Magazines for Julia

Hi everyone! It's time for our "Magazines for Julia" drawing! Thank you to everyone who participated and all of your wonderful comments on how good it made you feel. It made me feel good to put this together too! Just think, we now have a new friend in Germany named Julia! She's a quilter like us and she makes the world seem a bit smaller. Now I can only hope that the customs department doesn't start asking why on earth she is getting so many packages LOL! I plan on sending Julia magazines every now and then. A special treat in the mail for her. Thank you Julia for being our new friend! Happy reading!

For all of you who were so kind to share your treasures with Julia, here's what I'm going to send to ALL of you. Are you ready? Each one of you will get my new pattern called "Postcard Cuties for Winter" and...

...with the pattern you'll each get one of the following treats:

Twenty-one of you will get a Peace on Earth Charm Pack...

Two of you will get a Peace On Earth Jelly Roll...

and three of you will get a set of fifteen Peace On Earth fat quarters!

I've put together something for everyone! And now lets do a drawing for a three full sets of my newest block of the month "I Believe in Angels"...here comes the random number generator...ready? We'll follow the numbers listed in my last post, # 1 to 26...

These are the numbers, # 5, # 9 & # 2

If your name is next to that number you win one of the angel patterns! If you have that pattern already, just choose another block of the month and email me your choice right away! Congratulations ladies! You're all winners (: I'll be sending your treats out very soon!

Hugs,

Anne

The Beast Is In the Studio!

The BEAST is in the studio!

No, not the little brown beast with her head behind the pillows, but the big black beast next to her! I think of her as a beast, and so she has a name. She's been in a closet for a year now and I made my husband and son carry her upstairs to my studio. I had to listen to lots of grumbling and complaining, but she made it up. My husband made some comment like "if she comes down she keeps going". Tough he is NOT so I'm not worried.

Shabby and chic she isn't. I even called Schwinn to see if they made pink bikes ("no, sorry only commercial colors and this is the first time we've been asked that"). Well they just lost another sale from me because I would have ordered a pink one, yes I would have. If you come to visit I might stick her in the closet, but for now she's out because my intention is to ride this beast before I start working in the morning.

Chelsea didn't want to be outdone so she gave me her most BEASTLY look. Eat your heart out Mark Lipinski because Chelsea is mine, yapper and all. Yes, I might like to have that little Petunia of yours too, but I'm still keeping Chelsea. LOL!

And now for another beast in the studio...my magazine send off! I tell you, if I ever get this straight it will be a miracle. I can't keep track of who's coming or going, but I think I finally have it figured out. Maybe. Maybe not.

Please make sure your name is on the list if you've contacted me. If you don't see a city by your name, I need your address! Email me because in the next post I'm showing what treats you'll be getting AND I'm doing a surprise drawing with your names. I'm giving away 3 of "I Believe in Angels" because you are angels for sure! To those of you in Australia and Canada a DOUBLE thank you! I never realized postage was so expensive in your countries. How's the price of your gas? LOL!

1. Carol Lewis/Arizona http://www.carolscraftcloset.blogspot.com/



2. Cathi Godwin/Toronto, Ontario http://www.quiltobsession.blogspot.com/



3. Beth Dasecke/Australia http://www.highlandhen.blogspot.com/



4. Erin Bennett/New Hampsire http://www.godoodlesnquilt.blogspot.com/



5. Jodi Nelson/Oregon/ http://simplythisthatandtheother.blogspot.com/



6. Sally Frye/Illinois



7. Angela Bonomo/California



8. Karen Perry http://www.yellowfarmhouse.typepad.com/



9. Diane Saphos/Pennsylvania



10. Dora Dis/Reykjavik, Iceland http://www.catnap.typepad.com/



11. Jackie Kunkel http://www.cvquiltworks.blogspot.com/



12. Marcia Campbell/Australia



13. Pat Shipp/ Florida



14. Jean Cogdill/Utah/ http://dougjean.blogspot.com/



15. Sharon Clark/Kentucky
    
    
16. Jan Richards/Washington



17. Jocelyn House/Australia



18. Lori Marchbanks/Maine



19. Bridgette Mason/California



20. Pat Duffany/New York/http://pat-bitsandpieces.blogspot.com/



21. Susan Haase/California



22. Cheryl Killingsworth/Arkansas



23. Louise Murphy/Washington



24. Vicky McGee/California http://laquilter.blogspot.com/



25. Anne Dease/California
26. Diane Nagle/Nevada
27. Tami/Tucson

And finally, to make this beast happy (that would be me) and to help my organization attempt, I bought this CUTE pink shelf on eBay. Then I rounded up all my glass jars, salt and pepper shakers etc. and I managed to bring some clutter under control. They now sit so pretty on the little pink shelf, happy as can be in my studio. I've got some canned air ready when they need dusting!

This post took much longer than I expected. That beast is calling me. Be back soon...

Oh my gosh, you magazine lovers!

I love quilters and magazine lovers! LOVE YOU! Not only do you love the same things I do, you're all so willing to jump in and join the hoopla! No questions asked, just let's do it! Julia get a book shelf ready! Pretty soon you'll be asking yourself "do I really need all these magazines?" You'll have the same sickness as the rest of us!

I've had so many responses I can hardly keep them straight! Whose email did I answer and who did I forget? Remember to email me directly. If you've left a comment and haven't heard from me, it's because your comment is missing an email link. So Diane and you other wonderful quilters wondering why I haven't answered you, send me an email (there's a link on the side bar) and I'll send you Julia's address! If you have a blog tell me and don't forget to send me your address. I'm going to list the first 25 responders in the next post so do it now (:

Here's what I sent to Julia...a mixture of American and Australian...

And then I added Mary because she so "American" and she fit it in the flat rate envelope! Don't worry if you sent the same magazines. Julia will pass the duplicates on to her friends.

And, as I've been sorting through my stacks of magazines I found this article in the June issue of Country Living...it's Susan Gower and she usually has a booth at Fall Quilt Market FILLED with vintage buttons and trims. It's one of my favorite booths and I love to shop there. Obviously Country Living does too!

This is some of my loot from the Houston quilt market...just some!

Julia, please post some photos when you get your magazines. We'd love to see! Take a picture of your mailman/lady too!

Hugs everyone!

Anne

From one quilter to another, it's time to share!

Oh my, what a nightmare my organizing hour has become! It's taking so much longer than I expected. I could be at this until next January! I remember when my father-in-law died, we found stacks of National Geographic magazines in his house. STACKS. The charity places wouldn't even take them! I've always thought quilting magazines were the exception, but who knows? I have a feeling that if I walked into a thrift store right now I might get turned away!

And do any of you buy the same magazine twice? How about books? Ever done that one?! I hope I'm not alone in this madness!

So I've come up with this idea that could be a lot of fun. I'm going to give some magazines to Julia who lives in Germany . She left a comment on my organizing post and it seems she would LOVE to have the problem I do. I can't send stacks of magazines because of the cost, but a few here and there would be a fun way of sharing, from one quilter to another! Check out her blog at http://littlegirlquilts.blogspot.com/ . She posts in both German and English! Leave a comment to tell her you came to visit. And Julia, please email me your address and wait for the mailman!

Here's the fun part...join me in sending Julia some magazines! Email me to get her address, then take a flat rate global priority envelope (free at your post office) and send some magazines! It isn't that much money and we can get at least two or three magazines in one envelope. After you send off your magazines (be selective, only good ones please), email me and I'll send you a surprise treat from Bunny Hill! A treat for the first 25 people who join me in sharing!

Added 6/25: Guess what? We have reached the limit! Julia you will be getting a LOT of magazines. Thanks everyone!

For The Girls

Take a purse, add a little girl and there's bound to be a smile! Now take a "Little Jelly Bag" pattern and add a sewing day with two little girls and the fun begins! Chickie's grand-daughters, Stella and Rachel each made 2 Little Jelly Bag's of their own. No jelly rolls for these little girls...they went right for the fabric. Each selected the perfect fabrics and then cut their fabric following the measurements for the batting/lining! Chickie supervised and the machines started humming. When their bags were done there were two pretty girls with two new bags!

These little bags aren't just for IPhones or cameras. Just ask Emma, my friend Anne's grand-daughter. Anne designed the Little Jelly Bag pattern with me and Emma's pretty proud of her Grammy!

Here, I'll let her tell you herself...

"so, it's not just any old purse. but it's a purse my grammy designed. i dont' really understand it all myself, but it was a hit at market in Portland(which is a huge one for quilters) and grammy's pattern could show up in stores all over! and get this...the pattern comes in 5 different sizes! So you can fit your iphone, cellphone, camera, lipstick, whatever. i prefer to put blocks and sunglasses in mine! "

Thanks Emma, we love your review!

I think there's another Emma in Texas who might need a Little Jelly Bag...in pink maybe? I'd better get busy!

Simplify, Just an hour a day!

A little simplification would be the first step toward rational living, I think.--Eleanor Roosevelt

This is my goal for the next two weeks. Simplify. Isn't that a wonderful word? It's been used a lot in fabric names and patterns lately. Must be significant of our times.

My friend Anne and I were talking and she suggested taking an hour a day to work on cleaning out the "stuff". You know, the stuff that collects all over the house? You'll find it when you open a drawer, open your closet or look at that stack of papers by your desk that have piled up.

I HATE to show you my mess, but I realized that in order to get my point across you have to look. I'm taking an hour each day to work on these kind of projects and I'm starting with my magazines, and catalogs. I can't believe how quickly they pile up! They are in every room, calling my name, collecting a bit of dust, and waiting for me to rescue them from the stacks!

Stack,

After stack,

After stack,

After stack!

And the solution? I have a few that I'll share, but I'd love to hear yours! What do you do with those magazines you subscribe to?

I have two magazines that I love and I can't part with a single issue, "Victoria" and "American Patchwork and Quilting". I keep these in magazine holders on my book shelves, arranged by date and year. I need to add labels and this will be part of my one hour a day cleaning session. (:

Next, I go through the rest of the magazines and tear out the articles I want to keep. Some I glue into sketch books so I can easily flip through the pages for ideas,

And some go into plastic pages in 3 ring binders

I have a binder for each subject. Part of the process of simplifying is to add beauty to your life. I have to do something to dress up these binders! Add that to my one hour a day...

Oh no! I think I hear the mail truck coming! NOT MORE MAGAZINES! Help! What should I do? My husband says I get more catalogs and magazines than anyone on earth. He can't be right, it would be the first time!

We are Lucky Bunnies!

It's Friday the 13th, but The Bunny Club doesn't know it! I'm off this morning to teach at Thimble Creek Quilt Shop. It's Bunny Club day! We plan on sewing the day away making my pattern "Little Jelly Bags"! We'll have jelly strips in every color and I hope to take some pictures to show you! This pattern was so much fun to design. It was the result of two friends working together to design the perfect little bags! There are SO many uses for these little bags. My friend Anne made at least 17 bags before we finished the pattern.

I love the shabby chic look...

And Anne likes the darker colors...

And just wait until I show you Anne's grand-daughter with her new Jelly Bag. Anne made the wrist strap and inserted it into both sides of the bag and ta da....a little girl's bag was born! I'm still waiting on the picture...hint, hint (:

And to prove this is a lucky day...check out Elizabeth Scott over at Late Bloomer quilts. She's the first designer to use my fabric in one of her designs! I'm just so excited about it. She used "Flowers for Emma" to make her pattern called "Emma's English Roses". I'm telling you this is a darling little quilt! The stems on the flowers are ric rac, and some of the flowers have little button centers. Thank you Elizabeth! Your designs are so cute! http://www.latebloomerquilts.com/store/product.php?prod_id=55&cat_id=1

Have a wonderful Friday the 13th!

Spring Cleaning in June

This cleaning thing has turned into a major project, and from all of your comments in my last post it sounds like I'm not alone. It's good to know that others are out there sorting through stacks of accumulated "must haves" too! How on earth do we pile up so many things, and how do so many things manage to get right where we need to work? The perfect example is my collection of rotary cutters. I am NOT to blame for this...the Olfa Corporation is.

How could they keep adding ""limited edition" colors and expect us not to buy one? What if all our friends bought one and we didn't get in on the deal? I have two work stations, each with a collection of rotary cutters, and then I have the traveling ones that go to classes with me, this all adds up to a LOT of rotary cutters. My cleaning frenzy has brought this to my attention because now I'm on the hunt for the perfect container for my rotary cutters and Olfa is to blame. All I can say is they BETTER not come out with another color.

Right in the middle of my organizing phase, I got an email from Restoration Hardware. Guess what? They have a new collection called Baby & Child. http://www.rhbabyandchild.com/rhbc/catalog/category/category.jsp?navAction=jump&navCount=16&categoryId=rhbc_cat101011 I can see they'll be added to my list of companies to blame very soon. Just look at these storage boxes! Pink of course.

And these pink suitcases! For storage only, but don't you love them? Too bad they don't hold rotary cutters LOL!

My next thing to tackle is the magazines. Those are MUCH worse than the rotary cutters and I have to spend some time sorting through all stacks. I have a sorting system that works for me and I'll share it with you in my next post.

Please don't tell me if you buy the pink suitcases. I've already spent too much money on the pink boxes with the dots...had I just known this "baby" would have these! (:

This could go on all day!

This could go on all day. I'm cleaning my studio and what a mess I've created! It started off as a normal morning and I had a list of projects I wanted to finish. Funny thing is that every time I feel like I've got too much to do or too many things on my mind, my brain says "let's pull everything out and clean!" So that's what I've been doing. Of course now I have piles of things all over and it looks MUCH worse than when I started. Logic tells me I'll be happy when I'm done but right now I can't see the forest for the trees!

Do any of you ever do this? You get overwhelmed so you just stop everything and start cleaning? I have no idea where this come from, but I hope I'm not alone. It's really sick if I'm the only one LOL! I've been known to rearrange furniture, throw out all kinds of things, and pretty much exhaust myself before I'm done. When I'm done, I ALWAYS feel much better and of course the good thing is I have a nice clean studio to work in!

In the middle of all the cleaning I HAD to stop and post these photos for all of you. These are the "after" shots of my frenzy. First I pulled all my wool off the shelf and rearranged it in neat stacks (yes, I said stacks). Then I put Bitty Bunnies, and my prototype of Bitty Kitty in front of the wool. The Bitty Kitty you see here was one of my rejects. The first mouse I made was way too small (the tiny brown one) . Then I made a larger mouse, and I thought it would be so cute in peach wool, but it actually looked a bit anemic. So my rejects are now at home in my studio! They don't go into the garbage unless they are REALLY bad.

Remember these little bears? I found them stuck in a basket. Out they came and now they are doing a line dance in front of my fabric. You'll find this free pattern on my web site, at the bottom of the page http://bunnyhilldesigns.com/dynamic/?page=Free%20Patterns Now you can make a line of little dancing bears!

In the same basket was a poor single little bitty bird. Look where she found a home! She's on my wall, perched on a kitty picture. She loves it here!

I put all of my ric rac on a shelf and realized I have bolts and bolts. So soon I'll add some grab bags of trims to my web site. You'll be able to buy assorted bags of those fun trims I use in my patterns! You never know what you might get (: Coming soon, I promise.

And remember the pink polka dot boxes I bought from http://www.seejanework.com/ProductCart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=21&idproduct=1277 ? Well I LOVE them. They are the perfect size for each of my projects so I just ordered a few more boxes. Each project will get a tag and it's own box. How's that for organization?

Wow, it looks so good in here if you just look at the photos. Glad you can't see the rest of the studio! (:

Back to cleaning.

Quilter's Home is Home at My House!

The newest copy of Quilter's Home arrived at my house today. I've been waiting and waiting for this one because Mark included me in one of his articles. It's an amazing thing this blogging world. I wrote about Quilter's Home in a previous post and before I could say "I can't believe I'm talking to him" it was "him" on the phone! Mark Lipinski! The end result is on page 32. You'll have to buy the magazine to read it!

If you're curious about the post I wrote that put me on page 32, you can read it by clicking on the link below. Because of this, he came into my booth at market to meet me. It was a kick! (:

http://bunnyhill.blogspot.com/2008/02/for-love-of-quilters-home.html

So last night I settle down to READ the magazine cover to cover and SURPRISE! It's our Mary from Mary's Cottage Quilts on page 68! http://maryscottagequilts.blogspot.com/ . Everyone who meets her loves her! She has an infectious smile and she's so darned sweet! She designs beautiful quilts too! (: So here's a picture of her from Quilter's Home magazine...

But if you click on the link below, Pam Kitty Morning has captured the Mary we all adore. Don't you wish you could meet her?

http://pamkittymorning.blogspot.com/2008_05_01_archive.html

So if you don't already get Quilter's Home Magazine, better pick up the latest issue. Thanks Mark! We love you (: Check out his house and garden on his blog! It will take your breath away! http://marklipinskisblog.wordpress.com/

In Love with this Fabric!

Moda Fabrics has a new colors of solids and I just had to order some. They arrived in the mail yesterday and when I opened the box I actually said "wow"! These are bright, colors in Autumn shades! Not my usual style for sure, don't you agree?

Well, I'll let you all in on a little secret. The success of a good design is often tied to colors like these. Bright , contrasting colors, used in small amounts can bring a quilt to life. I've seen it happen time and time again. So when I look at color I no longer say, "oh I hate that green"! Instead I say, "I wonder how that will look as a vine or a pumpkin?" (Yes, you can have a green pumpkin) It takes an assortment of colors to make a good quilt and it's good to keep a stash of wonderful solids like these.

Just look at this stack next to Renee Nanneman's new fabric from Andover! I bought two of each of these little bundles at sample spree because I fell in love with this fabric! It's her new line called Meadowsweet. Renee does some of my favorite books, Need'l Love http://www.needllovedesigns.com/. You'll see this fabric in one of my designs for sure!

The next time you visit your local quilt shop, buy yourself a fat quarter of assorted solids. Keep them in your stash and try them in a quilt. You'll be glad you did!

Gotta go put these in my stash!