Time for some Spring Stuff! Aqua anyone??

 I wanted to show you some pics I took at Cracker Barrel in Lancaster.
AQUA! I love Aqua!
So many Spring like items, so artfully displayed to make me want to take them home to my messy house!

I used to collect salt and pepper shakers because there are so many whimsical ones but don't have the space to show them off. Maybe in the new house!
That's forward thinking my friends!

Green glass bunny casserole dishes, Chicks mugs, eggs, and... hey wait!! Someone get that stupid snowman out of the picture!! We're done with it right?
Stupid weatherman says it will snow here today. AGAIN. It's end of March in the mid-Atlantic for Pete's sake! We don't do snow now, we do rain and lots of it.

Couldn't resist dog stuff... Love the color mix of Aqua blue and lime green cups. We have a layer of dog nose art on our sliding glass door.

I don't know what's going on here... but it made me stop and take notice. It's a water fountain for
"just that special place" in your home.

Imagine choosing your dishes on a whim, changing them out with the seasons!

Whale sign would be for the home on the water... Sonja in Hawaii?? sonjahagemanndesigns
 For my international friends, Cracker Barrel has Southern food like I grew up with, and tons of fun stuff to buy as well.

This vase looks like something from the 50's

Maybe if we East Coasters pull out the bunnies, and tulips and egg items, the snowman will get the picture, that it's time to move on for this year.
linking to shabbynest.     and I should be mopping the floor 

going for a ride in the car part 4- purchases and Interview with a painter

We went for a ride in the car, we three, to Connecticut. While there we toured the grounds of Hill-Stead Museum (house and grounds) a beautiful estate in Farmington near our hotel. While there I also toured the gift shop full of fun artsy stuff. Drew and Cole waited outside and when I rejoined them, I was putting on my new beaded bracelet. I said, I had a hard time choosing the right one, but went in the shop because I had to have the Emily Dickinson Finger puppet with the magnet head....of course!
Drew chuckled. Of course I wanted her! I also wanted the Georgia O'Keeffe finger puppet but she looked more like a pilgrim man...(and a bit scary looking)

Lots of pictures later in the post  but first...
Because of Cole's naturally magnetic personality, we met a fascinating couple also enjoying the fall day.
Jane Zisk (contact info) who organized the CT Plein Air Society, first chatted with Cole. When I learned she was a painter, I asked to do an interview for the blog. She agreed and we had a wonderful time talking about living the creative life. Wish you had been there but these are the highlights as I remember them.

Jane paints, teaches and lives the creative life.
When I asked what condition her studio was in, she said a mess. Her newlywed husband said it wasn't so bad. She likes to paint nature scenes mostly with oils.
When she said she wanted her husband to try painting, my advice (not that anyone asked but that never stopped me before) was to paint what he loved. She agreed with me that a person should paint (or any other medium ) what one loves, as it makes for a stronger piece.

 She keeps a lot of raw materials (ahem, like my stash?) such as quality paints and brushes, and what she needs to do her best work.

She often visits art galleries & museums, spends time with other artists, reads about painting, as it all informs her work. Like me, making art is in the front of her mind most of the time. I know quilters who don't go to shows so they won't be influenced by other quilters. What a waste! If you're a writer you should read a lot. Hanging out with other artists and seeing their work won't cause copying, it is stimulating to share our process with others of like minds.
Her husband responded to the question, how does her family accept her painting, by saying he is her biggest supporter and fan.

I asked if she ever experienced a slump, a down-time,  and she said, she wants to give it up every other day!! We chuckled, as every artist goes through times like this, but her new husband and long time friend, said he just tells her, "stop that, and go to your studio and work!" (Lover and slave driver)

Once again I am reminded we artists are very similar. We get each other... the process, the drive, the need to make.

So I felt like we made new friends, and the day was richer for it. Want more? click here for interviews

We reluctantly left this area to explore other little towns. Along the way I made a few more purchases, want to see?

Beads... for the upcoming Georgia O'Keeffe quilt.
(From Artful Beads in Pennington NJ)

I've not seen this kind of pyramid shaped bead before, and the colors are so soft and Southwest.
Don't know how they'll be used but they will.

In Stockbridge MA I found this tin box...

Quirky, in a quirky shop full of old quirky stuff as well as new quirky stuff. Whee!

I love a little container, and the tag on this one says
Curious Girl, Imagine the Possibilities.

Can't get better than that... It will hold beads or threads or geegaws like these in the studio...
For more studio shots click on the page at the top or the label on the side-->

Crystal Essence in Greater Barrington MA welcomed us in... a woman who said she was a dog psychic "read" Cole.  Apparently he's sad.
He picks up on our moods, so she moved on to me,  and noted that I was unsettled causing him to be.
Oh my.
We discussed our desire to relocate and she said I must let go and follow the little steps put in my path... that I am holding on to some parts of our area but the move will be good for us... all righty then.



The card I chose says, "Everything comes to us that belongs to us if we create the capacity to receive it"

Drew got a calendar of Thich Nhat Hanh, who's books he enjoys, I got the terrific card and a precious little piece of rhodochrosite to put on a female figure I plan to make soon.
See, always thinking about art and the next piece.Are you?? LeeAnna

Going for a ride in the car part 3-- Quilting purchases!

I visited a few quilt shops along the way, as our plan was to have an adventure. Quilt shops, wineries, quaint towns, fall foliage. I enjoyed my visit with the owner of the Pumpkin Patch in Lee, MA, where I got the fifties ladies. Yep, I have plans for this. The owner is very knowledgeable about machines and they have lots of merchandise a quilter wants. I could have gone hog wild in there but, showed a lot of restraint.

 

This came from a great store in Vernon, CT called
Quilting By the Yard. I just love this shop, it has it all and is open well lit and friendly. There are a lot of sale fabrics to choose from. These were all marked way down, so I got larger than usual yardage.
DH said he would never have expected me to choose the black batik, but really bright colors of trees?
A quilt shop that won my fave of the trip however was Lisa's Clover Hill Quilts in Berlin Ct because they were having a "Sew-cial" and were so fun and welcoming! She gave away free magazines!

 You know how much I love a magazine, and free! What!
(to see more about the magazine obsession CLICK HERE )

I also found the following fabric of doggy newspapers, a cute panel of sewing stuff and that way cool graphic Halloween Raven fabric with words in Black and white.

<-- And I just had to get more EPP templates, this time in lozenge shapes.

Sew Inspired in Simsbury CT is a must see for me.

No kidding, every trip through I must go here.
 What a great store, lots of sale fabrics along with all the latest in new gizmos and fresh fabrics. I got these new Halloween fabrics to go with my Skeleton panel.  Owls on purple, and the ravens plus the border print.

I also bought a charm pack of Moda Wishes. Loved the graphics and primary colors and words.

 But the Witch panel!!
She says," Let's party girlfriend or I'll push you off my broom! "

 Cute shop in a gray barn in Egremont MA called Brookside Quiltworks had tons of stuff I loved. I showed great restraint and purchased only another stonehenge, with metallic gold,. scissors with dots an ornament of a COW wearing a quilt (HA! couldn't be more perfect) and a thread sampler of wonderfil cotton variegated 50 Wt. Gotta try 'em all to know what you enjoy best, I say.

Then on the way home after 4 lovely days of being away we visited the Yankee quilter in Seymore CT. where I found this...

Four sale fabrics, and I just love the words on the neutrals, the silver metallic on the Christmas remnant, and the blue batik remnant will go into the final borders of my king hexie being finished hopefully this year.
Since I spaved (spent & saved) on the fabrics I splurged on the pattern. It's just so cute, and I knew I'd never remember how they did the border I fell for...
Check out the bat border, done in a clever way. I may just surround my Skeleton with this. 

Anyway, I didn't buy much at each store, or even every store, but I had the best time on my own shop hop!
Yes, my husband is an enabler  encourages my shopping habit. He always packs a snack and a book for these moments. He likes to see my glee and feel my energy from being with my peeps in an atmosphere of all these possibilites! 

I hope I finish all these quilts one day! I better get started.
Wasn't that fun?
LeeAnna
linking to mollisparkles fabric stash Sundays

Another Quilt Show and a few purchases

a few vendors

My husband, the "Quilt Widower" went with me to another quilt show. He is so good and it's really fun to share time with him something other than clearing out house problems.
He has a man's perspective. He has a non-quilting perspective. He has a different perspective that makes events like this fun to discuss with him.

The top picture is the sum total of all I bought at the show.

My husband's  advice to me when I leave for a show is "Show great restraint"


This time he shopped along side, and helped me choose this:

 I know!! Another pin cushion!! I first asked for poodles, then flamingos, then cows, none.
But the little burro that started life as a candy dish:? Chocolate karma? I'm in. Plus it reminds me of the poodle pulling a cart from my, er, collection. Anyone know anything about it's history?

The two books were the first purchase and on sale for $5 each, at Dover Books.  Christmas!!

The thread is Presensia, and the sampler pack of small spools was perfect to take in my hand sewing kit with my hexie project. I get to try their thread, and use colors I didn't have. I opened the pack on the way home, sewing my hexies while Drew drove, and we listened to our new book on tape by Rita Mae Brown. Back to the show...

 I started with vendors, but did look at the quilts. I love seeing the World quilts  and this one by Teri Cherne won best of country (USA) this year. I like a circle design, and these exuberant colors and intricate quilting made my heart beat faster.

I also enjoyed the New Zealand quilt where the artist saw a picture of the land and saw a woman's figure in it!
Ideas come from all sources, the muse finds you if you let her!

Wendy Ward

There was a group of small Celebrate the Day challenge quilts.

Each artist chose an obscure holiday, a real on the books holiday like popcorn day! Walk your dog day or Mole day.

This one,  for Cow Appreciation Day and in case like me you want to celebrate a cow each year it's on July 15th.
By Stacey Koeller. I took lots of pictures of this exhibit since it was my favorite one.

Whimsical and just plain silly, right up my alley!
Oh and by the way, they had a Nerd Day quilt and I asked my resident scientist if he wanted it on the blog. He said no, and acted like he had no idea why I would even ask. It had a pocket protector with pens.

Shopping for Art supplies

Cole and I went shopping last Friday.
We just needed to get out of the house, out of the 'hood, and into some retail therapy.

We visited an area of Annapolis with some cute little shops including a quilt store and this our favorite Art Supply store!

I am into zentangles at the moment. In true fashion, one starts with materials at hand, then buys nearly everything they make for that craft. I had a great time in Art Things, while Cole visited with staff and other shoppers.

All those possibilities are like a candy store for artists.
I don't even know what to DO with half that stuff but I want it!!
I left with these...

There are a lot of books out there on this subject but this one just made my heart go pitter pat. The faber-castell pens are awesome! They also work on fabric, and we all know fabric is my obsession. The pen lays down one great black line on fabric... Marvy's The Fabric Pen. There were a lot of colors to choose from but I need your basic black. I was so excited about these supplies I went right home and made things with them, and my stamp pad on fabric. Wheeeeeee!
We toured the other stores also, and for some reason Cole REALLY  wanted to go in this one but it looked like it would be crowded and full of stuff he'd be interested in so we gave it a miss this time. Does your dog like to shop? Cole looks at every shelf in a store.