Preparing for Guests

Company's coming soon.  I'm putting the finishing touches on the guest room.  Jody is my talented basket making friend.  You should click on over to her blog and see what she recently found.  I found the perfect vintage doily to drape over the basket.

Then I filled the basket with necessary items.  I found polka dot nail files, score!  If I won the lottery I would have a quilt retreat cottage and invite my friends.  Each room would have a name.  We would sew and drink tea and eat scones.


~Piecefully, Stephanie

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Getting Organized

Happiness is pretty trim and vintage buttons.  If you love amazing trim I discovered The Ribbon Jar.  A pretty project is percolating...

Yesterday I started preparing for a new project.  This fabric is printed so off grain there is no lining up the zig zags in either direction.  Working with it makes me feel like I've been drinking tee many martoonis!  This is the waste when I trimmed the edges even after I pre-washed.  Not a happy camper.

Candace collects these amazing antique jars.  I had never seen one before so I started looking at my favorite antique mall.  None.  When Candace and I met she presented me with the prettiest gift bag of goodies.  This amazing jar was inside.

This is the jar from the top.  See how it has a glass lid beneath the metal lid?  The jars have different patterns on the glass.  We found another wonderful jar at an antique store but I had no room to bring it home so it went home with Candace.  My jar was not empty.

Tea ribbons were inside!  Oh happy day.

Along with a few other fun items this adorable owl tray was inside the bag.  Although it is for deviled eggs I think it would have a dual purpose at my house.  Button sorting tray perhaps when not needed for eggs?

Thank you again Candace for your generosity and for making our trip even more fun.

~Piecefully, Stephanie

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Fish Tacos

While in Washington we ate at this terrific little place on the water called Puffin Cafe.

I ordered fish tacos with blackberry salsa and a side of fried okra.  The fish is lightly battered halibut.  Everything was fresh and delicious.

I've been craving this meal.  Fruit salsa goes so well with fish and I have made many varieties in the past.  Never have I made blackberry salsa so I did a little googling.  I found the recipe for this entire meal from Puffin Cafe.  I used cod as our fish choices in Ohio are very limited.  Instead of doing a batter I grilled my cod.  There is a cool lime cream sauce spooned inside the tacos the topped with pepper jack cheese.

I followed the salsa recipe but added some tomatillos.  'Tis the season of wonderful fruit.  Make fruit salsa.  You'll be glad you did.

~Piecefully, Stephanie

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Little Chair

Riviera love...get some HERE.  And while you're at it you might need some pretty coordinating threads.

Do you remember little chair?  It was in need of a fresh coat of paint and it had a pretty decal but sadly the decal could not be saved.  Mr. Creations cleaned it up and sprayed it fresh white.  It's a perfect companion for my little Janome that sits on my pretty lime green sewing cabinet.

Abby is doing really terrific.  She's a wee bit embarrassed about her shiny hiney though.  She thanks all of her blog friends for the get well wishes.

~Piecefully, Stephanie

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A Supreme Trip

Happiness is meeting the very kind, generous, and talented Supreme Candace of Squash House Quilts.  She and Mr. Squash drove a long way to meet us and I'm so glad they did.  It truly was like seeing "old" friends we hadn't seen in years. We have so much in common, except for the fishing that she and Mr. Squash love.

I've dubbed us Squash House Creations or we could be The Lofty Squash!  Please meet Dave and Stephanie, Candace and Bob.  No, we did not coordinate our outfits.  We ate, shopped, antiqued, talked for ages and just plain ole` had one terrific time.  Candace and Bob gave us tons of valuable information on areas in Washington.  Mr. Creations retires in 5 years and we are looking for a place to plant our permanent roots, other than the cemetery of course!  The Creations and the Squashes have already made tentative plans to get together again next year.  I can't wait. 

Through my pattern business I work with Alisha and Anita at Connecting Threads. While in Vancouver where their headquarters is located they invited me to visit.  They gave Mr. Creations and me the grand tour before we enjoyed a yummy lunch together, introducing us to the many wonderful folks they are lucky to work with.  What a happy place -- like Disneyland for quilters. Connecting Threads is really an amazing company and it's evident they care about their employees as well as their customers.  These ladies are super nice and really fantastic to work with and it is so nice to put faces with names.  After meeting the company CEO I can certainly understand why they love their jobs.

FYI -- The company is called Crafts Americana and they are the umbrella for 3 different crafts under one roof:

Connecting Threads for quilters
Knit Picks for knitting and crochet
Artist's Club for painters

Now...my Janome and I have a lot of catching up to do!

~Piecefully, Stephanie

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Abby

Today was Abby's big day.  She would have preferred a juicy steak instead of knee surgery.  The surgeon called and explained the situation for 45 minutes.  When he opened her up the knee didn't need reconstruction.  Good news.  Interesting news is he started wondering what was causing the hobbling.  Since she was relaxed under anesthesia he could manipulate her leg and discovered the ball of her hip slips out above the socket.  He said her particular case was unique and interesting and worthy of presenting to a veterinary medical board.  I replied that we like to do what we can to provide new learning experiences for vets.  

There is a very high percentage that Abby will be having hip surgery in the near future.  This surgery should be a quick recovery but the true test will be if the limp returns.  Thank you to everyone who has kindly asked about Abby.

~Piecefully, Stephanie

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Rescue Mission

Home again.  Darn!  I paid Abby's bail this morning at the kennel.  We were equally happy to see each other.  Many of you asked to see my purchases from the 8 quilts shops I visited.  What is a girl to do when she opens the door to a quilt shop and there is yummy rick rack staring her in the face?  Buy some.  While the washer is washing and the dryer is drying and Abby is snoozing I admit I ignored the dust the fairies left for me and played with my rick rack.  See the lime green and white polka dot scissors?  Mom sent those in my Mother's Day package. 

These polka dots needed rescuing.  I spread the love around the different quilt shops I visited.  May I just say that if you're ever in Anacortes you must, I say MUST, visit Fabric Plus.  They aren't kidding with the Plus part.  It has been in business 40 years.  You know how your stash grows over the years.  Well imagine bolts of fabric multiplying over 40 years.  I was in polka dot land and felt quite bad I could not rescue more dots.  I'll just have to go back with a bigger suitcase!

These pretty little things needed rescuing at an antique shop in Port Townsend.  One shop has a huge basket of buttons with a tray for sorting.  Mr. Creations found a bench while I pawed through the goodies.  Don't you love the graphics on the packaged buttons?

While in Lynden this antique dresden top was just sitting there waiting for me.  The plates are appliqued on flour sacks and the only worn spot is a dresden center that can easily be replaced.  Oh happy day!

Tomorrow I'll let you know why I was in Washington.

If you're ever visiting Washington please be sure to visit:

Fabrics Plus -- Anacortes

The Quilt Shop -- Anacortes

River City Quilts -- Camas

Folk Tales -- Lynden

Tangled Threads -- Lynden

Quilters Workshop -- Oak Harbor

Sleepy Valley Quilts -- Port Angeles

Annie's Quilt Shoppe -- Shelton

FYI -- Mr. Creations actually mapped out quilt shops to stop at along our travels.  Then one quilt shop gave us the quilt shop hop booklet with 70 quilt shops listed in Western Washington. Mr. C may have cringed a wee bit.

~Piecefully, Stephanie

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