November Smalls SAL

I barely squeaked in my finish this month. I had very little time for stitching and only started this ornament this past weekend on the 22nd.I finished it up this morning. Here is Blackbird Designs Floral Gift from the 2010 Just CrossStitch Christmas ornament issue.

I found the perfect fabric to finish this off while I was away 2 weeks ago. I took a road trip to Akron, Ohio. The purpose of the trip was to attend the From Our Hands & Hearts show in Peninsula, Ohio. Now this show takes place quite a ways away from my home in Ontario but I combined the trip with a visit home to Windsor to see my Mom as well as a visit to Michigan to see my sister. Most of all, this trip was an opportunity to connect with several stitchers that I had been in contact with on Facebook for awhile. Pat, Jim, Jodi, Nan and Tee, it was a real pleasure to finally meet all of you. I had soooo much fun and look forward to connecting again in the future.

We had an awesome time! The show took place at Boston Township Hall, the site of a former high school. It was the perfect venue for this.

  
I tried taking photos during the event but there were so many people that it was difficult and many of my photos were blurred. To see some photos of the booths and items for sale just click on the link above for the From Our Hands site.

Here's a group photo taken of all of us while visiting a local quilt/needlework shop, The Fabric Peddler. As you can see, none of us walked out empty handed! A special thank you goes out to the owner, Barb Miller Moore, for making us feel so welcome.

lt to rt - Pat, Jim, Jodi, Nan, me and Theresa

 A special highlight of the event was meeting Lori Brechlin of Notforgotten Farm.  Thank you Pat S. for sharing this pic with us.

 

Lori was delightful and made everyone feel so welcome. I loved her booth and all of her handmade items. I came away with a couple of her punch needle ornament finishes which will be hung on my little twig tree this Christmas.

Although I tried punch needle with not much success a few years ago, my stitching friends have convinced me to give it another try.

At the tail end of my trip, while visiting with my sister in Michigan, I got word that my MIL had died just 10 hrs short of her 96th birthday. I was to have joined her for lunch at her retirement home on her birthday. So instead I returned home to Windsor to help my husband's family prepare for her funeral while my husband caught a flight from Ottawa to join us. She was a remarkable woman and I have a lot more to speak of her but I will leave that for another post. It's getting late and my eyes are growing heavy.

I want to take this opportunity to wish all of my American friends and family a very blessed and Happy Thanksgiving. Enjoy your family time and try not to get swallowed up by all that Black Friday madness!