Paramouthy Stitches received

Today has been a fantastic day!! 

My blog friend Di of Willowbeck Designs and I both missed out on joining Mouthy Stitches when the sign up list went live (it filled up VERY quickly!!) so in an email exchange about how sad we both were at missing out on the action, Di suggested that perhaps we do our own swap just like the Mouthy Stitches group.  I said absolutely and so 'Paramouthy Stitches' was born!  [a play on words - para meaning parallel and just as the Paralympics were 'parallel' to the Olympics, our swap was parallel to the 'main event' of Mouthy Stitches].

So today I received my tote and yay BIG YAY, Di made me the perfect tote!  I always felt a little bit guilty with the mosaic I gave her for inspiration but I am so pleased she saw that I love wonky stars [it was rather obvious I've been told]!!  And she made me four of them!  I love wonky stars! 

The front of the tote has a big wonky star:

And the back of tote has three wonky stars in a block I have admired for a very long time:

...and one of those stars is itty bitty at only 3"!!  Awesome!

I adore text prints [this one is Crab Shack and delicious] and green and blue are two of my favourite colours AND I love wonky so look at that - all my favourites in one tote!!  Sorry for night-time indoor photos - it doesn't show the colours properly but they are wonderful, believe me!! 

She even made me a hidden pocket for the stuff I carry that needs to be secured and zipped away:

Di also made a handy key fob perfect for my set of keys as the handle means I can put it on my wrist and walk hands free from the car (parked at the very top of the hill) with all my grocery bags down the hill to walk to my gate (locked) to get the groceries long the path to the front door (also locked) so having the keys on my wrist will save my teeth which is how I usually carry them from the car to the cottage when my hands are full!!

This swap has been so much fun!  I have enjoyed making Di her tote and at times fretted and worried if she would like what I was making for her and not being able to share any in-progress pictures meant that it was a blind swap.  Exhilarating but nerve wracking all at the same time!!  I had absolutely NO idea what Di was making for me and the anticipation of it arriving felt a bit like Christmas moring waiting to open a present!  I am thrilled with my amazing tote and my key fob.  

Di - you got me 100% spot on and I will certainly enjoy using it!  It is absolutely 'me'.  Thank you very much :)