Indeed, the town was blanketed by a fog so thick and a chill most bitter, one could almost believe they were in the set of Silent Hill...
Mind you, this was around 9am-- it puts perspective on the amount of fog denying much, if any, sunlight to pass through...
But the in-laws were counting on us to make it to Phoenix for our Thanksgiving /early Christmas day.
Ironically, the fog ended right at the town limits-- it cleared once we cleared the town! It was also really warm and beautiful from there on out... coincidence? I think not. This town should be renamed 'Hellbrook'.
Anyway, I digress.
Thanksgiving was spent with joy and wine a'flowing.
First thing I was thankful for was being able to see my in laws and get out of Hellbrook for a while. One such instance where my husband and I actually got to spend some time with his father-- which is super rare considering some not so pleasant circumstances in our lives.
Secondly, I was very thankful I was recovered enough to enjoy the entire weekend with nary a hitch or a pill!
I'm quite thankful for the health and love of all my family and friends.
After a hearty and bountiful dinner (which I was actually able to enjoy and digest, surprisingly) we sat around the living room and handed each other presents...
You're probably asking yourselves "early Christmas day? Why?!"
These were also my exact thoughts... but since the in-laws are spending their Christmas and New Years in distant and exotic places, they deemed it necessary to celebrate a little early.
All of the gifts which I have presented were handmade (which I promise I'll make a post about). I had far more fun making these gifts than I ever do browsing catalogs and web pages for presents... I am going to make this a habit, which I hope won't fizzle out for the rest of the family.
I received many sewing notions and sewing related trinkets along with a rather large gift card to my favored shopping temple Joann's.
I was faced with the biggest decision of my life... to shop on Black Friday and attempt to make the most of this gift card... or not to?
The decision practically made itself...
And so, I strapped in for my first ever Black Friday shopping day.
And... y'know what? Aside from one pushy lil' old lady I encountered at the cutting tables, Black Friday at Joann's was super civilized, albeit it busier than I've ever seen a Joann's.
 |
| Mixed in with the items already given to me. |
My jaw literally dropped. I've never saved that much when going into Joann's, haha; I had 3 50% off reg priced item coupons that were applied to the ham holder (normally $30), tailor's ham and seam roll (both normally about $12). To top it all off, I had a 25% off entire purchase including sale items coupon, that lasted only 4 hours during Black Friday sale.
There are some items missing in the bunch, as they have yet to arrive; I purchased them online from Joann's online only sale during Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
I don't quite feel so guilty shopping on the "dreaded day" because of how utilitarian the items I purchased are; can you really blame a budget seamstress for desiring to refurbish her sewing equipment on the cheap?
With all of what I purchased, and how much I saved... it's easy to see why people get themselves in a frenzy over Black Friday... but I am proud of my crafty gals and guys; you've made my first Black Friday an enjoyable and courteous one! Go crafty people!
Item List (** stocking stuffer, *online purchase):
- Tailor's ham
- Seam Roll
- Ham Holder
- 26 spool Gutterman thread box
- Large vary form curve ruler (aka styling design ruler)
- Pin wand
- Embroidery Scissors
- Pink tomato pin cushion**
- 4 Kanzashi flower makers: 2 kinds of flower, two sizes each
- Desktop wood thread holder**
- 3 sets of double point knitting needles: US size 8, 6, and 1
- Purple bobbin box**
- Black and white set of universal bobbins /w thread**
- Dressmaker pins**
- Pearlized pins**
- 1 yard of pleated chiffon
- 1 yard of ribbon decorated velveteen
- 1/2 yard of purple lace
- Rowenta Effective comfort iron*
- Ironing board cover, caddy, tailor's ham, seam roll pattern*
- Flex ruler*
- Grid ruler*
It's a shame that such a day usually has a tendency to bring out the worst in people, because it's obviously a great time to be able to save a lot of money on items you usually go through or need to replace. It was quite refreshing to realize that not all places go topsy turvy! Heh.
I hope you all enjoyed your weekend,
whether it was spent traveling, shopping or at home!
Kanzashi maker? You mean it's not just little folded stitched squares? >suspicious of technology<
ReplyDeleteI tried several times to make kanzashi's without the aid of these little trinkets; apparently my hands cannot handle small fiddly fabric XD
DeleteThe description should include something like 'meant for people with clumsy hands'
I won't be making doll clothes any time soon, heh...
As long as you're not gluing your flowers. I don't care if it's traditional, glue is highly suspect! >thousands of tiny tiny stitches<
DeleteHehe, they're more plastic templates that fold and hold the fabric together and have little holes to feed your needle into the right spots to get it to come out like a recognizable kanzashi flower.
DeleteWell that's a good idea to have someplace to store one's ham ... I generally just chuck mine in a drawer! What is a pin wand? :o)
ReplyDeleteReally nice picture of the fog, that first one. It does look a little eerie...
Yeah, and it's also nice to hold the ham in place when one lacks the third arm required during delicate pressing! Mostly grateful to have replaced my old pressing gear for basically peanuts.
DeleteA pin wand is a 'magnet on a stick' to pick up stray pins from the carpet/floor-- the item I was using previously (a fridge magnet) was not nearly as strong or as wide. It's a purchase just like those kanzashi trinkets; I would never consider them at regular price, but for $3 it pays for itself quickly. I ran it over the carpet once already, and picked up a slew of pins I never even knew were there! No wonder my pin box shrunk every time I was sewing...
I admire your courage! I would never be brave enough to go for shopping on Christmas eve or, even worst, on Black Friday. From this moment, you´re my favourite superhero, haha :P
ReplyDeleteWow, you made a great deal! :) Maybe it's just because we don't have any Black Firday sales over here, but I don't see anything wrong with shopping on discount especially if you need tools, that would wreck your wallet otherwise.
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to see your self made gifts! I've been thinking about giving self made gifts this year too, but as I still don't have any ideas, but I'm running out of time already, I guess, I'm just gonna buy something small for everyone...
I would love to see your hand made gifts!
ReplyDelete