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My Favorite Things...62...Blue & White

Hello my Lovelies,

Lately, this blog has felt like a bit of a "quilt-tease", or as I sometime call it, "fabric porn"...Forgive me, won't you?  Right now there is so much to do and so many details to follow up on...But I don't want to go into a complete "Quilt-Market-Blog-Free-Dry-Spell"...so I'll just have to give you a peak at some of the design development studies that I am working on...

Do you remember the simple pastel quilt top using some of the new Fall 07 intro fabrics that I showed you recently? If not,click here.  Here's another version of the same quilt:

I am just crazy about blue and white...Blue Willow dishes, ginghams & tea towel plaids, my old VW Beetle convertible in Periwinkle blue with a white rag top.

At present, the working name for this quilt is "A Square in A Square"...as you might have noticed, I am not terrific at this...me trying to be clever with names usually ends me up in the "bad pun zone".

So if you can help me out, and come up with a great name for this quilt top (oh, and it can't be used in our little "quilt community" by anyone else), I'd be most grateful and I'll also send you a Charm Square Pack in this blue & white palette.

Back in two shakes...H2

Oh, and remember, we are still voting on Best Dessert blog and Best Comment during the Dazzling Dozen Delicious Desserts event.  Please remember to cast your ballot here.

 

My Favorite Things...61...Finding Amanda!

Blog-able Feast Post Script

Good news on several fronts today...

Number One...We sent out the search party, and WE'VE FOUND AMANDA...Most of you didn't know she was missing, but behind the scenes at HOLLYCAKES, there was a panic going on a week ago tonight!
Amanda's back from her quilt retreat..with lots of stories.  She's going to tell us all about her retreat...the teachers, a local barbecue hot spot near her, and her divine dessert recipe too.

So here she is our last, but not our least...Amanda!

Number Two...It's a miracle, after three long weeks of waiting, poof! my Typepad comments area is now working again!  (Maybe all my whining is a winning tactic after all!?)  It looks like I can't go back and answer those of you who commented during the "black-out period"  But I can pick up where we are today...so forgive my lack of blog etiquette, and let's move forward, yippee!

Number Three...Contest & FREE STUFF
In the spirit of a little friendly competition, I thought we'd do a little contest, as an off shoot of our Blog-able Feast...

Here are the basic contest guidelines.

Two categories:

1.  Best Comment, by an attendee/visitor.  Who can nominate for this?  a) Blog-able Feast participants and b) the non-nominated Blog-able Feast guest.  As in...Most thoughtful or thought-provoking, poignant, FUNNY, etc.

2.  Best Blog-able Feast Guest Blogger. Who can nominate for this?  Blog-able Feast attendees OR Blog-able Feast participants who are not nominating themselves!  As in...Best Recipe, "Style Points", Most Interesting, Most Creative...whatever and whomever amused you the most during this event. Megan is excusing herself, since she wouldn't want her little quilt give-away to influence your better nature! And hey, I am giving out the prizes, so we are back to a regular dozen to vote for, including tonight's "post script guest - Amanda!"

Prizes will be given out in both categories:  A $25.00 gift certificate from Williams Sonoma, a pattern for our "Big Pocket Apron", the LakeHouse fabric of your choice & rick rack embellishment (from my private stash) to make it.

How do you do this?

Starting NOW, Leave your nomination/comment on THIS POST ONLY.  On Friday October 5th, I will pick a winner in both categories.

If it's not readily apparent who the winners are in each category, (I'll be the  judge of that!) we'll leave it up to Kammie & Vickie (my bib wearing, whip cream eating, beater-licking kitties) to pick two names "out of the hat".

Sooner we accomplish this, the sooner we can start a new give-away, I say...With so many new things, tis better to give than receive, I always say...aren't I a tease?

Thanks so much to all the participants on both sides of the event.  I for one, had so much fun.  Some of you made me laugh, and other's tugged at my heart strings.

It's all good  ;)

Back in two shakes...H2

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My Favorite Things...60b...It's got polka dots!

Day 13 of 13 A Dazzling Dozen Delicious Desserts -- Part Two

At long last, I pie that has been in the repertoire for decades, it will not disappoint...

Plenty of Polka Dots, and Three Layers of Pie to Dive Into!

Coincidently, Someone's having a birthday, (like Megan's family, we like a "Birthday Pie" too)...And that "Special Someone" is my "Mom-a-Loo"...So let's all sing Happy Birthday to my mom Joann, who is celebrating her 86th birthday today...HOORAY!

So here's a pie that's Light & Creamy, Smooth & Chiffon-y, It's Subtly Chocolate-y, and Oh-Oh-Oh-So- Good!

Polka Dot Pie

Pie Crust
10”  pie shell regular crust or chocolate cookie crust or graham cracker crust
If you don't have a 10" pie tin, use what you have and layer the extra fillings into individual sized glass bowls...they are just as yummy.

First Layer
(a mocha cheesecake)
8 oz cream cheese @ room temp
3/4 c sugar
6 T butter @ room temp
2 T unsweetened cocoa
1 t instant coffee
1 t vanilla

Second Layer
(a light chiffon)
1T unflavored gelatin
1/3 c orange juice  (shake juice container before measuring, to insure full flavor)
1 1/4 c whipping cream
3 egg yolks @ room temp
2 eggs @ room temp
1/3 c sugar
1T unsweetened cocoa
1 t vanilla

Third Layer
(whipped cream)
Pink tint:  red food coloring
Whipped cream  (whip the remainder of 1 qt of whipping cream),
3-4 T sugar
chocolate chips

1.  Make Pie crust

2.  Make First Layer 
Blend cream cheese, sugar, butter, cocoa, coffee & vanilla until smooth and you can see that a little air is whipped into this mixture.  Spread into pie crust.

3.  Make Second Layer
Sprinkle gelatin over OJ in small bowl set in pan of simmering water.  Stir until dissolved.  Allow to cool off.
Beat cream to soft peaks in med bowl.
Beat yolks, eggs, sugar, cocoa and vanilla in another bowl until smooth
Stir in gelatin mixture, then gently fold in whipped cream, until thoroughly mixed.
Refrigerate approx 15 minutes until gelatin thickens & just begins to set.
Spoon over pie
Refrigerate until well chilled

4.  Before serving:
put a layer of pink whipped cream on top
Sprinkle chocolate chips in a polka dotted pattern

Pie can be prepared 3 days ahead, but whip the cream topping at the last minute and top pie just before you serve it.

E  N  J  O  Y  !

More FQM projects, more give-aways  & "a dessert making deserter" returns from quilt camp (in a good way!) tomorrow...

Back In Two Shakes...H2

Leave a comment, and win a "now famous"  LHDG Cherry Baby Kitty bib...we'll draw for the winner next week. Please specify blue bib or pink bib drawing!  Your favorite feline can be the "Cat's Meow" too!

My Favorite Things...60a...Who Wants to Lick the Beaters?

Day 13 of 13 A Dazzling Dozen Delicious Desserts -- Part One

While we're renovating, what passes for a kitchen at the Boulders (aka Casa God Awful) is in the basement.  This gives the cats, Kammie especially, a bird's eye view of what's cooking!

She knew we were due to make our entry for the Dazzling Dozen Delicious Desserts, so Kammie wore her new Cherry Baby bib to celebrate the occasion...(thanks Auntie Megan!)

Here's the little hoover herself, waiting patiently for good fortune to shine on her...

Pink is her favorite color...

Who wants to lick the beaters?

Hey wait a minute, this is my party...and besides I was here first & mom loves me best!

Lickety-Split.

And they licked...

And they licked...

And the party's only just begun!

Please join us again tomorrow morning for part two of the last of our Baker's Dozen of Dazzling Delicious Desserts!

Oh, and in case you are wondering, the last is really just the beginning...right after that, we'll have prizes galore for not only our favorite DDDD bloggers, but also our favorite guest commenters.  And I'm giving you all 24 hours to think something up!...a funny observation, a favorite family food story, etc...

I'll even have a list of other blogs you might enjoy visiting for more delicious recipes.

Back in two shakes!...H2

Oh, and one more ridiculous thing...I don't want you to think that I don't enjoy your comments.  But for over 3 weeks now, I have not been able to receive your comments, nor have I been able to reply to them, as I normally try to do.  I have contacted typepad's tech support over 6 times, with no change.  Have any other typepad bloggers had this problem?  They just keep telling me "we're looking into it"  "rest assured, we're looking into it" "hold your pants on, little lady"...blah, blah, blah...uh oh, I'm whining again.

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My Favorite Things...59...Marvelous Megan!

Day 12 of 13 A Dazzling Dozen Delicious Desserts

Laverne & Shirley, Lucy & Ethel, Thelma & Louise...

Megan & me...

It's true opposites attract...
She's a people person, I'm a bit of a loner.
She's the nice one, I whine a lot.
She's coiffed and manicured every day, I am "Miss Yoga-Pants".

Those of you who've met or talked with Megan over the phone, know that Megan knows just the right thing to say.  She's also incredibly well-rounded (annoyingly so!); and in addition to wearing a lot of hats here at LakeHouse Dry Goods, she is a prolific quilter, has been the president of several guilds, and is, as I like to say "our own Erma Bombeck".

If you want to hear Megan and me being interviewed recently by quilting's podcast queen Annie Smith, click here.

So here she is, super-mom & domestic goddess Marvelous Megan Johnson...Let's give her a big hand, won't you?

Back in two shakes...H2

Oh, and here's a few quotes from Erma:

"Insanity is hereditary. You can catch it from your kids."

"In general, my children refused to eat anything that hadn't danced on TV."

"When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, 'I used everything you gave me.'"

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My Favorite Things...58...Pam Kitty!

Day 11 of 13 A Dazzling Dozen Delicious Desserts

Thought I'd show you what I have been toiling over for days...Charm Square Packs for the new FQM  intro's.  Here's a Sneak Peak at one of the labels I'm working on...I just love it.  So girly!

Our next guest, loves & collects cherry things, so it is only natural that she would come to mind when I designed this new line.  I shied away from using cherries in my work for YEARS, not because I didn't love them, but because when I thought about using cherry motifs in anything,it felt like I'd be perceived as imitating Mary Engelbreit...but not anymore...this new collection is uniquely LakeHouse, if I do say so myself.

You are in for a special treat today...our guest blogger is the duchess of do-good, the contessa of quilting, the mistress of the Internet...that's right dear blogging friends, it's our own "Cherry Baby" herself...HRH Pam Kitty! 

Pammie dearest, what have you for us today?  I hear you have been a busy girl lately...might you have something new to show your royal subjects?

Back in two shakes...H2

PS...make sure to drop back at the end of our Dazzling Dozen Delicious Desserts on Wednedsay...we'll be having a little contest and giving away some gift certificates & prizes...and if you're really, really good...I bet there will be some Charm Pack give-aways in the near future too.

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My Favorite Things...57...Miss Bunny!

Day 10 of 13 A Dazzling Dozen Delicious Desserts

The excitement is palpable here at the studio...we're busy like Santa's elves on December 23rd, trying to figure out what fabrics go to whom, and get the boxes out asap.

I'm starting to have a few "moments" about how the booth is all going to come together...But that is just part of the design process...so stay tuned!

Here's one of my first little studies for a quilt that uses some of the La Belle Rose fabrics intermixed with some of the new Cherry Baby line that we will show at FQM at the end of October.  This mix of "old & new" is done completely on purpose...I love mix and match, and I love that one collection "self seeds" right into another...(and selfishly, I'd like our fabrics to make a big presence for you in your local quilt store!)

Also, as I have probably mentioned before, I am trying to make a conscious effort to do simpler quilts...This is no small task for me, as I my tendency is to overwork and over-think almost every thing I do...Something about this quilt gives me a nostalgic feeling, don't-cha think?

We all have memories of childhood that are indelibly etched...sensory things, like colors, tastes, smells and places. I have some especially fond memories of Christmas time at Marshall Field's department store in downtown Chicago.  Velveteen dresses, patent leather shoes, white tights, brunch under a ginormous decorated evergreen tree in a dining room that seemed to me to be a hundred feet tall.  My mom and dad "were in" for the food, (the apple doesn't fall far from the tree) because Field's had an unparalleled gourmet dept for it's time...things like Frango Mints and Cheddar Cheese Soup.  My favorite place back then was the children's toy & book department. I can still remember odd little details, like the paper curling ribbon that they tied the packages with and the children's gift wrap paper (colorful animals and toys on a celery green background). 

I am not exactly sure when I became aware of Anne Sutton & Bunny Hill.  But I can tell you that Anne's work is very evocative and like Christmas memories, it too awakens the child in me...Judging from the popularity of her blog and her quilts, I'm guessing that I am not alone.

It's some sort of a weird full circle thing then, that when I first started putting things together for the latest collection, I kept thinking of Anne.  So I'm particularly proud to have her share with all of us what she's been making and baking these last few weeks.  So here's Anne to tell you all about it!

Back in two shakes...H2

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My Favorite things...56...Cat Snacks

Day 9 of 13 A Dazzling Dozen Delicious Desserts

"What's for dessert?"  (Setting aside her catnip-flavored-bong*) Vickie asked, donning her new monogrammed bib...

And tonight, V is also for Vivian...Vivian Love to be exact (what a great name, and oh the alliteration!)...She's yet another online blogging buddy who just happened to be a) in the small world category, a friend and neighbor of the marvelous Gina Halladay of Quilter's Buzz  b) showing a quilt on her blog back in July that she made for a her daughter's wedding gift...and somehow pictures of that quilt came back to me.  I am so glad it did...It seems like it took years for someone to come up with the easiest, (and  IMHO one of the prettiest), quilts using the now famous Hydrangeas & Raspberries fabric.  You can read the whole story and see it on Vivian's blog.

Tonight, Vivian also has a special dessert for you...and perhaps a peak at what she's working on too.  Could it be something for FQM?  Just wondering...Chocoholics take notice, here's Vivian...

Back in two shakes...H2

*come on, lighten up, you think her eyes are spooky and stoned looking too, right?

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My Favorite Things...55...New Fabrics & New Friends

Day 8 of 13 A Dazzling Dozen Delicious Desserts

It's a big day here at our humble studio-by-the-lake...lots of new goodies...you're on notice Brenda, Elizabeth, Pam, Anne & Annie...It's better than Christmas morning around here when the first rolls of fabric arrive before market...

We could have waited until tomorrow, but then again, who knows when the courier service would have arrived...?  So we drove to my agent's office tonight and got the boxes of ROT...FYI, we don't say it like its rotten, we say R-O-T...that's the term for fabric, when it comes "rolled on tubes"...

Paton, wielding a box cutter under the cover of darkness...

"Paton step back", I said.  " I need to get a shot of this for the blog"...(taking my instructions from the LHDG shameless promotion department, of course)...

So here they are ladies, the first of the new fall fabrics...The colors are soft and clear and remind me of sherbet and ice cream...What's really great is that the new things for Fall 07 cozy up next to the May 07 collection really, really well.  One of my "ab-fab-favorites" is the Saturn pattern...the pink circle tone-on-tone.  "La Grande Rose"...is one of the new additions to the La Belle Rose collection.  It's big pink rose on the pearl background, and let me tell you, it is not fooling around!  The roses are 4-5" across and they are in bouquets that fill an 8" square. So now the La Belle Rose collection (that has only been out since July), has teensy-weensy, small, medium, large & now extra large roses too.  Still delicate & pretty enough for a smaller quilt, but big enough for a knock-down-drop-dead-gorgeous queen size bed quilt as well...It's a beauty, if I do say so myself!

More show and tell soon...we have the whole back of the wagon to unload in the morning.  I'll be sure to have my camera with me.

Meantime, let's not forget about dessert...(quel horreur, certainment pas!)

Tonight is a blogger who puts a smile on my face.  I still remember the first time I went to Thimbleanna's post...She had all sorts of amusements...I instantly fell in love with her banner...you simply must see it, the banner is worth the cost of admission!  Next, she had a place in her side columns for other blogging "Anna's"  (that touched me, in a "being kind to others sort of way").  The thing that made me crack up was her description of her family members.  So genuine, and yet such a kick in the pants!

Meantime, she too likes to cook and has many yummy sounding recipes in addition to her sewing and quilting posts.  From her description of her dessert, it sounds like a winner to me...So take it away, Anna...(I want to taste it all by now, don't you?)

Back in two shakes...H2

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My Favorite Things...54...Missing...Miss Moore!

Day 7 of 13 A Dazzling Dozen Delicious Desserts

Well leave it to me to create a little chaos during the middle of this fabulous sugar high.  It turns out our originally scheduled guest is on a quilting retreat with "a lot of her friends"...and I knew that, and yet scatter-brain that I have become, I scheduled her  to present herself right in the middle of that retreat, then I wondered at about 10 pm tonight...hmmm, whatever happened to...?

The "as-of-yet-unknown-quilter" did send me some preview shots however, and I can tell you that her mystery dessert will not disappoint.  Honestly when I first saw the picture, my inclination was to jump into it and roll around, like some fantasy sequence from Austin Powers...yeah baby!  I digress.

Instead tonight we have the very talented Miss Moore, of "One More Moore blog" fame.  Make sure to take a good look around, if this is your first visit to her site.  The girl is so versatile and oh-what-a-pretty-blog-it-is...great banner, pretty photos, yummy food...she's even got an Etsy shop.  I am oh-so glad that she is joining in on the fun...so without further ado, I give you Morgan Moore  for a lot "Moore fun".

Hit it Morgan!

Back in two shakes...H2

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My Favorite Things...53...Unexpected Pleasures

Day 6 of 13 A Dazzling Dozen Delicious Desserts

Can you guess what this is?

Tonight Paton & I had  sushi at a new Japanese restaurant in Ringwood, New Jersey.  I've had sushi in a lot of places, including Asia, Paris & California...and I have never seen a garnish like this little radish carved into a lantern.  Isn't it precious?  My favorite part about blogging is definitely the show & tell.  Something fun comes your way, and with the flash of a digital camera...it's blog-able.

So without further ado, it's time to introduce our next "Dazzling Dessert Hostess with the Mostest"...Angela Byington of Cottage Magpie.  Angela's a woman who seems to have more energy than 3 people...her blog is one of the most ambitious ones that I've seen so far.  The only thing that has slowed Angela down a wee bit in the past month or so has been her moving to a new house. 

She is thoroughly enthusiastic and entertaining in a Lucy and Ethel "throw yourself into everything you do" sort of way...So let's have a big round of applause for "My Favorite Magpie"!

Back in two shakes...H2

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My Favorite Things...52...Another Beautiful Day

Day 5 of 13 A Dazzling Dozen Delicious Desserts

What a beautiful day for a LHDG lunch meeting out on the terrace.

That's Jean, Su, my new assistant Donna (finally someone in-office to watch over me!), and M2...we were gathered to have the first of our pre-market planning meetings.  They are actually quite scripted by now. We all jog of our respective memories by referring to notes & lists saved from the season or year before.

Of course that's our little mascot, "Kam-burgler" waiting for good fortune to come her way.  Paton's hiding off camera waiting for the shots to be over with...feeling a mite peckish.

The salad is my ab-fab favorite BLT Salad, that I mentioned back in July, along with some grilled chicken paillard (really thin cutlets) deftly prepared for the ladies by his lordship...Can you tell we were being good and saving ourselves for dessert? 

Today, we're bringing you a two-part entry from the creator of Grand Revival Designs...Tanya Wendelken.  First, the perfect early-fall recipe...and then Tanya promises to share a bit of her latest creations in an adjunct post.

I always LOVE Tanya's photos...she's a natural with a camera, so I'll be eagerly awaiting whatever it is she has to show.

Back in two shakes...H2

Next time it's a "diva of domesticity", who quilts in her spare time...any guesses?

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My Favorite Things...51...Annie Bakes!

Day 4 of 13 A Dazzling Dozen Delicious Desserts

Today we are so happy to have Annie Smith take us on a trip down memory lane, with one of her family's favorite recipes, and she's working on the cutest new project, too!

And make sure to check out the interview Megan and I did with Annie on her recent east coast trip.  She just posted the second of two parts a few days ago it's Simple Arts podcast #98.

I must say, Annie is a great interviewer, me thinks "our little quilt community" has a budding Oprah on our hands...I'm just saying...

Annie put Megan and I at ease immediately...and she seemed genuinely interested in what we had to say...imagine that!?  Our conversation was so much fun, we laughed and cackled for hours like the three little hens.

So here's Annie with her mom Joyce's Lemon Jello Cake.

Back in two shakes...H2

Meanwhile, Kammie's guarding the new stash...

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My Favorite Things...50...Three's A Charm!

Day 3 of 13 A Dazzling Dozen Delicious Desserts

I just can't say enough nice things about Fig Tree Quilts.  Since meeting Joanna at the Portland show in May 2002, I have admired not only her work, but her discipline as well.

I'm guessing that she's the kind of gal that can be satisfied with one dessert...while I am more the type to ask for the dessert sampler.  She has a color palette for her blog and she's sticking to it, and I'll change my whole blog top to bottom to go with yet another one of my wacky ideas. 

Just want you to know though, that we've booked side-by-side cabanas at the Loony Bin for retired self-employed designers. She can look out her window to see something new and different every day, and I can look over and...OMG,"that Joanna, she's color coordinated her flower beds to match her shutters..."  I jest.

Our common thread you see is that we are both Francophiles (we love anything French)...Here's a snapshot of a typical Parisian Patisserie...nothing out-of-the-ordinary, mind you...just a little neighborhood place.

So it's particularly ironic that when I started "gathering the girls" for this event, Joanna offered up her version of a very French Dessert.  I for one can't wait to have a stove, so that I can make it here at "Casa No Cucina".

So without further ado, I bring you Joanna Figueroa...even her dessert goes with her color palette!

Back in two shakes...H2

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Favorite Things...49...The Cat's Out of the Bag?!

Day 2 of 13  A Dazzling Dozen Delicious Desserts

This is our little office trouble maker..."Crown Vic" aka "Vickie Von Dixel"...I bet with a little work in Photoshop, I could turn her into a purse...(doesn't she look like she's got a handle growing out of her back?) For some background on Vickie see my post from June 25th...

Let me explain what you are seeing in the photo...Vickie is on a 6 foot long low bench (one of two) that I lay out the new fabric swatches on, as they come in from our mill in Korea.  On a tack wall behind the benches I have the May 2007 LakeHouse Library cards pinned in place so that I can see how the all of the existing and new designs work together.  It's fairly late in the game now, so I have all of the Fall 2007 intro fabrics all laid out in neat little waterfall style piles to approximate how the salesman sample cards will be laid out.  I guess it's really my fault that Vick decided that she could make herself comfortable on top of these new fabric samples.  Somewhere in the midst of the day, I must have thrown my purse ontop of all of this arrangement, and the next thing I know Vickie's enjoying "the splendor of of it all"...(rolling around on her back, of course!)

You know how it is with cats, whatever you are working on is the place that they want to be, right?

Our guest today is yet another animal-loving-quilter...Brenda Riddle of "From Little Acorns" fame. Bren is also getting ready for FQM, and she's made something "yummy for your tummy" too.

Take it away Brenda !

Oh, and just so all of you out there in the quilting blog-o-sphere don't think that our all of our guests are working on projects with only LakeHouse fabrics, I'll give you a hint:  tomorrow's guest is one of the most prominent jewels in the "Moda Crown"...Hope to see you then.

Back in two shakes...H2

 

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My Favorite Things...48...Having a Party

Day 1 of 13  A Dazzling Dozen Delicious Desserts

Welcome one and all to our first ever Blog-able Feast...the atmosphere at our humble little studio here at "Chez Boulders" is festive (if a bit frenetic) and filled with the anticipation of good things to come.

My faithful side-kick Kammie, aka Kamma-Noodle-Von-Poodle (my list of pet names for Herself is a long one)...allowed me one good photo of her in a new "Cherry Baby" neckerchief ...Is it just because she's my girl or is she precious?

My hope is that I will be able to get Miss Thing to pose in some other Haute "Cat-ure" outfits before the last in our series is feasted upon.

Speaking of crazy ladies who like to dress up their pets...Our first Blog-able Feast guest is none other than the quilt-making grandmother of four...wait for it...Guinea Pigs, Elizabeth Scott.

In addition to her going to her Late Bloomer blog to check out what she's working on for Fall Quilt Market (hereafter known as FQM) and her yummie dessert, YOU MUST go to Elizabeth's May Archives  (scroll down to May 21) and check out the Grandpigs enjoying the quilts she made for them.

You can see a gallery of Elizabeth's other projects at her site Late Bloomer Quilts.

So without further ado, I give you Elizabeth making something cool & creamy in Livermore, CA.

Our next Blog-able Feast is tomorrow.

Back in two shakes, H2

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My Favorite Things...47...A Fun Week Ahead

H O L L Y C A K E S   is   H O L L Y B L O G   with sugar and spice and everything nice!  It's time to have a little celebration...as they say:  "so many desserts, so little time".  What better way to kick off our little escapade than a banner that's just that?

It looks like this is going to be a big week here at our little studio at LHDG ...

First, I can't let another minute go by without telling you about the podcast interview that M2 and I did with Annie Smith on her recent trip to the east coast.  Aunt Blabby (you know I am talking about moi, right?) & M2 yacked it up so much with Annie that she was forced to split the conversation into 2 parts.  I am told that they are podcast programs number 97 and 98.

Second, we start our "Blog-able Feast" subtitled "A Dazzling Dozen Delicious Desserts" aka "HOLLYCAKES" on this Friday September 14th.   The summer's almost over, the kids are back in school...so what better time to reacquaint yourself with your bundt pan?...I ask you!?  It's time to do a little baking and start a new fall project, don't you think?
I've asked all of the participants to share photos and recipe for a favorite dessert, as well as a picture or two of what they are currently working on.  You know what you-know-who is currently working on, so "big surprise", it will be more of what is coming in for our new Fall 2007 collection.  I'm such a tease, aren't I?
So make sure that you mark your calender for Friday and come see what's a-goin-on!  Not giving away any names of participants or what they are up to just yet, but I am pretty sure that you will get some sneak peaks at some really beautiful new projects from some of my favorite blogging designers!

Third, we will have a private preview for our distributors both domestic and international up and running by week's end. We won't be able to show you this online until after the collection's debut in Houston, but it will go up right after market.  I must say, I am thrilled with the way it is coming together, the colors are so yummy and one design element flows beautifully into another...(it even surprised me a bit!).

So that's all from the Boulders...

Back in two shakes...H2

My Favorite Things...46...More Goodies

I just couldn't resist...
Another picture postcard day, and more eye candy too.

It's coming together...

I just loves me blue and whites! The blue dot is LH 03035 Frosted Dots:  Heather BTW...it's a favorite of mine.

Back in two shakes...H2

Favorite Things...45a...You're it!

It turns out that my blog-etiquette & blog-worldliness is somewhat suspect at this point in time.  The rules of the middle-name-tagging-game are that I was supposed to tag one person for every letter in my middle name. Thanks for the tutoring ElizaPam, & thank goodness it's only 4 letters...

So I'm "not it" but you are...Kimberly, Anna, Brenda & May Britt

Happy Labor Day All from a "picture-postcard-blue-sky-day" at the Boulders...aka LHDG HQ.

This view is from the stone patio...(we are about 20 feet above the lake here)

This is my photographer's assistant, Jasmine, looking for a rubbin'
(She's the Rescue Remedy kitty, BTW!)

Back in two shakes...H2

My Favorite Things...45...Getting Tagged?

Thank goodness Elizabeth sent me a note telling me that I had been tagged on her site.  I don't "get out much" during QM countdown...that's why I'm available at 9:03 est to perform for you now like a barking seal...ar ar ar

D---Demanding, Designer & Daddy's girl (still missing you every day!)

A---Anal, Artistic & Almost Antique (anything 50 years or older is an antique, right?)

N---Nutsy, Neurotic & Nimble (I still put both feet behind my head)

A---Ardent, Aesthetic & Asymmetrical (wouldn't you like to know?)

Does this remind anyone besides me of passing notes in class?

Back in two shakes...H2

OH, and PKM, you share the same middle name as my beloved Sophie Marie!

She was the best dog a gal could ever hope for...