Happy Zombie

I wasn’t able to go to Fall Quilt Market, but little bits and pieces of me where there. And thanks to Pam and her trusty Sidekick and E and her iPhone and their text messages… and Cyndi and her media message…  I felt almost like I was there.

I showed a peek of the darling DARLING Minny Muu by Lecien fabric here, and at Market it was revealed what I was up to.  I designed/made a free quilt pattern for Lecien - which debuted at Market.  The Minny Muu Happy Zoo free pattern is available at Lecien’s website here.  I had such fun making this quilt - the Minny Muu is just too stinkin’ cute… how could it not be fun.  My very talented friend Karen did the beautiful machine quilting and C&T Publishing did the killer photography.  Happy Zoo is hittin’ the road visiting quilt shops to promote the line, so give it a hug for me if you see it. MMHZ is currently visiting Uncle Joe and Auntie Roxie at Thimble Creek, no doubt being pampered and spoiled!

Also at Market were two of my pocket purses (from my pattern here), showcasing Karen’s fabulous FABULOUS new line with Timeless Treasures.

Nerve-wracking for me to make these - since I made them from strike-offs. One boo-boo and I would have been sailing up S-creek without a paddle. Not like I can just run out and get more. I’m still oohing and ahhing over Karen’s new line. The colors are so crisp and happy. Can’t wait to see it in stores.

I can’t wait to read al the posts about Market. I was able to read a few already, saw a few pics here and there… such fun to read - and sooooooo missed not being able to see everyone.

Following our trip to Barn House, we ventured where the signs told us to go next.

Second stop was a place where I had trouble remembering the name.  I still can’t remember, and will edit it in later.  I do though remember it was in Battle Ground, WA (don’t get too homesick Nanna Jamma).  Super-size-me photos on a slide-show here for flickr peeps.

After many turns and twists, we are lead down this drive-way not knowing what awaits us.

A little enchanted forest with a village (someone’s home with lots of little buildings and goodies to buy inside them).

The doorway to Autumn paradise.

A cute little “shop” with folk artsy goodies.  Karen picking out for each of us a darling felt pendant with a cute Halloween critter on it to remeber our fun day together.  I could have gone to town in here. Actually, I did.  I had an armful of stuff to buy, got the counter… and the didn’t take debit/plastic (oh well, I was tightening the belt anyway).  Paula and I both did manage to get some adorable little fabric pumpkins (I see pumpkin making in our future).

An enchanting little grove and parts of it were lit up with twinkling lights.  I can only imagine how magical it must look at night.

And THIS is what brought me to my knees and prompted a 100+ photographs.  Amanda, you better sit down - hope you didn’t get a new barn yet.
I.  LOVE.  THIS.

One more time:  I.  LOVE.  THIS. I love this. I love this. I love this.

I took 100’s of photos to show my carpenter - for him to draft up a work order (aka my hubby and a honey-do list). I would LOVE to have this little sanctuary in my yard. I could envision so clearly friends coming over… having tea (or margaritas), stitching, yacking. Just being together hanging out and having respite, creativity, laughter, and of course… snacks.

Right side of the sanctuary:

Left side of the sanctuary:

Next stop… Beyond The Garden Gate, also in Battle Ground. Impressed with myself for remembering the name… I got lucky and captured the sign in one of my photos.  The highlight of this stop was nature’s wonders and farmishy stuff on the property. LOOK at this tree!!! I ’bout drove off the side of the road when I first saw it (shhh… don’t tell that to Robin).

My girl gang accused me of a reach-a-round.
And I did.
And I liked it.
And it felt like cherry chapstick.

Barntastic art.

New stuff inside to buy, but I’m more into vintage pre-loved stuff or handmade.  I did like their window box with the pumpkins (the mint green star on The Juice, not so much).  Something else to put on my “work-order”.  I see a trip to Lowes in my hubby’s future.  Okay, okay… I love the star too, and want it on the side of my one-day barn sanctuary.  And painted in aqua.

I did manage to drop some cash and picked up some cute iron gardenishy stuff.

After our vintagepalooza through Battle Ground, off to lunch we went.  For dessert we went to Kalama for antiquing and scored, scored, scored. If you’re ever traveling up the I-5 between Portland and Seattle, and you love antique shopping… Kalama is a great little town with many little stores to choose from. The locals here call it “ka-LAM-a”. But I know better and refuse to buckle to inaccurate pronunciation… it’s “ka LA ma” when I comes from my mouth, mahalo very much.

Paula and Robin getting ready for Halloween at the antique mall.

And before we knew it… it was time for dinner, and even more fun was had. And then it was time to make the trek back to the coast. I got home just after 10pm… and off to bed I went, dreaming of the magical day with the best friends ever… while sugar plumbs and little barn sanctuaries danced in my head.

Ever feel like you’ve walked straight into the pages of a magazine?  Me neither.  Until Saturday, that is.  My kick-ass girl gang’s trip to Barn House was heavenly and I had to touch everything to make sure it was real life, and not printed pages.  Heavenly.  Delightful.  Magical.  Beautiful.  Breathtaking.  And a little macabre-larious too (saving that for the end of the post - no skipping ahead).  My challenge was to whittle down all my photos into only 3 dozen.  Between Paula and me, I think we snapped a couple hundred photos.  Click.  Click.  Click…  we just couldn’t stop.  I couldn’t decide what to post/what not to post, so I did them all (well, almost all).   Trying to keep the photos small so this page doesn’t take forever to load, so if you have a flickr account (get one if you don’t!)… you can see all my Gothic Harvest photos in super-size-me big photos on my slide show.

Barn House is located in Battle Ground, Washington… which is about 30-40 minutes NE of Portland - and about a 2 hour drive SE of Astoria (I would have driven 12 hours to get there - especially if the girl gang was with me - and we’d rent a trailer so a certain someone could have plenty of room for her finds… and this someone ALWAYS finds huge cute things when it’s my turn to drive).

Mother Nature put on quite a show for us - the fall colors looked like they were airbrushed on.

Entrance to the barn.  Take a deep breath and hold on.  This is an E Ticket!

Our hosts.  Far right is Jermonne, one half of “J & J” of Barn House, aka Joe and Jermonne.   Fun, wonderful and talented peeps, and they all put on the show of shows.  Everyone at Barn House was so friendly and gracious, and made everyone feel like a VIP guest.

I will never look at a chicken feeder in the same way.  Something ordinary into something beautiful.

Terracotta “pumpkin patch”.  At least that’s how it looked to me.

A sweet little garden just outside of the refreshment tent.

Seriously.  I feel like I walked into the most beautiful wedding or party setting ever.  Over the top, but the good kind of over the top.

All creatures great and small love Barn House.

Beverages for the two-wingers and the two-leggers.

Breathtaking.

Cardamon bread, pumpkin bread, marionberry bread… I was in bread utopia.  Oh so very good, especially the cardamon bread.   Also on tap was coffee, mimosas, fruit… just so much good stuff.  Edited in:  I found out who the mystery baker was (all we knew at the time was that her name was Karen).  One never knows who they’ll meet in our wonderful little internet village… and Karen is from an IRL village just up the road from me!  Next time I drive through her town, you can bet I’ll be looking for bread crumb trails!

Fantasy tables and settings.

My inner harvest is tingling on high right about here.

Harvest.   I think it’s my favorite word (though I do like saying Jalalabad the best).

I love this lamp idea.  Maybe not a lamp… but a fence-delier.  LOVE.  IT.

Brave? Ballsy? Either or both… I loved it.

My inner harvest is now past the tingling stage.

That’s it.  My inner harvest meter just blew up.

So macabre, so hilarious… so something that I get such a kick out of.  Dexter meets farm house chic.

And this was just part one of three of our awesome girl gang field trip. Two more stops (we followed the signs to more delightful surprises). More to come!

I really should know this… but does anyone know what the (red) fabric is that I used on this To Market, To Market bag?  I know it’s like asking where my car keys are (yeah, I don’t know the answer to that either).  If anyone knows, or knows of an online store or shop where it can be purchased… you will make one Quilts and More reader very, very, very happy!  TIA!

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.

To cap off our wonderful day, we stopped at Carriage Country Quilts on the way home. Sigh… what a wonderful day it was - and it was even SUNNY!