On Your mark, Get Set, SHOP!!!

And shop we did. Last night we were able to start shopping as a few of the vendors decided to skip the meet and greet and start selling. We never do the meet and greet since there is no point. They apparently let vendors set some of their new things up in one of the convention rooms but they aren't allowed to sell or take orders. It is strickly a time to meet the designers, which you can do in their rooms all day Saturday and Sunday. We race through this show in order to get it all in, and skip some vendors just so we get done, so I'm not wasting my time with that meet and greet. An added detraction would be the fact that the people are 4 feet deep so you can't see the tables in the first place. I want shopping people, give me shopping! And apparently some of the vendors felt the same way as they opened their doors tonight and letting us shop, along with serving wine and cheese. Since we spent the entire day resting, stitching, well Sara stitched and I was on the internet checking on things, we were both more than ready to start. So at 4:30 we struck out on our journey. Since we met Ellen Chester early in the day we were already ahead, so we headed to Hoffman who had a new Impie, Bea and Hattie piece that we didn't even know about...how was that possible? It's a cute tomato shaped pin cushion and a needlecase and the chart that goes with it is from, who else, Little House Needleworks...cute, cute and even cuter. So we were thrilled to be first in their room and holding limited edition pieces. We were high on life as we searched the halls. We then traveled to Fern Ridge and were rewarded with their new pieces plus we picked up more of the Clifford the crab and got a new pin, a pumpkin. We also picked up their Pokeberry bird set, along with their humbugs. They are smaller than Just Nan's, which makes them so cute. I'm fascinated by the fact that they are all done in peyote beading. Well, Sara was simply drooling at those so I'm sure they are going in her "to do" bag. In fact, Sara started working on Clifford the Crab tonight. We thought we were out of them in the shop and when she spotted one hiding she grabbed it and made that one of her Nashville projects (along with 50 other kits she brought). So hopefully we'll have it as a model when we get home. We also got into Praiseworthy Stitches and picked up the Sailor's Valentine....it is huge. I saw the picture before the show and thought it was perhaps 5" in diameter...but was I wrong. It is the largest box I've ever seen....but it's got stitching panels inside and it is a must have for us. I have to have everything dealing with the sea, ocean, oh heck water! We also picked up their new items and then we were off once again. Then hit Periwinkle Promises to look at their humbugs. Their humbugs are large, but really well done and so we had to have theirs as well. It's fun to see all the different sizes of humbugs. Just Nan introduced them a couple of years ago, or was that just last year. We just loved hers and found several ways to use them. Now Fern Ridge's humbugs are really small, so I think they would make perfect fobs and they put a magnet in theirs so your needles can still stick to them. And Periwinkle's are perhaps 3-4" so theirs would be a pin cushion for me. Periwinkle also uses many specialty stitches on hers so it does make it interesting to look at as well as to stitch. We loved all the humbugs we saw and will be bringing them all back to let you decide which ones you like best. I swear I'll get pictures up ... Hoffman asked that I not do it until the weekend so I'm trying to honor that. It's difficult because we're so excited, but what can you do. I'll post tonight and let you know what we were able to snag for you. Have a great day!