Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Morning in New York

It's definitely less noisy in the early morning here in NYC. The rain has quit and we're expecting a sunny day. We thought about going to ABC News this morning but dragging our feet a bit. One good thing about NYC, there's a Starbucks on every corner!

WE are headed back to the fabric company later this morning and I can honestly say that it is such fun! To see an idea move into each stage and become fabric- I'm really enjoying it more this time. The last line I did was a few years back and I was learning. Not that I know everything now, but I know a lot more about what I want this time around. The new fabric line will be out next Spring. I'll post more about it later in the year. Nothing like being around a fabric company to get your creative juices flowing! Wow, you just can't imagine!

Well, off for coffee.

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Sushi in Soho


We've had a great trip so far. Our generous hostess Ruth and her husband were able to take us on a driving tour of New York City today. We saw the World Trade Center area. Here's a picture from across the Brooklyn Bridge of the construction going on.

We tried to see Wall Street but they have the road closed so we saw it from every angle except the front. Here's a picture from up the street. We got pretty close.

We took a trip through the Bowery, Little Italy and Chinatown. We saw the old seaport, the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. The rain finally stopped today so we finally got to dry the umbrellas. We stopped in Soho at the cutest little Sushi bar and had lunch. Yesterday we went to Mood, in the Fashion District, so today we checked out Purl in Soho. There has been a lot of shopping going on. I think we'll have to make a stop at UPS before we catch a plane home! Sarah's such a shopaholic!

We met my sister tonight for dinner at a quaint little steak house. Sarah got a martini and actually got carded. (She's 29). Funny, my sister (pictured) and I didn't get carded. What's with that?

I am exhausted tonight and have a full day ahead of me at the fabric company. It's really coming along though. I am truly blessed.

Monday, March 22, 2010

Rainy Day in New York


It was a good day today. We did a lot of work and a little bit of fun stuff. I am working on a fabric line for next year and we made the most of every hour today. We got out to walk quite a bit today also, despite the rain. We stopped a bought some umbrellas which seem to be abundant on the streets. For lunch, I got to experience my first falalfal, I got an African falalfal. I actually remembered to photograph it before I ate it. It was pretty yummy, a bit spicy but still yummy!

We shopped at a few fabric stores around the Garment District and shopped a few local souvenir stores today also, we're tourists, what can I say? Tomorrow we may do a little work and a lot of fun stuff. We plan to sight see in the afternoon and meet up with my sister tomorrow evening for dinner. As for tonight, we are beat. I think it's a good night to go to bed early, we may change our minds and go out though. Last night we stayed up until 1:15 am and tonight it's starting to show.

WE might to to ABC News in the morning of we get up early enough and it's not raining. It is very close, just a couple of blocks.

Sunday, March 21, 2010

We Made It!

What a great trip. The ice didn't deter us at all this morning. It was more slushy than not and a little slow going was all it took. The trip was basically uneventful except my speedometer went crazy on the way to the airport. I was driving along and passed a police man. As anyone would do, I looked at my speed when I passed- just in case. Oh my goodness, I was in shock to see it said I was going 95 miles per hour. Considering everyone was passing me, I got a little suspicious! Turns out, it is not working properly. Even at a stand still, it says I'm going 30.


Sarah got harassed at the airport by one of the "man handlers" as he said she had too many liquids in her bag. Who knew there was a limit on 3 oz bottles? It takes a lot of lotions and cremes to keep up her good looks so he obviously was clueless to that fact. We figured he just wanted the excuse to sort though her clothes which was pretty icky. Not too neat having your clothes rustled by a creepy guy.



We finally made it to New York, checked in and then hit the streets. It was a beautiful day today and with tomorrow bringing rain, we didn't want to waste any time. Here's Sarah at Times Square.


We found Planet Hollywood and enjoyed Cobb Salads. They make them so good there- all chopped real fine. I forgot to take a picture of them until we had eaten and by then, there was no point! For all of the Robert Pattinson fans, or Twi-hards as they are called, here is his hand prints from Planet Hollywood. We watched New Moon today on the plane. I am Team Edward, Sarah is Team Jacob.




We saw Momma Mia on Broadway tonight, such a fun show. I'd seen the movie and we all know the ABBA songs.
I think Sarah became a fan tonight also! We hope to see the Riverdance later this week also at Radio City Music Hall. We'll see if it works out.
We were excited after Momma Mia- walking back to the hotel, there was a rush of police cars and we knew it was someone famous so we watched- turns out it was Michelle Obama. We didn't get a picture but there she was, riding down Broadway tonight, right in front of us with a huge police motorcade.

It's after midnight so I better hit the sack. Tomorrow's another adventure.

All My Bags Are Packed, I'm Ready To Go...

Reminds me of the song, Leaving On A Jet Plane. Looking out the window, I'm not so sure. We had snow yesterday and it froze last night. Then, we had rain all night on top of it and it looks like a nasty ice storm. The view from my window shows me no one person could stand on it, much less drive anywhere. I might have to delay my trip. (ugh) If I do get to go, however, I plan to Blog along the way. Could be interesting!

But on a brighter note, we have winners! The winners of the brand new Little Candle Mats are Karen from NC and Jan from FL.

The winners of the Quilt patterns are Joann from ME and Carol from MO. Congratulations to you all. I'll send them when I return from NYC.

No drawing this week but I promise there will be something special next week. I might post about it early so stay tuned.

Saturday, March 20, 2010

We Got What?


Well, I know it's still March, but it has been 60 degrees all week. You kind of have to figure it's Spring when that happens. This morning we were supposed to wake up to rain but guess what? We woke up to SNOW! A very wet snow in fact! Very pretty though. There were about 30 cardinals in the yard, waiting their turns for the bird feeder. They really stand out in the snow.

Tomorrow morning I am leaving for New York City at 6 am. I promise to draw a winner and post as soon as I can. Forgive me if it's not until tomorrow evening at the hotel. We're staying in the Theater District. I am taking my digital camera and laptop so hopefully I can Blog along the way. Sarah and I are mixing a little business with some much needed pleasure this trip. My sister is coming up on Tuesday and we get to play some this week also.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

St. Patrick's Day



Today is St. Patrick's Day and this year Easter is only 2 weeks away. There's not a lot of decoration time in there so I guess I better get on the stick. I found these sweet little decorations and Grace just loves playing with them. She is so fascinated with all of the little trinkets that I have sitting around.




My mother had a beautiful Lefton hobnail vase for years and about 7 years ago, she was going to sell it for a dollar at her garage sale. I just happened to be there helping her and grabbed it. I couldn't believe she'd sell that "family heirloom" for a dollar. Needless to say, that vase started an obsession for me (and a chance to practice hoarding).




Like any good Ebayer, I searched it and found more items that were similar. I bought the Lefton books which showed even more items to match and I started making a list. It got to be a challenge to find just the right pieces. I searched Ebay and found a lot of pieces and scoured every antique shop I saw.




Over the years, I purchased dozens of Lefton vases, candle holders, powder sets, bowls, boxes and angels. Here's a picture of some of my collection. If it's in a glass case, it's considered a collection, right? Or am I still a hoarder?




Grace likes to look at all of the pieces through the glass. I have sold off a lot of pieces over the last couple of years just trying to condense the collection to what I really, truly like. I can' t seem to part with any of the others. I'll let my kids deal with it all someday! :)


After all, that's what our parents do, right?


Sunday, March 14, 2010

Carrot Hop Quilt Winner!

WE have a winner of the Carrot Hop quilt this week. It's Kim from GA. I had a lot of entries this week, so thanks to you all for entering. I'll offer another finished quilt before Easter so stay tuned.

I had company for dinner today- we had a turkey dinner with all of the trimmings and I had to wait until they left to Blog. Sorry for the delay in posting!

This week I'll offer the two new little candle mat charts for the drawing (see the pictures below). To enter, email me at PGPeddler@aol.com and put "LCM" in the subject line. Include your full name and mailing address. Only entries with both will be considered. There will be 2 winners.

For quilters, there will be a drawing for three patterns, #382, My Secret garden, #372 Summer's Song and #378, Cat's in the Cabin. To enter, email me at PGPeddler@aol.com and put "Spring" in the subject line. Include your full name and mailing address. Only entries with both will be considered. There will be 2 winners. Good luck everybody!

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Does It Get Any Better? I know, 2 blogs in 1 day? Who Knew?


I am babysitting for Grace tonight. I asked her if she remembered the name of my favorite doll, while she was playing with her and she yelled out "Bar-B-Q". Well, that's close and certainly creative but not quite. Her name is actually Pork and Beans. I know, it's not your normal name for a doll but I guess I was imaginative (and hungry). I told my friend Barb about it and we had a good laugh. Barb said, " and the family tradition continues!"

The Painting

When my parents got married in 1952, an attorney friend of theirs named Foster Clarke painted a picture for them as a wedding gift. The painting hung prominently in my living room for my entire childhood. Through the years, I used to lay on the floor in front of the painting and study it. I was mesmerized by all of the detail and the way he painted each item. I know absolutely that the painting was the single biggest reason I excelled in art in school. I always got A's in art and won many awards in contests for oil paintings and drawings. I owe it all to Foster Clarke.

Well, you know my obsession for all of the things from my childhood by now and this painting is no exception. I treasure it and it has been in my living room for years, ever since my mom tried to get rid of it. My husband thinks it looks like a hillbilly house and no one else appreciates it like I do, imagine that! When we moved, my daughter tried to talk me out of putting it up (knowing full well how primitive it really is) but I held my ground.

It was a bit worn so Sarah thought she'd take it to Hobby Lobby for a freshen up job on the frame. Her only problem was, as she walked through the store, she slipped on a wet spot and fell right on the painting. Devastated, bruised and bleeding, she ran back to the framing counter and begged them to fix the painting, knowing how much it meant to me.

It's clean and so fresh that I almost didn't recognize it. It has a new lighter color than when I saw it last thanks to some careful cleaning from Hobby Lobby. She didn't tell me the story until today.

So, I now have a brand new, very old painting that I will treasure for my lifetime and they can sell it at a garage sale once I'm gone. So there you have it!

Sunday, March 7, 2010

So Many Entries, So Few Prizes!

I got SOOO many emails this week and a lot of entries for the oak basket. Thanks to everyone for the sweet notes. I wish I had a basket for everyone. I will, in fact, offer another oak basket soon but there can only be one basket winner this week. It was Barb from OR. The winner of the wool table runner is Marilyn from WI. Congratulations to you both. I'll ship them this week.

I finally finished a few little candle mats this week and got them photographed. Here's a sneak peak- this one is called Shamrocks. I know, a day late and a dollar short but better late than never, right?

I also have a bunny to release this week. I plan to send them to distributors later this week. I have several more to release next month during the Online Needlework Show. Now I have to get back to my new quilt patterns. Seems there's never a shortage of things to work on around here. Good thing I have good help.

This week for the drawing, I thought I'd offer a finished quilt. It's called Carrot Hop and measures about 37" square. All you have to do to enter, is email me at PGPeddler@aol.com. Put "Carrot" in the subject and send your name and mailing address. I'll choose a winner next Sunday.