CQ Cigar Box

We have just opened our gifts in the 2nd round of Homemade Holiday Swap on HGTV message board....Spring/Easter theme. Ely, my very dear friend from Boston, made this awesome CQ'd just for me, cigar box. I love it! Ely is from Cuba, which makes the box that much cooler. She included some beautiful laces inside. I truly love this treasure! I will use and display it prominently in my new studio space.

This is the gift I sent to Texas. The egg fabrics were purchased last year at Keepsake Quilting shop while in NH for my retreat with the HGTV members. I actually had to make a second one after the first one I made in Charlotte's workshop had a few unmatched seams. This would not ordinarily bother me, but since it was for someone I didn't know I wanted it to match up on all the seams. It is a great bag. I have one that I have been using for a few years now. Fit alot of stuff in them!
The next holiday is 4th of July. I have Linda. It does make it easier knowing the person. I know she likes jewelry, is funny, quirky even! I would like to not use red, white & blue since that is what would be expected. Fireworks, cookouts, picnics, patriotism.....I do have a few thoughts!

I received Denise's book from Jody Saturday. Our mixed media Book RR is exactly what I need to be doing right now. I love that each of these has a different theme and that anything goes. This one is nature inspired. Subtle, uncluttered. Our pages are prepped for us so I just need to come up with nature from my hands. Jody added truly perfect pages for this book. Denise has asked that each of us include an item (from nature) and as soon as I decide on what that will be, I will know which way to proceed on my two additions to her book.

I have learned:

1. That Mozilla Firefox is not as user friendly as Internet Explorer. 
2. I still don't know who was voted off American Idol last week...and I don't care.
3. Credit Card Declined.....WHAT? Apparently if you don't use it, then you use, they assume it is fraud???!! 
4. Finally my sister is down with Scrabble!!