Rosebud's Cottage

One Christmas for the memory book!

  

Well here it is ... the first day of the Cross Country Christmas blog hop and Gudrun has a wonderful quilt-as-you-go project for you. Maybe you'll be able to start crossing some names off your gift list?

At our home here in  White Bear Lake, the holidays begin when we pull out the Dept 56 houses! Bob's mom gave me the first piece shortly after we were married and our collection has grown quite a bit. We don't always put out all them but we do put out the North Pole village each year.
The fall Teddy was a year and a half old, my mom died. Around Thanksgiving, my dad gave us kids some money from one of her accounts. Part of me knew I should put it in the bank but the other part of me wanted to spend it on something really fun. I didn't want it to be just anything ... something that would remind me of my mom and all the special Christmases she had given us.

Dept 56 had introduced the North Pole series earlier in the year. Bachman's was doing some special pricing for purchasing the whole group. Yike ... I was so torn ... three little kids at home and I should be practical ... but boy that set was sooooo cute! My best friend, Fay, came up with the perfect solution that satisfied both needs. Off I went (by myself) to the store!

 

With those three boys it was easiest for us to go to the early Mass at St Mary's on Christmas Eve. Kids in the car and I had to quick run back into the house ... with Bob tapping his fingers on the steering wheel waiting. 

While we were in church trying to keep the boys in line and still maintain a Christmasy feeling, Fay and her family let themselves into our house ... carefully unpacked all of the North Pole pieces ... layed out the scene on a cabinet ... lit them up ... turned on the tree lights ... and then took off for their own church service. Did I mention she vacumned before they left?

When we pulled back in the drive Bob just couldn't believe that 'someone' forgot to unplug the Christmas tree before we left. Ha ... the tree was on just so I could see the faces of the boys as they spied the North Pole village on the table. Shock. And awe. And magic! The elves that often visited in those weeks before Christmas really outdid themselves. I'll tell ya ... I get weepy just remembering!!Neither Fay or I realized what a priceless gift her idea would give me. Of course, the fact that I pulled something off without Bob knowing is also part of the fun. Not easy when you consider that everything from Bachman's was packed in purple bags. 

We've put the village out every year since then ... adding to it a little bit as more pieces were introduced. I can still see the magic in Teddy's eyes ...  standing on a chair to peek inside the windows of the workshop ... Santa's elves really were inside building toys you know!

Shortly after the following Christmas,  Fay died from cancer, right before her 40th birthday. She was such a great pal ... suggesting I put part of the money from my mom toward the North Pole set and the rest in my savings account for a rainy day. And then offering to pull off the surprise for my family at the busiest time of the year. I think of her ... and my mom ... often but especially each time I remember that Christmas!

 

Shouldn't she be called Pam Scottie Dog Morning?

 

Well here she is ... all grown up but still a Scottie dog lover! And she still has that mischievous glint in her eye. She's up to something ... I can feel it!

The last time I saw Pam was just about a month ago at Quilt Market in Houston ... she made me laugh with her red velvet armadillo cake ... except when I saw it it looked more like armadillo road kill. Read all about it on her October 15th blog! I'm on pins and needles wondering what kind of hijinx she'll be up to when she comes to Minneapolis for Quilt Market next Spring!

I read through all of your guesses to see who knew that this was Pam Kitty Morning. A bunch of you did but there was a whole 'nother bunch who were way off course! And really ... those of you who guessed me ... did you really think we'd make things that easy for you???

The winner from all of those who guessed right is Melissa ... she posted "I think this looks like Pam Kitty Morning!" on November 4 at 8:24 am. Melissa ... email me your address ... my pals at OLFA have given me a boat load of prizes for the blog hop ... I've got some fun things to send to you!

There will be prizes galore for the rest of you during the hop ... make sure you comment on all twelve designer's projects to get your name in for the grand prize at the end.

The blog hop officially starts on Monday, November 9th. Come to my blog each day and I'll link you to the featured designer. And don't forget to read everyone else's blog too ... we'll have recipes, decorating ideas, stories and memories to share with you. It's going to be a ton of fun ... can't wait to start!

A girl and her dog.

 

Look at that shy little smile ... but behind all of that we know lurks a mischievous little designer in the making! She's probably thinking she needs to whip up a cute bandana for her darling scottie dog. Or maybe a doggy quilt for her next design. Wow ... look at her ... she could maybe be my sister!

I actually knew this girl before I knew she was a designer ... she'd come into the Cottage once in awhile and load up on things and then I wouldn't see for a bit. I loved how much fun it was to have her visit.  After a few times, I began to realize she didn't live in the neighborhood. 

A few years later I got hooked on this terrific blog ... couldn't start my day without seeing what the writer had going on in her quilting world. Sometime later ... I'd left a comment on someone else's blog ... and as it turns out she was great friends with that writer. I could hear her squealing through cyberspace ... Roseann! Is that you??? We'd found each other again.

Now I get to see her online but also in person at Quilt Market several times a year. She never fails to make me laugh ... she makes me jealous with her fabulous work. And it's making me smile to think about her as I write this.

So ... do you know who she is?

Send me your guesses in the comments area between now and Saturday night. On Sunday, I'll look and see who  guessed right and will pick someone for a prize. Check back here then to see if it's you!!

Make sure you look around at the pix on the other blogs, too. Can you figure out which one is Little Rosebud? My kids didn't even know. 

Don't forget that the blog hop officially begins on Monday, November 9th. Gudrun leads us off for an exciting 12 days of quilting. I can't wait!!

 

Cross Country Christmas ... a quilt designer blog hop just in time for holiday gift making!

 

I'm so excited to be part of another designer blog hop ... this one devoted completely to making gifts for the holidays! Just like our Minnesota designer blog hop in June, this one will feature six quilt designers from the land of 10,000 lakes and six more from other fun places across the country. You're in for a treat because there's a wide variety of styles with this group!

Below is the list of designers for the hop ... check them out ahead of time just to see what they're up to. Then on November 9th, the fun begins! You'll find a terrific project to make on the blog of the 'designer of the day'. On the rest of our blogs each day, we'll all be talking about our Christmas memories, things we do to decorate, recipes of dishes our families expect to see on the table ... just all of the stuff that makes Christmas meaningful to each of us.

Nov 9 - Gudrun of GE Designs from Minnesota leads us off

Nov 10 - Sandy from Pieces of My Heart out of Iowa

Nov 11 - Terry of Atkinson Designs ... also from Minnesota

Nov 12 - Pat Sloan ... she's from Virginia 

Nov 13 - Heather of Anka's Treasures ... another treasure from Minnesota

Nov 14 - Pam from Pam Kitty Morning ... she's from California but has really strong ties to Minnesota

Nov 15 - Kari of New Leaf Stitches ... she's in western Minnesota

Nov 16 - Terri from Whimsicals in Indiana

Nov 17 - Sherri of This and That ... another Minnesota home girl

Nov 18 - Carrie from Miss Rosie's Quilt Company ... I know she's from someplace warm

Nov 19 - yikes ... ME ... very obviously from Minnesota

Nov 20 - Linda  ... from New Jersey just outside of NYC

See? Isn't this a cool list? I can't wait to check out what everyone comes up with.

But the fun begins a little bit early. Come back to view our photo's on Wednesday. See if you can match up the little girl photos with the adults we've all become! I've seen a few of the pix ... this could be an impossible task!

Whether your holidays are spent in the cold like us here in Minnesota ... or the warmth like our friends 'down under' ... I know you'll find something on the Cross Country Christmas Blog Hop that will inspire your gift giving ... either during the holidays or for special gifts through out the year. Are you ready?

 
 

Who's got Cooties?

 

We went to the antique show at Har Mar Mall last Friday and look what I stumbled upon ... a perfect Cootie game! Seeing it brings me right back to being six years old ... sitting at the kitchen table and assembling the cooties ... making them march in rows ... and when I was done putting them all back into their exact places in the box.

I've seen parts of Cootie games at shows before but never one that had everything ... the directions ... all the bodies and their parts ... a perfect box. I never knew there were rules for this game ... had no idea you used dice. Playing with the Cooties at our house was kind of a quiet activity for rainy days or when you were home sick from school. Mom kept them up high in a cupboard that needed a chair and counter to get to. I don't know what happened to them after we cleared out the house ... hope they're in good hands.

Look how cute they are all lined up in their box ... legs stuck into their holes ... bodies grouped together in one partition ... those little red eyes looking back at you. Kind of creepy kind of fun. But they look even better assembled and standing on their little green legs! So glad I found this treasure.

It's a whole new look!

 

Ok ... this is fun! Setting up the new store has been almost painless and it's looking so cool!! None of our furniture looks or feels the same now ... it's hard to imagine how it looked before. It could be because of the white walls ... or maybe the dark carpeting ... or just different spacial relationships. I don't know what it is but I'm loving the general store look we're getting.

      

I wish I could say that putting every little thing in the right place was all my doing. It's not.  Chris and Deb have done the majority of the work ... Celine from Perkins Dry Goods and Sherri from This and That came by to help on Monday ... Bob's been there with power tools ... Teddy has been lugging stuff over from North St Paul after his classes end each day. Jeri will be in on Saturday and she's fast at putting things in the right place. I just stand around and point in different directions.

   

  

We've got this terrific Autumn island in the middle of the store. It's nice to have projects and patterns and gifts that compliment each other grouped all together.

 
I love this redware from a potter in Illinois ... all hand painted and most pieces with black backgrounds. The zig zag around the edge looks like prairie points.

 
The wool area is beginning to take shape. I have two huge baskets of hand dyed wool in the hide out to be brought over along with bundles of wool roving. Pretty corner!

   

The decision to add gifts back into the mix really changes the way the store feels. I love how these Christmas items go perfectly with the spools of antique tinsel. Reproduction milk bottles are begging to be filled with trinkets. Perfect for secret santas at the retreat! A basket of holly wreaths makes me almost wish the holidays were right around the corner!

 

So long North St Paul ... hello White Bear Lake!

 

I've packed up my sign and I'm goin' home! Well ... a mile and a half from home, anyway.

 
Lots of empty bolt cores thanks to all of the quilters who came to the moving sale!

  
Empty shelves ...

 
Even the TP and paper towel boxes are empty! Good timing, don't you think?

 
The light fixture in the hallway gave up the ghost halfway through the sale. Poor thing.

 
Lots of empty jars waiting for new things to fill them.

 
Two cute, strong guys showed up to cart everything away. Thanks to Stormy and Jackie for sending them to me after my moving company fell through. They were fast and efficient ... makes me think I want to move again!

 
It's all really chaotic still at the new store in White Bear Lake but on Monday I have a fun crew coming to help me make sense of it all. We'll be able to open the doors on Tuesday ... not everything will be totally done but that's actually kind of fun to have it be a work in progress.

The only final decision to make now is ... does Little Rosebud hang in the new place ... or should she find a place of honor around the corner at the hideout. What to do what to do.

 

Buried treasures!

 

It's amazing how much is rising to the surface since we've begun clearing out in anticipation of moving the store this weekend. I'm finding old friends each time I open a box or look on a shelf. One great re-discovery was the first sewing machine I purchased with my own hard-earned cash!

I've been sewing since I was eight or nine ... using Mom's tan Singer machine and a treadle before that. Sewed constantly and a huge variety of things. So at 19, when I left home in a huff for my first apartment in St Paul, Mom's machine didn't come along with me. I was forced to buy my own. Can you guess what year this happened?

 
I purchased a Singer Genie for a variety of reasons. First ... it was cute ... and that's what it's all about! Second ... I could afford it if I saved enough from my job working in the kitchen at Ramsey Hospital. Third ... it was a Singer and I'm all about brand loyalty. And fourth ... it was portable because what no one knew is that I was talking to the Army recruiter and I knew I wasn't going to need a machine in a cabinet. I was going to see the world ... donchya know!

 
I loved that everything fit conveniently in the carrying case. And boy ... did I lug that machine around! It lived in several different states and any number of military barracks, on-base housing and off-base as well. I had lots of 'friends' because everyone seemed to need new rank stitched to their uniforms as we were promoted ... sometimes for $$$ ... sometimes for the price of a night out. 

 
It really was pretty simple to use ... and the instructions had that delightful Mod Squad look just like the machine. When I moved back home to another apartment in St Paul,  it helped me make curtains and pillows. I sewed a tree skirt for our first home together on it ... that great big wedge pattern with the wide eyelet trim all around the edge. The next year I made quilted stockings for the three of us because by then we were celebrating Rob's first Christmas. The following year I made one for Alex on the same machine. And then, a few years later when my nephews Larry and John were hospitalized for months following a snow mobile accident, I taught myself to make dolls on it so I could take them to the hospital to work on. 

 
I had a repair man tell me once not to get rid of this machine because it's the last model Singer made that was all metal inside. The weight proves that! I cleaned my old friend up and packed everything up ... but not because I'm going to put it back on the shelf. I love this machine and it fits the look of the hideout perfectly! I'm off to find a good repair man who can tweak it and clean it. Anyone have a suggestion?