Mailbox surprise

This morning I went to a local quilt show with some friends - I always like to see what people are making, and check out the vendors. The show was smaller than usual (not good) but there were a lot of people attending (good). I saw a few quilts that I loved and some others that I could appreciate the work spent on them and some others that, well, best nothing said. I bought one fat quarter - I coveted the Amy Butler fabrics but at $10/yard, they were out of my league. Just as I got home, the mailman had stopped in front of our house - he had a priority mail package for me. Do I love getting packages?!? the answer is obviously yes!!

Some time back - the beginning of January - I won a challenge on the Inspired by Amelie blog and was told I would receive something. Nothing happened so I emailed them. They said they would look into it. Nothing happened. So on Wednesday this week I emailed the company that had been advertised as sponsoring the challenge and asked them very politely about it. Within a short time, I received an email from them, and then another, and then another. They contacted the Amelie people, apologized to me saying they had never gotten the info (obviously just an email problem), and mailed me the prize plus some extras that afternoon. Today I received the package(see photo) and it was awesome - very different things than I would have purchased but that's good as it will force me to work outside my comfort zone - and the really weird thing is that the fat quarter I purchased (in the second photo) looks like it belongs with the kit. Go figure. The company is Createmykeepsake and I am super impressed by their response. I am super excited by what I received and my little pink cells are bubbling with ideas.

Last night I read a really funky book that was recommended by Amy Karol of angrychicken blog fame - the Willoughbys by Lois Lowry. It's a young adult book but very sarcastic and funny - a quick and enjoyable read. I have been reading a series of Australian murder mysteries set in the 1920s by Kerry Greenwood. They were recommended to me at the bookstore so I got one at the library and liked it. I then checked the website to get the correct order and got the first one on cd at the library. I listened to it while I was working on a quilting project - a big batik tote bag. I will be starting on the second in the series tonight. They are quick and easy reads but very humorous.