Secret Santa Can Suck It

I take part in this wondrous tradition every year. Shadow Manor's Secret Santa Can Suck It is a virtual gift-swap. Since you don't have to spend any money, the sky's the limit.

This year, my giftee is Pixel Pixie, of Cuz I Said Sew. Since she like sewing so much, I thought I'd upgrade her machine to this:

It's only a $9,999.99 super-duper industrial embroidering/sewing machine with all these features:

• Sewing-and-embroidery machine with LCD touch screen for easy stitch selection and editing
• 67 built-in stitches, 98 stitch functions, and 10 styles of 1-step automatic buttonholes
• 70 built-in embroidery designs, 5 monogramming fonts, and 120 frame pattern combinations
• Automatic needle threader; 15 needle positions; maximum embroidery field of 4 by 4 inches

Then I thought, well, you can't sew without fabric, so I decided she needed an all expense paid trip for two to the L.A. Fashion District! It's the place to go for every imaginable kind of fabric, thread, trim and whatever else a sewing enthusiast could possibly need:

"Welcome to the LA Fashion District, the hub of the Los Angeles Fashion Industry. We have 100 blocks of independently owned retail and wholesale businesses with apparel, accessories, and footwear for the entire family. The district is also home to The LA Flower District – including the LA Flower Market, the largest flower market in the USA, and the California Flower Mall; Santee Alley – the famed downtown open air bazaar; and the LA Fabric District – with the largest selection of fabrics and notions in Southern California.
The district is open to both the public and the trade. Designer showrooms and wholesale business are for the trade-only. However, the Santee Alley and retailers in the surrounding area are open to the public, as are many of the businesses on the west side of the district. Showrooms open to the public on the last Friday of the month for sample sales."

Lastly, but certainly not least, Pixel Pixie and her pal will get a tour of the legendary Western Costume facility!

.

Western Costume has costumed Hollywood since 1912. It is one of the oldest and largest costume companies in the world! Its history is too long to post here, but rest assured, Western Costume has supplied landmark films with the most glorious and iconic costumes ever to grace the silver screen.

Enjoy your gift, Pixel Pixie! Merry Christmas!

Belated Thank You!

The Shadow Manor blog (aka The Art of Darkness) hosts this wonderful tradition: Secret Santa Can Suck It! (My assignee was Gothic Garden. Read that post here.) I try to sign up every year, because it allows me to spend inordinate amounts of imaginary money on imaginary gifts for other bloggers, in the spirit of the Season.

This year, I was assigned to xJane from the Mind on Fire blog. It's clear, she read my Dreamer post, because I got all manner of virtual baking equipment, classes, and magazines! I find this particularly interesting, since I had a fleeting thought to apply for a job over at Great Harvest once my shoulder is healed and I have clearance from my doctor.

Thanks so much, xJane! I am simply delighted with my gifts!

For the full post of my virtual gifts, click here.

Secret Santa Can Suck It!

I got an e-mail yesterday from the FAB Shadow Manor, aka The Art of Darkness, reminding me that I had signed up for the "Secret Santa Can Suck It" virtual gift exchange, and giving me the name of my poor victim.

I've been so busy, my first thought was, "I did? When did I do that?" But there I was, first on the list to be Santa. Astounding!

So David of Dark Artifacts is virtually receiving from me fencing lessons from Club D'escrime Olympia Longueuil right there in Quebec, where he lives. At least, I think that's what I'm giving him, since the entire site is in French, and I speak NONE!

I decided to give this to him because he says on his profile that he spends way too much time alone with his computer, so I thought he should get out more and use that brain of his to figure out how to meet new people, whom he can then beat black and blue with a fencing foil. I think that truly defines friendship, which is the very essence of the Christmas Season.

Have fun, David! And do get out more and live a little. Life goes by too fast to be stuck behind a computer!