shops and (as usual) I was a good little shopper. Our first stop was New Pieces Quilt Shop - and I LOVED this place...it had a lot of fabrics I had not seen before...and the staff was extremely helpful and friendly! As many of you know I love looking for fabric with trees...and I found several great whimsical "tree" fabrics...along with a fabulous panel style fabric with the best owls...plus a lovely line of modern vegetable fabric...yep, all these came home with me...

We then headed to Stonemountain & Daughter Fabrics - and this shop did not disappoint - it had the most remarkable selection of fabrics for sewing, garments, home decor, and quilting - the aisles of bolts seemed endless. I was quite impressed with their selection of Japanese fabric and found a couple to splurge on - and of course the subjects were trees and owls. I also found a unique pile of quilting cottons. It was fun being in this shop on Halloween day - some of the staff were in costume and many shoppers were picking up last minute costume materials. The first photo is of the sign in their front window...

Our final stop in Berkeley was the Lacis Museum of Lace and Textiles. I had wanted to visit this shop for quite some time, as they are known to have a very extensive collection of needlework books. This shop was a hodgepodge for me - the inventory was extensive and the book selection was fabulous...there were many treasures...but the treasures seemed to be mixed in with low-end merchandise. I did find a couple Japanese books to bring home - one on tiny embroidery and one on sashiko - there was a plethora of wonderful Japanese books and I had a hard time narrowing my purchase down to just two...I also picked up a copy of "Embroidered Stuart Pictures". It was a unique and interesting place to visit and I am so glad we stopped...

Whew...I had no idea I had so many things shipped home...what a great trip...I could not have asked for anything more - everything was perfect! Now to make time to put all my new stash to good use...