June Smalls SAL and Pressies!

June has been a busy month so far and I only have one finish to show you which was actually completed in May but was for a gift exchange in June so I couldn't show it earlier. As many of you may know, I participated in the Prim Stitchers Society Retreat. One of the fun events and the highlight of the final banquet is a gift exchange. Participation is not mandatory and all that is required is to stitch and finish a small item, wrap it and include a little card introducing yourself. The gifts are all placed on a table and the fun begins! When your gift is chosen by someone it then becomes your turn to go next and choose a gift. As you announce who your gift is from then that person goes next and so on.

I can show you the gift that I finished but I really have no idea who actually received it. I saw her reading my card but the room was so full of people and noisy so I never did get her name.

This is My Sewing Tools, designed by Pheasant Street Samplers. I cheated and used the same finish as my stitch from last year mostly because I was running out of time! I sure hope the recipient liked her gift!

The gift I received was from Linda Hudlow and it's a lovely little storage box on which she placed her stitched finish. It's a design by Lori Brechlin of Notforgotten Farms.

I love my gift Linda and I think you did a wonderful job on it!

In addition to the retreat exchange there was a private birthday gift exchange that took place between a close knit group of friends. Rather than mailing our birthday gifts to one another, we choose to bring our gifts to retreat and do a giant birthday gift exchange. It saves on postage and it's oh so much fun! Just like Christmas morning! Here's a few pics:

Poor Michelle was banished to the doorway of the room when one of the gifts contained something that she was having an allergic reaction to. Jenn had brought each of us an oyster containing a fresh water pearl but they had been preserved with a small amount of formaldehyde to which our friend started to react. Fortunately the reaction was short lived and not severe.

Here is a sampling of what I received: 

 The stitched item on the left is actually a tape measure!

 A lovely velvet needlebook

Inside my needlebook

 Stitching on the reverse of the piece with my initials

Overdyed floss, scissors and fobs, buttons, threadwinder. floss keep,

and those buttons on the right are actually floss waxers!

Two lovely charts which I've had my eye on:

Shakespeare's Peddler Ragamuffin and

Goode Huswife Angel of Tulips

I was overwhelmed by all that loveliness!! I am truly blessed to have such lovely and generous friends!
In addition I received one other unexpected gift. One of the booths at the retreat was Robert LeHay's Shaker Boxes. Rob was unable to attend in person but sent on a selection of his boxes for display. I was asked if I would look after his booth one day at the market and hand out order sheets for anyone interested in placing an online order with Rob. What I wasn't expecting was that after the market was finished I was told that I could pick a box from any of the ones in the display as a thank you from Rob for looking after the booth.
This was my choice:

I decided on a natural finish box rather than one of his painted ones. This particular one is an eight inch box and has an insert on the lid in which you can place a stitched piece. I absolutely love it and was thrilled! Robert's craftmanship is second to none and I highly recommend his boxes. Follow my link above and check out his beautiful website. You'll be glad you did!

Now I'm working on a small for my granddaughter over this Canada Day weekend. To all my Canadian stitching friends I send wishes for a happy Canada Day!!

Edit: I forgot to ask.... Does anyone know if the small SAL is still taking place? I noticed that there have been no postings on the home page now for a few months.