Promo for the book Little Birds

New look for old shoes.

It was too chilly to wear the beautiful sundress that Jennifer Paganelli had made for me, so I had to do something quick! I ended up with a cute little blazer from anthropologie and skinny jeans and good jewelry. Too casual? So I decided to dress up and old pair of black Steve Madden flats with these cute ribbon rosettes from Make and Mingle. You can buy some (and cool flats,too) just like these there, or rosettes from from M&J Trimming.
Or make your own! I am going to teach my Pillow Addicts Anonymous class at M&M how to embellish with rosettes tomorrow. I'll document the process- sometimes successful, sometimes not...always fun!
....and share with a tutorial tomorrow!

They've got your back.

Genevieve's sorority sister, Meredith Marchese, lost her mother to breast cancer just a few weeks ago. Vieve and her AST family members thought it would be nice to have a quilt made to honor her, and to remind Meredith that they are always there for her , and they've "got her back".


Each girl chose a fabric from the Sis Boom fabric line and their name was then printed on muslin and framed within the fabric square. At the center, a special square in remembrance of the mother. The quilting pattern was ribbons, like the pink ribbons that symbolize the fight for a cure for cancer.
This project was a labor of love and I think a great way to show how much they all care.

Vieve's College Graduation.

Our daughter, Genevieve Rose, just graduated (with honors!) from college to begin her career in PR and Media Branding. Here she is with us and surrounded by her beautiful family of AST (Alpha Sigma Tau) sorority sisters. Never having gone to college, my concept of a sorority terrified me. What I found was that being a part of this group of girls gave our daughter the support and love she needed when she was far from home. Thanks, girls for watching over our daughter and giving her the confidence to move forward on her own.
We also learned after listening to the commencement speech and all of the names of graduates, "Rose" had to be one of the most common middle names in 1988!
Congratulations , Genevieve. We are so proud of and happy for you!

Birthday dinner.

Not to toot my own horn, but yesterday was my birthday. Toot toot! (Thank you.)
When asked what I wanted to do to celebrate I suggested grilling up some steaks, a blue cheese wedge salad, twice baked potatoes and red wine. The finished meal never got photographed, as we also snuck a martini in before dinner...
I let the horses out to graze in the yard while Tim got the coals going (sometimes propane just doesn't cut it) and then set the table. I used my new Sis Boom Collette table cloth and all of a sudden it felt like a party! You can have one too. They are available in pink and blue on the Open Sky shop. Jennifer did a beautiful job on these.
It is now 4 a.m., I am blogging, and I think it's safe to say the party is over... back to quilting. I'll share this special project when I am finished with it later today.

A "Little Bird" told me...

It's out! Little Birds: 26 Handmade Projects to Sew, Stitch, Quilt & Love (Design Collective) by C&T Publishing's Design Collective is now available. It features my custom quilt design that I made for Cortney and Bob Novogratz and their most recent BRAVO TV "9 by Design"
addition, Major.
The book, "Little Birds", includes all of the instructions and templates you need to make this colorful, mid-century modern inspired baby quilt. The other 25 projects are just as adorable and this new division of C&T Publishing is really giving quilting and sewing the new spin it deserves. Other great artists, like Bari Ackerman, have had a lot of fun putting these projects together. Now it's your turn.
Last nights episode of "9 by Design" told the story of a little school friend of the Novogratz family, Jasmina Anema, who suffered from leukemia. The Novogratz clan and other school families put on a great fundraiser to help Jasmina and her mom with medical bills. Jasima was a warrior, but she succumbed to the disease in January.
For anyone who orders a book from me ($15.95 + $2.00 shipping) during the month of May, 100% of my profit will go to The ONEFORJASMINA Foundation.
Please take the time to look at the beautiful site and the pictures of this special little angel who was not with us long enough. You can make a difference.
So, forget about "Making your Bed"!
Get the book, make a bird, and maybe save a life.
Thank you. Shoot me an email if you want one. The book will also be available at Make and Mingle in Fairfield, CT.
Nancy

Another craftastic day at the Make and Mingle Studio.

I just run around taking pictures making sure no one cuts off or sews any fingers together. My students do as they please with my gentle guidance, or prodding with a yardstick when they loose focus. All I know is that it's the fastest and funniest 2 hours of my week. If any projects are completed, that's just fine. Thank you Connie, Jackie, Lisa, "Tracy the Good", "Tracy the Bad" (you know who you are!), and of course my T.A. Karen, of Make and MIngle who is "skirting the issue" better than I could.

Our new baby.

The life of an older school pony can be an uncertain one. Horses are expensive and when the 20 year old lesson horse can no longer take those big jumps without a chance of injury, and it's too much to do lesson after lesson, they find it hard to earn their keep.
Meet Serena. A star jumper at Ox Ridge Hunt Club for years, and then star teacher at Stoneyside Farm in Wilton after that. She is still a great pony to ride, but she deserves to be spoiled now, and she needs to be able to have a nice big stall to lay down in, and her very own paddock. She can still jump and I will give lessons on her once I have conditioned her a bit and she settles into her new surroundings... which she seems to have had no problem with. She and Tys have already bonded, maybe a little more than I would like.....
My friend Lola is going to share her with me, and a few other handpicked friends will learn how to ride, take care of, and love horses with her. We are going to give her all of the tender love and care this princess deserves.
How's that for sounding like a proud momma?
So, on behalf of Tim, Genevieve, Jack, Cheech, Ollie, Lola, Jan, Ronnie and Mila and myself- Welcome to Dark horse Farm, Serena.
Welcome home.

I think I see a pattern here.

Custom orders are flying in for my silk screened pillows. This one was for a couple who was FINALLY tying the knot. I think the Ralph Lauren boat blueprint fabric is a nice contrast to the skull and cross bones from Kona.
I wish the lucky couple happiness always.

The winner is...

The fifth person to post- Mab! Meredith Shelley, come on down! Congratulations to you Mab. The winners were chosen via the Random Number Indicator.
Okay, Meredith, let me know how to get your apron to you asap! I know you will look fab, Mab!