Winner!

I've been going over all the ideas you've given me for Sophie's birthday party and totally wish I had another month to plan it! There are just soooo many wonderful suggestions! But, her party is tomorrow night so I'd better get to it. I've already prepared a lot of it but still have to finish up the 3 aprons for the "Lil' Chef Sets." I can't wait to share these pictures with you, since I feel that each and every one of you had a great part in making this party what it is!

So, without much further ado, I'll announce the winner of the "Mommy & Me" gift basket. Again, thank goodness I didn't have to pick this winner based on your comments because there were so many AWESOME ones. I left it up to the randomizer and it picked comment #37 out of the 84 that were submitted... so...

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CONGRATULATIONS, Melissa,
you have won the "Mommy & Me" gift basket!
Please contact me at your earliest convenience to redeem your prize.
(email me at info@modkidboutique.com)

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PHEW! I wish I could've given out dozens of these but don't fret, I'll definitely have another giveaway on my blog soon. I love doing these! I want to thank each an everyone of you who recommended the sleepover cake. As soon as I saw that, I knew I had to do it!! I've gathered all the necessary parts... twinkies, marshmallows, vanilla wafers, icing, sprinkles and I'm gonna let the girls go crazy decorating this cake. I can't wait!

I also want to thank all of you who suggested the "make your own personal pizzas"... another winning idea in my book! I have all the mini crusts and toppings ready for the party and can't wait to see what kind of funky concoctions the girls come up with! And now that they'll have they own oven mitts, chef hats and aprons it'll be like a little cooking show right here in my kitchen! :)

Anyway, I hope you all had a fabulous Thanksgiving! I am still stuffed and feeling lazy but happy to be with loved ones. My sister and her family flew up here from Florida to be with us for this long weekend and we couldn't be more thankful!

Prepping and playing...

I've been prepping for the Holidays and Sophie's b-day non-stop these past few days, but I just noticed most of my "prepping" also fell into the "playing with fabric" category, so I thought I'd share some of the fun little projects we've been doing around here. I got my yardage from MMF last week and it couldn't have been better timing!

The girls and I made this fabric garland over the weekend. It was the perfect "lazy Saturday afternoon with the kids" project. It was so easy and painless and used up a lot of the scraps I had lying around my studio. If you guys are interested I can put together a little tutorial, but it's really easy, I promise...



I also started filling up an empty wall in my office/studio. I'd been staring at this blank wall for months trying to figure out what the best artwork for it could be and one day it dawned on me. I ran into a box of vintage embroidery hoops that belonged to my mother-in-law (like 30 years ago!). This little project took me all of half-an-hour... another quick & painless little home project!



Then I thought I'd share some of the things I've been making for Sophie's b-day slumber party. Yep, you guessed it... it's a "cooking class theme"! Sophie absolutely loves to help in the kitchen so this is the perfect themed party and since there are so few guests I thought it'd be fun to make all the party favors... as in an oven mitt, a chef's hat and an apron for each girl! YES, I'M CRAZY! (pssst... I'm still not done! I still have to make 3 more aprons... eeek!)



Some of these have a different fabric on the back side...



Oh, and the girls will also get some cute cookie cutters and mini-wisks in their goody bags. Hope they like them!



(pssst... I'll have a pattern for the oven mitts, chef's hat and flower-shaped apron available soon! The apron is adorable, you'll see. It's all drafted and ready to go, I just have to get it printed!)

I'll share plenty of pictures of the party next week. Oh, and speaking of... there is still time to enter the Mommy & Me giveaway! I will pick a random winner tomorrow (Thanksgiving Day) and announce it on Black Friday! So go ahead and leave me a comment!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

I've been jolly jabbering...

My interview is finally up at The Fat Quarter Shop's Jolly Jabber. After you read, hop on over to their shop and grab one of their Jolly Packs or Fat Quarter Bundles. I just love their presentation!



And, while I have your attention, the list of online stores offering Andalucia is growing in leaps and bounds. I will try to keep my sidebar list updated daily, but here is the list so far:

Fat Quarter Shop
Hancocks of Paducah
J. Caroline Creative
Allegro Fabrics
Fabric Supplies
The Fab Store
Cloth Keepers
Hip Fabric
The Quilted Castle
Lanie Jane Fabric
Tennessee Quilts

And you can find Andalucia coordinating ribbons at:

J. Caroline Creative
Fabric Hound
Banberry Place

Thanks, everyone for your support! You have no idea how my heart sings every time I see Andalucia out there, whether it's the fabric for sale or a beautiful handmade item. And speaking of handmade items, I have seen some absolute beauties out there and am compiling a list on my Wishpot account. Check out what I have found so far!

Do you wishpot? I just started a couple of days ago and I'm totally hooked! You can create wishlists for you and your family members (makes Christmas shopping a million times easier) and you can recommend gifts (like indie items, etc.) to other people. You need to check it out!
Right after signing up I was invited to become an indie advisor , so I am excited to get started!

Cook It. Blog It! has moved!

As with everything I start, I had all the best intentions when I founded the Cook It. Blog It! club back in June of this year. I planned on weekly updates, features, contests and what not. But typical me, I bit off more than I could chew (no pun intended... well, kinda!) I got a little busy with fabric design, market preps, post-Market stuff and family and just could not keep it up. Your requests to join the blogroll kept pouring in and I am truly sorry that I have not had the time to add the last few dozen on there.

So, I've enlisted the help of none other than our sponsor, Nikki of Gourmet Momma. Actually, I have more than enlisted her help. I've just plain handed it over to her... she will do a much better job at keeping this club updated than I ever could, believe me. And with her culinary background and kick-butt graphics experience, I just couldn't think of a better person to head up this endeavor!

So, without too much ado, I present to you the new & improved COOK IT. BLOG IT! (drumroll please!)

You can now send your requests over to Nikki and still browse the existing blogroll for lots of yummy recipes (we have about 100 members!!!) She even has a a way for you to grab the code for the sidebar logo... way to go, Nikki (I was never able to figure out how to do that! LOL!)

Oh, and don't forget to add your pictures to our Flickr group!! It is still the same group... I've just added Nikki as an admin.

I just cannot wait to browse your blogs for some yummy Holiday recipes... I'm finally in the mood to cook again! And speaking of cooking, I am totally obsessed with Peppermint Bark, anyone else?


I swiped this amazing photo from The Food Network. I've never made the stuff myself but I just got a bag of it this morning and it's nearly gone! I'm thinking I need to make some. So, is it as simple as it looks? Just melted white chocolate, crushed candy canes & peppermint extract? Or does anyone have a secret to make it extra special?



Ooooh, and check out this dark chocolate version I found on Simply Recipes. Again, not my photo, but I'm totally salivating here!!! Plus, this is one that Jon would actually enjoy, since he HATES white chocolate with a passion (weirdo!)


OK, has anyone had this version from Williams Sonoma with BOTH white and dark chocolate? It looks amazing! And I'm reading TONS of reviews from crazed fans out these saying it's the best thing since sliced bread! GOSH, here I go again, drooling on my keyboard.

Let me know if you have a fave peppermint bark recipe... the little bag I bought this morning is almost all gone!

Meeting of the [creative] minds



I recently had brunch with some amazing women: all mothers of small children, all mompreneurs, all creative to the max and all living within a few miles of me! How lucky am I that they could each take time away from their busy schedule to come have some girlie fun with me?

Sitting right next to me is Dawn Bergeron, owner of Dawn Bergeron Photography, who took all those amazing pictures of me for my Andalucia brochure. Right next to her is Heather Kaeb, owner of ThePolkaDotTotSpot on Etsy, who made those super sweet jingle fabric balls for my booth at Quilt Market. And on the far right of the picture is Dana Rainwater, owner of Bug-A-Boo Baby, a super swanky local shop filled to the brim with all sorts of creative handmade goodies for mommy and baby. She made those adorable luxe bibs and boo-blankies for my booth display.

I asked the girls to meet me for brunch so I could thank them for all their help with my big debut, but honestly I just needed an excuse to get out of the house and be inspired by the local talent! (not to mention indulge in a decadent baked egg soufflé and iced mocha.) And boy, did we have a great time! We chatted about our upcoming projects and got to learn a little bit more about each other. Thanks for coming out, girls! Hope we can do it again real soon!!!

And while I'm here, I wanted to remind everyone that there is still time to enter the Mommy & Me Giveaway. I will draw the winner on Thanksgiving Day and announce it on Black Friday, so go on and leave a comment! By the way, I am LOVING all the amazing ideas I've received so far for Sophie's slumber party. I have a few favorites already but I'm keeping these a secret until the BIG REVEAL! Thanks to everyone who has participated so far!

Thanksgivingaway

I'm feeling thankful about so many things right now -- great friends, a wonderful family and an incredible support system (that's you guys!) -- that I felt it was time to give something back! My sample sewers have donated some amazing items sewn with Andalucia and I have thrown in a few goodies of my own. Check out this sweet gift package, which I am calling "Mommy & Me," because I think it would be great for a baby shower or a girl's 1st birthday or as a sweet Christmas gift, but there are still some things in it that any mommy would enjoy...



Clockwise from top left: Fabric Jingle Ball by thepolkadotototspot, Patchwork Boo-Blankie by Bug-A-Boo Baby, Luxe Bib by Bug-A-Boo Baby, Elephant stuffie by gocksfrocks, Assorted ModGreetings cards and bookmarks, Four 1-yard cuts of Andalucia ribbon

OK, here's the deal: Sophie is about to turn 7 (SEVEN! OMG!) and she has opted to have a small celebration at home instead of a big party with her whole classroom. See, she's been jonesing for a Nintendo DS with a bunch of games so she has traded the big party for it. The plan is to have some relatives over to the house for cake & presents then she'll have a sleepover with a couple of her closest friends.

So here's where you come in: I want to make this a special day for her, even if we're not throwing the BIG PARTY we're used to around here. Can you guys give me suggestions of something fun I can do at the house that night? I'm looking for cool slumber party games/ideas. Also, some unusual decoration ideas for her room or the house. Even food ideas are welcome! Have you thrown a similar party recently? Or read about one? Feel free to post links! :)

I am giving away this HUGE gift basket of Andalucia sewn goodies in exchange for your ideas! Sophie's birthday is on December 3rd. I will randomly pick a winner on Thanksgiving Day, November 27th.

Go...

Andalucia IN STOCK!



... and ready to ship! I seriously cannot believe it! It seems like just yesterday I was putting the finishing touches on the collection. I'm still recovering from the craziness of Quilt Market which was not even 3 weeks ago and now my fabric is IN STORES?!? WHOA! I logged onto my email after dinner last night to find several excited messages from people saying they got their fabric in the mail. I will keep adding to this list as they update their sites but so far you can shop for Andalucia at these great stores (stores: email me once you have it up!):

Fat Quarter Shop
Hancocks of Paducah
Allegro Fabrics
Fabric Supplies
The Fab Store
Cloth Keepers
Hip Fabric
The Quilted Castle

And you can find Andalucia coordinating ribbons at:

J. Caroline Creative
Fabric Hound
Banberry Place

OK, that's it for now. Keep checking my blog as I am putting together an awesome giveaway!! My sample sewers have donated some of their goodies and I have matched them with some of my own goodies for a spectacular giveaway. The theme will be "Mommy & Me," so stay tuned... this is coming either later today to tomorrow!

Linkety-link-links

1. I'm so happy to announce that I'm official!!. Yep, as of yesterday, Andalucia is on the Michael Miller Fabrics website, along with a fun banner featuring some of my fave pictures & projects from my sample sewers! You have no idea how long I've been waiting to see this page come to fruition. WOOOHOOO!

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2. And speaking of Michael Miller, have you guys checked out Kathy Miller's blog, Making It Fun? She's got a great Quilt Market recap on there right now, even showing some great photos that I failed to capture! I adore the picture of the crew receiving our award for 2nd place on the Multiple Booths category... it was such a fun and proud moment after 2 whole days of painstaking set-up!

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3. My Andalucia ribbons are up for purchase at the J. Caroline Creative website! Wish you could see these in person! They are super soft and the stitching is perfection (and I'm a tough judge!) There are 16 designs total that mix & match beautifully with each other and with the fabric! Go check them out!

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4. And speaking of J. Caroline, they got mentioned on Decor8's blog (thanks to my blog reader, Carole, for pointing this out late last night!!) and I think their exact phrase was: "I’m quite smitten with the Andalucia Ribbons by Patty Young too, I mean how cute for craft projects and little girls dresses!" (**blush**) And kudos to my buddy, Melissa Averinos, for the fabulous mention in the same article! From now until November 21, 2008, you can get 20% off anything in J. Caroline Creative by mentioning code, Decor8. Yes, that includes the ribbons! Happy shopping!!

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5. I'm ON TV! Quilter's TV, that is! Jon just emailed me this link... I actually can't see it on my Mac but he can see it on his PC. (I wonder if it's a Mac thing or a Firefox thing!? UGH!) Please let me know if you can view this video:
Video:
Patty Young, Designer for Michael Miller, has only been in the fabric market for about 6 months and shows us her new collection. Shares her inspiration for this new collection.
http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid301927734/bclid742939973/bctid1906919326

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6. In case you missed it before, check out my interview in Quilter's Buzz. I met Gina Halladay in person several times at Market and she was such a joy! Hope to see her again at the next show. I also got to meet the sweet Jocelyn from The Fat Quarter Shop's Jolly Jabber blog! Look for a Patty Young interview on there soon! :)

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7. So where can you buy Andalucia? Well, it has not officially arrived in stores yet, and it probably won't for at least 2 - 4 more weeks (or so Ive been told) but I have spotted a few online stores with Andalucia in their "Pre-Order" or "Coming Soon" screens. Here's what I've seen so far:

• Hancocks of Paducah, has 11 of the 24 prints plus a Fat Quarter Bundle up for pre-order, expected ship date 11/21/08.
  
  
• HipFabric has 10 different Andalucia prints in their "Coming Soon" section.

(I know this list is short right now, but if you own a fabric store and have Andalucia in your Pre-Order or Coming Soon screens right now, please email me at info@modkidboutique.com and I'll add you to this list!)

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8. And, where can you find Andalucia goodies? Christmas is fast approaching... ;)

• My mom has a few ready-made bags for sale in her Marieliz Creations etsy shop.
  
  
• Heather Kaeb is getting ready to list a few ready-made fabric balls in her Etsy shop, thepolkadottotspot, so look for those this weekend!
  
  
• I'll be closing my MODGREETINGS store just prior to the Holidays in order to concentrate on other creative endeavors (more on that soon!). All of the greeting cards have been priced at clearance prices (AKA wholesale price!) so stock up for Birthday, Christmas, Valentines, Graduation or any other event you might have coming up! The Variety-10 Packs make great stocking stuffers & teacher gifts! ;)
  
  
• Purchase quilt patterns for Miss Molly and Now & Forever at the Abbey Lane Quilts website
  
  
• Purchase quilt patterns for Spring Up on the Lizzy Anne Originals website.

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8. And, last but not least, if you Flickr and are a fan of Andalucia, please join my Andalucia Flickr group. I'd love to see what kind of goodies you create with it, and you can peruse what others have been creating so far and get some fun ideas!

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9. OK... now for some fun miscellaneous pictures:

I just adore this photo I spotted on Kathy's blog! I didn't get my own version of it so I am snagging it to share with all of you. This was snapped right after we received the award for 2nd place in Best Multiple Booth category.


(L to R: Patty Young, Benjamin Rubin, Christine Osmers, Sandi Henderson, Kathy Miller, Deb Buchanan, Paula Prass, Becky Bennett, Terri Hempfling, Susan Day.)

More from Fabric 2.0 Party:

Let the fun begin!

Today I'm feeling especially thankful and proud to live in a country where freedom and democracy rule. No matter who you voted for, I hope we can all look past this, stand tall and proud. I'm not a very "political" person so you will rarely hear me talk about these issues but for some reason, this election seemed to reach a bit deeper into people's emotions than any other I've witnessed. My extended family was/is extremely divided in their political views so I had to endure months of heated discussions on the matter.

Today I am thankful that the election is over so we can all get back to normal... whatever that might be! I'm thankful that I won't be seeing any more political ads or getting those awful political emails, tweets and facebook posts ... really, does anyone ever change their mind just because they saw a You Tube video on their Facebook Super Wall? Come on! Well... so glad that's all over! :)

Now, it's time to have some fun! Last time I attended Quilt Market I went as a spectator so I had a lot of time to walk around and make a fool of myself at times. After I returned, I wrote a little post titled Come see the softer side of... Market, which from the looks of the comments, lots of you really enjoyed. Well, this time I didn't have the luxury of walking around or getting into any sort of mischief, so I've scoured Flickr for some of YOUR photos and compiled some of the funniest here (with your permission, of course!)... hope you enjoy!

Let's start with a couple from my own photo pool. Check out this picture of my dear hubby, Jon, at the Fabric 2.0 party. Looks like Paula & I are holding him up cause he's either too wasted to stand or just walked out of a horrible car accident -- with a smile on his face! LOL! In reality, this picture was shot within the first 5 minutes of the party, so he's neither drunk nor in pain...



As the night progressed, Jon got very well acquainted indeed with our celebrity at the party, Jay McCarroll (winner of Project Runway, Season 1). The next day Jay signed an autograph for Jon that read: Dear Jon, Thanks for last night! Love, Jay. Hmmm... don't ask me, I swear I just walked away for 5 minutes to go to the bathroom! ;)



OK, OK, enough picking on Jon. I can dish it but I can also take it! Check out this photo of Caroline & me looking mighty toasted... again, this was shot within the first 5 - 10 minutes of the party, so I guess we just look this way all the time!



Oh, and speaking of going to the bathroom... I spotted this picture of myself on Jona's blog. I swear I was just resting my feet... no chairs were harmed in the shooting of this picture!



And, yesterday while reading Sandi's latest blog posting, I spotted a picture of her beautiful booth with my hind quarters covering half the picture! So I made a comment about that and she emailed me THIS PICTURE! WTH?!? Sandi... next time just holler at me or push me out of the way! I swear, I don't mind!!!




OK, OK, how 'bout I pick on other people, eh? This picture sums up Myrinda to a T! Poor Jay was just trying to enjoy the Houston skyline! Check out the guy on the far right of the picture observing the situation. LOL!!



I can't stop laughing at this picture I spotted on Traci's Flickr account. This is Mary trying to run off with one of my dresses. HEEEY! And since I just love looking at the hidden details... check out the woman in the background (far left) running across the aisle... WTH? This is Quilt Market... what's the hurry? Also, check out what's going on in the far right of the picture. This is Sheree taking this picture of Myrinda with our Pullip dolls. Cool, eh?



Quilt Market is always an adventure! I am so happy to be able to share these fun times with friends & family.

Halloween = Princess Time

When I was growing up, Halloween meant witches, vampires & monsters... the scariest & goriest, the better! So, either times have changed drastically or my girls are way more girlie-girls than I ever was.

Both of them wanted to be princesses for Halloween, go figure! But since I was a little busy these past few weeks, I didn't have time to make the costumes. Well, Sophie & Sydney didn't mind one bit... they were happy as could be in these darling costumes from Princess Time Toys.

We got Rapunzel & Ariel a few weeks back as part of a modeling assignment...





And a few days before Halloween, we got Cinderella & Belle...





The girls even wore them to their school parade! How fun!



I'll keep trying to convince them to wear something a tad scarier next year, but I can't promise anything! ;)

(more Quilt Market Report to come, that I can promise!)