Surprise in the Aisle

Last night, i realized we were out of milk. No milk = no cereal in the morning, which = not a good start to the day, so off to the grocery store i went. No matter what time of day it is, it's always crowded in our local store...so over the years, i've drawn a mental map of the place for just these times when all i want to do is zip in and check out. You too? Even so, it's quite an obstacle course to get to the far back corner where the milk is, and i couldn't find a clear aisle to zip down! Canned goods aisle: full. Baking aisle: not even going to attempt it (plus, i wouldn't get passed the chocolate chips without buying them). Pet food aisle: what? did everyone run out of pet food at the same time? skip.

Then finally, the seasonal aisle (i think that's what they call it) where books, movies, magazines, patio furniture, balloons, wrapping paper, and halloween candy can be found...was empty. Smooth sailing! As i zipped by, I quickly glanced over at the magazines and continued on my way then stopped in my tracks. Did i see what i thought i saw? It was definitely the colors that registered in my mind, delayed by about 8 feet. Back up. Nope, i didn't imagine it! So i grabbed this off the shelf...

...and felt a Flurry of excitement (duh, sorry) to see that beautiful giant snowflake quilt on the cover! I flipped through and found the pattern instructions on p. 36. It's called "Snow-Kissed Star" and is made by none other than Konda Luckau of Moose on the Porch Quilts!

How weird that i just linked to her blog yesterday but didn't even notice her post about it! Anyway, i love this pattern and the instructions look really simple. The center snowflake uses only 1/2 a jelly roll (plus white for the background), so you could actually make two cute n' quilt-ie christmas gifts!

I continued to flip through the issue before plunking it in my basket, when what what to my wondering eyes should appear but...

...these a.d.o.r.a.b.l.e. elfen stockings made by Vanessa of Lella Boutique! (btw Vanessa, i still can't wipe the dopey grin off my face either *wink*)

Congratulations, Konda and Vanessa! And thank you for making my trip to the grocery store so memorable. Except i was so excited after finding the magazine that not only did i get milk, i went back for the chocolate chips too.

Flurry, Furry Zucchini Saturday

First up, Flurry..

Didn't have a chance to post Furry Friday y'day, but it worked out because now there is another giveaway you can enter! Ryan Walsh (aka: I'm Just A Guy Who Quilts) was so kind and invited me to have a chat about my newest holiday fabric collection, Flurry. You can read it on his blog. He is also giving away three charm packs of Flurry that you could win — if you enter that is —so don't forget to hop on over. Thank you, Ryan! It's always fun to catch up with you.

Next up, Furry..

Franny and Lou have discovered water! It's like turning on the television for these two. They sit and watch water droplets slide down the side of the tub and stare into the drain when they disappear.

Too cute!

They're getting so big! And one more...

Last up, Zucchini...

Pete made a bunch of these delectable zucchini muffins (cupcakes, really) and of course since there's a vegetable in there, they have to be good for you, right?

Here is a link to the recipe incase you'd like to try them out (you won't be sorry). For our oven, he adjusted the temperature to 325 degrees and cooked them for 25 minutes instead of the recommended settings. Yum!

Hope your weekend is off to a great start. And don't forget, if you haven't entered the AccuQuilt GO!baby fabric cutter giveaway in my last post, there's time! Franny and Lou won't be picking a winner until Monday. And i have to say i am learning so much from everyone about all kinds of different quilt blocks i've never even heard of! Thanks for the educational fun and good luck!

Back From France

Did you think i meant me? I wish!

But if i close my eyes and squeeze them tightly shut, i can conjure a short slideshow tour of Paris on the back side of my eyelids. A panoramic view of the city from atop the Eiffel Tower comes into focus with its spoke-like streets radiating from the Arc de Triomphe at the hub of the Champs-Élysée. The winding Seine splits around the Ile de la Cité where the Cathedral of Notre Dame's flying buttresses anchor it to its small island. Then flashes of Titian, Monet's bright orange poppy field and Leonardo's great works come into view. Inhale and i can smell the sweet buttery aromas of fruity pastries and fresh-baked breads...

...but then...i open my eyes and *poof* i'm back in our little kitchen with this book in-hand:

covered in flour and trying to re-create the crusty, chewy baguette here at home. Le sighhh...

Meanwhile outside the dream bubble, my quilt and pillow just returned from France yesterday! As in the real France, and on a real airplane. I've been living vicariously through them since they left last November right after Quilt Market. But they brought back a souvenir of their trip that i'd like to share with you!

If you were at Quilt Market, you might remember seeing that quilt on the...cover!? (total surprise*faint*) hanging in my booth:

It's called "Great Lawn" and i loosely based the narrative design on the landscape of Central Park with its surrounding city skyline, tree-lined cobblestone paths, bricks and gardens. I pieced it and quilted it myself, which was probably why i missed it so much while it was away.

Some people had asked me if it was going to be a pattern and i'm so happy to say that it is now! You can find it in the Special Summer Issue of the amazing Quiltmania magazine, available online here. Also in that same issue (again, *faint*) is my "Bouquet" pillow from the Moda pillow talk:

You may have read about it here, and now you can make your own! To personalize it, you can put something unique to you under the peek-a-boo door (you don't have to put Hello Kitty under there). There are 11 other fun summer-themed sewing projects you might also enjoy in the issue. Quiltmania is such a treat to look through and the sewing instructions are very clearly written with lots of diagrams so it's perfect for a beginner or experienced sewist.

This is a first for me...having a quilt i designed in a magazine. I sure didn't expect it and up until yesterday when i finally held the issue in my hands, i had doubts that it was really going to happen. But here it is, and even so i still can't believe it! I'm thrilled and honored to be included in such a wonderful publication.

My friend Sherri will be sharing some fun news about her gorgeous "Carousel" quilt too:

It may have a little jet lag right now, but i'm sure you'll hear about it very soon!

P.S: Thought i'd also share with you another interesting and perhaps lesser-known stop on the tour of Paris (we have only been there once, but dream of returning someday). In the square in front of the Cathedral of Notre Dame is a brass compass star set into the ground. It's called "Point Zero" and as the French tour guide told us, it marks the alleged birthplace and official center of the city of Paris. She described it to us as "not only the heart of Paris, but the heart of all of France" because it is from this point that all distances of roads and highways are measured throughout the country and to other major cities in Europe. She added that some people think it's good luck to rub the star with your foot and make a wish. I would say lots of people think that, because it was shining as though someone had polished it that very day!

P.S.S: As a random act of quiltie-ness, Melanie over at Above All Fabric is helping me give away a charm pack of Flurry! Not sure when she'll pick a winner, so you may want to head over and leave a comment on her blog. I'll be sending the prize out to the winner :)

'Flurry' is in the Forecast!

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! We sure enjoyed spending time with our families and sharing yummy food and lots of laughs with everyone. Now it's time to pull on those new socks, wrap up in that new scarf, throw on that new sweater...and get outside to shovel! What a pile of snow we've gotten here in the past couple days. It's really beautiful and picturesque and our backyard has been transformed into an arctic scene with meringue-like snowdrifts holding soft peaks along the contours of our garden.

Uh, but the downside of the snow/wind is that our flight was cancelled (insert lots of bleeps here). Yes, the one that was supposed to whisk us off on our tropical vacation! So, we spent the better part of yesterday on hold with various airlines (insert more bleeps), but were lucky to have been able to rearrange our plans so we'll leave on Saturday instead (thank goodness!).

In the meantime, how about i introduce you to my new holiday fabric line?! It's called...

F l u r r y

and i absolutely can't wait for you to see it in person! It will be going out on the road with the Moda sales reps soon (though i think some of you may have seen it already?)..

Here's a peek at the precuts:

The colors are a bit more traditional red and green, and this time around the aqua has become a clearer blue that is a perfect backdrop for snow-filled skies or frosted windowpanes. Even with these changes, i think it will coordinate quite nicely with any scraps you might have of 12 Days of Christmas. There is a really fun panel in this collection that offers lots of possibilities for supercute (that's one word, right? if not, it should be) quilt designs that i'm sure you'll dream up waaaay before me — though i have to say,

i do have a few in mind...

I'll share more about the inspiration for the line and show you a few of the prints...very soon!