Boy, that was fun wasn't it?
Prairie Paisley was one of our favorite collections, (Bar Harbor too!) and a lot of you seemed to like it also. Thanks! The mystical random number generator picked
Jaybird as the winner of the half yard bundle and lil as the winner of the fat quarter bundle.
Jaybird and lil - email me here and I will get your Prairie Paisley out to you.
It's midnight and I have put 700 miles my SUV this weekend and it's time to end this. More tales of adventure later.
Laurie
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Sharing the Wealth
Polly and I pinch ourselves everyday. We are very lucky. We have a great family, giving friends and a fantastic job. (I guess it's a job. It doesn't seem like a job). Every once in awhile we can get a little cranky. We whine to each other "do you know how many emails I had to answer today?" Then we pause and laugh at ourselves. Yes, we are very, very lucky and we know it. This blog has enriched both of us and we have made new friends. Thanks. You make us smile everyday.
We are so grateful for out lot in life, we are re-gifting. You will be the recipients. (a lucky couple of you anyway). We received a lovely gift this week from our friends and colleagues at Moda Fabrics. ***Did you know Moda has the same problem we all do - stash management. They are running out of room down in Dallas! Their stash has become our stash and will now become your stash. They sent us this today.
They ran across a complete (yes, COMPLETE!!) set of Prairie Paisley yardage. That means 40 prints of Prairie Paisley! Some of this has been "extinct" for quite awhile. All you have to do is comment on this post before midnight, Saturday the 27th and some of this could be on it's way to your place. It's the least we could do for you, our friends.
Let us in on your stash management techniques. How do you handle the stash? One winner (picked at random by www.random.org) will get a half yard of each of the 40 prints - 20 yards total, and one winner will get a fat quarter of each of the prints - a 10 yard total.
Do you make quilts to give away? Do you share with your friends? Have you just accepted your problem and built a storage facility? Harry Potter has a cloak of invisibility. I'm hoping for a circus tent of invisibility to come into my possession. That might be the answer to organizing my stash.
And......
Remember when I told you we loved those Canadian Olympic mittens? Well, these arrived today
You folks are so nice! Monica came across these in Vancouver and sent them along to us. But, (yes, there is a "but") they are teeny, tiny. This is actually good news once we thought about it. First of all, Polly and I don't have to wrestle for them. While we would love to wear them, we also want to keep them pristine with the cool holographic label intact. Now they will become the coolest Christmas tree decorations ever. I get them this year and they will then go to South Florida the year after that. Thanks Monica. We are very touched.
Good luck everyone!
Laurie
We are so grateful for out lot in life, we are re-gifting. You will be the recipients. (a lucky couple of you anyway). We received a lovely gift this week from our friends and colleagues at Moda Fabrics. ***Did you know Moda has the same problem we all do - stash management. They are running out of room down in Dallas! Their stash has become our stash and will now become your stash. They sent us this today.
They ran across a complete (yes, COMPLETE!!) set of Prairie Paisley yardage. That means 40 prints of Prairie Paisley! Some of this has been "extinct" for quite awhile. All you have to do is comment on this post before midnight, Saturday the 27th and some of this could be on it's way to your place. It's the least we could do for you, our friends.Let us in on your stash management techniques. How do you handle the stash? One winner (picked at random by www.random.org) will get a half yard of each of the 40 prints - 20 yards total, and one winner will get a fat quarter of each of the prints - a 10 yard total.
Do you make quilts to give away? Do you share with your friends? Have you just accepted your problem and built a storage facility? Harry Potter has a cloak of invisibility. I'm hoping for a circus tent of invisibility to come into my possession. That might be the answer to organizing my stash.And......
Remember when I told you we loved those Canadian Olympic mittens? Well, these arrived today
You folks are so nice! Monica came across these in Vancouver and sent them along to us. But, (yes, there is a "but") they are teeny, tiny. This is actually good news once we thought about it. First of all, Polly and I don't have to wrestle for them. While we would love to wear them, we also want to keep them pristine with the cool holographic label intact. Now they will become the coolest Christmas tree decorations ever. I get them this year and they will then go to South Florida the year after that. Thanks Monica. We are very touched. Good luck everyone!
Laurie
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Designer Love
Polly and I have been talking about designers lately. Designers we love. It's because of the Olympics. Polly and I kind of have a "thing" for Ralph Lauren. We have for a long time, and the latest designs for the Olympics team are making us swoon. We Love it All. We have heard others aren't so crazy about it. Everyone's entitled to their opinion, but I mean, how can you not love the snowboarding outfit that is high tech, wind proof, water proof, and looks like this?
Fabulous! And the Alpine sweaters, jackets and hats during the opening ceremonies - awesome.
We wish we could design Americana this well. We try, and we are pretty happy with what we do - but we do bow to the Master.
We also acknowledge other standouts in design. The Canadian team is pretty sharp too. It is helped by that great icon of the North - the maple leaf in the simple pairing of red and white. We are coveting these mittens.
We hear Happy Zombie is in Vancouver and these mittens are on her list too. While prized and scarce, I bet HZ scores some of these. I also love that big parka that the Australian ski team wears on the medal stand. You have to love yellow, but that is one sharp jacket. I couldn't find one online :( You'll have to take my word for it.
There is some other designer love I want to share. Project Runway. Oh, it is back in NYC this year and the aberration that was last year is almost forgotten. I am loving this year. Sassy Anthony from Atlanta; elder statesman Maya; hilarious Jonathon and funky Amy. Amy got kind of "patchworky" this week. It is getting a lot of buzz. I loved it. While the workmanship was iffy because of the time limit, the effect was wonderful. The COLORS! The little girl's outfit is adorable.
Oh, and to the judge who questions orange and blue as a valid color combination - well, there's this.
Also, this....
And let's not forget this.....
Yes, hate it because it was weird. Hate it because it was slapdash, but don't hate it because blue and orange don't work together. Geesh.
Laurie
Fabulous! And the Alpine sweaters, jackets and hats during the opening ceremonies - awesome.
We wish we could design Americana this well. We try, and we are pretty happy with what we do - but we do bow to the Master.
We also acknowledge other standouts in design. The Canadian team is pretty sharp too. It is helped by that great icon of the North - the maple leaf in the simple pairing of red and white. We are coveting these mittens.
We hear Happy Zombie is in Vancouver and these mittens are on her list too. While prized and scarce, I bet HZ scores some of these. I also love that big parka that the Australian ski team wears on the medal stand. You have to love yellow, but that is one sharp jacket. I couldn't find one online :( You'll have to take my word for it.
There is some other designer love I want to share. Project Runway. Oh, it is back in NYC this year and the aberration that was last year is almost forgotten. I am loving this year. Sassy Anthony from Atlanta; elder statesman Maya; hilarious Jonathon and funky Amy. Amy got kind of "patchworky" this week. It is getting a lot of buzz. I loved it. While the workmanship was iffy because of the time limit, the effect was wonderful. The COLORS! The little girl's outfit is adorable.
Oh, and to the judge who questions orange and blue as a valid color combination - well, there's this.
Also, this....
And let's not forget this.....
Yes, hate it because it was weird. Hate it because it was slapdash, but don't hate it because blue and orange don't work together. Geesh.
Laurie
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Valentine's Day Winner
I know, it gets confusing around here. Another day, another winner. This is for the Valentine's Day "Love Our Pets" give-away.According to www.random.org - the random number generator - our winner is.....
Kathy in GA
Kathy, email me here and we will get the heart in hand box and the charm pack out to you quickly.
Laurie
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Winners Announced!
The winners for the Bar Harbor fat quarter bundle, patterns and charm pack, picked by the random generator over at www.random.org are......
The Fat Quarter bundle goes to Barb. "Camping weekends with Mom, Dad and my 5 little brothers are what I miss most. "The patterns go to Diane P. "I miss going to Silver Beach Amusement Park along Lake Michigan and also to friends cabin along Lake Michigan during summer months. We were farm kids and enjoyed precious moments near the Lake."
And the Charm pack goes to Sharon. " I miss those long summer days at the swimming pool with friends and the "Leave it to Beaver" lifestyle."
Please email me here and I will get them off to you asap.
Thank You! Thank You! That was a pleasure to read. It really brought back memories. Polly and I couldn't get over your heartfelt answers. Isn't is amazing that almost everything mentioned cost either nothing at all or very, very little; time spent with family and playing games and enjoying meals together. Let's all remember that the next time gifts are needed for our children and grandchildren.
It made Polly and I wonder what chocolate soldiers are. Polly would like to know if anyone else played "Stone School" besides her and the neighbors. I was surprised my favorite didn't appear.
Sandlot baseball. Everyday during the summer we had an ever-evolving game. It started early and went until dark. The players changed during the day, and we all shared the meager supply of bats, gloves and balls. Both Polly's and my indoor favorite activity was mentioned - paper dolls. Oh, the disappointment when the paper doll industry changed from cut-out clothes to perforated-punch out clothes. Boo! My attachment to a pair of scissors came at an early age.
We are also intrigued by the mysterious "KF" who has vivid memories of Drake's Sandwich Shop - that infamous retro diner that was once here in Ann Arbor. Oh, KF, who can you be?
Thanks again,
Laurie
Our Valentine
Happy Valentine's Day!Have you been to our friends blog here, or here?? Me and My Sister, and Bunny Hill, and Minick and Simpson all wish you a very happy Valentine's day to you and your special loved ones.
Gibby is our Valentine. A true symbol of unconditional love - our pets. I told Bill I needed a photo of Gibby for the blog and this is what he came up with. Not bad. Oh, the ear??..... While Gibby was under last week (neutered) the vet stitched up a little spot on his ear. It looks much worse than it is. It's healing great. I believe the deal was that we were to dress up Bella, Chelsea, and Gibby for Valentine's Day, but we thought Gibby has already been through enough lately :) This is as dressed up as he gets.
In honor of our beloved pets we are having another giveaway. (Me and My Sister and Bunny Hill are having give-aways too!) I am not forgetting Lizzie or Roscoe, but cats do not like to be on blogs. They have expressed this to me vehemently. So, make a comment about your Valentine by Wednesday the 17th and you could win this sweetheart giveaway -
A sweet little handmade heart-in-hand box for your treasures. And this......
A Bar Harbor Charm Pack.*The cupcakes were made by Polly for her sweetheart.
Which leaves me with this thought - Why do people with dogs have white sofa's? (I'm talking to you Carrie, and you Polly, and of course me) I guess it just gives us a chance to use our quilts, doesn't it. Either that, or we are just gluttons for punishment.
Laurie
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Things I Missed, or Almost Missed
While doing my domestic duties today, (grocery shopping) I came across this at the store.
Could I have missed a media release? Have our beloved 3 Sisters gone entrepreneurial on us and become a conglomerate? Are they making other kinds of cereal? Seriously, I doubt our ethereal 3 Sisters have anything to do with this. This, yes, but not cereal. It made me laugh out loud in the store - almost as much as organic, whole grain hippie cereal with marshmallows in it :)
I missed a great dinner with witty conversation last night. Rats. Polly and Carrie of Miss Rosie's Quilt Company dined last night in Florida. I have reports that a good time was had by all. I even have photographic evidence. As per my sister's instructions, I will post it. "Make it small" she said. Done.
I have been missing something else lately too - A give away. In honor of our Bar Harbor fabric collection hitting the stores very, very soon we will give these to random commenters on this blog. 
First prize is a Bar Harbor fat quarter bundle. Second prize are the quilt patterns, Ship Ahoy, Nautical Flags, Stars and Bars, and Cabin on the Shore. Third prize is a charm pack.
Make a comment before midnight on Valentine's day about something you miss from your childhood and the random generator will pick three winners. This is not the "mega-giveaway" I talked about a couple of weeks ago. That is still in the works. Keep checking back.
Laurie
Could I have missed a media release? Have our beloved 3 Sisters gone entrepreneurial on us and become a conglomerate? Are they making other kinds of cereal? Seriously, I doubt our ethereal 3 Sisters have anything to do with this. This, yes, but not cereal. It made me laugh out loud in the store - almost as much as organic, whole grain hippie cereal with marshmallows in it :)I missed a great dinner with witty conversation last night. Rats. Polly and Carrie of Miss Rosie's Quilt Company dined last night in Florida. I have reports that a good time was had by all. I even have photographic evidence. As per my sister's instructions, I will post it. "Make it small" she said. Done.
I have been missing something else lately too - A give away. In honor of our Bar Harbor fabric collection hitting the stores very, very soon we will give these to random commenters on this blog. 
First prize is a Bar Harbor fat quarter bundle. Second prize are the quilt patterns, Ship Ahoy, Nautical Flags, Stars and Bars, and Cabin on the Shore. Third prize is a charm pack.Make a comment before midnight on Valentine's day about something you miss from your childhood and the random generator will pick three winners. This is not the "mega-giveaway" I talked about a couple of weeks ago. That is still in the works. Keep checking back.
Laurie
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Be Careful What You Wish For
I wished for snow, and it came.
You're welcome.
Only 7"-8" here, so it is hard to complain when so many of us are truly buried. This is what was outside my front door this morning.
And this was outside my back door. My clothespin bag is having a hard winter.
I am having a late start to the day, but soon I will get down to work. Then..... I will spend the rest of the day planning, designing and stitching. If you are snowed in, you have my permission to do the same. You need inspiration, you say? How about something topical, something pertaining to the date. Hearts are the theme for the day. Here is some of Polly's and my inspiration. 
An antique Iroquois pincushion made for the tourist trade.
A heart penny rug made by me.
An antique hooked rug.
A perfect appliqued heart wreath from Janet at Quiltsalott.
One of Polly's antiques.
Or one of her hooked rugs.
Make something for someone you love.
Laurie
You're welcome.
Only 7"-8" here, so it is hard to complain when so many of us are truly buried. This is what was outside my front door this morning.
And this was outside my back door. My clothespin bag is having a hard winter.
I am having a late start to the day, but soon I will get down to work. Then..... I will spend the rest of the day planning, designing and stitching. If you are snowed in, you have my permission to do the same. You need inspiration, you say? How about something topical, something pertaining to the date. Hearts are the theme for the day. Here is some of Polly's and my inspiration. 
An antique Iroquois pincushion made for the tourist trade.
A heart penny rug made by me.
An antique hooked rug.
A perfect appliqued heart wreath from Janet at Quiltsalott.
One of Polly's antiques.
Or one of her hooked rugs.
Make something for someone you love.Laurie
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Super Sunday
I tell ya, I feel just a bit cheated. No snow here. There is nothing like waking up and seeing a fresh snowfall (as long as you don't have to shovel it, walk in it, or drive in it). You are immediately 9 years old again and it's a SNOW DAY. Alas, I just have pictures of the Snowpocalypse. 
This is a picture of 2 of Polly's grandkids trying to free the family car in Baltimore. It actually looks like a lot of fun to me. All of Polly's kids and grandkids are football fans. Serious football fans. I am hoping a certain household gets power back in time for the big game.
In other news...... Me and My Sister (Barb and Mary as they are known to their friends) have a new blog. Make sure to put it on your read list. Mary is a sweetheart and Barb, well, she is always entertaining :)
Take a gander over on the left and you will see a new icon. The Fat Quarter Shop's new BOM - The 2010 Christmas Designer Mystery Block of the Month. We were honored to be one of the chosen designers. You won't want to miss this one. Another chosen designer (besides the before mentioned Me and My Sister) is Carrie from Miss Rosie's Quilt Company. Carrie is a pip. A great friend and more fun than should be allowed by law. She is going to be in Naples Florida next week and she and Polly will tear it up in South Florida. I wish I could be there, but alas, I cannot. Take lots of pictures Polly, and we'll put them up on this blog thingy.
Why won't I be in South Florida? Several reasons: 1 - I have work to do here. 2 - Have you seen the price of last minute airline tickets to South Florida during high season? 3 - Gibby is having surgery tomorrow. It is time for the "neutering". :(
Which brings me to this. Gibby get's fan mail. Fan mail and presents. (please, this is not a solicitation for doggy presents) Yesterday he got a lovely letter from Bella in Illinois. Bella lives with Pam of Heartspun Quilts. Bella thinks Gibby is cute and she sent him a "wubby". Bella - Gibby loves his wubby. Thanks so much!!
Have a Super Sunday everyone.
Laurie
This is a picture of 2 of Polly's grandkids trying to free the family car in Baltimore. It actually looks like a lot of fun to me. All of Polly's kids and grandkids are football fans. Serious football fans. I am hoping a certain household gets power back in time for the big game.In other news...... Me and My Sister (Barb and Mary as they are known to their friends) have a new blog. Make sure to put it on your read list. Mary is a sweetheart and Barb, well, she is always entertaining :)
Take a gander over on the left and you will see a new icon. The Fat Quarter Shop's new BOM - The 2010 Christmas Designer Mystery Block of the Month. We were honored to be one of the chosen designers. You won't want to miss this one. Another chosen designer (besides the before mentioned Me and My Sister) is Carrie from Miss Rosie's Quilt Company. Carrie is a pip. A great friend and more fun than should be allowed by law. She is going to be in Naples Florida next week and she and Polly will tear it up in South Florida. I wish I could be there, but alas, I cannot. Take lots of pictures Polly, and we'll put them up on this blog thingy.
Why won't I be in South Florida? Several reasons: 1 - I have work to do here. 2 - Have you seen the price of last minute airline tickets to South Florida during high season? 3 - Gibby is having surgery tomorrow. It is time for the "neutering". :(
Which brings me to this. Gibby get's fan mail. Fan mail and presents. (please, this is not a solicitation for doggy presents) Yesterday he got a lovely letter from Bella in Illinois. Bella lives with Pam of Heartspun Quilts. Bella thinks Gibby is cute and she sent him a "wubby". Bella - Gibby loves his wubby. Thanks so much!!
Have a Super Sunday everyone.Laurie
Thursday, February 4, 2010
The Kits are Flying
Polly is reporting higher than normal "kit activity" down in Naples. She has her mini assembly line moving. I have about 7 or 8 projects going here in Michigan. I read over on Camille's blog today and she described the same kind of activity as "keeping a lot of balls in the air". My day no way compares to Camille's as I don't have two adorable little boys in the mix. I wouldn't describe my day as juggling, it's more like herding cats. A whole lot of activity to get a little forward progress.There are a few things I'd like to show you, but can only give you bits and pieces. Don't you hate that?! I know when I read other people's blogs and they say that, I find it annoying. I want to see it all NOW. But, I understand. Some things are for publication, other things rely on other people and other agendas. It's just the way it is. It's frustrating for me too. Let's see, what CAN I show you? There's this....
An applique block in progress. It will be a future Block Of The Month for us. A first!! So, somewhere on one of the blocks there will be a flag. Go figure. Okay, how about this?
We got strike-offs today! If you're not aware of what strike-offs are, they are the first peek of a new fabric collection. They are called strike-offs because they are the first printing/testing of a new fabric. The designs are confirmed and the color pallete is confirmed, it is just using all the possible color combinations in the prints and picking the best ones. Also, all the final steps to make a fabric a great Moda fabric like the finishing are not done. Strike-offs are rough. Some of the colors are great, some are interesting, and some are not good. You never know. The above strike-offs will be our collection coming out this summer called "Halloween Night". I will show you one. It is in orange and black - pretty much a given for a collection called "Halloween Night".
I also answered many emails today, ran some errands and butted heads with a boxer puppy, and today, a 5 month old dog got the better of me. I surrender. If he wants to be the Alpha dog, so be it. Nah, we'll start fresh tomorrow. Does the Dog Whisperer make house calls?Remember when I mentioned Bill's birthday a few weeks ago. It is usually the custom here that the birthday boy or girl gets their favorite meal cooked by, well,..... me. We went out to dinner instead and had a wonderful meal. But, several times since then it has been said that someone didn't get their usual Birthday Cake. Several times. On my errands this morning I stopped into a bakery and saw them marking down yesterday's baked goods. I know a good deal when I see one. And, they personalized it. It was delish!
Laurie
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