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Yup, just a few days 'til Halloween! I thought you might like this little quote --
Isn't that the truth? My grandma always looked astonished when I came to her door..."Oh my, is that you??? I would have never guess it in your (insert --clown, princess, witch, raggedy ann) costume - you really had me fooled!"
Ya gotta love a good grandma.
PS... The woman was AWFUL at tic-tac-toe too. I won every game we ever played. You would think she would have got better with all that practice. :)
We're going to take a little break from our Autumn Musings today and do a little show and tell .... or "show 'n share" as Debbie Elliott used to say. (Debbie worked for us for several years until she moved. Debbie was from the south, so you have to read that with a southern accent.)
First, I have to apologize for the photography. I'm working on it, but I seriously need a class!
This is a picture of a Miss Rosie "Schnibble", called "Tagalong", that Melissa made for us from Lunna Notte fabric by Moda. It's made from two charm packs and a little cut yardage. It's been very popular and we've got it on display at the West Center store with the kits.
But then... Sue Jonak brought us this beautiful quilt to long arm quilt. Can you see how she took the original "Tagalong" pattern and made it bigger by adding really interesting borders? I LOVE that flying geese border she added - heck, I love it all!
Here's a little tighter picture of the additional borders - neat, huh??!
Our customers (and friends) are so talented, aren't they?
I've already received some great posts about autumn - posts that could win somebody this really fun Thanksgiving kit and pattern...
If you're not sure what I'm talking about, just go to the previous post and take a look!
But now to YOUR comments....
Robin wrote -
I love the fall and love the turkey. I decorate for fall, Halloween and Thanksgiving. I am a glutten for punishment. I get all the "FALL" stuff out, then I put witches, skeltons, ghose, whatever strikes me out also. Then I take all the halloween stuff down and put out my collection of turkeys. You are right Thanksgiving does get lost and sometimes I think only I can appreciate a good looking turkey. I think Thanksgiving is my favorite, I love time with my family. Anyway, turkeys everyplace home and at work. So you should buy more turkeys for the shop so, they are not easy to come by. Fall is the greatest time of year, cool weather, crunchy leaves and turkeys!
And from Annie -
Here's one for you. I always tell people that I'm not an artist - never have been. They look at me and say - no way! Everyone can draw! So, I proceed to tell them that I have some of the school work that I did from grade school. When I would come home with a drawing from art, my mom would have to write at the bottom of the picture what it was, because otherwise she couldn't tell. You know that's bad when it's a Thanksgiving turkey that was drawn by tracing my hand! I told you - I'm not an artist!!! :)
And from Jen B -
Fall is my favorite time of year! The cooler weather, leaves turning, and crisp air in the mornings are a welcome break from the Nebraska summer heat. Growing up on a farm, fall means harvest. Many of my childhood memories are riding with my Dad in the combine or the semi. I am happy my daughters are now making those same memories with their Poppa!
I've included a couple of pictures of the Pumpkin Tree at Village Point - a outdoor mall here in Omaha. In this first picture, they're just starting to work on it....
And here it is in all it's pumpkin glory...
And at night...
Wouldn't it be fun to have one of these babies on the front lawn??! Yup, definitely something to think about. Maybe just a tad smaller, tho.
Well, as promised, we're starting a little give-a-way for all three of you ... ummm... all of you, that read the Country Sampler blog. But what to give, what to give???
How 'bout this sweet treat?
Yup, we're giving away this darling kit and pattern from the Wooden Bear, called "Who, Me?" . If you're the big winner, you could have him stitched up in plenty of time for the next big holiday of the season - Thanksgiving! (Poor Thanksgiving, it does get kinda buried in there between Halloween and Christmas, doesn't it.)
So, here's how it works....
1. Write to me about fall. Just a few lines. Maybe it's a memory from your childhood, or maybe it's a autumn tradition, or maybe it's a funny story about the kids. ANYTHING! For a written note (no picture), you'll get one entry into the drawing.
OR...
2. Here's the big one, Edith.... Send me a picture (or two) of some fall/Halloween decorating you've done at your house.... or maybe a picture of one of your fall quilts that you decorate with. And no... pirated pictures from the Pottery Barn catalog don't count! The key words here are - decorating and picture. For an picture entry you'll receive two points in the drawing.
I think it could be kind of like a sewing bee... without any sewing, or sitting in the same room, or treats, or... Well, you get the idea. But hopefully, we'll be sharing some great ideas to fuel our creativity, right? I'd like to post your entries on the blog, so we can share ideas and thoughts; so if you DON"T want it posted, be sure and let me know - Don't Post. (But, of course, everybody will want to see them.)
I'll randomly draw a name out of the 'ole hat on November 6th, and somebody will be our big winner!
AND... since this blog probably has only a couple dozen people who read it regularly (I work with 18 gals, but two of them don't have a computer... so some of the Country Sampler staff probably makes up the first dozen!), you're chances are pretty good!
So quick, go grab your camera, and show us just what a creative, decorating diva you really are!!!
Okay... a few more pictures to get you in the mood for a little autumn decorating! We need a few quilts to really get in the spirit of the season, don't 'cha think? This first quilt is a Fig Tree design I stitched several years ago. I did the appliques in both cotton and wool - I just wish my bannister was a little taller so you could see the sunflower on the left hand side of the quilt. Now it just looks like a big 'ol green stem... oh, well.
And here's the other side of the bannister... a little Country Threads!
This Lil' Pumpkin mini quilt is from a couple of years ago - made with batiks and cottons. I still love it. I have several small fall quilts that I put on shelves, tables, and tuck into baskets.
I also brought out some of my wool rugs... You probably didn't know I was a "hooker", did ya? Yup, it's genetic though, my mom's a "hooker" too. She's really talented, I just kinda play with the wool and make a rug once every year or so. I did make this one though...
And this little pumpkin rug that I made, hangs in the dining room during autumn. I love white pumpkins....
My mom made this little pumpkin gal for me - she's so cute in a primitive, scary sort of way!
Mom also made me the rug you see in the picture below - her loops are all nice and even - unlike mine. This is our entryway (or, at least the floor of the entryway).
And look, there's the sister of the urn from my previous post. Yup, I bought two - I liked them so much. AND... the UPS man just brought us three of them on Monday - yeah!
I really love that blue pumpkin (that I bought at Bag 'n Save!) on top of it, with a little faux bittersweet stem from the shop.
And here's the table in the entryway and another little fall quilt....
Soooo, that's it. My house for fall... and it really didn't take that long to put together. Hopefully, you've done a little autumn decorating at your house, because my next post is all about a little give-a-way sponsored by your old buddies here at Country Sampler! Stay tuned and come decorate with us!
We've been having the best autumn weather that I can remember this year. I've decided it's easy to decorate for fall when you ACTUALLY have fall!
This is the screen saver for my computer this month. I'm sorry, I don't remember where I got it - I probably should of labeled it, but you know how that goes!
Don't 'cha just love the new urns full of golden mums at the front door of Country Sampler?!! (Thank you, Carol, for planting them.) I think we need a few autumn leaves around the door and the porch light, don't ya think?
Did you know this is a very unique October??? Yup, this October has five Fridays, five Saturdays, and five Sundays, all in one month. It happens only once in 823 years. These are considered money bag months in China. (I don't know about money bag months, but I do know it's a scheduling nightmare for small businesses like Country Sampler - too many week ends and not enough staff!)
Anyway, back to autumn decorating.
I thought I'd share a few pictures from my house and a little fall make over. It really doesn't take that much time to decorate an entry way or a mantel.... Here's the formal living room, just a fall garland with a few autumn picks thrown in the mix.
Then there's the hearth room...
I just love the urn on the mantel... I have two of these babies, and I've ordered several for Country Sampler - so you can have them, too! I just added some soft yellow silk leaves and a few odd "backyard" branches to the urn and everything else on the mantel is from the two big Rubbermaid tubs that store the fall goodies. Easey peasey, huh?!
Here's my favorite little piggy in the kitchen - announcing fall to family and friends. Those are real gourds and pumpkins in my old bowl and I got 'em for a song!! Score! A friend of mine told me to give them a little Clorox bath to keep 'em fresh and bug free - one gallon of water to one tablespoon of Clorox - and you just dunk 'em and then wipe them dry. I had never heard of that before, but so far it works.
Back to the living room... This is the coffee table. The picture is a little washed out - sorry. It's just a little leaf quilt I made a couple of years ago and some extra maple leaf blocks that I turned into little pillows. Underneath the pumpkin is a small berry wreath - they're not just for the wall. Put them underneath pumpkins, encircle them around candles, the sky's the limit!
That's it for now. I'll post a few more pictures soon. In the meantime, I need you to start taking some pictures of your fall decorating - inside and/or outside. I'm planning a little Autumn Giveaway in the next couple of posts, but you'll need a picture (or two, or three) to join in the fun!
AccuQuilt’s new arrival brings you a NEW way to GO! - The AccuQuilt GO! Baby Fabric Cutter is an extension of the GO! family of products and is an ultra-portable, affordable and adorable fabric cutter for quilters and fabric crafters. The GO! Baby Fabric Cutter has the same cutting performance as the original GO! Fabric Cutter and is just as safe, accurate, and fast. At only $139, and with a more compact design, the GO! Baby is perfect for the beginner and occasional quilter. The GO! Baby is compatible with all GO! dies except for 10" x 10" and 10" x 24" dies, plus they're coming out with several new dies for their newest little bundle of joy.
Now, the new baby isn't available until the middle of November, but we've ordered LOTS for the two stores - just in time for a little Christmas present to yourself! I'm told that there's only going to be a limited number available for the November release, so get your name on our wish list if you're interested - I think these "babies" will go fast!
