A Quickie Kindle Freebie!

I’m just back from dinner -----and I need to send this off before heading to bed. Man, I’m SO BEAT!

We had dinner at Steffano's Italian Restaurant in Wappinger's Falls ---OH MY GOODNESS. Great food! ((And I sent the left overs home with Andrea to feed her family --- there was THAT MUCH left!))

I got an email from Michelle giving me a heads up on a freebie that I didn’t know about.

She writes:

I think we've got similar taste in books (some at least) and just noticed that Cut, Crop & Die by Kiki Lowenstein is a freebie on Amazon. It wasn't yesterday when I was buying the sequel.

I know you're busy and didn't want you to miss this one! :-)
Michelle

The title caught my eye so I just went and checked to be sure it was STILL free before sending this.

Book Description:

Broad humor bordering on the absurd propels Agatha-finalist Slan's uneven second mystery to feature St. Louis scrapbooker Kiki Lowenstein (after 2008's Paper, Scissors, Death).

When one of Kiki's fellow scrappers, Yvonne Gaynor, keels over during a cropping event because of a severe allergic reaction, the police suspect someone sabotaged the epinephrine syringe Yvonne always carried for such an emergency.

Despite all warnings, Kiki decides to launch her own murder investigation, which is soon complicated by hate crime attacks against Kiki's employer and other local Jews. On the bright side, three handsome men take an interest in Kiki, while her late husband's mother, Sheila, interferes in her life to her benefit.

Filled with scrapbooking lore, this relatively clean cozy contains scenes that will make you either laugh or cringe, like Sheila's sticking penis-shaped vibrators into her lawn to get rid of her mole problem

If this is anywhere near as funny as the Janet Evanovich I have just finished, then I want to read it!

Just be sure to double check before clicking that it is STILL FREE when you do, because prices can change without notice.

An Uneventful Rainy, Drizzly Foggy Drive!

Would you believe it that I only took time to stop at ONE Antique Mall my whole way up to Poughkeepsie?

It’s true ---- I only took time last evening to wander, at the place where the second diving helmet in 3 days was found in Virginia.

I was emailing my friend Lori about the strangeness of these items – and maybe it’s not so strange being in a coastal state like North Carolina or Virginia --- but I bet it would be more rare to find antique diving gear in places like…umm.NEBRASKA?! I do think these things are cool, it’s just something you don’t see every day, and the fact that I saw one Sunday and saw one in another state on Tuesday – what’s the odds of that?!

Yeah, right! And what’s the odds of me winning the jar of jelly beans at the chiropractor’s office?! :cD

When I left Virginia after breakfast this morning – it was 70 degrees. Don’t you love the view of the mountains in my rear view mirror? Sometimes the view behind you IS prettier than the view in front of you --- so I just had to snatch that photo.

This was the view in front of me – see that drizzling rain? It never really poured, but it was hazy, and the farther north I got, the farther the temperatures dropped.

Yesterday as I was returning from dinner, the car thermometer said 87 degrees. 87!!

I continued up I-81, crossing over a corner of West Virginia, skating across just a small portion of Maryland, and into Pennsylvania --- all the while, the clouds gathered thicker, and temps dropped, and dropped and dropped! At the lowest temp it was about 52 and windy ---

Where was my jacket? At home of course! I had to make a side run into a local Walmart to find a sweater that will do me through the weekend! (($7 on clearance --- good deal!))

The clouds and moisture are just hanging over Pennsylvania as I made my way north up I-81 and onto I-84 ---MAN --- that Pennsylvania is a BIG STATE! I thought I’d never reach the New York State Line!

I even made a pit stop in a small town just before reaching New York ---I left North Carolina yesterday morning before my local post office was open –and planned to mail a few book orders while on my way. They got mailed today in a little town somewhere in the Poconos!

I FINALLY crossed into New York – and I knew I was getting close.

This was really the better way to drive rather than fighting my way up I-95 and dealing with toll booths every few miles. I hate that New Jersey Turnpike! This may have taken a bit longer, but the scenery was beautiful and restful ---I just listened to books and unwound.

OH! I listened to Janet Evanovich’s “Explosive 18” OH. MY. GOODNESS! I was laughing so hard I almost wet myself --- seriously. The gal that does the narrating does all the voices SO GOOD! I was sad to have that one end already ----fun stuff.

How about this for a foggy/rainy overlook just over the New York line?!

Of course I was north bound – the south bound lanes are right up at the overlook and don’t have to photograph expanses of road when viewing the valley --- so maybe on the way back I’ll get better photos --

BEAUTIFUL!

I’ve checked into my hotel. The girls from the American Sewing Guild are picking me up for an Italian dinner in about 10 minutes. I’m hungry and tired!

If any sewing gets done tonight at all – it will be a couple bindings/hanging sleeves that need finshing –or maybe --- I’ll crash early!

Tomorrow – it’s a Cathedral Stars workshop with the Hudson Valley chapter of the American Sewing Guild!

Have a great Wednesday evening, everyone!

“Focus On The Center” Blog Tour!

I’m really excited that Pat Sloan asked me to be part of her blog tour! Blog tours are such a great way to discover new people, new ideas, and get a glimpse into other people’s heads! This one should be fun….because she is asking US to be creative!

If you are new here because you followed the links on another participant’s blog ---WECOME! I hope you enjoy your visit, and I hope you’ll be back!

Pat is also writing about us on HER BLOG so if you are one of my regular readers, you need to go over there – maybe you’ll learn something about me that you didn’t already know!

And because I’m an equal opportunity kind of girl – I had my shot at asking PAT a question on something out-of-the-ordinary, because, you see – I think we really could have been great teenage buds in our younger years, and I’m always interested in other people’s growing-up-years!

Pat’s dad was military, so she spent many of her growing up years living over seas!

I asked about her first “REAL” job – thinking that it might be Mc Donalds, or working the movie theater, you know, TEEN JOBS?! This is what she had to say:

I lived in Brussels Belgium and we only had so many jobs at the school and bases for teenager to work at. So you put your name in for a job and I got selected to work at the "motor pool".

That meant it was just ME as the phone answering girl.. and the guy that ran the motor pool. He did a LOT of jobs... like being sure the teenage boys were mowing the school grass in the summer .. and I SO wanted to go out on that check ride!

He also did all the grounds keeping at the general's homes that our government rented. The funniest story was when a 'wife' was calling and was being.. mmm.. well.. I guess a tad annoying with her requests. So my 'manager' taught me how to make a crackly noise then hang up the phone on her... LOL! This is a TRUE story!

LOL! So she was doing crackly noises like…”ooops? Bad signal? CLICK!?” I suppose that is an acquired skill, and one that could come in handy at the right moment.. Hehehe!

My high school jobs? I worked at an HSalt Fish n Chips -- and I did house cleaning. Not quite as glamorous as being a phone girl to the motor pool guy!

So let’s get on to the book:

You know my love for antique quilts RUNS DEEP. I am a very traditional quilter, even if my fabric choices are not --- and I love the timelessness of time honored blocks and designs, and I love “different” ways to showcase things instead of always making a handful of blocks, plopping them down with either alternate blocks and sashings. I also like working with different sizes of blocks and units, and one way that really gives you a place to PLAY is to set things in a medallion setting.

Even the COVER of the book screamed out at me…OOOOOOHHH!

Pat asked us to pick one of the quilts that WE would like to make and to show what fabrics we would use with it…

Oh GOODNESS! This is a NO BRAINER! I bet you would have picked THIS ONE for me too:

Arabella’s Courtyard

Finished Quilt Size: 89” X 89”

Don’t you think this looks like something I would do? I love stars! This has a carpenter’s star center ((ALL HALF SQUARE TRIS – NO INSET “WHY?!” Seams!)) Lots of checkerboards, hourglass units…and oooooOOOOOOoooooH! Yellow!

Can you see a peek of what I’d like to see it made with from MY stash?

CONFESSION: I am writing this post the day before leaving for New York, after just getting back from VCQ in Virginia the night before with one day in between…..I’m grabbing PILES of fabric for this post…..as just a sampling!

TADA!!

I wanna change that gold to cheddar ((Another NO SURPRISE)) --- and use all the shirt plaids in it ((Like you couldn’t guess that EITHER!?))--- still keeping the colors consistent – so I’d use scrappy red where the reds are, scrappy greens where the greens are, etc --- as for that wide floral outer border? I’m thinking stringy piano keys from the bin of shirt strings!

I just love how those “Clays Choice” blocks dance in that wide yellow border outside the checkerboards, don’t you? And a 90” Square quilt? Yup…..those ALWAYS fit the bill for me!

Here is a sampling of what else you can find in the book, whether you want to use yardage of just a few fabrics, or dig into your scrap stash – they are all fabulous:

All Roads Leave Home 49” X 49”

Antique Mist

57” X 57”

Blue Lagoon 73” X 73”

Lucky Charms 61” X 61”

((Love those diagonal bricks framing the center…AWESOME!))

So would YOU like to win a copy of Focus On The Center? I’m going to draw for 2 winners on Monday Evening, May 7th. You can also visit Pat’s Blog and register to win there EVERY DAY during the tour, and visit the links of the other participants – go leave a comment on their blogs too!

Tuesday May 1

• Vanessa http://www.vanessachristenson.com/

• Carrie http://lavieenrosie.typepad.com/lavieenrosie/

Wednesday May 2

• Bonnie Hunter http://quiltville.blogspot.com/

• Michele http://quiltinggallery.com/

Thursday May 3

• Victoria http://bumblebeansinc.blogspot.com/

• Rachel http://www.psiquilt.com/

Friday May 4

• Jackie http://cvquiltworks.blogspot.com/

• Dana http://www.oldredbarnco.blogspot.com/

Saturday May 5

• Vicki Welsh http://vickiwelsh.typepad.com/

• Faith http://www.freshlemonsquilts.com/

And don’t forget to check out the Leisure Arts Blog as well!

Hey, if I can win the Jelly Bean Contest --- you can win a copy of this book!

Please remember to leave me your name and email address if you are commenting as anonymous or if you don’t have your email address visible in your blogger settings. Comments without names and addresses won’t work, and I’ll be forced to draw again!

Good Luck Everyone!

iPhone-o-gram! Live from the antique mall!

Or should that be DIVE from the antique mall??

I've made it about half way to my New York destination. I've checked into a hotel and am exploring the nearby antique mall!!

What's the first thing that I see!?

Another diving helmet. They are everywhere! Lol!

But---there are other goodies to be found as well!

On the Road Again!

It’s all packed…and I’m out the door. A couple things didn’t get done ----

For instance, I really wanted to get the Florabunda quilt trimmed and get the binding applied so that I could start the hand stitching ---

And in case you were wondering ----The winning binding color is ----

PURPLE!

It was close, a really close call, and people are so passionate about what they liked, and I’m happy to say that I really could go with any of the colors chosen, but purple won hands down.

However, it will have to wait until I get back from NY because there just wasn’t time.

I didn’t write my Yard Sale Saturday post yet, but I figure I have til Friday night to do it – I’ll just have to find time on the road.

While going through some photos, I did find something FUNNY! Not sure what I planned to do with these photos but check this out:

This is Bonnie sewing hexies on the plane to Baltimore ---

See Bonnie Sew! Sew, Bonnie Sew!

What is Bonnie’s FAVORITE SHAPE?!

Hexagons of course!

See Bonnie choose Hexagon shaped chips that MATCH the shape of her quilt pieces!

"Multigrain hexagon chips for Quilters ----when no other shape will do!"

((Okay, so maybe I am the only one who saw humor in this enough to have to take a picture of it – but you have to admit, those chips are a whole nice shade of neutral….and they were dang good too! LOL!))

Watch for signs of iphone-o-grams from the road – I have no clue what I’ll find myself into, but you can bet on this --- it won’t be BORING! :cD

Cue the Willie Nelson music…

A Free Kindle Book as I PACK!

I’ve done as much as I can today.

Invoices are done.

Book orders are out.

Laundry is washed

Chiropractor appointment of COURSE has happened ((And there are less and less jelly beans in that jar!))

Bank run has been made ---

The potatoes for dinner are in the oven. Steaks will soon be on the grill.

More books need to be put in the car – I’ll do that in a bit.

I’m dead on my feet and I bet I’ll be in bed by 9pm ----

I still have NOT written my Yard Sale Saturday post, but pics are on my phone and I hope to get some time to list my stuff before Saturday, but I’m just OUT. OF. GAS!

I’m packing a couple of projects --- this is a van trip so I can take bags and baskets of projects, so I think this means that the Nearly Insane thing is going. The little white FW is going because it needs to be run some more. And then I’ll switch to the black one so they each get equal opportunity to stay RUNNING.

I’m hoping to hit the road by 8am and drive myself about half way tomorrow…I need to be in Poughkeepsie by 5pm on Wednesday. I’m hoping this leaves me some exploring time to hit some more antiquey places --- you never know, right?

So --- just in case you don’t get an update from me in the morning, it’s because nothing happened between now and then but SLEEP!

Here’s the book I just downloaded:

Refuge on Crescent Hill by Melanie Dobson is free today in the Amazon Kindle store, and has received an average user rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars based on 59 customer reviews. As of this posting, the book was free in the Amazon Kindle store.

Category: Suspense

Book Description:

This homecoming wasn’t what she expected . . .

Jobless, homeless, and broke, Camden Bristow decides to visit the grandmother she hasn’t seen in years. But when Camden arrives in Etherton, Ohio, she discovers that her grandmother has passed away, leaving her the 150-year-old mansion on Crescent Hill. The site of her happiest summers as a child, the run-down mansion is now her only refuge.

When Camden finds evidence that she may not be the mansion’s only occupant, memories of Grandma Rosalie’s bedtime stories about secret passageways and runaway slaves fuel her imagination.

What really happened at Crescent Hill?

Who can she turn to for answers in this town full of strangers?

And what motivates the handsome local Alex Yates to offer his help?

As she works to uncover the past and present mysteries harbored in her home, Camden uncovers deep family secrets within the mansion’s walls that could change her life–and the entire town–forever.

Sounds good to me! Double check before clicking that it is still free ----

Have a great evening, everyone!

Enough Whining Fixed It! ((And things to look forward to!))

Or maybe it was winning the jelly beans contest that kicked that slide show thing back into gear.

I prefer to think that something was just going on with Sky Drive ----But, whatever it is…..it is working for ME now, as it is for many others, so if you were unable to view the Smith Mountain Morning class pics from yesterday’s post --- click HERE and please try it again!

Things on the Calendar coming up to remember:

THIS Saturday is the first Saturday of MAY. That means YARD SALE SATURDAY! Are you with me? Please leave a comment below if you plan on listing things.

As for me….I’ve only got a few things as I am leaving in the morning for a driving trip to New York State and you know what my last 10 days have been like --- go go go go go! So a few things to clear out, but if YOU have lots, I’m happy to be the hosting spot of the linky so that others can shop your stuff. I just want an idea on participation. So…let me know if you are playing along!

Some other exciting posts are coming up ----and they are both blog parties with PRIZES!

My buddy Pat Sloan has a new book coming out, it’s called Focus On The Center, 8 New Looks for Medallion Quilts ----and I’ll be participating with my post going live on May 2nd. Yes --- that is THIS WEDNESDAY – and I’ll already be on the road to NY, so I’m writing that post today to go live then. Exciting stuff, and great prizes, so you will want to come back for that.

ALSO ---

The one we’ve all been waiting for…..

100 Blocks by 100 Designers volume 5 by Quiltmaker Magazine is about to hit the newsstands! My participation goodies arrived in the mail while I was gone and I tackled them yesterday --- you won’t want to miss this issue, it’s FABO! ((Yes, and those jelly beans are quickly decreasing in volume now that my son has discovered them! ))

I will be participating in the blog party on May 4th! FRIDAY! Lots of prizes involved in that one too…and you get a sneak preview of my block…..and what hasn’t happened before for me EVER is the fact that I actually have a FULL QUILT to show you, because this one will be in the next book out in July! You can get your blocks started with the release of the magazine, and then those blocks will be ready to set in a quilt when the book comes out. So DEFINITELY come back FRIDAY.

Got those dates down? That’s Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday that all have things going on here at the blog….it’s a very busy week at Quiltville!

And for those who asked….here is a pic of the thread cabinet in its new location:

This is the right side of my sewing corner ---and I love that the cabinet is the perfect height to get my compu-quilter monitor and keyboard at a more comfortable level for me to stand and work as well as providing me with awesome storage space! I completely cleaned out a 3 drawer plastic thingy – and this looks so much better. There is lots of room to spare, and some kind soul even cut white felt cubby liners to fit the drawers….I just LOVE THIS!

A bit blurry, but you can see how nicely everything is going to fit….I’ve got bobbins sorted by machine types….extra machine needles, tools, gadgets and must-haves! And can I secretly admit this? ((to all 22,000 people who read this blog daily..LOL!?)) It has that old antiquey smell the same way my featherweight case does. I know some don’t like it – but that’s the fragrance of HISTORY folks! I’m one who loves old musty drawers and cases and thinking about the life this cabinet has had –and now it’s here with me!

iPhone-o-gram! I won, I won, I won!!

I just walked into the chiropractor's office and was greeted by whoops and cheers!

Y'all!! I won the guess the jelly bean contest! I guessed 1246 and there were 1247 in the jar.

This means I also won the garden tote full of goodies!!

Oh happy day!!

Antiquing My Way Home!

Somewhere around 11:30am yesterday I hit the road south, headed back towards the North Carolina State line -----

I had a massage appointment scheduled for 4:30pm ---and called home ((As soon as I reached a place where I had a phone signal!)) to let everyone know I was on my way.

Turns out --- there would be no one home to meet or greet me –Jeff was off with friends and DH was playing golf and wouldn’t be done until after 6pm.

Well, okay then! Why drive out of my way to go home and THEN back to town to make my massage appointment at all? No one would be there to miss me ----and I was in a BROWSING mood!

First off, let me say that I did NOT win my bids on either the juki sewing machine or the tiny cake stand/basket quilt – I was out bid on BOTH of those items –they went higher than I was willing to pay, but I feel good that I did my part to drive the value up for the winning bidders!

I suppose that was my impetus for wanting to wander and see “what else” I could find myself in trouble with.

Turkey Tracks!

I love the name “Turkey Tracks” better than I like the alternate name of “Devil’s Claw” The only thing I like with the word DEVIL in it is Deviled Eggs – and I’m not sure why that is called Devil anyway! Deviled eggs are HEAVENLY!

I love the blue and red alternating sashings in this one --- very fun! They wanted an awful lot of money for this one, and it wasn’t that old or in very good shape, and it had these black canvas headers machine stitched to the top and bottom ….who knows what for? But still ---

Some mighty fun blocks!

In fact, I want you to keep this block in mind --- I have a post coming up in about a week that will reflect back to this post, so just remember, I’m whetting your appetite here!

Another plaidy one! I do love the background fabrics mixed with those comfy plaids.

I rounded the corner to find…..THE GENERAL!

And all I could think of was the song from “White Christmas” with Bing Crosby ----

What can you do with a general
When he stops being a general?
Oh, what can you do with a general who retires?
Who's got a job for a general
When he stops being a general?
They all get a job but a general no one hires

Which would be about the right age for this General who is a Japanese Singer Knock-Off from around 1950 something!

No, The General didn’t come home with me either --- but his scrolled face plate is dang handsome, isn’t it? Something is funny in the world of antiques when they think a machine like this should sell for as much as a featherweight in mint condition. Sorry Sir, but you’ll have to be adopted by someone else!

There were some other machines --- toy ones!

I already have one of these, in much better condition --- but I still gave it’s hand crank a whirl! I would have loved to have had one of these when I was a little girl!

And the dream of having a Minnesota Treadle goes on ---but I don’t have room for it --- I’ve already got 3 treadles in the house. I petted her, gave her hand wheel a turn and moved on ---

Oh, this beauty! It’s a New Home with a gorgeous paint job….

The case was in pretty great shape too…but the price was high ----still – look at hat gorgeous decal work!

I am not sure if this was originally a treadeled machine – motorized later. Some of these with added motors don’t have belts…there are little bushing/bearing things attached to the motor that go right up against the hand wheel to turn it…..

And of COURSE there were more quilts! The color and motion in this one really caught my eye --- it’s a 1930s….but look at that ORANGE block! Someone loved color!

I laid it out on the floor to get a better look….what a fun quilt! The stars are string pieced on fabric foundation diamonds….there is a lot of bulk and “volcano” action going on within the blocks..

These borders wave like the wind!

Sometimes there is a really good reason why a quilt top was never quilted….can you say PLEAT PLEAT PLEAT three times fast?! But what great blocks!

Gotta love that orange!

BIG HONKIN’ CHECKS!

Are these “Dan River” plaids and ginghams?

These were just SO QUIRKY. It was fun to be able to take the time to appreciate the blocks and the creativity and free-spirited feel.

Other things I love --- stacking picnic baskets!

Picnic baskets are fairly inexpensive and highly versatile for quilters on the go --- they hold projects and fabrics and notions --- and look cute while doing so. If you find the kind with the moving handles, they can stack ---

I found this pretty old one……the wood is heavier split oak – it was in great condition. THIS ONE came home with me --- I love it!

THIS?!

Did NOT come home with me! LOL!

This is a “vintage” sea diver’s helmet ---and all I could think of when I saw it was the Scooby Doo episode with the Diver Ghost….”OH you MEDDLING KIDS!” No…..the diving helmet stayed there. So did THIS:

Taxidermied Vintage Black Tail Squirrel!?

No thank you!

I do get a big kick out of seeing what the “Wierdest” item of the day was …..and it is a toss up between the stuffed squirrel and the diving helmet ---

This quilt immediately calmed my hysterical laughter ----OOOOOOOOOOHHHHHH!

What a quirky tulip! I love the little buds beneath the big tulip bloom! And can you see all that echo quilting?

Look at the little buds in the setting triangles! I like the triple sashing too…..not to mention that “Ox blood and Teal” are just great antique colors! Did they used to be red and green?

This didn’t come home with me either. They wanted $400, which it could be worth, but I wasn’t willing to part with that sum quite so quickly ---

Log Cabins on benches….always nice!

Golden Scrap Basket blocks…cutter pieces. CUTE! I love the blue background for the blocks..

One more cool old singer --- priced rather high for the condition it’s in ---this one would have needed a lot of work, and I prefer machines that use regular bobbins than bullet shuttles ---I also would rather have foot pedal controls than knee controls --- yes, I know I can wire on a foot pedal, but still ---- I did love the decal work on this one too – even if it has had a busy life and was probably used well and often!

And then I saw it. What I’ve been looking for at a reasonable price for YEARS. A thread cabinet! This one was for embroidery floss in its day --- and it has glass fronts so you can see what is in the cubbies. I fell in love instantly.

See the cool logo?!

After I made my purchase I floated my way to my massage! Of course, even the receipt says “CABINET” so I’m passing it off as necessary “Office Furniture”!

I’ve cleaned out some other storage caddies and drawers and placed things in the new cabinet in its new location – I'll get a pic later, there is still organizing going on….

I got my shopping fix ---and increased and improved upon my studio storage with the addition of the picnic basket and the thread cabinet. All in all, not a bad traveling day home!

And…..should you know of anyone who happens to be looking for antique diving helmets or stuffed black tailed squirrels --- I know just where you can find them!