A New Friend...

Do you remember last week when I put a note on the end of one of my blog posts trying to answer a contact from Ann here? I wasn't able to get a reply to her until she saw my note and added my email address to her online address book. Then, she wrote to me again and we were finally able to make contact with each other.

She told me that she doesn't have a blog, but regularly read mine and felt motivated to send a "little gift" to me. She saw that I love pincushions and wanted to make one especially for me!

Her package arrived yesterday and to say I was "excited" would be an understatement. The notecard she included explained how she decided on certain elements - but said that all were chosen with me and my interests in mind.
I now have a new mouse in the studio to keep "Cheerful" (Susan Pilloto's creation) company. Look closely, and you'll see acorn buttons and charms, scissors, a cup and saucer with a teeny, tiny spoon, chocolate, miniature bolts of fabric, a tiny sewing machine, a thimble, and much, much more.

I see something new every time I look at this sweet creation. The pincushion is actually the Brynwood Acorn Ornament (which you can download from my "Tutorial/Patterns" link right under my header! Of course, Ann personalized the acorn with "Love to Quilt". (She noticed! lol)
There are crystals, sprinkles, details all the way around this sweet mouse. Ann is a real artist, and I'm convinced that none of her choices were random.
Ann doesn't have a blog, but she creates one-of-a-kind items for friends, family and occasionally for sale. If you're interested in contacting her to commission an item, please let me know and I'll have her contact you.

I didn't get home from a day trip yesterday in time to photograph Miss Sweet Mouse (that's what I've decided to name her) before I lost my "photo light". I apologize to Ann for using these flash photos. I'm going to rephotograph this incredible gift again today to have better pictures that show off all of Miss Sweet Mouse's details.

Ann, my (new) friend - I really can't tell you how much I love this generous and most unexpected gift. You really are an incredible artist, and I appreciate all the time, energy and creativity that went into conceiving and executing this piece. I'll treasure it always....always. Thank you again. I'm humbled beyond words.
I wanted to let you know that I've started receiving notes from the gals participating in the Mug Mat Swap. If you're part of the swap group, you can join my Flickr group and upload photos of your mat into the album. All you have to do is join the group, place your photos on your desktop and then go to the "Upload Photos" link and choose them from your desktop when Flickr asks which photos you want to share. I think you need to upload them into your own photo feed first and then choose them to "Add to Group".

If you haven't used Flickr before, it's really intuitive to navigate and use their site. If you have problems and want me to just upload photos for you, I'm happy to do that, but "brynwoodneedleworks" will appear under your photo, instead of your Flickr user name. If you have questions, please feel free to send me an email and I'll try to walk you through uploading the photos yourself.

Anyway...here's the link (click on this) to go to the album, see what others have created and to share your mat, too.

I hope you're all having fun. I know I am. Mine will go to my partner by Saturday. Can't wait to see everyone else's creations, too!

Joyful Stitching, friends!!