Holly Blog

My Favorite Things...120...Puppy Love!

I promise to return to my "Quilt Market Tales" later this, week...but humor me dear reader, as I bring you a tail of a different sort...

Here she is in her new Maraschino Cherry bandanna I made for her this morning...Meet Sophia, the "puppy mill reject" aka LUCKY DOG, who was given up by her "captor" about a month ago at the age of three, because she couldn't produce enough puppies...She's the sweetest little thing on four paws!

Here's the back story: We were at our vet's office earlier this week, and she told us that she was the foster dog-mother for Sophia, who came to her as "Wendy the Westie" from puppymillrescue.com.  She said that it was Oprah's recent show on the atrocities at puppy mills, that got her energized.

I was so inspired by this that we here at LHDG are going to get involved too.  I started scheming up a plan today...I'll keep you posted.

More Portland "Pics & Quips", and stories of the "Great Northwest" coming soon...

 

Back in two shakes...H2

113...My Favorite Things...New Stuff!

It's been a little while!  In the midst of taxes and getting ready for Spring Market, Paton and I came down with a horrible flu.  When you live in the middle of nowhere, with no deli on the corner to bring you soup and tea and sandwiches...it's even worse being sick.  It started with sneezing, I didn't think much of it, since things were starting to bloom a bit outside, then the next thing I know it...whammo, flat on our backs for 4 days.  Another few days of brain fog as all of the cold remedies flush out of my system, and wa-la...a littl sneak peak of what's new for Spring market.

Meet BOB, that's short for "Boy Oh Boy"...It's my first collection of boy/toddler designs on fabric.  We'll do charm squares again as a promo at Spring Quilt market, in this new palette, that has lots of my favorite blues and greens, and even some new browns.  (Those of you who have been bugging me to do something in browns (and you know who you are)...a drum roll please!

On a sad note, Paton found our little Jasmine floating in the lake a couple of days ago.  We assume that she accidentally fell in, and in the cold water she didn't have much of a chance to save herself.  Jasmine was such a creature of habit, so we just knew that something bad happened when she didn't show up for meals back in February.  The freakiest part of this story, is our neighbors who live 6 houses down, lost their beautiful Siberian Husky a week or so ago in the middle of the night.  They searched everywhere, and then a couple of days later Tundra also was also found mysteriously floating in the lake.  We are such animal lovers here, almost everyone on our street has a cat, or dog or both, it's been a real shock to all of us.

With the temporary set back of the flu, most of the things we've moved to the office are still in boxes, but I'll have more to show and tell very soon...new spring things are arriving every day!

Back in two shakes...H2

112...My Favorite Things...Young Geets

The title of this little story should be "Geeter Helps Out"...Geeter, aka Kitty is the kind of dog who does her "spin to win" move when she sees me put my shoes on, or if I get the car keys out of the drawer.  She's the best little traveler there ever was.  "Where we goes she goes"...

Here she is on one of our recent moving days...is it just me or is she adorable?  Danielle our trusty dog-loving intern took this pic with her phone.

I know a lot of you are chomping at the bit for pictures of the new office.  We've made lots of plans and are in the midst of implementing them right now.  Paton has been terrific helping us get all of our shelving in place. We now have what seems like miles of new shelving (that will fill up in no time, I'm sure.) 

We looked for over 6 months to find the office space that we finally took.  We had several deals fall through (including our dream space), so don't get too excited.  The space is large and we have windows along three exposures.  But the basics are white walls, new gray industrial carpeting, and "standard issue" 8 foot acoustical ceilings (which I really can't stand!).  I must admit, coming from Manhattan where space is $$$ cha-ching, we are getting a lot of space for our money.  But the perks:  Central Park a block away, latte's on demand on almost every corner, and 6 bakeries including a French pastry chef within an easy walk...They just aren't to be had anywhere near our new digs. What's a spoiled Chub-ette like Moi to do?

Anyhoo, things are moving along, and  I am anticipating a (very small) lull before the last big push for market, so I promise to indulge you with "new place pics" soon.

Back in two shakes...H2

110...My Favorite Things...Making a Pit Stop!

I'll spare you all of my not-so-clever racing metaphors today, but we are zooming towards Portland Quilt Market...Between the weather (think snow, snow and more snow) & the work load (11 weeks to go) it feels like I haven't left the house in weeks.

Coming up the stairs today with a cup of tea, it dawned on me that my desktop told my story better than I could...

I'm working on some colorations for one of the new lines...With 30 drawers full of color chips, the mess on the top of my desk is only the tip of an iceberg.  I'm attempting to blend a new idea and colors with some of our LakeHouse Library favorite patterns and colors...Making no predictions yet...fingers, toes and eyes are crossed...

Meanwhile, we've had a lot of drama with the kitties...Jasmine, my "Rescue Remedy Kitty" disappeared over a week ago off the property. Paton and I searched around-the-clock for days.  It's been absolutely heartbreaking, as she had shown such promising signs of accepting us and being indoors this winter.  After spending every night (and a lot of days) in a basket on my desk for the last three months, and accepting a lot of attention, she vanished.

Vickie-Dixie had to have 4 teeth pulled last week.  My guess is that her teeth got bad when fending for herself and her kittens before she got to the shelter where we adopted her.  She has been a model patient these last few days. Here she is enjoying the radiant heating in the (yet unfinished) bathroom.

So now we are caught up a bit...Lots more to show and tell.

Back in two shakes...H2

One more important thing...I had promised three give aways to the first 3 new people visiting the blog after my recent guest posting on the Jolly Jabber.  The winners are Corey, Erin and Babara from Feb 8th.

It looks like two of the first three have no tag back, so I need emails addresses from you  gals  ;)   

My Favorite Things...107...Raising Arizona

Ladies,

It's been a l-o-n-g time since my last post.  So much to do and tell, but so little time to do it in...

So without further ado, here are some of my favorite pics from my recent Arizona trip...

Here's Cindy Taylor Oates at her lovely home, in front of her display cabinets.  We both have an affinity for "old stuff", like  group photos, unusual sewing machines, neat things with original typography and the like...my mouth watered at some of her juicy tidbits...

Loved her little pink chairs too, oh-so girly!

Cindy had Precious Penny and I over for a delicious lunch...yummy southwestern style chicken soup, avocado and orange salad, a delicious sweet corn souffle, and some ab fab smoked ribs made by her sweetie-pie husband William. I've asked CTO to post some of her recipes...but haven't had the time to go blog reading in weeks...So we must all make sure to check in and see what's she's put up on her new blog.

Here's a couple of close-ups of Cindy's vignettes...

Simply Cindy!

Alas, I spent 3 days and 3 of the most comfortable nights in recent memory (on the world's best bed ever!) with Precious Penny & her also-sweetie-pie husband, Bob while I was in Arizona.  We also went model house hunting with Jill, who is Penny's wonderful friend & sister-in-law.  My favorite models were at Fulton Ranch in Chandler, AZ...right up until I realized that the neighborhood that these almost million dollar houses (don't believe the prices on their website!) were back-to-back with the loading dock of the local Loew's!  That really bothered me...am I nuts, or what?
It was great to spend time with them, soaking up the sunshine and the local color.  I was so happy, well fed, relaxed and "at home" with B&P&J that I completely forgot that I needed to document my trip...the shameless-blogger-in-me forgot to take pictures! I will tell you this, Penny has her house decorated in a cozy & comfy way.  Lots of quilts, yummy paint colors on the walls, really nice overstuffed furniture and an adorable new kitchen that the also-very-handy-Bob just remodeled for her.

I took a little side trip to visit of my favorite quilters down Tucson way...Brenda the "big nut" from Little Acorns and her now famous side kick Bailey...

I've got two words to describe Mr B:  "love monster".

Thanks so much to everyone for taking time out of their busy schedules (and bustling pattern businesses) when I came-a-calling in AZ...

Lots more exciting news when I return (finger's crossed)...meantime, this lil' pardner is back on the "designing ranch", what with Spring Quilt Market right around the corner!

Back in two shakes...

H2

 

My Favorite Things...102...Happy Endings!

We chose Maria Fareri Children's Hospital to receive the "12 Bears for Christmas". To find out more about this amazing facility, click here .

Su Bashir, our LHDG "queen of allocations", came along to help out.  Her beautiful daughter Aliya was born at this hospital complex.

The day we delivered the bears, also happened to be the day that 5 little girls who had received liver transplants at MFCH all returned for a visit and a photo op...Here they all are...their transplant doctor is holding one of the littlest girls...who was born at the hospital and lived there until recently, when she received her transplant.  When I saw those little girl's faces, I really had to hold back the big alligator tears....I imagine that all of the adults in the room had lumps in their throats.

Each of the girls received a bear to take home...and the others were given to the events coordinator, so that they could be given out...Although this hospital looks like it has some pretty wealthy benefactors, they tell me that many of the children are from under privileged backgrounds. So I'm sure that the bears will all find happy and deserving homes.

It's true what they say...'Tis better to give than receive.

Happy "Holly-Daze" to all of you.

Back in two shakes...H2

My Favorite Things...101...Two for the Load!

Some of you may have noticed that Cheryl Winslow posted a comment that "you should have a 13th bear"...Alas, it's less than a week before Christmas, and "the bears have left the building"...as in, the bears have left Target ("Tar-Jaay").  But wait, what about our wee tiny bears Boo & Honey?  Some of you will remember them from front & center at our FQM booth, if not look here...Well, they are ba-ack, and better than ever thanks to Cheryl...Here's a few pics of their antics...

Cheryl nick named them Bear Claw and Bear Paw...Here they are giving each other a "tiny-bear-hug", on their wee Navajo inspired quilts...

Monkey see, Monkey do...

Wherever you'll be, what ever you do, as long as we'll be there together...

Hands are for Holding...

Alas, here they are all ready to go to good homes...Cheryl made her quilts into little sleeping bags...she said "so that the bears will travel well"...

I told her if she kept going, before long she'd have an entire mobile home made of fabric, and that she'd better stop now (while she still could)!

Here's a closer look at Cheryl's two mini-mini quilts...

Tomorrow, we'll announce the new home(s) for all of our new furry friends...
Stay there "12 Bears" fans, 'Tis the season, and I guarantee you, it truly is better to give than receive...

Back in two shakes...H2

 

My Favorite Things...100...Please, Just one more hug?

It's my 100th blog...(call me "Aunt Blabby").  And we are on our 12th bear, little Bandit...here she is waiting for her hug, in a new bib by "fairy-god-seamstress"  Cheryl Winslow, and another loverly quilt made just for "Pooh" in an encore presentation by the "big nut" at Little Acorns...Brenda Riddle, of course!

Brenda said she had lots of scraps leftover from the adorable quilts that she made for our booth at market...If you haven't seen them yet, (hello, where have you been?)...take a peak here, for goodness sakes!

Love the fabric combination again...thanks Brenda, for making LHDG look so good!

Now for the biggest teaser of all...tomorrow, we have a late entry...a surprise to be sure, but I promise you, it will not disappoint!

Back in two shakes...H2

My Favorite Things...99...Give me a Kiss!

Madamoiselle "X" (X is for Kisses, get it?) is none other than Pudge...she's all dressed up and ready to celebrate!  Her bib is also made by our fabric mistress Cheryl Winslow, and her charming little pink and yellow quilt is made by one of my favorite people: Pretty Penny (Sturges) of QuiltsIllustrated, our queen of tote bags (and our queen of hearts...awwwe!)

Here's another look at Penny's wee quilt:  so simple, yet so endearing...just my cup of tea!

So that's a one hug bear, and one kiss bear...(in case you're counting!)

Back in two shakes...H2

 

My Favorite Things...98...Give me a Hug!

Bearlina is here with a new bib, made just for this "Bearly-Blogging" event! (O is for Hug's, get it?) It's made by none other than our favorite quilting & fabric diva Cheryl Winslow .  And beneath B is the cutest little star quilt ever, made by none other than our favorite blogging-quilter... You guessed it, Pam Kitty!

I was tickled pink when I first saw Pam's little quilt...It shows how beautifully the "old" La Belle Rose fabrics (in the stores now) blended with the "new" Cherry Baby fabrics  (starting to hit the stores in late January 2008)...I just LOVE how PK put everything together in this quilt...it's as if she read my mind...and aren't star quilts just wonderful?...LOVE IT!

Oh, and I just LOVE PINK with ANYTHING, and I especially love this little darlin'...Am I crazy, or could you see this as a bigger bed sized quilt on a beautiful old white iron bed?  Along with the White on White dot as a dust ruffle & shams, and this little kitten would want to stay in her basket all day long!

Back in two shakes...H2

My Favorite Things...97...Give me and "E"

Emmie is outfitted by Elizabeth Scott of Late Bloomer fame...Isn't she smashing in this sporty coordinate?

The red dotted fabric is from our best selling Antique Dots pattern, it has a subtle, mottled texture in the background, and it looks good with almost any type of modern or traditional fabric palette. It's very striking in this jaunty little quilt, don't you think?

Back in two shakes...H2

My Favorite things...96...Give me an "S"

Sugar is just as pleased as punch with the ric rac & lace trimmed ensemble made for her by Annie Smith of Simple Arts and her quilting & blogging daughter Kirsten .

Here's a better look at this delicate little charmer...

Much more to come...ho, ho, honey!

Back in two shakes...H2

My Favorite Things...95...Uma Furbear?

Uma is just as snug as a bug in her quilt and bib made by Vivian Love.

Vivian has made several whole cloth quilts with our Hydrangeas & Raspberries fabric...

Who says that a little Pooh bear from Target  (or as we like to say "Tarr-Jay") can't be a "sophisticate"?

Back in two shakes...H2

My Favorite Things...94 Give me an "O"

Oona is especially proud today...That's because her "fairy godmother" is none other than Cindy Taylor Oates, designer of "all things fabric", pattern maker extrordinaire and NEW blogger...Welcome Cindy !

I must say, there are a lot of beautiful little quilts in this little "Bear & Bib" extravaganza, but this one is just darling, don't you think? Here's a closer look...those bears in the heart are out of Cindy's logo...don't you know?

Back in two shakes...H2

My Favorite...93...Give me an "H"

This is Heidi...She's the H in LakeHouse.  You can't really tell with all of the fur, but she is smiling from ear to ear. Why, you ask?  Because I actually made time to piece a quilt...(a wee & tiny quilt to be sure, but hey, I's a busy gal)  A BIG BEAR HUG and many thanks as always to Cheryl for squeezing this little project into her always tight long arm schedule.

Twinkle Twinkle, little quilt...

Back in two shakes...H2

My Favorite Things...92...Give me an "E"

Cherri House made the adorable bib & quilt for Erin Bear.  She also was the quilter who inspired me to start this little "Bear & Bib Blog-a-thon". You see it was  Cherri who made the first little quilt to go along with the bib that she made for her bear.  After market (when the dust finally settled!) the light bulb went on for me too, when I realized that the bears would be awfully cold & lonely in the storage cottage this winter.  So I formulated a plan...we needed to have 12 bears adopted, and just in time for the holidays...

I just love it when there are left overs from a project.  The quilt is the perfect size for a little bear, don't you think?  Here's a front and back view of Cherri's Itty Bitty Bear Quilt...

Back in two shakes...H2

My Favorite Things...91..."K" is for Kara Bear

Our next little bear Kara, is outfitted by another one of my favorite quilters...Brenda Riddle of Acorn Quilt & Gift Company.  Isn't it funny how different the faces of these little bears are?  They all have their own unique personality, that's for sure...(And all look like they've enjoyed a few good meals, too), it was a problem getting their bibs to lay straight for their pictures, with their fat little tum-tums.

A closer look at Brenda's handiwork...Like Olga Korbut on the balance beam, she makes it look so easy!

Back in two shakes...H2

My Favorite Things...90...Give me an "A"

Our next guest bear is Alex, sporting a smashing bib & quilt ensemble designed by the talented Tammy Tadd, and made by her mom, the marvelous Velda Grubbs...(big hug Velda!) Thanks to both of you for your contribution to our colorful cavalcade of quilts!

The pinks in the quilt bring out the rosy undertone in Alex's fur, don't you think...?

I just love Tammy's unusual mix of colors, don't you?
Let's all cast a vote for your favorite ensemble at the end of this event...I'm always curious to hear your thoughts...

Back in two shakes...H2

My Favorite Things...89...For A Good Cause!

As promised, we are starting off our little charity* Show & Tell:  "12 Bears For Christmas" with one of my favorite designers, and a cute little bunny herself...Miss Anne Sutton.

Here's Anne's bear "Lenya" with a little-bear-sized 2 piece Bib & Quilt ensemble...

Below is a closer look at Anne's precious little quilt...

We've got oodles of beguiling bears, scads of guest quilters (with their little creations), lots more tricks up our sleeves...and we'll go all the way 'til the 24th...so join us as we celebrate the holiday spirit, won't you? 

Back in two shakes...H2

*Details announced on Christmas Eve!

My Favorite Things...87...Bearly There!

This is a bit of a shaggy dog story about a bunch of little bears.  The story really started out as a kitty story...Some of you will remember my post..."Who Wants to Lick the Beaters?"...you know, "Noodle Pudding" and "Vickie Dixie", who wore the little cat-sized bibs?  That little incident turned into a display idea, for the LakeHouse booth at Fall Quilt Market in Houston.  Which in turn prompted a discussion at our bloggers dinner.  Brenda said that I should take the bear around market and go visiting ...my first thought after that was "photo ops with quilt luminaries"! And my next thought after that was to share those pictures with all of you, "my little bloggettes"...Our first stop was at Elizabeth Scott's booth.  She had the most precious & sentimental decorations, I just had to take Bearlina's picture...She looks so cute, and right at home, don't you think?  Oh and BTW, we were both absolutely smitten with Elizabeth's Hen & Egg Basket quilt, called Petaluma...perfect name, BTW!  But I digress...

So all over market, Bearlina and I, we frolicked...got lots of great snaphots with some of our favorite people.  That's what prompted the new flickr album on the side column (lots more Bearlina pics there!)...(more on this later!) After spending so much time with B(earlina), I got to thinking how sad it was that she really didn't have a good home to go to after market, what with the construction and the other critters at our house.  And not only B, but we had 11 other bears that needed good homes in time for the "HollyDaze"... This brings our little saga to an end (for today), as I announce "12 Bears for Christmas"...Starting soon, we'll be having another "Dazzling Dozen Delightful"...this time with some surprise guests and lots of holiday cheer. So stay tuned, it's going to be a lot of fun here at HollyBlog in the weeks to come.

Back in two shakes...H2

My Favorite Things...84...Tiny Bears All in a Row & Kitty Cats All Aglow?

In case I haven't mentioned it, things have been absolutely nuts around "The LakeHouse" here since market.  I came into my studio this morning, and the bears were all waiting to see me.  They wanted to remind me to tell you about a "Bearly There Special Event" that we have planned for Xmas.  I will be covering this fun new project in HOLLYBLOG really soon.  But I'm not quite ready to tell you the details yet, so you'll all just have to stay tuned...and keep a watchful eye  ;)

It the midst of all of the excitement here with the bears, Di & Shirley & Jackie found the new Feb 2008 McCall's magazine...

Not one of you mentioned seeing the quilt that I designed that was supposed to be in there too...and since I have yet to actually lay eyes on the magazine, I am wondering if it's even in this issue?...

Meanwhile Sandy Kitty, part of Pam Kitty's posse in the Bay area photoshopped her way into the fray...I am guessing this was originally part of an internet ad (for naughty behavior?...LOL), but I have talking bears in my office, so who am I to judge?

So much more to show and tell, I can hardly contain myself!

Back in two shakes...H2

My Favorite Things...83...Kitty Cats and other Furry Friends!

Here's the (in)famous Pam Vieira-McGinnis of you know who...

I guess she's found the article and sees that her blog Pam Kitty Morning is the first one I mentioned in the McCall's article...

Here's Pam's great-nephew Compton Scott checking things out...Oh, and notice the Terrier-esque black nose and scruffy chin in the upper right hand corner?  That's Rosie, who I am told  "pig-sits"...

Compton's "grand-mama" is none other than Elizabeth Scott  who sends us these adorable pictures...

Since Elizabeth and Pam can probably "bench press their weight" in LakeHouse fabrics, I am extending the prize give-away to two more of you out there in bloggie-land...a photo of you and the magazine, wins you a Charm Square packet from our recent show...

Back in two shakes...H2