It's Black Friday...

How long have YOU been awake, LOL!

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

My Prince & The Big Guy Himself!

So GP goes out w/ Gino and comes home in a flurry of absolute delight; he is giddy with excitement and just looking at him I think he is looking more and more like a cat who has just eaten the Tweety Bird. After a bit of prompting he spits the bird out...

GP:"I talked to HIM!"

Mom: "Who?"

GP:"HIM!"

Mom: "Who is HIM?"

GP:"SANTA!"

At which point he is stimming , he is flapping like a bird about to take flight, and smiling so much I could not see his eyes. He is so excited I just could not help being excited for him. He continues his retelling of this adventure. He tells me he told HIM; he told HIM what he wanted for Xmas. Then I ask him," And what DO you want for Xmas?" To which he says, "NO! I already told HIM!" and he leaves me standing there, holding his coat, while he proceeds to pick up his dog and go straight upstairs to his room. LOL! I ask Gino, "What did he say to Santa?" and Gino, in typical male fashion says, "I dunno!", to which I reply, "That's not good!"

Let the holiday guessing game begin! LOL!

All Around Town BOM

They're here!

The All Around Town BOM patterns have arrived! Remember that I found this gorgeous quilt at A Quilter's Gathering? I just love it. I have to make it! If you wanted the pattern only, you can order it here. The set has twelve patterns with full sized templates. =) No kinko's! Woo-HOO!

Homespun Holidays, Done!

Another Quilted Quickie completed, HOORAY!
I really had to focus to complete this one. I tell you, I'm just daydreaming of turkeys....don't laugh at me! I LOVE turkey~! With a serious commitment to make SIX new kits I hunkered down and TADAAAA... Homespun Holidays is now complete.
I only made five kits (ran out of Rusty Snowflakes) so hurry over and claim one for yourself. You can order it here! The kit includes all the embellishments; the rusty star, the rusty snowflakes and the hand dyed buttons. The applique is all flannel except the star tree topper which is wool. It's soooo cute.
Two down, four to go... Six mini's before Xmas;
You can do it (this is what I tell myself, so you should too...LOL!)

New Kit Alert!

I just posted this cutie on my site.

Let It Snow by Cathy Wagner.

It's a brand new pattern, hot off the press. Isn't it wonderful? I've kitted it up in and wanted to let everyone know before they are gone; they are moving really fast so if you want one,

you best order yours now! At $29.99 they will not last.

Kit includes all the woolens, the floss and even the pattern!

You can't go wrong with this one, it's a cutie! B=)

A Partridge In A Pear, Done!

On one of my recent wool buying trips to Door Mills I saw this wonderful stacked pumpkin pattern by Kathy J. Gaul that I loved. I finally managed to track down the designer and wouldn't you know it? She had some other patterns that I loved too. Well, they came in this week and you know how that goes, "a funny thing happened on the way to uploading the new patterns to the website..." LOL! This is what happened:
A Partridge in a Pear Pincushion!I made it from Raw Silk and lined it in muslin over cotton batting. I used only hand dyed woolens for the applique and stuffed it nice and snug with wool strips (the kind used for rug hooking. I chopped them into tiny little pieces and packed them in tight). It's the cutest little thing. I quilted it on both the front and the back too with Weeks Dye Works variegated thread. It's the bomb... and yes, it already has an owner... who has been waiting for a while now so as much as I love it, I have to let it go... It looks so big in the pic because I really wanted to show all the details but it is only 4"x5".

Here are some of the other patterns I picked up :

Autumn Splendor

Birdie Batter Crock:

Table Salts:I love handpainted crocks, and I might just have to hone those embroidery skills to tackle these wool interpretations. Aren't they wonderful? =)

Girls Just Want to Have Fun!

Sometimes folks wonder what a quilt Shoppe owner could possibly buy at Quilt Show. Well, I can't speak for them all but as for me...well, I just have to tell you that I

go to quilt shows for the socks, LOL! Here's one of the THREE pairs I picked up at A Quilter's Gathering...LOL! I'm so bad!
Don't you just love goofy socks? When I wear goofy socks it's like I have a secret that no one knows. I am no longer "MA'AM", I'm just "Me". I don't care if they don't match my clothes, they are hidden for only me to see. They need not be conservative, serious or businesslike; they can be as silly as my PJ's and no one will ever know.
If you don't own a pair of goofy socks, well, it's time you get some. You will be amazed at how happy your heart will be . I bet you'll shed ten years...sorry, weight loss is not one of the benefits but you might feel energized too with the added spring in your step! Look for these at your next quilt show, LOL!. =)

I Feel Like a Rock Star when...

I drive into Boston and find off street parking on State Street! Oh, yes I do!

If you have never been to Boston you just would not understand, LOL! Here's a picture, a bad one but I just could not help myself. It took half an hour to find it, and it was hidden behind a beer truck that was double parked behind another truck with a one car space between them;(Oh yes I did, I did back in from the THIRD lane, butt first, through the one car space right into the spot that was behind the truck that was unloading beer on State Street.... thankyouverymuch, LOL!

GP was so happy. I told him that we could not eat at Faneuil Hall unless we found off street parking because I was not going to pay $20 to park to buy a $5 slice of Pizza... yes my friends, it costs $20 to park at the Public Parking...it's outrageous. Hence, you just have to feel like a rock star when you find the spot hidden behind a big fat truck and parallel park your SUV from three lanes out right between the big bad trucks. HA!
It's the little things that make me happy! LOL! Oh yeah, I didn't save $20, GP bought a $30 stuffed bear at Build A Bear...but at least the bear will last longer than the two hour parking! =) I love off street parking. I can't help it, LOL! Now if only Gino had seen me park...man, that would have been priceless. hahaha!

It's a BIRTHDAY Celebration!

HOORAY!

It's T-Sandy's Birthday! It's a Special day in our family, and I wanted everyone to join in the fun. It's my sister's birthday, T-Sandy as she has been dubbed for the last 14 years (as in AunTie-Sandy), is turning 30 (or was it 29? Ummm, I forget!We're trying to stay consistent with this number but my mind is going so I keep forgetting which one we decided on, LOL!).

Here she is , The Birthday Girl Herself! Happy Birthday T-Sandy! May this year and those that follow be filled with Health, Happiness, Love and Laughter!
We love you! B & GP=)
She's the REAL quilter in our family. You can see her creations and works in progress...here... you can also wish her a Happy Birthday too!
I think you'd make her heart happy! =)

It's a celebration!

Dec 25th kit, DONE!

Let the QUICK QUILTING begin! I am a woman on a mission. I intend on making no less than SIX new kits from now until Xmas . I will lead by example, so if you want to make six minis before the holidays you have come to the right place.

The kit comes with everything you'll need to complete this cutie, and there are four up for grabs. You can order yours HERE! It will not be restocked before the holidays; so if you love it, don't procrastinate!

The one pictured is going out to the Birthday Girl who does NOT like Xmas quilts for Xmas (she wants them BEFORE Xmas...she's so picky! LOL!)... =)

A Quilter's Gathering

The lovely Ms. Joanna invited me to join her on her annual trip to A Quilter's Gathering. I being sooo hard to persuade, agreed on making this treacherous journey that took us about five minutes from the Pumpkin Patch to the Radisson in Nashua, NH. LOL! Here I am, all sad to be among the quilts on exhibit...this was one of the three non-purple ones...LOL!

These were the only two quilts that I wanted to take home... maybe because they were the only ones that I could dream of making? Maybe! LOL! The things we saw, OMG! I tell you, nothing is as demoralizing to a beginner than going to a quilt show with row after row of quilts that you know you will never be good enough to make. UGH...it was a sad day...but then there were these two cuties; so I put them on my bucket list. =)

In case you were wondering...

OK, so the camera died and then when the battery was charged GP was a gonner. He had done his job and he was "outta here!" So without further delays I am happy to announce the winner of the $100 GC. Drumroll please, the winner is Dawn Heese of Linen Closet Quilts! HOORAY!Congratulations to Dawn! =)

Drumroll, please!

The entries have been tumbled, the winners have been drawn... are you ready??? Drumroll, please!

The First Fat Qtr Bundle Winner is:

Carrie P. from A Passion for Applique!

The Second Fat Qtr Bundle goes to:

Carrie at Cricketwood Prims n' Gardens

Yes, you read that right...TWO Carries!

OK, so we had one more ticket to pull and the camera died. I kid you not. The Bonus prize shall be revealed...TOMORROW!

Oh, stop moaning...I bet you got T-o-Treaters , not that THAT's a sore spot or anything, LOL!

UPDATE!

Carrie#2 has just informed me that her last name begins with P; therefore BOTH WINNERS ARE CARRIE P. Freaky, eh? LOL!

No Winners, YET!

GP is the official Judge in the giveaway; he will pull the three lucky winners....woo-hoo... but not today, Sorry. GP will not be home until tonight, and after a day of male bonding I'm not sure he will be in the mood for giveaway winner selection; so better just hold off until tomorrow.
GP is having a "Gentlemen Only" slumber party in Waltham with Gino (I think it had something to do with them not wanting to help out with the Trick or Treaters...but that's just me, thinking "bad" thoughts. It just seems odd how the "family slumber party" we had on Friday night was turned into a "Gentlemen Only" event! Do you smell a rat? I think I do... MEN! >=( Even Pepper was send home...wonder if she would have been invited if she didn't squat to pee, HMMM,. LOL!
Well, they should have just come along for all the turnout we had.... I had ONE Trick or Treater, ONE! And, mind you, I did go out and call him over "Hey, we have goodies here!" LOL! I can't relive the nightmare, I was brushed off my dozens of T-o-T who walked right past my house. =( Was it because I did not have a hand carved Jack? (T-o-T snobbery?) , maybe because I didn't pull out the Lanterns? But, I was working alone here, hello! My helpers jumped ship and I was left to fend for myself... I'm so sad.... I made 30 gift bags and bought two boxes of 40 individual size popcorn...not to mention I bought six sheets of free ice cream cones from Friendly's, AND I only bought chocolate, no junk fillers....HELLO! I feel like I had a party and no one came. =(
It's the boys fault, not sure how, but it is; that's my story and I'm sticking to it.
Now off to eat some more chocolate (with a side of Popcorn), before I get dressed and go to Friendly's to have me some ice cream cones! LOL!

He's Home!

My wonderful new Green Gourd is home. My heart was dancing when I arrived last night to find this little treasure in my mail basket, just sitting there patiently waiting for someone to carry him over the threshold and into the Pumpkin Patch...where he was so at home he "just blends right in". It's not The Haunted Swamp Designs studio, but he is adjusting nicely. As long as he doesn't try to scare anyone he will be welcome (if there is any suspicious activity he will be stored away with the other Halloween Goodies that are only allowed up for October...poor babies), LOL! But he does look harmless enough, he is the size of an egg. I kid you not, he is so tiny and cute. And rattles from the seeds. I'm so happy I won this little treasure. He makes me heart happy! =)