Oh My!

(Close-up pic of Gretchen's beautiful embroidered Matryoshka)

Oh My! Because that's all I could say when I opened the beautiful parcel I received in the post from Gretchen today! A few weeks back, Gretchen and I decided to do a swap and after a few e-mails to and fro, we decided that it would be a Matryoshka-doll inspired swap.

In between arranging the swap, I also won Gretchen's Giveaway prize of 3 beautiful embroidered cards - well, I never usually win anything so I was totally delighted! She has always inspired me with her beautiful embroidery and I was really pleased when she opened her own Etsy shop recently. Here you can buy some of her fantastic patterns and some beautiful hand-embroidered items, which have been snapped up pretty quickly - so you need to act fast!

Well, between the Giveaway and the Swap, I was the recipient of a wonderful parcel, which was beautifully put together - I tried to take some pics of everything today before the light faded. I had requested an embroidered Matryoshka in exchange for a set of my own Matryoshka 'tweedie' softies - well I was not disappointed, it was simply stunning!

I couldn't get all the little extras into the pics - a lovely little lavender cushion, some ribbon, buttons and the beautiful fabric which you can see in my photos.

Thanks so much Gretchen - I'm afraid my little parcel seems quite humble in comparison but I was eager to post off my Matryoshkas in case they wouldn't reach in time for Christmas, as I think they are intended as a gift.

I'll have time to drool over my lovely gifts once 'Little S's' pal has left after his afternoon visit - plenty hoots of laughter and a huge mess - well I got a little crafting done while they were raiding my kitchen and turning his bedroom upside down. There's a price for everything isn't there, hehe!

Bye for Now :)

P.S. You can purchase the pattern for this lovely Matryoshka doll in Gretchen's Etsy shop - I've got mine, but I might have a job making one as beautiful as this!