MODKIDBOUTIQUE: friends

Showing posts with label friends. Show all posts

Quilt Market via Instagram

My new iPhone5 and super cool case featuring Textured Basics came in just a few days before I flew out to Quilt Market, so the night before I left I made an executive decision: not bringing my big camera! This is the first time I've done that and for those of you who know me well, you know that that thing is practically an extra appendage for me. But, being that I was traveling alone this time, and it was a quick trip for me, and the new phone boasted such an incredible camera, I figured it was worth a try, so let me know what you think!

I did have a booth, a tiny little thing (5' x 8'), but bursting with color and pattern! Here are a few shots...

The big square quilt in the back was designed by the wonderful Ellen Maxwell and it will be a free download on the Michael Miller site, once the fabrics come in. The small table runner on the left side was designed by none other than Debbie Taylor of Fat Quarter Shop and It's Sew Emma patterns, and it's currently available on the Fat Quarter Shop site as a FREE download!

I did manage to play with the Panoramic photo feature that comes built into the iPhone5 camera app and I must say, I LOVE IT! (click on it to enlarge)

I *heart* going to Quilt Market not only because it affords me the opportunity to show off my newest projects, but also because I get to visit with dear friends, some which I only get to see once or twice a year. This has quickly become my family away from home and I truly look forward to catching up and sharing a good meal (or drink) at one of the many fabulous events that surround the show.

I had the pleasure of spending some QT with these wonderful ladies... from left to right Shannon Robinson (of Fabric Nosherie), Laura Gunn, Trenna Travis (newest licensed designer at Michael Miller Fabrics), me and Heather Bailey.

I love the vintage feel of this Instagram pic of Kait Witte (of Michael Miller Fabrics) sporting a gorgeous skirt which she sewed herself out of Textured Basics.

At Fabric 2.0, I documented the very moment in which Quilts, Inc. "bought the party" from Caroline Devoy. heehee

Then Bob Ruggiero (Quilts) tried to make Jon jealous. I used this picture to remind Jon to never ever skip a Quilt Market again. ;)

After the party, a few of us headed across the street to The Grove for dinner and lively conversation. Here I am with Aneela Hoey and Roxane Cerda (C&T Publishing). Not pictured, Carla Crim.

The following night it was the Modern Quilt Guild Party and I am sad that this is the only picture I captured that evening. Here I am with Jessica Levitt (left) and Jenean Morrison. (sorry, so blurry! I guess the photographer must've had one too many glasses of wine!)

In addition to the parties and dinner, I also love visiting my friends and associates at their booths... you never know what you'll find and what sorta trouble you'll get into.

At the GenerationQ booth, I spotted my quilt hanging right at the front! This design will appear in a future issue. And... in case you haven't heard... the *current* issue is pretty darn special to us. Go get it! Seriously!! (more on that soon)

At the GenQ booth I had a photo op with none other than Betz White and Thomas Knauer (pssst... Thomas, a.k.a. waycoolkid, graces the cover of the current issue I was talking about! Don't miss it!)

And here's me being silly with GenQ's picture quilt...

Speaking of quilts in booths (not that there aren't enough at this show! haha) I also spotted our Houndstooth Quilt -- a version made by Kristen McVane of Stash Quilts -- in the United Notions booth! Doesn't it look gorgeous all made up in Heaven & Helsinki?? WOW!

Over at the Westminster booth, I got the pleasure to speak with Ty Pennington, who was there to promote his newest fabric collection. What a nice guy!

And last, but certainly not least, I visited for a while with the dynamic duo of Kim and Kris of YouCanMakeThis and The DIY Dish fame.

While we were chatting it up, Lizzy House showed up and we couldn't resist taking this The View-esque photo... haha

Yes, we were discussing very important matters... can't you tell?

Well, I guess for not having my camera with me I didn't do too shabby of a job of documenting the show, eh? Thanks for coming along with me on this crazy ride... especially to all of you out there who kept me virtual company while I spent much-longer-than-I-wanted-to in airports last week. (that's what I get for flying out on Hurricane day!)

OK, one more and then I'll go. I leave you with a sweet pic of me and my booth mates. I love these gals!! (photo courtesy of Trenna Travis Studio)

Stay tuned for GenerationQ magazine info and giveaway... coming shortly!

Sophie's Hogwarts Party

My baby turned double digits this weekend. She was thrilled to be officially a "tween". I was filled with nostalgia and mixed emotions over how fast she's growing. I tried to fight the tears by keeping myself occupied with turning our house into Hogwarts for Sophie's 10'th Birthday Celebration.

Earlier that day (before the party started) she opened the family's presents, a.k.a. The Purple Tower, because she was just way too excited to wait till the party that evening.

Of course, she was way more pumped about some presents than others. ;)

Then it was time for the celebration to begin. Here's a wide view of our main area...

Let's take a closer look, shall we?

We had lots of candles and miscellaneous jars filled with curious objects...

A very gothic-looking platform held various test tubes filled with Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans (in reality they were regular jellybeans with funny names).

Gummy worms of every color made their appearance and some very spooky 2-ft. gummy snakes slithered their way in and out of the test tubes...

Favor boxes held pencils, lip glosses and some Harry-Potter themed gifts...

On our kitchen island there were potions and mysterious fluids. Don't worry, we didn't give the kids any alcohol... these were just for ambience! ;)

Although you wouldn't know it from this picture...

The first activity of the evening was the Sorting Hat Ceremony (see the end of this post for sources). The kids were utterly amazed that the hat actually talked!

Each girl was sorted into the four Houses...

Then we moved into the kitchen where the girls got to use their magic wands to turn clear liquids into surprise new colors. Each color meant something different. Green meant you could switch houses, which made the Slitherin girls very happy! haha

The Dining Hall was decorated in black and purple (Sophie's favorite colors) with candles and star-shaped confetti...

After dinner they decorated their own cupcakes in some Hogwarts colors...

Then it was time to open presents (again). I am always amazed at how much the kids enjoy this activity!

Awwww... hugs all around!

This little group of mischiefs was ready to watch a Harry Potter movie marathon....

And... this is what the adults did while the kids were in the basement, a.k.a. The Dungeon, watching Harry Potter movies, in case you were wondering.

Sources:

Test Tubes, favor boxes and bottle labels: Martha Stewart's Halloween Collection (bought the day after Halloween for 75% off)
Platform for test tubes: the styrofoam that held our flat screen TV inside its box, spray-painted black with holes cut into the top for the test tubes.
Jelly Beans, gummy worms and gummy snakes: we purchased these from our local Chocolatier, which happens to be right around the corner from MODKID HQ (lucky me, eh?)
Favor Box fillers, purple dinnerware and colored icing: Party City
Sorting Hat: purchased on Amazon with a small walkie-talkie inside of it so Jon could sort the kids into their "houses" from another room. To let him know when each girl was ready to be sorted, Jon's brother Sean would text him.
Color-changing drinks: squeeze 3-5 drops of food coloring onto the bottom of each cup and let it dry overnight. Before the game begins, fill each cup halfway with ice so the kids don't see the color drops. Give each kid a wand (drink stirrer) then fill the cups with a clear liquid (water, Sprite or 7-up). Tell them to use their wand to magically change their drink color.
Wands: cocktail stirrers from Party City (on the clearance rack -- 16 stirrers for 50-cents!)

Fall Quilt Market 2011 recap

This time I traveled solo, so we decided to do a small booth, as in half-a-booth, as in a tiny, little wedge of space that I could set-up and call my own...

It looks way bigger in pictures than it was in actuality, but I'm not complaining. It was stress-free and fun and still did a pretty good job of showcasing the new fabrics, the new patterns, the beautiful quilts and even a few new products.

Here are a few detailed shots...

The best (absolute best) part of Quilt Market is the constant stream of happy visitors. Oh, how I love to chat with these ladies that I only get to see once or twice a year! I'm sure you'll recognize these smiling faces...

Jenny Fish was my lovely assistant during Schoolhouse and I am ever so grateful!

I even got to meet Cindy Kitchel, Vice President and Publisher at Wiley. What a treat!!

Another one of my favorite parts is the parties! Who can forget the parties... every night, all night long?! :)

I will leave you with some breathtaking images I captured from our hotel room on my last day in Houston. My roomie and I got up extra early on this day so we could try to make the most of our last day at Quilt Market. It was still dark outside, so I captured these images from our 13th-floor hotel room:

The convention center at dawn...