Happy Fall!

Good morning all!
Today is the first day of Fall! Yeah! My favorite time of year. There are so many delicious foods for Fall:

1.  CANDY CORN
     This year Brach's has candy corn with chocolate covered peanuts; sweet and salty - always a great
     combination!
2.  Taffy Apples! Need I say more?
3.  Halloween Oreos.
4.  CANDY CORN Oreos (which I haven't found yet!)
5.  CANDY CORN (I know I already listed this)
6.  Pumpkin Spice Latte's from Starbucks!
7.  Pumpkin Smear from Einstein's Bagels
8.  Halloween Peeps!

It's a culinary delight! (Also bad for a diabetic!!!)

Anyway, we had a wonderful weekend last week with my dear friends Mandy and Thomas. What great time! It was so wonderful to finally see them both! We went to Milwaukee and had a great meal at Mader's Restaurant. It's a very famous German restaurant that's been there since the early 1900's. I had wiener schnitzel (sp?) with noodles and the best sauerkraut I've ever tasted...sorry Mom...it was fabulous. That could be my new favorite restaurant. Then we walked around the River Walk and looked at the area. It was such a great weekend weather wise too! We stopped at Gregory's apartment and sat for a while chatting. Then Mandy and I realized our dream of sitting at Starbuck's with our Pumpkin Spice Latte's! What a great, great time! I was very sad to seem them go but know they will be back and maybe I can go to Germany some day! Mandy gave me a beautiful charm holder necklace with a very pretty shamrock charm, a collectors set of new Euros made in her town and some delicious candy! (Of course my eyes are closed in the picture below!)

As you may know, we bought a new car on Labor Day. (Doing our part to keep the economy going!)
We took the new car for it's first ride to Milwaukee with Mandy and Thomas and it performed very well. This was the first time Gregory saw the car and he really liked it. We told him he can't drive it....: ) I'm still nervous about driving it. We took it to get Ziebarted so good-bye new car smell. : (

When my sister Kathy came for her visit she brought me an adorable candy corn gift. I fell in love with it immediately. As everyone knows, I LOVE candy corn stuff and can't wait until I get my candy corn Oreos!!!!! I'm going to try to get some today as a trip to Target is in order! Here is the candy corn gift Kathy gave me as well as the one my dear niece Debbie gave me last year. I love both!

This is the decoration Debbie gave me last year.













This is what Kathy gave me this year.









I also have some other Halloween decorations that I've started to put out. This is the wreath I have on the front door now. I think I may have gotten down on the farm one year but I can't remember. It's cute no matter where I got it. I didn't put much decorations out last year as I really wasn't in the mood but this year life is good and a Halloween celebration is in order.

I may even put my candy corn table together this year! If I do, I'll post a picture. You will not believe this table!

I don't know how I became so enamored with candy corn but I just can't get enough!







I also have some candy corn in individual bags I'm taking to work for a candy corn basket I'll keep on my desk.

Not sure why it's this orientation but you can tell what it is. Each bag has about 10 pieces of candy corn and they are sealed. I can't stand people touching the candy so I buy it like this!

I'm excited for tomorrow because I got two movies from the library that I plan to watch; The Green Mile and Something Borrowed. The boys will be at the Bears game and, if I can figure out how to get the DVD in the DVD player, I'll have a great time! I've been reading up a storm lately. I have so much time on the train back and for to work as well as during lunch. My library is so wonderful and they have every book I could want including new ones. I just put my name on the waiting list and get the book or movie when it becomes available. I can even get books for Kindle at the library. Think of all the money I'm saving - I can save enough to go to Germany!

Well, it's lunch and then off to Target to see if I can get the Candy Corn Oreos. Enjoy the weekend and stay tuned to my website to see if I got the Oreos!! Keep you fingers crossed!

It's A Candy Corn Blog!

Hello to all my faithful followers! (Both Juanita and Mandy!)  : }
Hope everyone is well and ready for Halloween! I know I am! As soon as September comes around, I'm ready for my favorite holiday! I LOVE candy corn! Here are a few things I've made that are "candy corn" related:



Fan and Feather Baby Blanket
(Doesn't it look like candy corn?)

Candy Corn Door Hanger



Candy Corn Jar



(Still can't figure out how to start typing again after putting pictures on blog!)

It's Been A Long Time!!!

Can't explain why I haven't posted. Suffice it to say I really had nothing to say!

I've been reading up a storm lately and really enjoying all the books I've read. I just finished a great book by Jude Devereaux; Lavender Morning. I really enjoyed it and got the second book of the series; Days of Gold. It's so wonderful going to the library and getting as many books as I want. I'm like a kid in the candy story. I think I've read 1 1/2 books every week for the last two months. I do miss reading on my Kindle but the library books are free! I've also been getting movies from the library. The last one I got was 21 Jump Street. I laughed and really enjoyed it.

I haven't been watching too much of the Olympics. Mostly just the gymnastics. I really enjoy seeing the ladies do their routines. I actually prefer the winter Olympics with the ice skating, ice dancing, etc. As I said, I have been reading a lot and doing some knitting. We knitters at Woolly Lamb are doing a charity knitting project. It's a scarf and a hat for a Debbie Macomber charity. We'll knit them and Brigitte will mail them off. I'm 2/3 done with the scarf and plan to finish it this week and work on the hat over the weekend.

Yesterday, I went to a quilting class at Quilter's Destination in Arlington Heights. We made the top of a Halloween table runner (right.) It was a very intense class but I got the whole thing done and it looks great! Gregory is holding it for me. It's hard to see it but I was too lazy to clean off the dining room table and lay it out.


You get the idea. I am so in love with quilting. I should say I'm in love with making quilt tops; quilting them once they're complete, not so much. It's not that I don't like doing it, it's just that I don't have the artistic talent to do a fun pattern. I think I need a new sewing machine with different stitches....sorry Tom! : )  I hope to get this one and the other top I finished (left) before Halloween.

Looking very forward to the upcoming visit of my dear friends from Germany; Mandy and Thomas. We have never met but are the best of friends! I can't wait to see them and give them both a big hug! I think they will have so much fun in Chicago!
Well, I guess that's it for now. I need to get to knitting on the scarf for a bit. It's already 8:00 now - can't believe how fast the time goes when you're at home!

Has It Really Been 11 Days?

Hello all,
I can't believe I haven't posted on this blog in 11 days. Either I'm very busy or very lazy...you can judge!

I have been busy knitting, ready, and sewing lately. I finally finished the last panel for the kitchen windows. I must say they are lovely and make me smile every time I see them! Here is the last panel in the chicken/rooster pattern to complement to other window panel:

This is the newest panel over the sink.

This is a close-up of the pattern.

This is a reminder of the first panel.
 The other one complements the inserts - clever, aren't I!




This is the turquoise Maggie Shawl I'm working on now. I counted up all the projects I have to complete and it totalled 20! I couldn't believe I have 20 WIPs (works in progress) including the above mentioned shawl. Maybe I should complete some? I guess it's just a case of start-i-tis as The Yarn Harlot says.

I just finished a great but sad book by Danielle Steel. It's His Bright Light and is about her second child, Nick. He is a very troubled child and the story tells about his tragic life and how much she tried to help him. He does commit suicide and it's very sad but worth a read.

Well, it's off to work I go once again. I'm glad I had a moment to blog a bit. 







The Heat Wave is Almost Over!

Today is another hot, hot day but there's hope; we may have a "cool" day tomorrow with 85 degrees! Yeah, we'll be able to breath again outside! Let's hope this is the end of the hot weather.


Outside of apron.

We had a great Fourth of July! I worked on my apron and have it almost all finished. I have a bit of hand sewing and then I just need to top stitch it. I have to check with my quilting friend Eunice for the best way to do that. It's a reversible apron with, of course, chickens and roosters! I have to match my curtains don't I? I actually still need to do another panel for the window over the sink. Maybe I'll get that done tomorrow. Here is the apron, outside and inside.



Reverse side of apron.

Now all I need to do is cook! These may make nice Christmas gifts! : ) They aren't too difficult to make.

Ro's American Flag Sheet Cookie.



Here are some pictures from our Fourth of July cookout at Ro's house. Luckily we were able to stay in the house and stay cool and well fed! There was so much good food we couldn't eat it all! Ro made a delicious American Flag cookie sheet and it tasted as good as it looks! Here is a picture of her proudly holding it up for the camera. It was so nice to be with our knitting friends, their spouses, and Ro's family. We watched fireworks and laughed and had a great time.






Little Bianca.

We even had our Knit Shop Doggie, Bianca with us. She loves to lay on Daddy's legs and cool her belly. She is Daddy's girl for sure and very much loved. She is a wonderful little girl. We heard Daddy bought her a little doggie stroller so they can take walks. She also loves to play at the doggie park. Could she be any cuter?  She is a very lucky dog because Mommy and Daddy rescued her from a very tough life. I think she may feel like she died and went to heaven living with Liz and Tony!

Don't you love her posing for the camera?

Unfortunately with the good times, come the bad times. One of our dear knitting friends just lost her sister unexpectedly. It was a shock to her and is very difficult to understand why something like this can happen. We are all there for her and pray for her and her family.

We are also praying for another knitting friend's husband. He is in the hospital but not sure what's wrong. When it rains, it pours.

Let's hope tomorrow is a better day for everyone.

Happy Fourth of July!

It's a real hot one today! I can't believe how hot it's been these past few weeks. Today it's supposed to be 99 degrees! We're going to Ro's house for a bar b que and luckily it's later in the evening. It will be fun anyway as we always have fun when the group gets together. My DH and DS (Gregory) went to Lucky Grill this morning for breakfast. Nice time and good eats. I'm going to sew my apron today and will post a pic when I finish it. Have a great Holiday and stay safe!

Monday, Monday

I had a great weekend but wasn't as productive as I was last weekend. I really pushed myself last week and got a lot done. This weekend we went to bring Gregory back home on Saturday so that took up most of the day but I was happy to do it. I was proud of him because he's taken such good care of the apartment. It was very clean and neat! He even ate almost all his food so there's nothing sitting around for the next month.

Today I had a goal to finish the baby hat I have been working on. For such a tiny hat, it was a monster to do! It's done...

Baby hat all done!

Now I'm working on the socks. I can't wait to get one completed and post the picture. Now I just need a sweet baby girl to give this to! I also want to start another one but in a blue/brown color.

I was able to at least cut out the pattern for my apron today. I quickly realized how much I forgot about cutting patterns out when I started. Everything did come back to me gradually and I remembered that I didn't really like sewing! I do like quilting because it's much different from cutting out patterns, etc. Not sure why I feel that way?  Oh well. Good thing it's just a small apron. I still need to make the other curtains for my kitchen but just didn't have time today.

Of course, I did a lot of laundry and ironing today. I found several nice cool outfits hanging on my "extra closet" in the basement. I totally forgot about them and it was like I went shopping and found some nice summer clothes. It's going to be a very hot week so I'm glad I found some new clothes.

Well, back to work tomorrow! It's hard to believe that the dreaded monthly report has once again reared it's ugly head! Oh well, I own it now and have great help. At least we have a day off this week.

I'm also looking forward to going to see Magic Mike with the knitting ladies this week. It seems like a great chick flick! Gregory refused to go to see it with me! (Wonder why?) Then we're having a bar-b-que on Wednesday!

Have a great week!



Weekend, Sweet Weekend!

Hello all!
It's been a very hot and long week and I'm ready for it to STOP!! At least today it didn't reach 100 degrees! It was only 90 degrees! I sure won't be complaining about the snow when we get it this winter. (Maybe just a little complaining....)

We went up to Milwaukee to bring Gregory home for the rest of the summer. He took two classes and really enjoyed both of them. He's ready for a break from studying and reading.

Well, I haven't had a chance or the ambition to do anything this week. After my spurt of energy on Saturday and Sunday last week, it's been just a come home from work and veg week. I guess I blew my wad last weekend. Speaking of last weekend, I took pictures of the table runners I sewed up for you to see. I can't tell you how much I love making these table runners. They're so simple yet so beautiful if I say so myself. I can't wait to buy more fabric and make up some more.

Black and White Model

Christmas Model

Thanksgiving/Fall Model



Halloween One Model

Halloween Two Model

Delicate Flower Model

 

Chicken & Rooster Model (MINE!)



I have some beautiful fabric that I bought last weekend but didn't buy the inside fabric. I must have gotten so excited I forgot to buy it! I did manage to finish the 3 inches I needed for the knitting baby hat today but still need to do the top. Maybe I can get that done tomorrow. I can't wait to start on the little socks! My goal tomorrow is to cut out the pattern for my apron and possibly some of my new Halloween quilt. This one will probably take me until next Halloween to complete because I'll probably get tired of it and/or switch to knitting or scrapbooking! So many projects and so little time....

My DH and I are going to Dairy Queen tonight for a little ice cream treat. The boys are both out so we're going to do something decadent....get ice cream! Ha-ha!!!

Enjoy the rest of the weekend and let me know which table runner is your favorite!

Monday.....

Hello!
This weekend was great for me! I went to my new favorite quilt shop, Quilter's Destination, in Arlington Heights on Saturday morning. I intended to go to Joanne's Fabric but decided to go there instead! They had a 15% off sale that started on Friday. I figured I would get a better selection of fabric at the quilt store and I did! I also made a stop at the Joanne's Superstore close to the quilt shop.. Boy was that place great! I could really imagine myself working there!

But I digress...I managed to find several Halloween fabrics and a lot of fabric that was 40% off! I bought enough to make seven 10 minute table runners! I cut everything out on Saturday after I came home and then sewed them all day on Sunday! It was great! I'll post some pictures of these table runners soon. I am so in love with these table runners!



Close up of the design.

The chicken and rooster design - my favorite!

I also decided to make some curtains for my kitchen with fabric I've had for over 10 years! I had to do some cutting and a lot of sewing but I think they came out really nice! Unfortunately I only had enough to cover one window. I have coordinating fabric that I will use to make a panel for the other window. Here are some pictures.

Sunday was a great day for sewing! I sewed and watched 4 episodes of Doc Martin and did 4 loads of laundry. I wanted to cut out a pattern for an apron I would like to make - chicken and rooster pattern of course! This will be for all the times I cook! Don't laugh! Unfortunately I ran out of time to cut it and then my back started to hurt! Oh well, a lot of pleasure and a bit of pain. I just popped one of my pain killers from the tooth extraction and I woke up fine!

I also had a nice dinner on Saturday night with my brother Michael. We went to Noodles and then had ice cream later on. A great night with my dear brother! His apartment is being fixed up and I saw the beautiful new floor they put in and the new kitchen cabinets and counter tops. All they need to do now is wash the walls and paint! He stopped smoking so now the apartment will be perfect! Let's hope he keeps up the good work and doesn't start smoking again. He's given up all his bad habits!!!!

I'm close to finishing up the 3 inches I need to knit for the baby hat. It's going very slowly because it's on size 2 needles! I hope to have the 3 inches done tonight and start the top tomorrow! It's just a baby hat but it's taking me so long....maybe because I'm sewing so much! : )

That's it for now. Back to work today wasn't too bad. The weather is wonderful and the day went by fast! Now we just have to get through the week with the 100 degrees they're predicting for Thursday! Think cool thoughts!



Happy Thursday!

Good morning!
Today is Thursday and we all know what that means....Woolly Lamb Open Knit Night! Yeah!  I'm excited to show off my 10 minute table runner to everyone and purchase a couple buttons to decorate it. I'm also going to show off my Halloween table runner top. I signed up for a class at Quilters Destination in August that I can't wait to start! It's another Halloween table runner class from one of the new books I got, Let's Do Lunch.!  I told my dear friend Gladys about it and I hope she takes the class. Maybe some of the other ladies will join us!

My DH stopped at Three Bags Full and picked up my extra skein of yarn. Now I won't run out of yarn for sure! This is for the baby hat and socks I'm making. I also thought  of another yarn I have in my stash that will be perfect for this set too. It's a Claudia Hand Paint yarn. This is the color pictured below.

I must close for now because I'm about ready to throw my computer out the window. The keyboard keeps jumping around and putting me in crazy places! Until the next time.

I

My Son - A Genius

I was talking to my Dear Son this evening and he told me about a new AP. It's an AP for HBO. I downloaded it and I really like it. I can watch movies and tv shows that are on HBO! Now I can watch Game of Thrones! I love that kid! My baby hat is coming along nicely. Unfortunately, I don't think I will have enough yarn for both the hat and the socks. I called Three Bags Full today and they're holding another skein for me. My DH works very close to the shop and he's going to pick it up for me! What a great guy! I may not need it but better to be safe than sorry! I'm currently reading a book; Bloom by Kelle Hampton. It's a true story about a woman who has a baby girl with Down Syndrome. She didn't expect it and was deeply disappointed about the baby. She tells about her struggles to accept and love this baby. I can't read it on the "L" or at work because I'm constantly crying! I'm just skimming the book now because it still makes me cry! It is good but sad!!! Well, not a lot more to say. I chose some fabric from my small stash for the tote bag I posted last night. I may try to get this started soon. I'm very excited about trying it because it looks pretty easy. Have a great day and stay cool!

Hot Monday...

We're in a stretch of very hot weather this week. I really don't like it but I am in an air conditioned office building all day and an air conditioned house all evening so I really can't complain!

Today was a very busy day at work. We're sending out over 600 financial statement books to our partners and I have to get them all shipped out. Seems like all I do is stuff envelopes and ship them out! : ) Oh well, the day goes by very quickly when you're busy! I do enjoy my job now and am finally getting used to going downtown on the "L!"

I'm so excited today because I got two new quilt books in the mail. I'd been looking for "Lets Do Lunch" but no one seemed to have it. I found it on Amazon.com and another one, "Happy Hour." Both books are by Terry Atkinson, a popular quilt pattern designer. This is the table runner I wanted to make from the first book;

I might also try these other two projects!

Wine Tote

Lynn's Tote

The wine tote could be a very nice Christmas gift!

The other book has some nice quilt, pillow, bags and table runner patterns. I'm going to enjoy these books!

I can't tell you how much I enjoyed making the 10 minute table runner yesterday. There are so many fabric combinations; the choices are endless. I can imaging holiday table runners for every holiday!

Well, the evening is getting away from me again. I hope to have some more of the baby hat knit by the next time I post pictures. It's such a small hat, I should have finished it by now!

Another Great Weekend - Aren't They All!!!!

Hello family and friends,
I had a tough start to the weekend on Friday but Saturday and Sunday more than made up for it!

I went to my favorite quilt shop, The Quilt Basket, in Downers Grove on Saturday with great expectations...unfortunately, as life can do sometimes, I was disappointed. I still like the shop in Northbrook, Quilter's Heaven, better even though they didn't give me great service because of their selection of fabric! Isn't that funny! Not great service at The Quilt Basket either. Oh well. I haven't been able to find the fabric for my special quilt yet....I'll keep looking!




I did manage to find some fabric at the Quilt Basket and made a 10 minute table runner! Here are two pictures. The fabric is a beautiful turquoise blue with gold in it. Very pretty and a very easy pattern to follow. I even found a YouTube video on it and followed that!

A very easy pattern indeed!

White Fabric

Pattern

Black Fabric

I also decided to look at some fabric for another quilt I'd like to make. It's the Black & White & Red All Around! Here is the pattern and fabric.

Red fabric and black binding

After leaving the quilt store, I had a nice lunch and then went to the knit shop in Downers Grove, Kniche, just down the block. Much to my disappointment, the shop was gone! I guess they went out of business. Oh well, I guess that's better for my wallet...saved $$$$!

I texted several of my knitting friends in the morning and asked them to come over to my house and  have dinner, knit a bit, drink some wine and watch "The Vow." Well, we did all of the above with the exception of the movie! Never got around to it but we did have a great time just the four of us! I did watch the movie today and it was very good. I cried, laughed and thoroughly enjoyed it. I love Rachel McAdams!

Another project I completed on Sunday, besides the 10 minute table runner was a Halloween table runner. I cut the fabric previously so it was just a matter of sewing and pressing it. I think it turned out great. Now I have to do the hard part, quilt it and put the binding on! At least the top is done!

Halloween table runner

And, last but not least, an update on the baby hat from the yarn I got last weekend. Just a bit completed but I wanted to try to show the pattern. It's called Moire. The part closest to my fingers is the top. The rolled end is the bottom. A very cute hat and I can't wait until I can start the little socks. I just hope I have enough yarn! Maybe I should go back to the knit shop and get some more? : )

All in all, another great weekend. My DH had a nice Father's Day and received cards and/or calls from his children. Now it's back to work! I wonder what I'll complete next weekend? Maybe the baby hat, maybe put the tassels on my scarf that I knit last year, maybe cut some fabric for another quilt...the sky's the limit!

IT'S FRIDAY!!!!

Yeah! However, my Friday is just about over! Work was very busy (I love that!) and I had a lot of work to do (finally!) I had to send a package to Germany for someone today. Mandy, I offered to personally take it there so I could visit you but no go! Ha-ha!!

We went for pizza with David tonight for dinner. It was very good as pizza always is! Then we went grocery shopping - now we won't shop for two weeks! David is with Joanne and her family celebrating her birthday which is tomorrow.

Busy day with nothing much exciting going on. I did break my great Starbuck's insulated plastic glass today at work. I really am going to miss that cup. Now that it's hot outside, I love to have ice water at my desk all day. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to get another one! : )

Tomorrow is a visit to my third quilt shop on the Quilt Shop Hop. More info to follow tomorrow and a peak at the fabric I'm buying for my quilt!

Finally Coming Home

Good morning!
My DH has been out-of-town since Tuesday and he's coming home this afternoon! Yeah! I'll be glad to see him as I'm tired of taking care of the dog! Ha-ha!! She isn't really any trouble but she loves to move around in the bed all night! I'm so afraid she'll fall out or worse, want to go out at 3:00 in the morning! Yes, she sleeps with us....I wish we'd never started that but now it's too late. I threatened that she would sleep downstairs last night but when I went to check on her, she was sitting at the bottom of the stairs looking like, hey, you forgot me! So, I put her in the bed with me! She actually wasn't too bad. I slept through until about 4:30. Not bad - she then decided that she needed to get up at about  5:30. I'll accept that! : )

Not a whole lot going on. I've been walking to the "L" in the morning and then walking back home. This is so I can save $5.00 by not driving to the "L" and parking - talk about cheap! I'd rather get the exercise and save money for my crafts! However, all that walking on top of working all day is draining my energy! I just come home from work, eat something simple and sit down in front of the TV and veg! A true couch potato! Sable wants to take a walk but I'm just too tired! Iron poor blood?

I'm still reading up a storm. I finished my Oprah Winfrey 2.0 Book Club book - Wild. It was a great book and one I highly recommend. I also got a cute book from the Library; Goodnight iPad. It's a play on the Goodnight Moon book but for adults. Just talking about the iPad. Very cute! I'm currently reading Now & Then by Jacqueline Sheehan. Not bad but I was disappointed because it's about a woman and her nephew who go back in time to 1844 Ireland. I have to say it has gotten interesting and I can't wait to see how they get back to current time. My next book in the cue is Bloom. It's a true story about a woman who has one little girl and then has another little girl with Downs. Anxious to read that one. I also bought a Nora Roberts paperback book for 50 cents at the library on Saturday. I'm sure it will be good because it's Nora Roberts!

Anxiously awaiting the arrival of my dear friend Mandy and her husband Thomas from Germany. I know they won't be here until September but it's getting closer and closer! They're starting to seriously collect US money and laugh because it looks so funny! They already have some paper bills so they're ready! I told Mandy that I think England's money is funny looking! I have to ask her to bring me some German money so I can add it to my collection! I have some Euro coins from Gregory's trip to Rome that I want to give her because we can't exchange them here in the USA. I don't think I'll be going anywhere in the near future to spend them so maybe they can use it!

Well, that's it for now. Tonight is Open Knitting at Woolly Lamb Yarn Studio. I'll be going if only for a while - I won't be walking home tonight so I may have some energy!

A Very Productive Weekend!

Hello All!

I had a very productive weekend! After my trip to the quilt and knit shops, I was very eager to finish some of my outstanding projects. I finally put some eyes on the three chickens Sandy made for me; Sansa, Arya and Dany. I put them on display on the shelf in my kitchen. I think they are so adorable and really add to my display. Sandy is sooo talented!





I also finished my patriotic wreath (too late for Memorial Day but just in time for the 4th of July!) This is just made of Styrofoam, felt, and paper. I hung it on the front door and it looks very nice! Even my DH said it looked nice! That's always a bonus! It really was fun making it and very quick and easy! I used my scarpbooking tools to cut the stars out of glitter paper. I also bought some new Styrofoam cutting tools to put the felt pieces into the Styrofoam.

The Fourth of July is probably one of my favorite holidays. I love to see the fireworks on TV(no need to go to see them!) and decorate the house with red, white and blue!

Well, Monday is over. Unfortunately I had no energy to go to my knit class tonight - just too pooped to pop! I really missed the class but I'm finding it very difficult to have the energy to go to the class. Time will tell. Off to bed with me now! Until the next time!

A Great Saturday!

Good morning!
I had a great Saturday! I had my hair cut and colored - finally! My hairdresser canceled my appointment last weekend due to her son's graduation from Greek School. I totally understood but my hair didn't! It just kept on turning gray! Now I'm happy!

Afterwards, I gave myself a girls afternoon! (Even though it was by myself!) I took a trip to another quilt shop, Quilter's Heaven in Northbrook. This was the second shop on my Quilt Shop Hop. It's nice to go to these shops because they all give you a 15% discount and you get to see different shops! It was a nice ride on Waukegan Road on a beautiful day. The shop is an old house on Shermer Road. I walked in and was pleasantly surprised. They had SOOO much fabric. It was a typical old house with little rooms, etc., and an upstairs with little rooms. They even had a long arm quilting machine on the premises! I couldn't believe all the fabric they had. Everyone one was more beautiful than the next. They had tons of samples, patterns, books, etc. It was a feast for the quilter's eyes! The problem I had was that there were several sample quilt tops and table runners that I fell in love with and wanted to buy either a kit or the same material. Several times I mentioned how much I loved that pattern and would like to buy the material. One of the sales people told me I should go upstairs and look for the fabric. Another looked for the book with a pattern I liked and they didn't have it. I felt that they should have taken the time to help me find the material or similar material. The shop wasn't that busy and there were two salespeople. Oh well, I did find a few patterns that I liked and some Valentines material for a quilt I'm thinking of making - at some point. The photo above is one of patterns I bought at the shop. It's supposed to be very easy. We'll see....

This is the table runner I fell in love with. I almost bought the pattern but the fabric colors in the picture on the cover were terrible. I wanted these fabrics but they didn't really help me find them. I did take the pic for fabric colors in case I bought the pattern. This pic doesn't do the fabric justice. It was very vivid and beautiful. The name of the pattern was "Tuscany."

However, one good thing; I think I've found the perfect pattern for my special quilt. It's a bit difficult to see but I really like this pattern. Once I purchase the fabric, I'll put some pics on the blog.





I also stopped at a knit shop, Three Bags Full, while I was in Northbrook. It was just around the corner from the quilt shop so I had to stop there. (Didn't I?) This store was nice with a big selection of yarn (what else?) Unfortunately most of the yarn was very expensive. I did purchase some 40% off sock yarn - of course! and a pattern and yarn for a baby hat and socks pictured below:

Sock yarn - 40% off!





I'm going to take another trip to one of my favorite quilt shops on Saturday. It's the first quilt shop I ever visited and where I took my first class in quilt making; The Quilt Basket in Downer's Grove. I love that shop and one of the owners, Denise, is a great teacher and a nice person. The only minus is that they are not open on Sundays. : ( I plan to buy fabric for both of these quilts there. The shop is beautiful and located in quaint downtown Downer's Grove. If you have never been there, you should take a ride and see what I mean. There's even a knit shop across the street; Kniche. What more could you want! You also have to stop at the Barkery and buy some treats for your favorite doggie!

Well, so much for my adventurous Saturday. Sometimes you just need to venture out of your neighborhood comfort zone!

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