Most Creative, Helpful, Wonderful, Favorite Blog of 2008

So here I am voting again, a committee of one. This time it's for the most creative, HELPFUL, wonderful blog of 2008. Did you notice I put helpful in caps?

I found Angela at Cottage Magpie through blogging almost two years ago. I fell in love with her blog! It was one of those blogs that you check everyday, just waiting for a new post! It was at the time when we were just moving into our new house and I was buying furniture right and left trying to make my house a home. Of course those were the days of the good economy. Remember those?

I was determined not to have all white furniture and so I purchased some darker pieces (online believe it or not) to fill in. Well, when the dark dresser arrived I thought Ross (my DH) would have me committed! It was so dark it was almost black. We tried it in every room I could think of, including the dining room!

Out of desperation and to save my marriage, it finally ended up in the "pink" room and I told him not to worry I could work around it. The dresser weighs a TON and by this time he was so sick of moving it I was afraid it would end up on the front porch! So it found a home in the middle of a wall, and I tried to work around it...

So, now I'm getting to the Angela part...almost...

I brought in darker pictures and added them to the wall, I tired vintage china, bird houses, anything I could think of but I just couldn't get an arrangement to balance with the dresser. And then I thought of Angela! If you send her a photo of a room you just can't pull together, this talented, creative, lady will help for FREE! And so my relationship with Angela began...I emailed her with a photo asking for her help.

First she told me to gather anything I could think of both dark and light and arrange them as best I could. She needed to know the types of pieces she had to work with. So off I went to grab a hammer and a nail.

After trying and trying this was the best I could do, not bad but I still wasn't happy. It looked out of balance. So Angela took over in Photoshop...

She played around with the picture and moved things here and there...Keep in mind this is all done in Photoshop, but it was like she was in the room with me!

She gave me several suggestions, like maybe add a mirror on the wall above the chair...

and finally...

... here is the end result, with one exception. We added crystal knobs to the dresser to "lighten" it up! The room is in perfect balance and I just love it. It's our guest room so if you come to visit, this is where you'll stay!

And the two little hearts you see in the first picture? Well those are now hanging from their new crystal knobs on the dresser. I'm too lazy to go down and take a new picture so you'll have to "make do".

And now you see why I love Cottage Magpie so much! She can help you too! Just check out her blog and you'll see some rooms she has helped people with. Thank you Angela!

Happy New Year everyone! I wish you all the best of everything in 2009. I can't thank you enough for reading my blog. You are all so appreciated! I'm taking the weekend to work on my unfinished projects that need to get done, but I'll be back on January 5th. Hope you have a fun sewing weekend too!

Hugs,

Anne

My most creative, admired designer and business woman of the year!

We all have people we admire and thinking back over the past year and there is one designer I admire the most. I'm voting her my "Most Admired Designer and Business Woman of the Year". Who did I choose? Amy Butler!

Looking around my house, I realized I have almost every book she's written, and I walk past her booth at market with a sense of amazement. The simplicity of her style is so inspiring! According to my friend Nancy, she's a modern day Laura Ashley with a different, updated style. She is charming, intelligent and sweet; add to that talent that has no limit and you have a 6ft. beautiful designer.

Yesterday Brenda sent me this video from MSNBC called "Who needs Banks?" Give it a minute to load. I think you'll enjoy it!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26526805/vp/27751572#27751572

Did you watch it? Didn't you love it? If you're thinking of starting a business she gives the best advice you can get. Start small and grow slowly.

Oh, and a bit of advice from me...always stay true to yourself! Find your own style and create from that.

Remember to sign up for my newsletter. I have some fun things starting in January and you don't want to miss them! Just go to http://www.bunnyhilldesigns.com/ and scroll down to the bottom of the home page.

Two days left in 2008 and then ta da!!!! We start fresh! I can hardly wait!

The most creative, fresh, upcoming new designer of 2008!

My vote goes to...Monica Solorio-Snow, otherwise known as "The Happy Zombie". I voted her in all by myself. And why not? I'm entitled. I have good taste and I know a good thing when I see one. Not only is she SWEET as sugar, and FUNNY as a, well I don't know what, but she's funny take my word for it, she's so DANGED talented! Oh my gosh if she lived closer to me I would take her by the hand and DRAG her to market. She'd have her own booth (I'd make her pay for it of course) and music would play when people walked by. Happy music! She'd be an instant hit and she doesn't even know it!

Just hop over to her blog, check it out and you'll see what I mean! I swiped this picture from her blog (sounds better to say swipe and that's what she calls it) but I don't think she'll care. If you've seen this pattern called Pennie Pockets showing up on a lot of blogs, it's hers and it's FREE! Print it out and look at how darling her patterns are!

So congratulations Monica! I feel like I should be making you a badge or something to wear. Hummm, wonder if I still have my tiara? I'll go look!

I wanted to get this post in before the end of 2008. Something tells me 2009 will be a very good year for her, right Pam? Remember where you heard it first! (:

Merry Christmas Wishes!

"I heard the bells, on Christmas Day,

Their old, familiar carols play,

and wild and sweet the words repeat

of peace on earth, good will to men."

...Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Merry Christmas Everyone!

French... Joyeux Noel

German... Froehliche Weihnachten

Italian... Buone Feste Natalizie

Japanese... Shinnen omedeto. Kurisumasu Omedeto

Norwegian... God Jul or Gledelig Jul

Portuguese... Feliz Natal

Russian... Pozdrevlyayu s prazdnikom Rozhdestva is Novim Godom

Spanish... Feliz Navidad

and from Chelsea and Bitsy... Bow Wow, ruff, ruff!

"I wish we could put up some of the Christmas spirit in jars and open a jar of it every month." Harlan Miller

Wishing you and your family a very Merry Christmas!

Holiday Traditions on Fast Track!

I feel like the sleigh Santa uses turned into a locomotive! Since when did Christmas come so fast? Yesterday my grand-daughter announced the imminent arrival of Christmas and I couldn’t believe it. No! I need more time! Santa’s coming in a locomotive!

I’ve been busy trying to fitting in all those holiday traditions. We all have them, the things we remember forever, and look forward to every year. Here’s my list…

Cookie Baking:
Saturday was cookie baking with my grand-daughters Alyssa and Michaela. We made 4 kinds of cookies. What was I thinking? After hours of waiting for the sugar cookie dough to chill, rolling out dough, cleaning up the flour on us and the floor, our favorite was the plain old chocolate chip cookies! The sugar cookies were just OK, so if someone has a GREAT sugar cookie recipe please share it!

Break the Bank:
We save our loose change in the piggy bank during the year and a few days before Christmas we empty the pig, turn in the coins at Safeway and off we go with the girls shopping. The loot came to almost $50 so it was off to get a present for mom and dad. They knew exactly what they wanted, and Target provided gloves, socks, hair brush for mom, CD for dad.

Mini photo albums:
This was a first for us, but it was so much fun I’ll make it a yearly tradition! I printed out photos of both girls that I took during 2008 and each one made a photo album. We used double stick tape to attach the photos (no messy glue fingers allowed), and now the albums sit wrapped under the tree waiting for that special moment when mom and dad open them. Michaela kept saying, “this is so much fun!” It brought back memories, and lots of laughs.

And on the 24th we will see the San Francisco Ballet’s version of the nutcracker! This is our first time to go! At the price of tickets this will not be a yearly tradition, but one I hope we’ll always remember. I have my own little ballerina right here!

Happy Holiday Traditions everyone! Share some of yours!

Hugs,

Anne

"Angel Houses"

And the sky was filled with angels, each one on a star, and you could feel the magic in the air...

It's here! Finally! "Angel Houses" from Bunny Hill Designs and Henry Glass Fabrics is shipping to quilt shops this month. The time between designing a fabric and shipping to stores seems like forever, and when I actually see bolts of fabric it's so exciting!

Each of my fabric lines start with little sketches of ideas. I never know where these will lead. As I'm working on a line I keep drawing and drawing, and jotting down ideas as I go. I never worry about how it looks at this point, they don't have to be perfect sketches. I just want my ideas on paper so I can remember! And to think that these sketches may eventually become fabric amazes me! Read about my inspiration for this line on The Fat Quarter Shop's blog! Better yet she has the fabric in stock here!

And don't you just love free patterns? Well, you'll find this quilt...

...and this little heart ornament on my web site. Just click on this link and you'll be there!

Hope you have a little angel in your life! It's so much fun to make these little hearts!

Hugs,

Anne

15 Days and Counting!

And the lion shall lay down with the lamb...

But at my house the lamb is glittered pink, and who knows what color the lion will be. I haven't found a lion I love yet. Humm...wonder if they come in pink?

I started counting the days with this beautiful advent calendar my friend Nancy made for me. (It has pockets and little treats in each pocket!). Well, I got to day 10 and it hit me! 10 plus 15 is 25! No, no, no we can't have Christmas this fast! I'm not ready at all! It seems for every step I take forward I take two steps back. No presents are wrapped, and the UPS truck keeps arriving. I bought everything online this year, so brown boxes are stacking up and to find time to wrap is next to impossible. Do you feel like this? Where did the time go?

I know Christmas will arrive wrapped presents or not, and at least I've finished decorating. It looks like Christmas even if I'm not ready!

I collect snowmen so I thought it only fitting to have a container filled with them. I found an old box, painted it red and then painted snowmen on the front. These are decorating our kitchen!

Ho, Ho, Ho, I got a bit carried away. There were some plain wood eggs just sitting in a bowl and I couldn't stand it. Once I had the red paint out it was so easy to just keep going.

A feather tree with my childhood ornaments sits on our family room coffee table. I can remember a time when I hated these ornaments. I wanted newer ones, different ones, and I kept these in a box in the garage for the longest time. Then one day I took them out, hung them on this tree and knew that they were somehow beautiful. Funny how that happens!

The kitchen counter gets enamelware cups, filled with berry sprays. I put floral foam in the cups to hold the spays.

And the living room gets the tree again this year. It's the perfect place to sit and read. And on Christmas morning this is where we open presents (If they ever get wrapped)!

Aside from collecting bunnies, lambs, snowmen, chocolate molds etc. etc., I also have a bear collection that comes out every Christmas. This is a shared collection because my husband keeps finding bears and we add them to the collection. Most are "rescues" but I've hidden a couple of the pedigree bears in the crowd. You know, like the FAO Swartz bear...he's in there somewhere!

A tic tac game sits on the coffee table every year. It's been played over and over!

And my favorite snowlady...an angel!

So remember those old ornaments when you decorate. Separate them from the rest and give them a place of honor. All of a sudden the won't look so old!

Be sure and sign up for my newsletter if you haven't already. Just go to my web site http://www.bunnyhilldesigns.com , scroll down on the home page and you'll see a place to enter your name etc. I have some fun things planned for next year. Get on the list or you'll be left out! That's all the news for now LOL!

Hugs,

Anne

Oh and stay tuned. I may be hiring gift wrappers very soon.

Christmas at Bunny Hill

The Christmas decorating started this weekend and of course it involved a bunny. This little bunny sits among many other ornaments on my Christmas tree. He's a bit like Peter Rabbit...a little different than all the rest, but loved none the less.

Mooch took right to the tree skirt fabric and made herself at home!

Chelsea was busy burying bones under the ornaments waiting to be put on the tree. Who knows, maybe Santa will find it and bring her something special when he finds it!

I love an old fashioned tree with a mixture of ornaments. Anything goes as long as it's loved!

Little houses...

Tiny vintage mercury glass...

a felt kitty...

...and little whimsical reindeer... after all it's Christmas! The more whimsy the merrier!

The dining room table is a little glitter town.

The living room table is simple and sweet. Still plenty of room for hot chocolate and cookies!

And this little snowman sits in a garland of berries.

Now you can see how I spent my weekend. I love simple decorating! Have you finished your decorating yet? My son's German girlfriend says in Germany most people don't put up a tree until Christmas Eve. How about you? (:

Hugs all!

Anne

The Story of Catch a Christmas Star!

I was talking to Jennifer at http://www.shabbyfabrics.com/
today and she mentioned that she has the last of the "Catch a Christmas Star" kits on sale. Oh be still my heart because that quilt means so much to me. I hate to see the "last" of any kits, but this one especially.

Catch a Christmas Star was one of the first large applique quilts I designed and while I was working on it I got a call that my mother was in the hospital. My son and I got on a plane as fast as we could and I grabbed all the fabric and drawings to bring with me to work on. It was not meant to be, because my mom was very sick and I was told she only had a few weeks or months left. My mother loved to see the things I made and to watch me sew so she insisted I try and work. I just couldn't.

After she died, it was several months before I could work on this design. But when I did I just couldn't stop. "Catch a Christmas Star" took on a life of it's own. It filled me with joy, hope and love and every stitch was a pleasure to stitch! My mother would have loved this quilt. She always encouraged me when I colored my cows purple or did something different than other kids. She would have loved the slightly crooked tree on the bottom left. These snowmen are magical Christmas snowmen filled with happiness and love. The quilt is traveling this year so it won't be home with me. It's in France for the season. France! Can you imagine?

The inspiration for "Catch a Christmas Star" came from somewhere up above I'm sure. If you'd like to purchase a kit you can find it here on Jennifer's site.

Hugs to you all!

Anne

Don't miss these!

There are So many great magazines and books out right now I can hardly keep up with all of them. I love going to Barnes and Noble and searching the magazine section. And then there are the books. I could spend hours in that store.

Here’s a few of my new favorites you might want to pick up. These are “keepers” that will have a place on my shelf.

“Stitched in Time” by Alicia Paulson from Posy gets Cozy has to be the most delightful craft book I’ve ever read. Not that I “read” most craft books but this one I read from cover to cover. The pages are filled with Alicia’s wonderful writing style writing. The projects are simple and sweet. It’s the perfect book for beginners or the more accomplished. She not only designed the projects and wrote the book, but she also photographed it too! Charming is the word that comes to mind. A keeper!

The premier edition of "Where Women Create" is wonderful! If you liked the book you will love this magazine. And here’s the best part…this is only the beginning. There will be more! I went to www.stampington.com and subscribed.

If you read my market posts you may remember that I met Kaari Meng at market. She owns the French General in Hollywood California. Not far from me! Any one interested in taking a class together? She has the table all set for us! She'll have her first line of Moda fabric at Spring market. I know I will want her fabric!

One of the best Christmas craft magazines this year is Better Homes and Gardens “Holiday Crafts”. It’s FILLED with great crafts for the holidays. A designer friend of mine, Karina Hittle from Artful Offerings is featured throughout the book! You will LOVE her projects.

What could be cuter than "Sweet Treats"? I'd use these for party decorations anytime! Imagine a table set with these.

Have you tried English paper piecing yet? I haven’t, but after seeing this quilt by my friend Vicki Bellino from Bloom Creek on the COVER of the February issue of McCall’s I may have to try it. She swears that it’s addictive and the magazine teaches you how to paper piece. (Vicki likes to make her projects portable so she substitutes “finger pressing” for the ironing part). Just look at her quilt! It’s gorgeous! If you’d like to purchase a kit just go to her web site. She’s may be sold out, but she can refer you to a shop that still has some.

So you can see I've been busy reading. Oh my how did we get so MANY talented people! Aren't they wonderful? Keepers, each and every one!