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.

Catching Up

Whew, so much to share this week. First off, i'm tickled silly that Verna yardage is now shipping! So despite what Punxsutawney Phil said, Spring is coming early! Yippee! The Jolly Jabber asked me to share some thoughts about my first fabric line hitting the shops. Hard to put into words, really..but you can read more here. Hmm, just realized I use the word "Yippee!" a lot (with varying number of "ee"s and "!!!"s). What can i say? I get excited. On that note...

...thank you all so much for loading my inbox with wonderful notes of encouragement, kind thoughts, and inspired creative visions. It's an immeasurable joy for me to be able to share what I do with you (with help from the amazing Moda, of course)! I never realized that quilters are secretly spreading an epidemic of happiness. All I have to say about that is...count me in!

Which is why, when I learned that the Fat Quarter Shop had picked:

for the:


I signed up immediately! One look at the incredibly talented group of designers who were contributing their block designs, and that pretty much did it for me! I mean look at this list:

Anka's Treasures

Bonnie & Camille
Bunny Hill Designs
Fig Tree Quilts
G.E. Designs
Heartspun Quilts
Me and My Sister Designs
Minick and Simpson
Miss Rosie's Quilt Company
Pieces from my Heart
This & That
The Pattern Basket

You can read more about the Block of the Month here (and even get a sneak peek of one of the blocks!). Mind you, I'm really new to all of this, have only a general idea of how it works, and my sewing skills...well...they're improving. So why not head over to FQS to sign up — and then let me know you'll be doing it too so when I need help, I'll know who I can turn to! And if you don't participate, this adorable quilt kit is also available:

(this one uses the super fun panel! How can you resist!?)

And just this morning, I saw that another cuuute Verna quilt recipe is on the Moda Bake Shop! It's called "Easy as Cake" (amen, thank you Konda). When I clicked on the link to Moose on the Porch Quilts, it dawned on me that 1) I've only seen a moose in the road, but one on the porch? Wow! and 2) I actually have one of Konda's books! Simply Charming is on my desk rightthisveryminute. I guess it's fair to say that the words "easy" and "simple" are incredibly appealing to me. As are "fast" and "fun" (in case you're looking for a book title for beginning quilters).

So what all this amounts to is that each day is full of surprises and I'm grateful for each one of them and each one of you.