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Sunday, February 07, 2016

A Bit of A&E Fun!

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Where do you shop for fabric if you are near Gulf Shores, Alabama?

Just over the border in Pensacola, Florida at A&E Pharmacy!

This was my second time here, as I was also in this area in January of 2014, so I knew what to expect –and I couldn’t wait!

You can read that flashback HERE.

In anticipation of this trip I had posted to Facebook “Rumor has it there will be a stop at A&E Pharmacy on my way to the airport”  And while those who KNEW what was in store were clamoring with shouts of “Hooray!” Those who didn’t….well, they assumed I had contracted some Deep South Ailment and was off for medication!

While it might say A&E Pharmacy on the sign, there are actually 3 sections to this wonderland!


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Mardi Gras Supply Headquarters!

Holy Moly Mother-load of Beads and Baubles!

This is Mardi Gras Weekend in the south, and it’s all about the beads, baby!  You can find every kind of beadery ever imagined here.  And folks were buying by the case load!

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Mini Moon Pies by the case too!

What?  You didn’t know that it is an Alabama thing to throw Moon Pies as people during parades?  I guess the full sized moon pies could really bean someone if they weren’t watching, so mini sizes are a bit softer upon hitting their mark! LOL!

Cases of Moon Pies in every flavor imaginable!  This could definitely cause a problem should I be a Moon Pie addict.  Luckily I’m not!

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However, I can’t resist trying on hats!

What do you think? Should this one come home with me?

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The pharmacy section!

And yes, it is a real full time pharmacy.  So this is one stop shopping here…get your Moon Pies, your prescription filled, and shop for fabric while you wait!

And the best thing EVER?  Your credit card statement will simply say “A&E Parmacy”  No hint of a fabric purchase being made, whatsoever!

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Entering the Fabric Fantasy Side!

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Donna, Lois and I head straight to the sale aisle!

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In search of Kaffe?  They’ve got it!

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They’ve got miles of everything!

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Donna amongst the dots!

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Oh boy!  We’ve been spotted!

Signing autographs and posing for photos!  I love it.  “This one’s for my sister, she is going to flip!”  The staff was so helpful, they gave me the “guild  member discount” even though I didn’t have a guild card with me.

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Just a bit of stash enhancement!

It started with the sea creatures as a memory of this trip.  Love the blue on white, but that lead to more neutral shopping – the tic tac toe with hearts from a valentine line, just because!

The green and the orange?  I bought a yard of each, perhaps to use as constants in a quilt down the road.  Love this Kaffe print, and the green was just slimy enough of a color to need to come home.  And the orange mini pearl bracelets?  Well..you know me and my orange fetish!

If you find yourself near Pensacola, you need to stop.  You NEED to experience this!

So here I am on Sunday morning –with a to do list as long as my arm and none of it includes SEWING.  Rats.

Many of you know I have a set of specialty rulers being released along with my new book in September.  Today is the day I do “hand model” shots and samples to send off to C&T for photography.  They don’t have to be perfect, they just have to give THEM an idea how to place things so they can do the professional shots.

I think I’ll be cutting into this new fabric for my demo pieces.  These ARE the fabrics that will show up in the professional photos both in the book and with the rulers.  A fun fun way to remember my time in Gulf Shores/Pensacola in February of 2016!

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Quiltville Quote of the Day!

Mistakes are part of being human. Appreciate your mistakes for the precious life lessons they teach you. Unless it's a fatal mistake, which at least others can learn from!

When it comes to quilting, mistakes can lead to new opportunities that turn out better than we ever expected!

Oregon or Bust quilt from my book Scraps & Shirttails II

I’ve already checked in for tomorrow’s flight which boards at 4:50am for Atlanta and then on to LAX. Urgh.  It’s the traveling there that is grueling, but I can’t wait for what is waiting for me on the other side of this journey.  Southern California sunshine!

Have a great Sunday everyone!


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18 comments:

  1. alicekane@frontiernet.net9:09 AM EST

    I love the navy on white sea creatures fabric. Can you share the name of the fabric line? Thank you for sharing the name of the A&E Pharmacy, which I've forwarded to a friend who will be there in a month or so.

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  2. My daughter lives in Daphne, Alabama, so when we go to visit, we try to hit A&E Pharmacy. It is about a forty five minute drive, and it is worth every second. My grandsons like to scout out fabric they like, which has led to several quilts for them. Last summer one of them spied the baseball fabric, and he picked out all of the teams with red, whit, or blue. I made him a bed sized quilt using a Dresden template so that the patches look like pennants. The summer before, the other grandson picked out geek fabric with DNA, and he ended up with a green and black lap size quilt. Love A &E Pharmacy!

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  3. I went to a wedding in Pensacola last year and made a stop at A & E. Lots of fun and my suitcase was stuffed on the flight gut back to Boston!

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  4. The sea creature fabric is called "Hidden Cove" by Windham :)

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  5. Staying in Orange Beach Alabama for the month of February. I've been looking for a fabric shop in the area. Thanks for the information about A & E Pharmacy. Will be going tomorrow.

    CATHY from Southern West Virginia

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  6. I live in Panama City, FL and my sister and I will drive over to Pensacola (about 2 hours or so) and spend hours in A&E and then have lunch and head back home!! LOVE A&E Pharmacy aka "Fabric Happy Place"!! If you haven't been there GO if you get the chance

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  7. Oh!! I used some of the green fabric last year in a quilt I gifted to a relative. I regretted not buying more at the time because I loved it. Can't wait to see how you use it. Safe travels.

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  9. How I would love a pharmacy to sneak out with fabric "pills and potions"
    Could you send them over here to make all my day's?
    Can just imagine the scene: honey, want to have some A&E to drown my headache in fabric....
    Have a very good week ahead!
    Love from a dark Witmarsum

    Irene

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  10. Oh! If only I had known about A&E when I was in Pensacola a year ago. Lucky enough to stay at a friend's beach house and she gave me wonderful recommendations for places to dine and things to see. If only she had been a quilter she would have surely let me know. Hmmmm, might have to see if I can get to the beach again!

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  11. You are going to enjoy the sunshine weather here in Southern California! It's going to be in the 80's this week!

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  12. You are going to enjoy the sunshine weather here in Southern California! It's going to be in the 80's this week!

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  13. Oh....moon pies ... Luv the chocolate and banna ones...

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  14. I visited A & E Pharmacy several years ago based on your earlier recommendation. We have friends who live in Gulf Breeze, FL just east of Pensacola. We had planned to visit again this year, but it didn't work out, so I'm hoping for a return trip next year. Enjoy warm California. The east coast is going to get cold and snow.

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  15. Oh, Bonnie! We just went on a vacation that included a short road trip from Fernandina Beach to New Orleans, with a stop in Pensacola/Gulf Shores to see the Air Museum at NAS Pensacola. The beach was lovely, gumbo delicious, and folks very friendly. But NOW I'm bummed because I didn't know about A&E Pharmacy!!! Well, I guess we always have to leave something for "next time".

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  16. Oh, what fun you must have had in the fabrics section! I have some of the tic tac toe with hearts as a neutral in Allietare.

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  17. Oh, my you are so going to LOVE us this week! I didn't find out you were coming until too late to get to meetcha... dang... if you are going to have ANY time at all I would strongly suggest you get someone to take you to M&L Fabric... great choices and prices ... have a great trip, looking forward to your next post and maybe getting the chance to meet you... cwhitcher@roadrunner.com 760-476-3556

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  18. I was in Gulf Shores with my sister-in-law and granddaughter in 2007, I think it may have been good thing I didn't know about that store when we went to Pensacola for the day! My luggage was already over weight to fly home to Colorado, would have had to have it shipped. Oh, well, maybe next time if I get back down there!

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