Celebrating!

This past weekend I made my annual trek to Nashua, NH for Celebration of Needlework.  It is about a 6-hour drive for me, but it is well worth it!  I spent 2+ lovely days stitching, shopping, and relaxing.  (I think my favorite part of the entire trip is spreading out alone in a giant king-sized bed for a couple nights and having the bathroom cleaned daily by the magical housekeeping elves.  LOL)  On a sad note, I was in such a hurry to get on the road Thursday morning that I left dear Madame Muriel on the kitchen counter.  She hasn't spoken to me since my return, and I do believe it may be time for her to travel on.  I think she may be logging on in the next day or so to voice her opinion...

As for me, I spent most of my time camped out and stitching with my friends Bev, Sylvia, Anne, and Stacy.  I finished the Rosewood Manor "Within" design, and started on Just Nan's "Wings" (so I WILL have something to show for the Just Nan SAL this month!).  I did a little shopping, but not much - my biggest purchase was the floss and embellishment pack for Jeannette Douglas's "Once Upon a Tree" pattern.  I've had the issues of Just Cross Stitch that contain this for a while now, but never wanted to pay for all the materials piecemeal.  Since Jeannette was at the show with the complete thread packs, and I had budgeted for one "big" purchase, I decided this would be it.  And I haven't technically bought it yet....she was out of stock when I went down to buy it, so I gave her my email address and she will contact me later.  Oh, and for the first time ever I bid on - and won! - something at the Saturday night dinner for breast cancer research.  I didn't bid as ridiculously high as some people, and I got a Primitive Needle pattern (not my favorite), some linen, and a frame.  It is the pattern and custom frame shown here -

As I said, the pattern isn't one I love...however, the frame *should* be the right size for Ink Circles' "Croakworth" - which I looked at several times on the show floor but resisted buying!  Just goes to prove that perhaps sometimes it is okay to cave to temptation...  ;)

And of course, there was the usual pawing through the piles of other people's cast-off patterns.  I came home with a few new things, but nothing terribly exciting.  I couldn't pass up M Designs' Celtic Letters (A & B), even though I don't have any USE for those 2 letters...right now...  I also grabbed a book containing an alphabet with Joan Walsh Anglund characters.  My mom always loved books with her illustrations, so I couldn't resist.  I'm using one as a baby sampler for my SIL's daughter, but after that, I have no idea what to do with the rest.  LOL