Dry Spell

Oh it's been so hot lately that it's caused a drought on my blog. Maybe you've noticed? Not a drop of anything on here for quite a while now. How about we cue the rain and i'll share a downpour of photos and we can whiz through the last month (or two) in picture form? Sound good? Ok, put on your raincoats and Wellies and let's go jump in some puddles..

Starting with (don't laugh) quilt market (i know, i know...):
fandango precuts are now available

Here i am with Monica, Brenda, Pam, and Nireko. We're in the Lecien booth and know why we're smiling so much? Because we're standing in front of Monica's new Christmas line, Holiday Happy, and those gnomes are just
so adorable.fandango precuts are now available
Here's Shannon, Me and Emily. I loved meeting these two Crazy Old Ladies. Their quilts were really beautiful and they've got some great patterns that you should definitely check out. Their patterns Maison Bleue using Martinique and Best Friends using Bliss are in the b/g, see them? They've also got Liliana, Tiger Lily, and Season's Greetings that i'm particularly fond of *wink*. So these two lived up to the c r a z y part of their name. They actually drove to a nearby Crate and Barrel and bought a couple of my plates, then came back the next day and had me sign them with a Sharpie! Too funny.

Here's Jana of Izzy & Ivy Designs, and Julie of jaybird quilts. There's quite a lot of talent in this picture. I happened to mosey by when these two were chatting and Julie was doling out some of her delectable chocolate covered pretzels. Lucky me. Jana showed me this adorable table topper she made that is a mix of Modern Meadow by Joel Dewberry and Verna...
fandango precuts are now available

...and her Farrah bag made using Fandango. Love it? Want it? Go get it!
fandango precuts are now available
I borrowed this pic of Joanna and Eric Fig Tree because it was just so cute. Can't remember where i got it. As you already know, Joanna's beatiful new line is called "Breakfast at Tiffany's".
Well, after dinner we were walking back to the hotel and look who we spotted on the street?! Audrey herself. She does look a lot like Joanna wouldn't you say? Even Mr. Fig was faked out.Here's me, Patty, and Joanna. This pic was borrowed from Patty's blog (another benefit of waiting so long to post about market). Doesn't it look like I have a "Patty Young" thought bubble coming out of my head?Me with Anne Bunny Hill Sutton. I was so delighted to finally meet Anne and to have a personal tour of Lily and Will's room. Anne is as cute and sweet as her new fabric line...really. Moda is so lucky to have her as
part of the family.It was so fun to reconnect with other Moda designers, and to meet so many wonderful new people. As usual, i didn't take enough pictures, but by now you've seen them all anyway! One last one that Jocelyn of FQS took. I sure don't have to try too hard to be a dork. Really, it comes quite naturally.And that's a wrap on market. Did i mention that Fandango precuts are now available?? Why not go and yourself some! Did you see Karrie Lynne's beautiful quilt on the Moda Bake Shop? Oh i just love it so much i had to show it off.
Jump...next puddle...

When i got home from quilt market, this bloomed:
It's a night blooming cereus that once belonged to my great grandmother, Granny. The original plant was given to her by her sister after a trip to Mexico sometime around 1916. After Granny died, cuttings of the plant were shared by family members. Then many years later, after i had graduated from college and took an interest in growing house plants, my Mom gave me this cutting. It has miraculously bloomed every year, and once it actually had three flowers on one leaf. Amazing!
The thing about this plant is that it only blooms at night, hence the name, and it only blooms for one night so you really have to pay attention and watch the buds carefully. The flower and its fragrance are magnificent and if you've ever smelled one, you'll never forget it. It transports me to all the summer nights of my childhood when we'd sit on the porch and watch the petals open. Look at how the giant flower is attached to the leaf from only one teenie tiny spot:
I guess while i'm at it, i might as well show you Jack, my streptocarpus. Jack was Granny's son/my grandfather, and this was a cutting from his plant. I remember so well the windowsill it sat on in his house, and
in his care.
He's quite a beauty and will bloom for most of the summer. It seems that plants are passed along in my family as living heirlooms...which to me, is a beautiful way to remember loved ones and to extend the caring nature
of their spirits.

Jump...

Some more of my paper tableware designs were on an end cap at Target:
They were displayed with a bunch of Luau-wear..hula skirts, palm trees, and my favorite, a tiki bean bag toss game (i've certainly never had to design one of those before):
Jump...next puddle...

June was mostly full of deadlines, follow ups from Surtex...and strikeoffs (yippeee!) It took me so long to find the right blue for you that at one point my desk looked like this:
See what we have to go through? I should buy Epson stock before designing my next fabric line. You might want to think about that too. But have no fear, i think the blue turned out juuust right.

Jump...big splash...

The July issue of Better Homes and Gardens arrived in my mailbox and i was totally shocked to see the napkins i designed for Crate and Barrel right smack on the cover! Woohoo!
Jump...next puddle...isn't this fun?

In late June, Peteand i sneaked away for a long weekend to celebrate our anniversary.
We went up to Bar Harbor, Maine
and revisited the very spot where we were married at sunrise atop Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park. Here's the view from up there, overlooking Frenchman's Bay:And the moon rising:
(i wish i'd had a better lense on my camera to capture just how beautiful this was)

A little trivia...Cadillac Mountain is the highest point on America's Atlantic coast (1,530 ft.), and is the first place in the U.S. to greet a new day. For me and Pete, our sunrise ceremony was a beautiful and symbolic way to begin a new life together.

We hiked about 8 miles one day (that felt like 18). Here's my own Indiana Jones blazing the trail. And yes, we did climb up all those ladders. Down too. (don't ask):
We went out on a boat tour to Little Cranberry Island and walked along its rocky coast
One of my favorite things about Maine is the way the mountains and the ocean meet in a wall of evergreens.One day, walking down a dock, i spotted this box (not like the usual UPS delivery around here, that's for sure):Just like it says, contained inside were these:
You know, to keep lobster claws closed until you eat them. And eat them we did (maybe almost too many, if that's possible).
Yum! And you know what you can have for dessert? Take a minute to look verrry carefully at the ice cream selection at Ben and Bill's.
See it? Down there on the lower left? That's right! In case you were worried,
YUCK-O! No thank you.

Jump...jump, jump...

Some of you are participating in the Fat Quarter Shop's Designer Mystery Block of the Month Club. Well, the first adorable block arrived. It was designed by Gudrun of G.E. Designs. She's so talented and this block was such fun to piece together. At long last...drum roll please...here's my finished block:
By the time i finished this, i had clearly stretched my sewing abilities to the limit. And only a couple days after i finally completed it, adorable Block Two arrived in my mailbox. This one was designed by Bonnie and Camille. You just can't believe how cute it is. Some people have already posted pictures on flickr. In fact, one person finished it the day it arrived. I think i had gotten as far as opening the envelope. Inspiring for sure.

Speaking of inspiring...look at this beautiful quilt Cherie made using 12 Days of Christmas. She posted it on flickr too.
The pattern is "Plan C" from Carrie Nelson's book Schnibbles Times Two.

The last puddle is, sadly, a giant puddle of tears. With great sorrow and heavy hearts we had to say goodbye to our beloved kitty Cyrano last week. He was with us for 17 joyous years and was lovingly woven into the fabric of our daily lives in so many ways — some of which i've only come to know in his absence. I have tried to stop myself in the midst of (now) old routines and am trying each day to embrace the realization that it's out of devotion and love for that little furry creature that i continue to go through
these motions. We miss him so much.
I can't possibly end on such a sad note, so,..one more jump...
Here's a view of our summer gardenwhere there is always peace whether it rains or not.