Happy Zombie

I just can’t stop gushing over this DARLING kit I bought in Jen’s etsy shop. When I received it, I thougt no way can I cut into this… must leave adorable kit intact. After a few days of opening and closing the tin’s lid… fondling the contents - I took a deep breath and got out my scissors. I thought I heard the fabric let out a quiet scream, but soon realized it was just gasping for air (let me out, let me out).  Jen’s kit was so put together, she even added a precious little needlebook.  I feel like I hit the mother-load of all things cute and kit’y.   And Jen even snuck in a few pieces of Minny Muu!

I dove in with my handy dandy yo-yo maker, and decided once the yo-yo was made I couldn’t see enough of the gorgeous Swell fabric (you know, Swell… by the Urban Chicks… yes, those Urban Chicks… Pam’s friends). Anyhoo…  I decided I wanted to see more of the Swell, and took a stab at making some hexes.  I have those nice big hex plastic “patties”, but they were gianormus.   Enter thought bubble over my head.  Now a light bulb.  Now me squirming.  I have to pee, I’ll be right back.  Back to thought bubble.  Question mark.  Light bulb back on.  AH HA.  I can finally use my Darlene Zimmerman hex tool and make my own from thin plastic.  Now thought bubble turns to wavey dreamy remembering blur seeing on Pam’s blog she had all the info about the ruler. Ding sound. Elbow cupped in my hand while my other hand rubs my chin. Yes, yes… Pam’s done all the work writing about it, why duplicate it?!

So I wasn’t quite done with my kit, and it hangs on my design wall waiting to be bound. I’m stumped as to what color fab to bind it in. I fear red will make it look Valentiney, and the aqua is too hard to match… so I’m still in audition mode.  [Thought bubble… WWPKMD?]

Seeing Pam’s post, and seeing that Nanette and Jenny have also gotten Jen’s kit (and that Doe needs reviving, and maybe Laurie too)… I knew I had to shout from the roof-tops, that dang it… I must have kick ass good taste!  Oh, and that I’m also lazy.

PS… speaking of Laurie, if I’m not too late… a little someone-someone needs a new home.

This is what’s on tap for the girl gang on Saturday the 18th…

Image used with permission

Robin always has her finger on the pulse of all things wonderful and fun, and suggested we go to the Gothic Harvest at Barn House. I think I responded faster than Michael Phelps with a big fat yes!   The last time Robin suggested a field trip, we ended up at Willow Nest (and then I was asked by WN if some of my WN photos could grace their website - I still gush over that).   Wish I had a Partridge Family bus and fill it up with everyone, and make it one big Come On Get Happy field trip to Barn House.  I hope if anyone goes and sees some kookoo for Cocoa Puff in jeans, a hoodie and flip-flops… please say hi, hug me and slip some me cash.

Dang… my posts have been getting sparser and sparser.  I’ve been so busy with getting ready for Market (that’s SPRING ‘09 Market… not Fall ‘08 - sadly I won’t be able to attend Fall Market, sniff).  Busy, busy, busy… but I did manage to get in some fun play-time with my friends.  And what a wonderful time it was!

My little girl gang recently was treated to a wonderful day at my friend Sally’s house to celebrate her new craft studio. Many know of my friend Karen and her talented ways… but there’s another Snyder-girl who has the same gifts… Sally! Karen… cloth. Sally… paper. What a dynamic sister duo. So much to show, so much to tell. I think this is the longest/biggest post I’ve ever made, so I’ll keep my words to a minimum (I can hear the sighs of relief).

Lime + Black + White = Bliss

Sally with Bette.  Bette is Karen and Sal’s mom… and also my pretend mom/my second mom.  Bette is gifted too… with kindness, wit, humor, generosity, grace, beauty, style, extraordinary fashion sense and so much more.

Big sis Karen (R) and Connie’s sis Carol (L).  Carol was visiting from Oklahoma and became an honorary member of our girl gang/mini guild for the day.  I think she should move up here and become a permanent member.

L to R - Connie, Carol and Karen. (say that 5 x fast)

Sal shows us what’s in her drawers… Robin is caught off guard by what I just described.

Bette… so proud of her talented daughters.  Behind Bette is a mural Sally had commissioned.  It looks so real and you can’t help but want to touch it.

Endless storage hidden behind cupboard doors.

Wow… it [the cupboard] recesses really far back.  I bet it almost reaches Idaho.

Sal showing Connie and Carol the closet.  Something very foreign to me… a closet door that opens - and nothing spills out of it into a big heap on the floor. Must take notes.

So this is what those big sliding things at the bottom of a cabinet are for.

This is what organization looks like up close.  Again, very foreign to me.

Serious knobby love.

Bette typing on a vintage iPhone.

Who are you sending a text message to, Bette?  “Why to Monica, of course!”

Window delight.

Sparkle delight.

We all wore lime, black and white for the occasion. I made little fabric flower broaches for us to don.

Even Chris and Michelle dressed in lime/black/white for the party.

Ok, not really.  Psyche.

Craft tote I made for Sal. I used my Quilts & More purse pattern and extended the width of the pocket piece by 4″, and pleated it to make the pockets expand to hold crafty tools.

Tree-o-gifts on Sally’s kitchen table.

Look, look! A little bit of PamKittyMorning at Sal’s!  Licorice scotties from TJ’s.  Mmmm.

Sal set her lunch table so beautifully.  It was almost too pretty to eat at.  Almost. Nothing will stop me from partaking in a food event - no matter how pretty or cute.

Karen dishing up some YUM mac-n-cheese.  Another talent of the Snyder Sisters… mac-n-cheese.  I love both of theirs equally (keeping the peace so they’ll both feed theirs to me again).

A nice shot of Robin - she always has a wonderful smile on her face.  Always.

Dessert for the eyes.  Glass candies.

What a wonderful day it was - and it was even SUNNY!

Morgan Moore of One more Moore is hosting her final Nie Nie Benefit Sale at her etsy shop on:

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 29th
Moved to:
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30TH
7:00 p.m. PST

Momma-Daughter-Dolly Purse Set (designed and made by moi) will be for sale at Morgan’s Nie Nie Benefit Sale. Get there on time… items sell FAST!

Purse set is from my original design of the Pick a Pocket Purse pattern that is featured in the current issue of Better Homes & Gardens - Quilts and More.  Sweet fabrics used are from the upcoming Lakehouse Dry Goods “Doll Dresses Collection”.  More photos here.

For more info, please click on these icons:

Someone’s in hot water. Someone who was naughty. Very. Very. Very. Naughty.  Someone was jealous of a fellow staff member (Triskit, who’s this month’s Employee of the Month).  Someone else saw fit to take revenge into his own hands hand.  Good thing I have cameras monitoring the staff.

Ouch. Ouch. It’s hot, Bob. Why are you doing this to me?

No. Bob. Seriously… it’s getting really hot!  Say something, damn it.  Stop looking at me with Dexter-eye.

Maybe Mother Clucker can help me escape. I wonder where she is. Mmmm. Something smells good. Almost smells like Thanksgiving.

Oh no! It’s all making scents sense now! Mother Clucker… get out of there. Fast!  And Bob, stop staring at me.  You look like Jimmy Kimmel’s evil twin.

Scoot, scoot… get out of there fast. Fast. FASTER! Fly up and rescue me, oh Mother Clucker.

Giddy up. Clickclickclick.

Time for a little estrogen justice. Payback time.

So Bob… how do ya like me now, eh?

In Hot Water was brought to you by Palmolive Liquid and Folger’s Instant Crystals. Filmed before a live studio audience.

Something’s going on at Case de Zombie.   Either the animal kingdom is visiting my house one-by-one to meet their significant other… or there’s some weird undiscovered Alfred Hitchcock screen-play being cast at my house.

Knock, knock.

Mail’s here.

Ooops… male is here.  For the sake of my captions, I’ve determined this to be a boy frog.

We’ve had other strange visits too. Some can stay, some treat my house like this is their Holiday Inn Express, some had to go. Some I’m still trying evict.
- A bunny (who I’ve named Frankie). He can stay.
- A cute frog (he has no name. Suggestions? Front-door Freddie?)
- A mouse. Checked out.
- A lone deer. He can stay too, even though my precious mulberry tree has become his own little drive-thru diner.
- A coyote (heard him in the distance).
- A herd of elk (must be swingers).
- Three escaped neighbor goats (must be a threesome).
- A rat who discovered a sealed bag of dog food in the garage. Helping him pack his bags right now (gave him a special ’sleepy time’ snack).
- A raccoon.
- A bat. That was too weird. Don’t know how he got in, but he was nesting in a decorative bucket high atop a built-in bookcase. My bouncer T-man (dh, who fears nothing)… gave him the boot back outside.
- A mole. His friends have met the end of my shovel, but this one bugger just won’t check-out. Traps, gas, the shovel… he just won’t leave. Yesterday I picked up an arsenal of gas bombs… five 6-packs.

I’ve been battling this mole for over a month. He is my nemesis. My arch enemy. My Conrad Siegfried.
Eff PETA. I have become Carl.

I do not want to debate, I only want to give to fellow supporters.

Please feel free to copy and paste the code (or codes) located here. Tech support is not included - sorry.

Updated: I’ve gotten some kindly email help from fellow bloggers that my coding was off a bit. I think I now have it fixed. If it’s still buggy, I welcome the feedback. Thank you Blogland… I heart you!

The fun continues on my visit home…

Pam’s blogged it here, and Elizabeth has blogged it here… and of course I’m always on the short bus to ProcrastinationLand - so I’m finally blogging about it too. An über fun filled night and day.  It just went waaaaaaay too fast and I wish we all could have had more time together.

We started our Girl’s-Night-(and day)-o-rama with our wonderful friend Nireko at Emil Villa’s in Walnut Creek (officially it’s the Hick’ry Pit.  Whatever).  We ate.  We laughed.  We ate.  We laughed.  Nireko had us in stitches.  And there was pie.  OH.  THERE.  WAS.  PIE.  I stole these pics from Pam… because I’m still driving down that road.  Nireko showed us some new Lecien fabric that is just to DIE FOR, which left us competing with the pie for our drool worthiness.  I’ll show it when it gets on Lecien’s website.

Pam and I look like we’re getting chummy as a pose for the shot, but we were REALLY sitting like that. Smallest booth on the planet, and it’s always me who’ll find it.

We all go home, with just enough time to sleep (and digest our food).  Up and atom the following morning, and back on the road we go.  Heatwave was already in full swing, and Pam had her car nice and cool. Ahhh. First stop… Thimble Creek.  I haven’t been to TC in years, and this was my first visit since their move from Walnut Creek.  It was great to see Roxie, and wish I could have seen Joe too.  Joe and Roxie are just THE nicest couple, and it’s reflected in their wonderful business.  TC is great, and I could just hang out there for hours on end.  PS… if anyone is looking for some Minny Muu 3… I saw some there.

Elizabeth and Roxie.

The wonderful Chickie cutting my fabric. Maybe it was Pam’s fabric. Or maybe it was E’s fabric. Hard to know, since I told Chickie and Sandy as they were cutting Pam and E’s fabric, “I’ll have what she’s having”. I just noticed I have no pics of Pam while we were at TC. Mustabeen because I was nipping at Pam’s heals the entire time. Watching what she was picking out, and then I could get some too (like having a personal shopper).

The darling Sandy ringing up my first purchase (oh yes, there was more). Sandy has that “do you need to take out a second mortgage to cover this” look.

Brenda and Anne where there too. Ok, not really there there… but I saw Bren’s four season quilt and squealed with delight. I love this quilt so much. I bought her pattern at last market, and hope to one day make it. Lots of Anne’s goodies too, and picked up a few of her patterns as well.  Wish they had really been there there, but it was fun to see their beautiful works showcased.

As we head south, barely audible from the back seat are my “is it lunch yet?” whines. Having fun works up an appetite (in my case, even sleeping works up my appetite). Chevy’s. Mmmm. And did I mention it was a hundred-n-effing something degrees outside? The ice teas really hit the spot. Funny, after we sat down, we all instinctively whipped out our iPhones and Sidekick… checking to see to if we had emails from each other. Do’i.

Further south, we finally reach Mecca. Well. My Mecca. My version of Disneyland… Daiso.   A “dollar” store of Japanese delights and cuteness. I filled up two baskets and a cart. There’s a Daiso I’ve shopped at in Federal Way, WA… but this Union City, CA one is huge. HUGE. Makes the Federal Way store look like a mini-mart. I have died and gone to zakka heaven.

“OHMYGOSH… What’s that, Monica?”… it’s the ‘mayonnaise rack’ that Elizabeth found for me. After seeing this photo of myself, I noticed the one boob slimming-reducing effect it had on me. I should have bought two. Three,  one for my butt too.  Four… five…  six…

Pam and the find-of-the-day. Insert your own caption here. The use of OMG is not authorized since Pam, E and I have already said it to it’s maximum usage allowance on this item.

The wall-o-sponges. Like a museum of the world’s cutest sponges. So cute, they made us giddy. As Elizabeth said… “those sponges are Sponge Worthy”!

Here’s my sponge worthy buy… a little slice of sponge cake heaven. Who knew sponges could be so cute. Well, obviously the Japanese knew. Thank goodness!

After Daiso, we head back north to Walnut Creek to drop me off (my mom said I had to be home by 5:00 - and I actually obeyed - first time in 47 years). Our fun day is coming to an end soon, and I am so very sad. On the way back to The Creek, we stopped at The Quilter’s Inn in Danville. Darling little shop and the owner and staff couldn’t have been nicer. I could have hung out and shopped all day. Lovely, lovely little shop, and I found some more of the Lecien Antique Rose that I’ve been trying to gobble up for my stash - before it’s forever gone. Oh maybe… it just might come back? Hmmm… I hope so!

At the Quilter’s Inn I stopped dead in my tracks when I spotted this Guadalupe/Dia de los Muertos quilt. I asked if I could take a photo of it and was given persmission. I did ask who made it, but the info slipped out of my brain. I’d love to know if anyone knows who made this and will post it here.  One of the most beautiful and meaningful quilts I’ve ever seen.  I. LOVE.  IT.

Thank you Pam & E for the wonderful time - I hate that we live so far apart!

First stop… my brother’s house. Why? Because my mom told me to. And plus this is where we called home for our visit. My brother never lets an opportunity pass without reminding me the hierarchy slash his positioning on our parents speed-dial.

Audry Doggie… she would have to be given the title of my niece.  Human in fur. Kookoo for Cocoa Puffs dog she is. Loves to watch tv, especially the Olympic swimming and diving events.   Everyone is forbidden to turn to the Animal Planet channel.  Yeah.  Audrey Doggie gone wild.  Yes that is carpet she is on (no wonder Audrey’s KKFCP). Bad, bad, bad HGTV episode (results) that was never aired. <— Edited in:  Not because of the results, but becuase of a production issue.  Not saying it was Chayse Dacoda’s doing. But you know, don’t say anything if you can’t say anything nice. So I’ll just be quiet now.

How to make a butt fugly storage facility look beautiful. I’m obsessed with this building and marvel at the akamai thinking of the designers and planners.

The storage building is on Ygnacio Valley Road in Concord near Cal State EB (I still want to say Hayward). The Luthie church (you can’t see in the shot, but the sign is visible)… I was kicked out of a Sunday service when a was a little one (for talking too much - go figure), and sent outside. My mom says I wasn’t “kicked out”… that I was merely being punished for bad behavior. Joke’s on you Pastor CrabbyPants… there was a playground outside.  And that was my inaugural trip on the Sinners Road to Hell & Damnation.

More trip-o-rama to come… unless I get struck by lightning.

Signs of life… my life.  Getting back into the swing of things after our vacation (I’m STILL in de-vacationize mode). Signs that I was nearing Home Sweet Home. I know, bloom where you’re planted blahblahblah (actually, words I live by), but home really isn’t Home to me unless my family’s there too. It was SOOOO great to go home and be with ALL of my family (special shout out to Jodie… Ozzie Ozzie Ozzie, Oy Oy Oy), as well as hang out with my peep n peep. A trip of a lifetime for me. More trip stuff later - after I finish de-vacationizing and catching up on everyones blogs.

Good-bye Oregon. We’ll be back, I promise (or more appropriately… I warn).

Signs I’m getting closer to home… time to turn on the A/C.

Ahhhh. The sign that I’m home…

I took this photo for Kathleen from my iphone to taunt her. A pay-back because she did it to me a few months ago. But my evil (but oh so fun) plans backfired on me since she was getting ready to leave… for Paris. PARIS! So if there are any fellow Cali ex-pats who are looking at this photo and feel like I’m taunting you… well, I AM. Maybe this is how I’ll finally get to Paris myself. If the day ever comes when I get to go to Paris, be assured I will be posting taunting and tantalizing photos of crêpes.  Holy crêpe!