"Strange" Friends

 I have a great friend who walks with me on a regular basis....well as regularly as I can make it happen with all the demands of caring for my parents!  This friend is also one whom I travel with to quilt seminars.  First time was last year and we discovered that we make great room mates, like to walk in the morning, like to keep working on our projects after class, and just generally, enjoyed the same things outside of the classroom.  We walked miles along the California beaches at Monterey and loved every minute of it.  (Except that her camera took better pictures than mine!)

Since getting home we've carried on walking in our local area.  We both have dogs so we walk for probably a couple of hours, rain or shine.  Her background is military and she is a lot of years younger than me, so sometimes it's a bit like going to boot camp when I walk with her!  Last summer we walked when it was really too warm to be exerting ourselves like that, and when we got back to her house, we sat on the back deck, drinking water and just visiting.

Something she said about one of her other friends struck me as odd and I looked at her and said "You have some really strange friends."  She looked at me and answered "Yes.  Yes I do Gladys!"  I laughed at that as I had asked for and deserved her quick retort!

But it didn't end there.  About two weeks later, she came to my house and we were about to go for a long walk on the beach with the dogs.  But before we left she presented me with a gift.  A small art quilt made in honour of that conversation.  It was so wonderful I had to go get Mum and Dad to see it as well. I was complimented by the fact that she used the technique in my book, Embellishing with Anything, C&T Publishing, to represent my hair.  She was pleased with herself for accurately depicting my unusual earring! And the best part.....the pattern she used to quilt it is called "Bananas."  

I was pleased quite touched that she thought to do that for me and it now hangs in a place of honour in my studio.

Teaching Trees at the Schoolhouse Guild

On Saturday I had the privilege of teaching the tree technique (used in the project on the cover of my book) to the Schoolhouse Quilter's Guild of the Comox Valley.  http://www.schoolhousequilters.com/  What a delightful group of students I had.  Humour reigned supreme in this class, as did self confidence and creativity.  These ladies were enthusiastic, dedicated and outstanding students. 

I only have some quick pictures of their work, they've promised to send me individual photos as they finish them up.  It's such fun to teach that class because people are always amazed at how it works and that they can do it. 

And in the midst of the class, one of the students looked out the window and noticed this tree.  We all found it fascinating how it had hung onto it's seed pods all through the winter winds, rains and snow!  It's a Chestnut tree, but also inspiration for another project!  Zoom in on this one if you can to see nature's decorations hanging in the branches (I couldn't leave the classroom to go out and get a better picture!)

Tyson Vick.....an Artist

Check out this link and read about half way down the page.  I've been corresponding with this man for two or three emails now and have his permission to mention his work here on my blog.  I am so proud to see one of my designs used so spectacularly! 

http://onedelightfulday.wordpress.com/2011/01/10/il-re-pastore-a-fugitive-princess/

Stitched Christmas Cards

Saturday was a good day.  I was teaching a class at Serge N Sew in Nanaimo.  http://www.sergesew.com/

The technique was the stitched tree in my book, "Embellishing with Anything." It's the same technique used in the tree on the cover.  On Saturday we were translating it to Christmas cards. 

The most delightful group of 6 ladies were registered and what a great group.  Three left with beautiful cards, one made TWO trees and decided to do a wall hanging with one.  Two had trouble with their machines but coaxed them into working..... with the help of Linda from the store who saved the day. 

It encouraging to see the students I had catch on to what they were doing and then talk about different ideas for the same technique.  To the left we have Tina who has been in one of my classes before.  She's a delight and a creative "power sewer"!  Lots of ideas and unstoppable energy.  She's produced many many postcards since that class and has a travelling kit to do more!  

To the right is Mary, an elegant woman who mastered her machine and the technique.  Her card was completed except for embellishments when she headed home.  Her husband picked her up and he was the best man for being interested in what she had accomplished!

And this is Irene, who also took a class with me previously.  On Saturday she brought her binder of finished projects, all of which she worked through following the instructions in my book after the one class.  She had an amazing variety and quality to her collection.  I was really pleased to think that someone had spent the time she that she did with my book and produced such wonderful treasures, both the patterns and ideas in the book and more of her own design.  Beautiful work Irene!

To the right is Maryanne.  She had a terrible time getting her machine to cooperate, but once it got adjusted, (thanks to Linda, at Serge & Sew)....she was on a roll....look closely at the lovely tree she is working on. 

And here is Judy, the maverick in the class.  She worked quietly and intently and asked great questions.  She is the one who made a wall hanging, and then started on a card and had great ideas to use the technique in other ways.

I love it when that happens.  Such great ideas when they all started with the same project. 

Quilt Market Houston & Embellishment Village

Now this was a rewarding moment.  A friend of mine went to Quilt Market in Houston.  When she came home she emailed this photograph to me.  The booth is "Embellishment Village" http://www.embellishmentvillage.com/ .  My friend Hennie was pleased to get her permission to photograph the booth display because both my book, "Embellishing with Everything" and our friend Pippa Moore's samples were on display in the same booth.  Pippa designs these very colorful quilts and another friend of mine, Joan Darling, does all the embellishing on them. 

My book, "Embellishing with Anything" shown here in this picture, is published through C&T Publishing and has been out for about 1 1/2 years now.  It's been a wonderful experience to do a book like this, C&T are a wonderful publisher to work with,  and I am planning another!   My thanks to Hennie for thinking of recording this International exposure!  It sure made me feel good!  I hope to be there one day myself!  Doesn't every quilter? 

A Forgetful Start and a Happy Ending

Recently I was invited to teach at an “Art Quilter’s Day” for the Parksville Quilt Guild http://www.parksvillequilthousequilters.com/ . I mentioned it in a previous post where I had been preparing to teach a class that was not the one advertised!

Preparations were done in advance. The class was scheduled and organized before our move, and then took place after the move. I felt accomplished in that I not only remembered that I had to teach, but I could find samples, demo items and supplies I had packed beforehand.  Picture me patting myself on the head here!

I got up on the Saturday morning confident that all was well. I was up in plenty of time to have tea before I left, and had everything in the car the evening before. But my husband seemed as if he couldn’t wait to see me off. He kept offering to help, offering to put things in the car, offering to fill my travel mug……I couldn’t help but wonder what he was up to and why he was so anxious to get me on the road.

But I left, took the turn onto the new inland Island Highway, which zips past all the towns and various turn offs and makes for a faster trip. It’s an hour’s drive and I’m in plenty of time. It wasn’t until I crossed the overpass on the intersection that I USED to use to turn onto this highway that I realized what my husband was fretting about. I’d forgotten to add distance we moved north of our previous home….twenty minutes!!!

Now I’m driving with the cruise control set at 10 over the limit, in hopes of getting there a little sooner and not getting caught! Added to my anxiety is the fact that I have proven to be directionally challenged and often take the wrong turn…..I’ve even done it WITH a GPS! But luckily this time I found the place without a false turn. I was so relieved.

I walked into the room where all the classes were set up to find two classes ready to go and my students all ready to go but looking a little concerned at their lack of a teacher. walked in, stood in front of everyone and said “I forgot where I lived!” One student, who knows me, said “Oh Right….you moved further north didn’t you?” And the laughter burst out.....he discussions about the difficulties of moving, and the stories of my previous meanderings on the wrong road, and then we got down to the business at hand. It was a class teaching how to make the tree on the cover of my book, “Embellishing with Anything” published through C&T http://www.ctpub.com/productdetails.cfm?PC=1288 

OR, you can find it here  http://www.amazon.com/Embellishing-Anything-Techniques-Quilts-ATCs-Wallhangings/dp/1571205888/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1276821483&sr=1-1.

It was one of the best classes I’ve taught. Excellent students, all with a sense of humour and a sense of adventure. All with different color choices, all with different applications for the same project and every student finished at least one during the day, some doing a second one as well.

Thank you to all of you because you forgave my silliness in not leaving quite on time (I did thank my husband when I got home), and I look forward to another day like that one any time you want to organize it!

A Miscommunication

Since the publishing of my book, "Embellishing with Anything", I have been invited to teach at several different locations on Vancouver Island.  (My dream is to teach on a "quilter's cruise" some day).  I was contacted just before Christmas about teaching at a guild.  But the classes were all to be rather traditional and what I do doesn't fit into that category.  I said so, and the woman who was organizing it came up with the idea of having a "Spring Art Fling" and have three or four teachers come in who would teach non-traditional quilting techniques.  She would be in touch with me regarding the date when she had talked to other "art quilters" she knew of. 

She contacted me again, and the class will be held in May.  I prepared my sample, a supply list, and the instructions.  I was quite pleased with my sample, and was looking forward to teaching this class.  It uses one of the techniques in my book, but in a completely different way.  Happy with my work, I emailed her a photo, the supply list and told her that I would get the sample to the guild meeting where the classes are being promoted through a friend of mine, Ionne. You can see her work at www.ionnequilts.com 

Feeling very satisfied with my meeting the deadline and being so organized, I went back to my studio to continue quilting a memory quilt I'm doing for a friend.  Within half an hour, the phone rang.  It was the woman I'd been communicating with through email.  She was in a fluster.  The sample and supply list I had provided were not for the project she had been advertising!  Somewhere along the line, she thought we had agreed to do a class for the project on the cover of my book.  I checked my emails and can't find one that even suggests that, and the photos attached are all of the technique used in the new class project.  Here is what I thought I was going to teach:

However, since the class had been advertised already and was in the guild newsletter, I said "No problem", and pulled up the supply list and photograph of the project she had decided on!  She thanked me for being so flexible and I laughed.  After all, I had the sample and notes for this one done already as they are in my book and along with the class, I will probably sell some more copies.  And the plus of the whole exercise is that I have a new class all ready to teach sometime in the future!  So, here is what I WILL be teaching at the "Spring Fling"! 

My Skechers and Various quotes on Walking

"Two roads diverged in a wood and I--

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference."

Robert Frost, The Road Not Taken

Today I had to change the laces in my favorite shoes.  Oh the thoughts and memories that went through my mind as I put new laces into these shoes I consider a gift from God......

It was a surprise for me to have the opportunity to visit Pittsburgh and New York City last spring.  Today, as I re-laced these shoes, I couldn't help but think of that trip again.  In Pittsburgh the hotel that C&T Publishing http://www.ctpub.com/ put me in for Spring Quilt Market and the release of my first book, "Embellishing with Anything", was within easy walking distance from the show.  It was a delightful way to discover the downtown core, people- watch and absorb expressions and sights I would have missed by any other mode of transportation.  As well, the days of the market were spent walking from booth to booth and on my feet all day talking to vendors and quilt shop representatives. Unfortunately, I didn't have these yet or I'd have worn them there too!

Walking is a way of being somewhere, rather than striving to arrive.
-Hillaby,John

And that is truly what I did in Pittsburgh.  It was an unforgettable experience.  And I shared it with Jan Krentz, http://www.jankrentz.com/index.php Those were special days I hope to have the opportunity to do over again sometime! 

When I arrived in New York City a week later, meeting two friends there, we again walked everywhere we went, except for our time on the buses and the trains.  But walking was certainly how we spent the majority of our time....and well spent it was too! 

"The true charm of pedestrianism does not lie in the walking, or in the scenery, but in the talking. The walking is good to time the movement of the tongue by, and to keep the blood and the brain stirred up and active; the scenery and the woodsy smells are good to bear in upon a man an unconscious and unobtrusive charm and solace to eye and soul and sense; but the supreme pleasure comes from the talk." ~Mark Twain


This quote very aptly describes our six days walking all over New York City.  Three good friends on an incredible adventure walking and talking everywhere we went....and eating too!

But, by day three in NYC, I knew I was travelling with two women who are a decade or more younger than me.  My feet were killing me! I had to miss out on one evening's activity (the Rockefeller Center) because my feet were just so sore.  But the next day we passed a Skechers store..http://www.skechers.com/shoes-and-clothing/styles/fitness/women_s_shape_ups/list
...and my love of walking was rekindled the moment I put these shoes on.  We walked all day and well into the night for four more days and I didn't miss one minute, and there was NO breaking in period either!  All walking is discovery. On foot we take the time to see things whole. ~ Hal Borland

The following quote is especially fitting for a day in Central Park and Tavern on the Green: There is nothing like walking to get the feel of a country. A fine landscape is like a piece of music; it must be taken at the right tempo. Paul Scott Mowrer

Here's a video on the shoes, and I whole heartedly support everything they say, except they haven't mentioned plantar faciitis, which they are fabulous for. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWSdIlsnYfw  Watch others on YouTube as well......there are many more people than me that think they're great!

Since returning home, I've walked miles and miles more in these shoes.  I've walked the dog, walked to work, walked on the beach, walked to the store, stood all day teaching classes related to the techniques in my book, and more.  I dread the day when this following quote can be applied to these shoes:  When you have worn out your shoes, the strength of the shoe leather has passed into the fiber of your body. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson  Luckily I bought two pairs!  YES....I went back and got more before coming home! 

2009 in Review - The Good, The Bad and The Experiences

January & February 2009


Winter was memorable in that we had so much snow we wondered if it would ever end. I grew up with snow on the ground for months, but snow on Vancouver Island is different. It doesn’t blow around in drifts and is NOT light to shovel. It’s heavy and wet. It seems Bob and I were shoveling snow every hour for days on end!

But there was a sparkle in all this. I was taking care of two of our granddaughters one Saturday and it was very snowy in the park close to our home, which has a hill in it. Alexcia and Faith were 10 and 6 at this time, so I took them to the park with one garbage bag each to go “tobogganing.” Alexcia, the oldest, obviously thought Grandma was a little loony taking them out with garbage bags but I explained that she would understand once she had tried it. They loved it and had so much fun on that little hill that we were out there for 3 hours. I didn’t toboggan, but I was kept busy getting them set to go and holding onto them until they were ready. The favorite picture in my mind is Faith at the bottom of the hill, trudging upwards for another ride, holding her garbage bag out to the side, and calling out “Gramma, this is SO fun!” But her garbage bag had dropped and she was holding nothing but air. Why oh why didn’t I take my camera!

March 2009

The only thing that stands out in this month is the fact that I went to visit my parents on spring break.  Mum and Dad had worked on some cross stitch squares, all snow man faces....haven't we had enough snow?????  However, while there I assembled all these blocks into a quilt which Mum will bring out for decoration at Christmas.  I was amazed at their stitching.  Dad is 94 and Mum 81 and silly me.....I didn't take a picture of it before leaving! 

April 2009

My first book “Embellishing with Anything” was released April 1. This month was filled with book signing engagements which were fun and very rewarding as everyone was really supportive and complimentary.

It was rewarding to see this come to fruition after almost two years of writing and sewing and proofreading, mailing parcels and emailing and, and, and......a lot of work and time invested, and finally, the results! 

May 2009

The highlight of this month was my trip to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to attend the Spring Quilt Market followed immediately by a week in New York City with two good friends. I was hosted at the convention by the publisher, and shared a room with Jan Krentz, another author with C&T. It was a wonderful, head-in-the-clouds kind of dream time for me and the best part was meeting and getting to know Jan.

I read somewhere that having "stuff" is not nearly as rewarding as having "experiences".  This trip was an affirmation of that .... the sites I saw, the people I met, the food I ate, the different cultures I witnessed, all added up as far more valuable than any possession I might buy at home.....except of course my books and sewing machine!

And then there was New York City. What can I say except I would go back in a heartbeat and I’d do it with the same two people! It was spectacular in so many ways I’m still absorbing some of the details!

June 2009

Coming back to home and the reality of a person's life after an experience like this could be an anti-climax.  But my home, my husband and even his dog were welcome sights too.  It was nice to be in my own bed, and here's what happened in our yard while I was gone....not Central Park, but pretty nice in it's own right! 

July 2009

July was highlighted by the birth of our 8th grandchild, Crüz. He won our hearts and our summer was very special because we saw him and his parents every single day for a couple of hours. We did not have this privilege with our other grandchildren as they did not live in the same town when they were born. Bob delighted in cooing over this baby on a daily basis! To the point where his dog showed obvious signs of jealousy! Nothing like a new and cheerful baby to bring out the silliness in us!

August 2009

In August my Mum came to visit from Edmonton. She is 81. She was only here for three days and we turned around and drove back to Edmonton. I had promised my 14 year old granddaughter I would take her with me this year and she booked the time off that fitted best at her work. Mum booked her flight on bonus points without calling first so it was a little unfortunate that she only had the three days on the island. That time was filled with visits from our children and grandchildren. An exhausting three days, but totally enjoyable.



We headed out for Edmonton, stopping and spending a night in Vancouver to visit with our son who lived there at the time. That was fun….we had dinner together, lots of laugh and a walk at English Bay….beautiful to say the least. A magical evening ended with a stop for gelato at a sidewalk table.

The next day we headed out on the drive, stopping at my friend Judy’s to stay overnight before finishing up the trip to Edmonton. Melissa loved West Edmonton Mall. First we went to the rides and she did all the adrenalin-rush ones…..I took pictures. Then we went to the pool. I love to swim so this part was easy for me. Melissa enjoyed laughing at her grandmother on the slide! She went on every one of them and some more than once. We swam in the waves, lay in the “beach” chairs and just generally had a great time there.


Our evenings were spent with Mum and Dad. It was great to see them and visit with them in a more peaceful environment than I was able to offer at my house!

On the trip back, we again stopped at Judy’s house. It was hot, hot, hot! We both enjoyed time at the lake close to where she lives. We played with fibre, she taught me to do silk fusion, and we visited late into the night. Melissa seemed to enjoy our stories as well. I would have loved to stay longer but Melissa had to be back at work so we had to leave.

The month of August is usually one in which Ionne McCauley (ionnequilts.com) and I usually arrange a “retreat” with all our quilting friends and a teacher. This year it didn’t work out so in retrospect, it was a good time for me to do some “finishing”. It’s an amazing thing. I’ve discovered that when you finish projects, it creates SPACE! So I’m trying to do more….I won’t even tell you how many UNfinished projects I have in my studio!


September 2009


Back to work. We have a new principal this year, who is working out well in that he is pleasant, dedicated and outstanding with the kids. After several years of leadership turmoil, this is a good thing. Nothing like working in a school to teach you to adapt to change.....the leadership changes and shifts about every three years. 

The outstanding thing about September this year was the color in the leaves. It was absolutely spectacular and lasted well into late fall. My window in my office had the most incredible scenery with mountains behind the colors and the green field. I caught myself several times gazing out the window and appreciating that!  But best of all, the sunflowers I planted were HUGE and rewarding.  I loved watching how their 'face' turned with the sun throughout the day. 



October 2009

Did anything happen in October?  It must have.  I can't think of anything outstanding that happened in October of 2009 in my life.  Wait a minute.....Is that the month when my son decided to take that beautiful grandchild and his wife and work out of town.....thousands of miles away.....so that the little person they brought back at Christmas was a different little person?  What a difference three months can make!  This is who left.

And this is who came back.....









November 2009

The highlight of November is always our retreat at Tamagawa.  The same group of people meet there twice a year to quilt, eat, inspire and just generally reconnect with each other.  We usually take things we have to finish or need input on.  This year I managed to finish quilting THREE quilts in the three day retreat.  What a sense of accomplishment.  I've posted a couple of these pictures before.  I felt SO accomplished!  And....the lesson learned is that "finishing" projects actually creates space!  What a concept! 

December 2009

This winds the year up at Christmas of course.  A time for family and friends and overeating.  Ours went really well and there were some touching and rewarding moments this year.  But I have to say that I was almost relieved to go back to work so that I could quit eating.  That tells you a part of what my New Year's Resolutions are!  One of the delights of our season was our youngest grandson....home for a visit.  We got to babysit.  Amazing how two people with aches and pains and disabilities can suddenly be on the floor being silly with a baby and not feel any of it! 

Enjoying my Studio for Thanksgiving

It's Friday! TGIF. A long week to say the least. But now I have three days to spend in my studio. I have done my sewing in many situations.....a corner of the bedroom, the dining room table, the master bedroom in a small house while we slept in one of the small rooms, and now, in this room. I feel I've died and gone to heaven. BUT....there's a lesson learned. Your studio is NEVER going to be big enough. When you get a bigger room to work in, you also collect more stuff to work on. Here is a photograph of my sewing room "cleaned up". How often do you think it looks like this? Nobody I know would recognize it! But now the picture is here for posterity to prove that I actually did clean it up once!



Behind those "design walls" is my fabric stash. They slide sideways and I can access my fabrics, sorted by colors. I thought I'd just show you where I work! At the side is a china cabinet my husband bought at a garage sale for $50. It was brown and horrible looking and to top it off, smelled as if it had been in a house fire. Our son told us to paint it with "Kilz" and then paint it the color we wanted and it would be fine. We did, and it looks wonderful against the side wall. It holds all my wool. It's really a delightful room, especially in the morning sun. And this is where all the projects in "Embellishing with Everything" were created.

Fabric Christmas Cards

Since the release of my book, “Embellishing with Anything” through C&T Publishing, I have been asked to teach a variety of classes at quilt shops on Vancouver Island, as well as to do trunk shows. This is a lot of fun and I love the people I meet at these events.

I have an upcoming class in Nanaimo, to teach a Christmas card I designed. This card is created using the technique for the cover project in my book. Only the colors have been changed from the Cherry Tree bark and pink flowers, to a more wintry shade of pale blue with beads and sequins added to represent ice and snow. It was fun making these.


If any of the students who were in the Gingko Leaf class (the project photo at the top of my blog) are in this one too, I know it will be a totally delightful day. That class was two Saturday’s ago and my students were such a great bunch. I was sorry to have to go home! And the best part? When I got home, unpacked my supplies and was putting them away, I found a set of three pieces of fabric that one of the students had snuck into my case. I had admired her fabric and the results and she chose to gift me with some of each one so that I can use it in my own work. What a lovely surprise….Thank you so much Dian!!!!

The Garment District, New York City

Picture of button

Another adventure during my trip to New York City. On one of the afternoons that we split up to go pursue our separate interests, I went to the garment district. That is the reason I wanted to see New York City….to see the garment district. The excitement I felt when I saw that big button with the needle in it was indescribable. A dream was coming true! But I really had no clue what I was in for. The garment district is a block of streets and avenues all of which contain fabric stores, button shops, fringe shops, feather shops, embellishment specialty shops…..you name it and there isn’t just one shop, there are several.

I spent 4 hours wandering in and out of the stores there. And that was only the ones located at street level! The stores are so very different than what we have here in Canada, or in fact, anywhere else I’ve been lucky enough to shop for fabric! The fabric is on rolls, and the rolls stand on the floor, leaning against the wall, against the row behind them, and against the next row etc. etc., until they are so deep that you can hardly reach the ones at the back. There are little aisles through the store that if you are wearing a back pack, you cannot turn around in! All you can see is the tip of the roll so you have to reach in and try to lift up the roll. The minute you try to do that, the salesperson is there to get it for you, unroll what you were interested in and spread it out for a better view. I was so astounded at the variety and sheer volume that I was on sensory overload and kind of wandered around trying not to look overwhelmed! Gobsmacked as Debbie Travis would say!

And nothing has a price on it. It seems to be decided upon when you ask about it. And then you are expected to barter. Now I know some people love to barter, but I’m not one of them. Therefore, my shock and discomfort to see a customer and a salesperson actually yelling at each other over some fabric for a sari would not be a surprise to those who know me! I couldn’t believe what I was seeing and hearing and left the store to go to the next one. In the end, I came back with ONE little bag that had a HALF yard of fabric.

When I walked into the hotel room, where Linda and Ang were waiting for me, Ang could not believe I had spent four hours in the fabric district and came back with one little package. I sat down with my glass of wine and described what I’d been exposed to. Ang was rolling on the bed laughing at the thought of me being so overwhelmed that I didn’t buy fabric by the yards! I told her she was in for it….just for laughing, she had to come back with me the next day. There actually was a piece I loved, but couldn’t bring myself to barter. She agreed.

Next morning, we were there bright and early. We found the store I wanted to return to and found the roll of fabric I had admired. It was already half gone! But I did get two yards and I did barter for it. I don’t know if I got a good deal, but if I’d got it here in Canada at that price, it was a great deal. I just fondle it daily now…..it’s one of those I have to think about before I cut into it!

But I have to admit that I lay awake at night wishing I could go to the garment district when I’m starting a new project here at home. The offerings were utterly spectacular and I will never forget the variety and possibilities. It would be a wonderful place to go with a project in mind and look for specific items. I could do a whole new book on embellishing! I’m so glad I made it there at least once in my life!

Last Day & Seviches

Today Jan had book signing in the publisher's booth at 11:30 and I at 1:00 p.m. I don't know how her's went because I didn't see her there...I was wandering and mingling with suppliers and lost track of time. Mine went well in that I talked to a few people, but I didn't sign one book! I am there at 3 tomorrow and I hope at least one person would like my autograph! So we went our separate ways when we got there, and then I wandered around through the booths looking at what is presented. I didn't understand why all the booths had tables and chairs at them until I got there today. The sales people in the booths are dealing with store owners so they actually sit down and place huge orders at each booth. And there is every kind of booth you can imagine. It's a godsend (financially) that I couldn't buy anything but odds and ends.....they sell buttons at a minimum of 12 of the same one. Fringe by the card.... and fabric by the bolt, patterns at a minimum of six, and thread by the display rack!

But I did find a booth with scissors. It really annoyed me when the security people took the ones I thought would be ok away because I had hours ahead of me with nothing to do and nobody to talk to because Linda was not on the plane with me. So I talked to this guy in the booth and he sold me a pair of scissors that I CAN have on the plane. They are sold as airplane approved.
And now that I’m home, I can tell you that they went through US and Canadian Security checks without anyone batting an eye. Here they are…..

Jan arrived at the room and we went out to dinner at a Tapas Bar. We were lucky to arrive at happy hour so everything was half price. So we each had a mojito, my first. It was delicious, and we tried 8 different kinds of Tapas. I think I actually liked the mojito drink because of the way it was described…..”Vodka, mango juice and “muddled Mint”, which just means mint that’s been squashed so it releases some of it’s oils into the drink…but “muddled” sounded so much more intriquing! It looked really pretty. Bob would have loved the food presentation. We sat at the bar and watched 5 chefs prepare the food and they served it looking so wonderful we took pictures of it.....the kids working there thought we were hilarious....and then asked where we were from! I guess it was pretty obvious we are tourists!





After that we went to Burlington Coat Factory and bought a t-shirt. $7.00! I can't believe the prices there. Yes I know that's US dollars but even when you do the math, that's less than at home for a plain t-shirt at Winners! I am beginning to see why people go across the border to shop! By then it was about 8 and we had decided we would go to the hotel and have desert and tea and then come to our room and pack. Jan leaves tomorrow.

We got to the restaurant without any wrong turns this time and decided to go for desert before going to our room. There are two girls in line for a table and they're wearing name tags from the convention. So Jan asked them to join us. They did and we had a delightful time with two people from Alberta, so it was three Canadians! And best of all the dessert was absolutely out of this world. I had Deep Fried Apple Cinnamon Cheesecake. It was a pastry full of flavored cream cheese, deep fried and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. With ice cream.......good thing I'm doing a lot of walking! I am NOT a foody type of person, but I do believe I could learn to be!