Blogging From Boston

Hello Everyone,

We arrived in Boston on Sunday afternoon and so far are having a wonderful time. Yesterday here is what we did...

We are here to do a lot of the above, college hunting. Northeastern University was our first stop. We enjoyed our tour and information session. Onto more tomorrow. From there we walked to here...

The Museum of Fine Arts, to see this...

Yes, I am finally going to get to see the Chihuly exhibit. But, I was so disappointed, they were closed for Patriots day!! So we are going back today!! And guess what they also have an African textile exhibit going on too. Happy day!!

Then we literally "ran" into this...

The Boston Marathon! Here are the runners at the 22 mile marker (well a little less than 22 miles, but when you have run that far who is really counting?) These people were just awe inspiring. We watched for about an hour and they just kept coming...

Tons of runners from every walk of life and age group! The male in the #1 spot is from Kenya and ran it in 2:03:02 and the female in the #1 spot is also from Kenya and ran it in 2:22:36. Simply amazing!! You can see more of the stats by clicking here.

Then it was off to here...

Fanueil Hall and Quincy Market. This is one of our favorite spots to visit in Boston. Great food, shopping, and street performers.

Here are some performers. These young women were hunched over and the performers did flips over them.

This man was just getting set up, but we didn't stay to watch. It looked like a torture device of sorts and he had a straight jacket in his hands. So who knows what he was going to do...

Then it was on to the North End of town for some good Italian eats! Being Italian, myself, I love to walk around here and find good food. The above photo was the scene from inside Mike's pastry shop. People apparently wait for their cannoli's. But that is not what I got, I grew up eating sfogliatelle.

They are my favorite and this one was delicious!

Then onto Regina Pizzeria. We were told that it is one of the best in Boston. So we thought we would give it a go.

Brick oven, been around for quite some time.

Here is what we had, half broccoli and half mushroom. It was good, but I must say that I have had better. Sorry to any of you who are Regina Pizzeria die hards. It was good though, I just prefer a thinner, crispier crust and not so much cheese. But, you should give it a try and see for yourself.

Anyway, tomorrow is another BIG day. Hoping to get some good college information and see Chihuly too.

***Don't forget to enter my giveaway going on now. There is still time, just click here and you could win some gorgeous fabric.***

Until Next Time...

Blogging From Boston

Modern Connecticut Quilters

Hello Everyone,

One week ago on Sunday, I had the pleasure of being at the first meeting of the Mod Conn Quilters!! It was a small gathering, but so much fun none the less. Meeting new quilters can be so inspiring and fun.

Some of us brought show and tell along with us and we all learned something from one another. Mainly, I was raring to go when I got home.

I would like to share the show and tell portion of our informal gathering. I am sure that you will see some quilts that you adore, as did I. So, go grab some tea and a cookie, sit back and relax and enjoy the show...

My friend Karen... always inspiring!

Me with an itchy nose and my Diamonds Down Under Quilt.

Now I know that your engines are all revved up now. You must get your sewing machines turned on and put the pedal to the medal. I am looking forward to meeting with these ladies once again!!

Before you head off to sew, don't forget to enter my fabric giveaway by clicking here, there is still time.

Until Next Time...

Modern Connecticut Quilters

Meet Designer Jennifer Paganelli and Win Some of Her Fabric Too!

Hello Everyone,

On Tuesday, I had a wonderful day! I met designer Jennifer Paganelli!! She is warm, kind, creative, and very talented. She invited myself and my friend Victoria to her home so that I could interview her for my podcast.

Here we are me, Jennifer, and Victoria. We had such and good time and her home was such a treasure trove of inspiration at every turn. What FUN!! So let's take a peek...

This wonderful bed is dressed with fabrics and pillows from her newest line of fabric Honey Child... you can find it in my shop!! But the neat thing is the headboard is dressed with her grandmother's yo-yo quilt! Just genius!

This pillow, in particular, I was just drooling over. PINK... I love it!

Talent and creativity just oozed out of every crack and crevice in her home. This lampshade was made by her and I love it too! Very romantic.

Here are some shelves filled with vintage wallpapers where she gets some of her inspiration for her fabric designs.

Shelves loaded with vintage clothing and linens where she also garners design inspiration.

In the podcast interview she spoke of making these Christmas ornaments as a child, by her Grandmother's side. She continues to recreate them in her adult life. Just beautiful bowls filled with these ornaments.

Look at these wonderful glittery, sparkly trees just sitting in her studio for all to see.

Trinkets, baubles, and lots of creative goodness!

Beautiful clothing made from her various fabric lines hung every where.

Not only was Jennifer open and kind to us, but she was also giving. She gifted both Victoria and I original JP Tunics! You can see Victoria all dressed up in her by clicking here.

So, now you just have to listen to the podcast. It is a treat!!

You will also hear a wee bit from Victoria too! You can find the podcast in the iTunes store by searching for Jackie's Quilting Chronicles. Remember they are FREE. If you choose to listen directly from your computer you can click here and listen in or listen directly from iTunes as well.

You also should take a moment to go over to her website, by clicking here. She has an active blog and flickr site you can link to from there. Also, you will see her new book, Girls World. If you do stop by, tell her that Jackie said hello!

Now, if you are still with me, would you like to win some of her wonderful Honey Child Fabric???

You have the chance to WIN these 6 fat quarters by just leaving a comment on this blog post before Midnight April 21, 2011. That's it!!

But if you can't wait for some of this fabric, you can find it in my shop by clicking here.

Also, don't forget to enter this giveaway too, just click here.

One last thing that I did before I left...

My sweet tooth got the better of me and I stopped at Crumbs Bake Shop for some yummy cupcakes for the family! They disappeared real quickly.

Hope you enjoyed meeting Jennifer! I know I did! Thank you Jennifer for a wonderful day!

***The giveaway is now closed. Thank you to all who entered. Check back for the winner!***

Until Next Time...

Meet Designer Jennifer Paganelli and Win Some of Her Fabric Too!

Giveaway Winners! There are Three!

Hello Everyone,

First, I would like to say thank you to all who entered the giveaway. But a special thanks to all of you who commented on my blog post at Quilt Magazine and told me all about your favorite gadgets. Wow, what a variety and many, many good reasons for loving your gadgets.

If you didn't get a chance to leave a comment there and would like to tell me what your favorite gadget is, I would still love to know. I will be using this information for a future blog post and podcast.

Just click here to leave a comment! Thank you in advance.

Now onto the winners....

Winner of the One Year Subscription to Quilt Magazine is...

#197 GranChris

Winner of the Twister Template is...

#158 Jo from Warm Fuzzy's

Winner of the Lil' Twister Template is...

#85 Linda from Roscoe's Ma

Congratulations to you all!! An e-mail has been sent to all of you, I just need snail mail addresses to get your prizes out!

***Yes, there is another Giveaway going on!! Read about the details on my last post by clicking here***

Until Next Time...

Giveaway Winners! There are Three!