I am blessed. Yes, I am. I have wonderful friends that I’ve known from the age of 4 and friends I have been lucky enough to meet in recent years. One very special friend is Lori, the owner of Vignettes. Lori is kind, generous, funny, beautiful inside and out, and incredibly talented. I have rhapsodized about Vignettes in many posts over the past 2 years and if I could beam myself up I would be there today. Nothing, I mean nothing, I have seen anywhere else comes close to the wondrous enchantment of that shop.

Lori sent me a message last week saying she had put something in the mail for me – a little care package from Vignettes and her that she thought would make me smile. Yesterday, it arrived in my mailbox. (Our rural mail carrier, also named Lori, always gives a toot on her horn when she leaves a package down by our mailbox – isn’t that sweet? As soon as I heard it, I was hightailing it on down there.)

The wreath adorned the package, which I forgot to take a picture of in my excitement. Lori sent this wonderful handmade card in which she wrote some lovely words to me and mentioned that she couldn’t bear to think of my sheep all alone without a pal (I’d seen some vintage putz sheep in the shop) and here was a “friend all dressed up in Vignettes’ finery.”

Just wait. This was also in the package:

Isn’t this beautiful? The lovely sentiment, the sweet cottage, the beautiful trim around the frame? I am already searching for the perfect place for it in our cottage. Are you ready for a sheep arrayed in the best Vignettes’ finery?

Take a minute to collect yourself.

Gasp… Swoon…no words are adequate to describe what Lori had Karen Lampard of Cafe Paperie create for me. In fact, my gasp as I unwrapped this could be heard throughout the cottage. Look at the detail: the hat and the rose, the saddlebags trimmed with a button and the sign ‘Vignettes or Bust’, the flowers, the bell, the decorations around each hoof. Oh. my. goodness.

Double swoon! An Eiffel Tower pendant.

Could there be a cuter rear view? Every little detail is perfection.

I am humbled by this. This isn’t a swap or my birthday. This is just because. I told my husband that I couldn’t believe anyone would take the time to make something like this for me. That lovely Lori remembered the sheep and then went the extra mile to envision all this fabulous finery is truly incredible. I still can’t take it all in. As you well know, it is rare when I am speechless. But I was. I’m still having trouble finding the right words to express my gratitude and awe. Thank you, Karen. Thank you, dearest Lori. I am so grateful for the gift of your friendship. I miss you terribly.******************************************************************

In other news: I have the giveaway winners, chosen through random.org.

First, the winner of a copy of HotHouse Flower:

Number 5 – Caseymini! I’ll send you an email, but if you see this first, drop me a line with your address and I will forward it on to TLC Book Tours who will forward it to the publisher.

Second, the winner of the CSN Giveaway:

Number 61 – Meeyeehere aka Rachel. Rachel, I will forward your email address on to CSN and they will contact you.

Congratulations to the winners!