Christmas gift from Ela

Ela sent me a true gem by Blackbird Designs, a designer I especially like. I awwwed and aaaahed and danced around this beauty... This must be one of the most gorgeous pieces I have received from stitching friends. The photos simply don't do it justice. The finishing is a masterpiece. I wish I could let you touch and sense how soft it is, how flawless. Each element is so well matched - the color of the banding and of the back fabric (oh, how I love this sampler fabric!) play so well with the floss and the cream linen. It's one of those pieces you leave out in the room so you can see it all day long and have others drool over it. I love it, love it, love it. As you can, Ela put her name and the year in the bottom part. I usually am not so fond of having initials and such on a cross stitch piece unless it's done in a very nice way, and this has been done so. It will always remind me of her!
Ela also sent me a pattern from my wishlist and a big pack of delicious sweets... they disappeared... immediately!
Now I can only hope we can meet the next time I visit my brother in Switzerland. Lyon is not so far accross the border and I have family in the region. I'm thinking of a time where there will be a cross stitch fair... It's been some time since I've been thinking of attending one in France.