April April April – it’s half over already?

Hey cupcakes!

Machine Quilters Exposition

This Thursday I leave for the Machine Quilters Exposition, MQX,  in Providence, Rhode Island . . .

. . . and I can’t wait! I’m taking the Amtrak to the venue on Thursday morning, and returning to New Joisey on Friday night!

Chooooo! Choooooooooooo!

I’m super excited to debut my new MQX Mystery Quilt (seems me debuting a mystery quilt there is to be a tradition).

This one is called, Textured Frenzy, and is going to be a blast — lots of new techniques and design possibilities.    Like all of my mystery quilts, they are designed according to fabric values and not color.   For this quilt, students needed to choose a light, a medium and a dark value.   Here are the fabrics I chose for my sample.

Wait until you hear this, MQX-ers!

Aurifil SUPERSTAR, Alex Veronelli,  wrote to me letting me know that he will also be at MQX this week and will be giving away some Aurifil to a lucky student in my class!  How schweet is that!?!

As promised . . .

The Easter Bunny stuck around last week and we have a couple of Aurifil winners!

Drumroll please . . .

Congrats to Cory Murphy of Riverbank, California

And congrats to Marsha Parris of Spring, Texas!

And congrats to my  last  blog comments winner, Fran Vanderveer from Rome, NY!

More Aurifil to give away!

The Aurifil winner from my Pickle Posse will be drawn next week!  (are you a member of my Yahoo Pickle Posse group?)  Keep watching!

I can hardly believe April is almost over  . . .

Before it’s over, I took some pics of the daffodils in my yard. They are fading fast!

It would have been nice if I got at least 50% of them in focus!?!  Donchathink?

Speaking of  Gardens . . .

Yes, dumplins, I found me yet another Fairy Garden house at a local garden center.  Of cour$e, I had to have it. It’s only my third!

Now you can’t get a fairy house without buying a few of the little trees and shrubs that go with it, can you.  So, lookie here . . .

$200+  bucks later – – more work to do!

Next I have to order the solar Christmas lights.

I stuff those inside my houses so that they light up from the inside at night.  Love them!

Book ’em!

A fantabulous book tour launch for Kaffe and Liza!

On Friday, Jeff and I were invited to a small gathering at my bud, Liza Prior Lucy’s (Click –> HERE to get to Liza and Kaffe’s  Glorious Color),  house to kick off the national Liza & Kaffe Fassett book tour!  It was a blast!

Here’s the new book.

As usual, it is a sensational, must have, book.   Click —> HERE to get your copy or click HERE.

CONGRATS LIZA & KAFFE!

Here’s me and Dame Liza

Everyone was there . . .

Here’s Kaffe (with a gaggle of lettuce I brought for Liza’s garden).  Looking at this picture, I’m thinking my buddy Kaffe could use a MarkLipinskiMade drag name —   Hmmmmm.   How ’bout —

Bokayah Lettuce

Sorry, Kaffe — I just COULD NOT resist!

More from Liza’s —

Fabric Design-ah, Brandon Mably, with my lil’ Jeff Turner!

My good buddy and current Madame President of Alliance for American Quilts, Miss Meg Cox!  (by the way are you guys working on your NEW FROM OLD challenge for the Alliance yet?)

Sitting here with Kaffe is Linda Ayre, the founder of Quilts for Kids (a magnificent charity organization).  Click  —> HERE to check them out!

Miss Bobbi Penniman et moi!

and random shots of friends, collegues and new aquaitnances from around the rooms . . .

Liza showing some quilts —

Now, someone (who did not bring lettuce) brought THE most DELICIOUS lemon cookies to the party.  Everyone was yakking about them.  Anyone have a good lemon cookie recipe?   I just have a taste for lemon.   As a matter of fact, I just made a lemon meringue pie this afternoon for dinner!

I had two cookies.  One to eat and one to hold up in front of my face (for photos) to hide a SUPERSIZEME ZIT I grew that morning  — apparently just for Liza’s event!

Here are Liza’s adorable hounds (cute, huh?)

Yes, a Tulip Marie Lipinski imposter and this one . . . (I love me some bulldog)

. . . and back to the party

So here’s me and the Kaffe-ster.  I adore him.  Honestly, I do.

Half Squares Avail Us F-U-N!

So I finally finished all of my half-square Friendship Triangles for the swap at my local quilt shop, Kindred Quilts and turned them in.   You should join because you still  have lots of time.  It’s only $2.50 a package (I did 5) and it’s really picking up momentum.   Click — HERE for more information or to be a part of the swap.

Found another book I like . . .

I’m not a great fan of the locker hooked rugs, but I do like all of the different kinds of things this chick, Theresa Pulido, did with the craft.  She took something so-s0 and made it useful.  Props to Miss Thang!  It’s published by Krause and you can read more about it on Amazon by clicking — HERE.

More next time.  Until then, I really have to find a way to get Tiger Woods to stop texting me for a hook up!  Damn, he just won’t take “NO” for an answer!

xoxom