Fabulous Friendship Friday....

Today was the highlight of my disastrous week...Friendship Friday! I was so thrilled to get together with my dear friends Mary and Lorrie for a little Friday celebration; today's Mexican fiesta was a birthday party for Mary. It was a much needed distraction for all of us - and as we enjoyed lunch, suddenly the stress of everyday life evaporated and we were all laughing, giggling, and sharing good news. The three of us have decided we need to make Friendship Friday a permanent day (or two) on our monthly calendar. We met at a favorite local quilt shop and did a little stash enhancement...even though we had all decided beforehand that we were not going to buy anything, somehow we all left with some new, fun fabrics. Next, we walked over to a favorite Mexican restaurant and enjoyed a delicious lunch...and Mary opened her birthday gifts...

Since I enjoyed making Lorrie's friendship book last month, I decided to make Mary one, as well. I used a Maya Road 3" Vintage Memory Box w/Coaster Album...and decorated it with pretty papers and a Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad in Victorian Velvet. I got to use my favorite Xyron products (a Xyron 5" Creative Station, a Xyron Create-A-Sticker, and a Xyron Mega Runner) to attach decorative papers, Maya Road Blossoms and Flowers, trims and ribbbons, and photographs. And although my studio looked like a bomb exploded by the time I was finished, I was super happy with the results! Here is what I started with (the memory box is 3" square and the coaster album pages are just over 2 1/2" square):

And here is the finished product (click on photographs to enlarge):

I also wanted to give Mary a little something that I stitched, so I worked up Shepherd's Bush "My Stitching Bag"...this was a fun kit that included a pre-made zipper bag with a linen insert, cotton floss, and the little flower buttons. I purchased several of these for gifts and gave them in kitted form, but this time I actually stitched one up...

...and, as always, I like to give a creative book...and this time I opted for "Super-Cute Felt" by Laura Howard. This book is full of adorable felt projects that made me ooh and ahh...in fact, I might have to purchase a copy for myself...

Lorrie had a bag full of fabulous gifts for Mary too...and it was so much fun to watch her open everything! Friendship Friday was good for the soul...and just what we all needed...now to schedule another Friday lunch for the near future...