When Life Hands You Lemons......

No, I didn't get lost in Houston. We made it there and home with a nice stash of items along with lots of inspirations to work on this next year .

I have heard the saying, "When life hands you lemons, make lemonade", numerous times. What if life hands you a bushel of lemons, do you just keep making pitcher after pitcher of lemonade or is there something else you can do? Life seems to be a bushel of lemons right now and I am doing my best to make lemonade but there is only so much lemonade you can take. Maybe I will try for lemon meringue pie instead, more sweet than tart.

Business had slowed down after Houston, we had a craft show and although I thought my display wall and baskets were a great asset to my booth, the sales were not so great. I handed out the usual business cards and answered numerous questions about custom work, which always happens without much follow up.

Well, just as I was beginning to think that business was taking a slumping down turn, I had a call from a friend inquiring for a friend (a likely story one would think in other circumstances) about doing a custom quilt. This time I had the option of following up or just letting it slide. What to do? Well of course I did what any good business person would do, I slept on it and called the next day. I ended up with an order for 2 custom quilts and a possible third after the holidays. I have since finished one quilt and with the owners permission I am proud to display the first Photo Memory Quilt made by Quilting Frenzy.

Then came the kicker, I got a call from one of my inquiring customers at the show and I ended up with 4 more orders for custom quilts. Now I am up to my eyeballs in custom orders and already have 2 more to look forward to after the holidays.

Maybe lemon meringue pie was a better way to go.

HOUSTON HERE WE COME!!!!

As a quilter, I feel, that everyone should attend at least one quilt show and if you can make it to one of the larger Quilt Festivals then take advantage of it. The quilts are no longer just quilts, with new techniques, styles and fabric designs it is amazing what these quilters create. There are also some great classes that you can attend to give a boost to what you already know or teach you something new. If you would like to share the experience of Quilt Festival in the comfort of your own home click on this link and see some of the excitement going on in Houston this weekend. http://www.quilts.com/fqf09/enVivo/

Our reservations for accomodations and classes to be taken were made months ago and work schedules have been adjusted so that nothing interferes with our yearly ritual. Cell phones, cameras and good shoes are at the top of our prep list because we know that we will be on our feet from the time the show opens till it closes. We have our shopping strategy planned and our class schedules worked out so that we can make the best of our time there.

We arrived in Houston just shortly after the doors at the George R. Brown Convention center opened up on Friday morning. Even though this is the 4th time I have attended I am still overwhelmed when I first enter the vendor's section. The aisles are numbered and start with 100 and run in increments of one hundred up to 1900 making it 9 aisles of booth after booth of fabulous displays. Our shopping started out with the purchase of a few fat quarters, and no this has nothing to do with body shapes. For non-quilters, a fat quarter is a half yard of fabric that is cut in half along the center lengthwise giving you a piece that measures approximately 18 inches by 22 inches. We walked along the aisles taking notes of booths we might want to return to for purchases and also picked up some good bargains on sample packs of batting at the Hobbs booth. A quick stop at the Handiquilter booth gave us some extra free shopping totes to fill up with goodies.

After a semi good nights sleep we will head out for the convention center today to finih up our shopping experience and then tonight head out to dinner with some friends from the Houston area. Tomorrow we will have cameras in hand with extra memory cards and batteries to take pictures of the quilts on display. This is an experience that is sure to take our breath away and we are definitely looking forward to it.

Friday's Featured Shops

Every day I click and comment on Etsy treasuries and I find beautiful one of a kind items I would love to have for my very own. Of course if I hit the purchase button everytime I would definitely have the shopping police at my front door and would end up living in the poor house. I don't think that would be any fun so I can only "love from afar" and hope that someday I can afford to live in the lap of luxury and be able to afford anything my heart desires.

The first shop in this weeks selection is a repeat offender.

I love items with a Victorian flair and this pincushion found at DebiDesigns is definitely a beauty. Sitting atop a candlestick this pincushion would make a beautiful Christmas gift for the quilter, crafter, seamstress or pincushion collector in your life. Embellished in ribbon embroidery and beads this items is a true heirloom item. http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5034584


Our second culprit is "Artsy Clay" with this beautiful blue bracelet called "Spectrum of Blue". With blue beads in every shade this lovely bracelet reminds me of the ocean, this would make a great accent piece to wear anywhere. You can find this lovely bracelet and other great items at http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=26025

Rounding our lineup we have "Grace Pottery", with this beautiful pitcher called "S-Pouty Pitcher", and the best thing is that it is food safe. I can see putting this on my table any day of the week because it is both functional and beautiful. You can find some lovely pieces of pottery that would make great items for your home or for gifts at http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=7512471

If you have any "most wanteds" in your favorites list please share, I am always interested in finding more wonderful items on Etsy.