Happy Zombie

Recently I got an unwelcome hello from my now soon-to-be-gone gallbladder. I’m all good and in good hands… but I’m out of comission for a while longer and am unable to answer my email. If there’s anything urgent that requires my attention - or that maybe they can answer - please contact Pam (pamkittymorning) or Mo (lime gardenias). Thanks bunches! Monica

Holy schmokes… I’ve shanghaied one of the blog posts on the Where Women Create blog!  Actually, I was asked if I would like to be featured on their Fabulous Friday feature.  It didn’t even take me a nano second to say yes.  Holy schmoly… what an honor for me!

My post is here, and naturally I ramble on as I always do.  Added way too many photos.   I even swiped (or rather, schwiped) one of their graphics and happyzombied it.  I’m feeling rather shanghai-ish at the moment.  Dare I even say schanghai-ish?

In celebration of my WWC shanghai my WWC post, I’m giving away a 25 fat quarter bundle of my Holiday Happy fabric.  That’s 6.25 yards of fabric!  Leave a comment on the WWC post, and WWC will draw/announce the winner after their Tuesday, August 24th at 12:00 Noon (MST) drawing closes.

I’m so touched by all the kind comments left for more me there. I’m unable to reply to them, so please know how deeply touched I am by the kindness everyone has bestowed upon me! Thank you!!!

PS to WCC - if you have a couple thousand extra visits on your blog… that’s just me coming back over and over and over again reading all the wonderful comments!

Yaaaaay!  I’m a Camp Counselor at Lizzy’s Castle Peeps Summer Camp!  Me… a camp counselor.  Whodathunk.  I’m usually the one sent to the counselor for bad behavior.  My only camp experience ever was on our 5th grade 3-day trip at Camp Silver Spur in Tuolumne, CA.  And it was a blast.  My youngest son got to go on the same type of trip in the 4th & 5th grades… “Outdoor School” it’s called in Oregon.  One year he got to go to Outdoor School in Vernonia, OR… and one year it was a trip to multiple locations in Central Oregon (Bend, Sisters and Kahneeta).   Now I get to relive some of that fun (as a kid and as a parent), through Lizzy’s summer camp.

Using Lizzy’s beautiful new line of Castle Peeps by Andover, I wanted to make something fun and useful.  Something that sang to my inner 5th grader, full of adventure and discovery.
And mischief.
My inner mom screamed not to get dirty. My inner quilter shouted to keep the beautiful fabric pristine. My inner recycling bin complained it was too full to hold one more milk jug.

And then it all came together.  My Dragon Slayer Satchel will pull double duty as my berry picking tote.  I wanted to make my strap adjustable so I can wear the strap across my chest (half a cross-my-heart), so I used a 1″ Dritz Center Release Buckle on the strap.  I LOVE THAT BUCKLE.  So easy to attach, and so very inexpensive (I got mine for just over a $1 at Joann’s with my 40% off coupon). I only wish it came in assorted colors.  Having a buckle also allows for attaching the satchel to things like big honkin’ tree branches and [insert your favorite difficult to hang stuff on object here].

I ramble… and here’s the link to the PDF pattern. Please respect my terms of use disclaimer at the bottom of my free pattern. Go forth and slay, and forage… and have fun.  And get a little dirty.

Recently I came upon a new blog on tumblr called Catalog Living - the life and times of fictional Gary & Elaine who live in the pages of our catalogs.  Yeah, like who knew Gary & Elaine were even there!?  Catalog Living is the hysterical brainchild of Molly Erdman (the  actress who plays the “wife” from the Sonic commercials).   It’s genius.  GENIUS.  There’s a great article at the Chicago Tribune about Catalog Living - my favorite part was the quote from Molly, “Wouldn’t it be funny if I put these pictures up and made little captions for them?”.  I love that.  When I think all the way back to mid-1970 and being in the 7th grade - and we would write naughty captions in the photos of our ancient 1950’s school books - and could now be a success at it?  Holy schmokes… it’s like a dream come true!

So now I’m thinking, as Catalog Living skyrockets into internet and twitter superrockstardom… it’s probaly too late to ask Molly Erdman if she could “Catalog My House”.   Kind of like Pimp My Ride, or like asking James Earl Jones to record my outgoing voicemail message… but what would Gary & Elaine say/do if they lived in my house.  WWG&ED.

If you make house calls, Molly… my door is open. I may have to resort to trying my hand at it. In the last photo, “Liberty and Madison fear being plucked out of the audience during Bob, Triskit and Mother Clucker’s ‘In Hot Water’ performance“. I think I better leave it to the professionals.

Thank you to everyone who played in my Holiday Happy give-away.   Like getting 506 love letters!  I’m awed by the such kind responses - almost to the point of embarrassment (I did pee my pants a little).  I’m not worthy, I’m not worthy.  I quickly got over the embarrassment - and hopped on the gratitude train - and I’m never getting off it (besides - my gratitude train has a dining car and a sewing car and…).  Not only do I feel like the sixth winner - but I’m by far the super duper mega grand winner!  Thank you everyone for your kindness and excitement.  Hands down.  I win.

I’m so happy to say…
here are the other 5 Holiday Happy winners!

Grand Prize winner of Holiday Happy Fat Quarter bundle:
#98 - Nikki of The Girl Who Quilts

The wee little Holiday Happy Fat Quarterlettes winners:
#237  Sandy McClay of 521 Lake Street
#215  Nadra of von kleinen dingen
#452 Rebecca Woods (no blog… and it’s her birthday today!)
#38 Natalie VV of Chicken Blog (winner winner chicken blog dinner)

Thank you, thank you, thank you for all the love and kindness comments!   If anyone is making anything with Holiday Happy, or spots it some where, or just has a stash of it, or is seen frolicking on the beach with it… I would love to see it!  Like seeing what my little kids are up - it’s like Mother’s Day every time I see a photo in my HH flickr group.  Momma’d be so happy if you’d join the Holiday Happy flickr group - and added any ‘baby pics’ of HH.  I don’t except flowers or candy, to be taken out to brunch… or even a phone call on Mother’s Day.  Just photos.  It’s all I ask.   That’s not too much to ask, right?   xoxo

Previews and peeks of what will be in the Lecien booth at Quilt Market in Minneapolis.  If you’re going to Market, be sure to stop by Lecien booths 3329, 3331 and 3430.

If you want to keep up with all the big Market happenings - you can get your one-stop shopping for market blog posts on Radio PKM at Pam’s blog.  And hey, whaddayaknow… Pam has a side-kick/aspiring weather girl on her station this year!

My “Glow Happy” lantern quilt. This is a free pattern that is available on the Lecien website’s free pattern page.

Little quilts for the Lecien booth - samples to show mixing and matching my Holiday Happy with Lecien Flower Sugar and Lecien Color Basic’s.

The pink and green little quilt is called Cherry Christmas, and my pattern is free for download here.   A basic 9-patch with the appliqué method I use here.

Last minute samples… little Gnoma Claus bags.  One of the things I’ll show more of after market - plus I’ll have a tutorial or pattern around the time Holiday Happy hits the stores (June/July 2010).

Last but not least… this is Flat Nat. My sample does not do her justice.  What started with dreaming out loud wishing that Natalie could make it to the US for market… joking around that I needed to have a “flat Nat” of Natalie so I can take her around Market and the sights… and like magic (aka Natalie’s seriously creative juices)… Natalie created Flat Nat.

There’s much more of her to see - so be watching Natalie’s Cindeberry Stitches blog.    You will want to keep your browser running on Natalie’s blog and keep refreshing.  Be prepared to squeal when you see Natalie’s Flat Nat.
Be.
Prepared.

You can follow mine and Flat Nat’s Minnesota/Market/post-market shenanigans travels on my twitter - and I’ll be blogging later next week when I return home.  Did I say something about a give-away in my title?

I’ve never done so much sewing and un-sewing - then I have in the last few weeks.  That didn’t come out right.  I’ve never done so much sewing and un-sewing WHILE NOT ONLINE - then I have in the last few weeks.  My in-box, my blog pals visiting, my Twitter, my Words With Friends, my Face-what?… all neglected.  To be fair, I neglect Facebook regardless of sewing.  I feel like a such a sucky friend.  A super duper sucky friend.

I feel so out of it, so disconnected.  Like I’m down in one of those holes on Lost - and everyone else is up top… laughing, having fun, eating Dharma peaches out of a can - and I’m down in the hole glued by the magnetic force that emanates from my sewing machine - the evil clock clicks, clicks, clicks… mocking me.  The Smoke Monster is actually the exhaust coming out the back of my sewing machine.  Ooops, sorry.  Spoiler alert.

I’m leaving for Quilt Market in a week.  I’m actually looking forward to the flight - to sitting and doing nothing.  I think I’ll load up my iphone with a couple of Gilmore Girls episodes.  Maybe four episodes should do me between Seattle and Minneapolis?  Maybe I’ll get lucky and catch an episode of Lorelai sewing.  I think I’ll loop the scene and watch over and over and over - watching someone else sewing.  And then I’d be wishing to be sewing too. Because I heart sewing. And these are the inner workings of my absurd universe.

I’m sure anyone who’s ever had pre-Market stuff to get ready, knows it’s not done until the empty spool sings (even though I burned through a spool of Aurifil on Saturday and I still have more sewing to do).   One more thing for my to-do list - buy more thread.   While I was threadless (or rather out of the color I needed), I did some to-do’s on my computer… new [updated] banner that PamKittyMorning lovingly calls,”it’s HZ on supercrack“, got my Holiday Happy Flickr group running, made a Holiday Happy info page, made a HH “Swatchamacallit” swatch card PDF and made some buttons.

What I have been able to accomplish:
- Neglect my blog.
- Neglect my in-box.  I am bad, bad, BAD.
- Neglect visiting everyone’s blogs. I am bad, bad, SUPERBAD.
- Neglect my yard work, laundry and housework.
- Watched episodes 1-20 of Gilmore Girls while doing handwork.
- Wore my pajamas while working for 5 days (not consecutively… I’m not THAT bad).
- Scored an 111 point word (which I’ve forgotten) on a Words With Friends game with Lynette (sorry, I just can’t stop talking about it).
- Gained a bonus 10 lbs from my DH’s thoughtful cooking.

My accomplishment highlights:
- Spending an amazing laugh filled fun wonderful day with sistah-friend and super rockstar Tammy Gilley at her AMAZING house.  We are seeking a contractor to build an underground tunnel between our houses (who will accept pita chips and beer as payment).  Tammy showing me how the Hoosier-daddy cabinet works - she’s milling me some pretend flour.

- Finishing my Market/Lecien project.  Next stop… Lecien booth.

- Working on a special (and Bliss-ful) project unrelated to Market, but needs to be done before I leave for Minneapolis.

My semi-accomplishment highlights:
- I put myself on a 3 day Twitter Exile Island.  I lasted 18 hours.
- Suggesting to the writers/producers of ABC’s sweet deliciousness of a Nancy-Drew-on-crack-goodness new show of Happy Town - to add a quilt shop to the town… Our Daily Thread.  And of course - carry my Holiday Happy fabric line.  (Happy Town Twitter Guy - I’m watching you, too.)
- Hitting “publish” on this post!