Finger Lakes 2014 Post 4--Secret Angel Gift Exchange

One of the unique things about Finger Lakes is their Secret Angel gift exchange.  This year they had a interesting rule about your gift.... it all had to fit into a quart size ziplock bag--perfect for traveling from Oklahoma!  I had a little purple handmade fabric bag which contained chocolates (of course), a magnifying pen, a small hand crank flashlight, and a really cute covered notepad of paper with pencil.  On the bag I put two pins that were tatting related.

This year the ladies at Finger Lakes organized the Secret Angel gift exchange differently.  When you signed up, you turned in your gift.  At the end of the day, you were given a gift.  This ensured that everyone who signed up, received a gift, something that has not happened in the past...unfortunately.  I think this was a GREAT idea!!

I was sitting next to Monica Braxton, and immediately I knew that she received my gift.  She got my gift last year--in the same purple bag!  She says that it is her favorite bag, so I hope she enjoy the second one!  What I didn't know was that in a few minutes, I would receive Monica's little quart size bag of joy!

WOW!! Packed inside this little package was a treasure trove!  There were SEVEN packages of beads--all of which I like, but one of which I've fallen absolutely in love with!! A package of needles, a folded measuring tape, a needle threader, and a box of (buttons, pins, and safety pins).  Here are the two fantastic items.... A skein of Monica's hand-dyed thread....in a gorgeous dark blue/black/green color-- and then Monica insisted that I chose one of her hand carved shuttles!  I got an oak one that felt just right in my hand!  I couldn't believe the way it glided!  Monica's Etsy store where she sells her thread and shuttles is NAGStudio

Thank you ladies at Finger Lake for organizing this exchange!  Thank you Monica!!