I'm b..aaa..c...k!!

Good afternoon from snowburied NH!

I've been away from the blogging world for a bit...okay...fell off the face of the blogging earth, but hey, it was field hockey season...now it's basketball season...what can I say?  Terribly sorry...but I'm back with things in the wings to share!  Yay!

First, I have to show a picture taken out the front door ... Here in NH we "found Nemo" - he/she/it came with a vengeance overnight after lulling us into a false sense of "darn weather people...wrong again!!"security and dumped up to 3 feet (yes, that's 36 inches) of the fluffy white stuff across the region.  2-3' was what they said.... they were right!  That path is what's shoveled.. that lump on the right?  That's my car!!  I've got till tomorrow to uncover it and find my way down the drive to return DD to college!

So, with a bit of time on my hands today and a couple of adorable grandchildren to visit I thought I'd peruse Pinterest and find something fun to do with them.  I decided to try my hand at a bit of play dough.  Haven't made any in YEARS and have NO cream of tarter on hand... soooo... cruised Google for "play dough without cream of tarter" and low and behold, Natural Parenting Tips had a perfect recipe! I was able to whip up a couple batches (have to have 2 colors and enough for 2 boys...) and here it is:

Just stop by their website here and you can find a GREAT recipe for play dough if you, like me, have no cream of tarter!!

Hope you are safe and warm where ever you are!  Quilty hugs from here in New Hampshire!!
Carrie

Happy Mother's Day to All + a card that made me laugh!!

Good morning, friends!

My youngest DD gave me a card this morning that made me laugh till I cried!  She knows I love history and thought this would be perfect ... hope it makes you laugh, too!  It's the 3rd page that got me!!

Enjoy your day, all!
Hugs,
Carrie

Wordless Wednesday: 5/8 April Showers & May Flowers

Okay, I know it's May, but it sounds good!

Today's Wordless Wednesday post is a chance to share some lovely flora with you!  Enjoy!  I will have to do the boutonniere again and add a tutorial - wasn't sure how it would come out, but was rather nice.  They were pleased and someone told DD I should be a florist...right...one more job!!  :o)

Flowers from DD's boyfriend's neighbor's house (where we took Prom Pix!)

A  boutonniere I made using violets and ferns - came out pretty good!

DD's corsage of roses - they were in black and white, so these were perfect.  Kudos to boyfriend's mom!

 

That was all a part of the last prom we're a part of.  Six proms for the three children... probably the easiest one yet!  Guess you get better at it with time! 

Hope your day is a wonderful one!
Happy creating,
Carrie

To market, part 2 - Find a Farmer's Market in NH

Good morning, friends!

Here are some pix from yesterday's farmer's market!

My tent, as you can tell!  Fabric on the left and crafted goodies on the right.

Charlie's Olde Tyme Creamery - incredibly good ice cream!

Dominque of Terrapin Glass - we'll be market buddies this spring!

Rebecca of Holland Homestead Farm - we decided taking tents down was WAY easier than putting them up!

Great time had by all!  The weather was amazing - sunny (such a nice change...), warm (in the 70's), with a nice breeze to keep it cool and not allow bugs to annoy us!  I made two new friends (we hold down the end of the walk in the market) one who has beautiful blown glass (soooo cool!) and the other, delish smelling soaps and goat products (a bar of the grapefruit may head my way next week!).  Charlie and his ice cream was a huge hit for the market - Rebecca and I had our eyes on trying a kaula fudge cup, but... someone got the last one before us, much to our utter disappointment!  We promised each other to get there a bit earlier next time - Charlie told us to just let him know what we wanted and he'd set it aside.  Ah...gotta love farmer's market!

I thought it might be nice to see where else and when you can find some markets around New Hampshire, (or "the 603" as my kids say...)

A great place to start is the NH Famer's Market Association website.  From there you can download a PDF of all the markets around the state, what markets are open in the winter and what's in season.  I found that you can click through to a website FOR each market that has a link listed, even though it isn't highlighted.

Not only is the "where" important, but the "when," as well.  Take a peek through the list and see when any within your local range are happening.  For example: Fresh Chicks is on Monday, from 11-4 pm and the Peterborough Farmer's Market is Wednesday, 3-6 pm.  Last season, there was a market in Antrim on Sunday's, but they are in search of a home this year, while the Hancock Farmer's Market is on Saturday's from 9-12 pm.  The key then becomes when do you want to shop?  What is on the way from where you are?  My goal this spring/summer is to jot down WHEN and WHERE there are markets (including locations I tend to go for other reasons, say... softball?) and know how I can get my hands on locally grown products.

Some other NH markets include:

• Milford, Saturday 9-12 pm
• Henniker, Thursday 4-7 pm
• Lebanon, Thursday 4-7pm
• Nashua, Sunday 10-2 pm
• Concord, Saturday, 8:30 - 12 pm

Chances are there is a market near you!  All you have to do is look ... and then cook (or look and create, in the case of stopping by my tent!!)

Have a great day!
Carrie

To Market, To Market... First day of the 2012 season!

Good morning, friends!

Today is the first day of Fresh Chicks Farmer's Market in Peterborough.  Yay!  The car is packed full of fabrics and crafts!  We are located in a grasses space at the Monadnock Community Hospital.  Market opens at 11 and goes till 4 pm.  You'll find produce,baked goods, homemade products,farm products, plants and seedlings, artisan crafts, art and resources for local businesses, farms and artisans. We have a barter board, job and services board and live music!

It's a wicked fun way to spend some time!

I am bringing the camera, so I'll have some pix from today later.  Personally, I can't wait to barter for bread (thanks, Laurie), see what plants there are and perhaps have a cookie!

Better go pack up some lunch and do some final touches.

Later!
Carrie

In search of fabric... around New Hampshire

Good morning, friends!

Yesterday's post about fabric finds on-line was a HUGE hit!! Lots of visitors were taking a peek and heading out window shopping. Hope you had oodles of fun!

As spring would appear to finally be here, perhaps getting out and about would be a fun idea! Let's start today with places to shop, view and caress fabrics for real.

1. A quilt fabric lover can't come to NH without a trip to the lakes region and Keepsake Quilting. It's like dying and going to heaven.  The shop is filled with more beautiful fabric than one can imagine.  You can have one of their catalogs shipped right to your house for quarterly shots of loveliness.  Not only that, but they have quilting challenges you can join and gallery shots of past contestants.

Did I mention this is in the Lakes Region of NH?  Perhaps you've heard of the film On Golden Pond?  Bit famous of a movie... shot in the area....There is a lovely inn by that name you might want to check out.  Oh, and a trip up there isn't done till you make a stop at Hart's Turkey Farm, where "everyday is Thanksgiving" - how can that not be great!

2.  Here in southwestern New Hampshire the place to visit is New England Fabrics.  Called "the Mill End" when I was growing up, back 40+ years ago, before JoAnn's Fabrics, it was the place my mom would buy fabric.  They have a gorgeous quilt fabric section with all the latest and most beautiful fabrics available, but it is their silks and satins for formal wear and their upholstery fabrics that makes them famous.

New England Fabrics is in Keene, which means the coolest Main Street in the state for finding excellent places to eat. Stop here for a list of ideas!

3. How about stopping at the ONLY Henniker in NH and visiting Quilted Threads?  My first trip here was during a shop hop - it was housed in a tiny little building near the grain store.  There was fabric jammed into every available space.  A few years ago they moved to a new space that is HUGE, airy, bright and beautiful!  The selection and space is lovely.

Do you ski?  Pat's Peak is just down the road.   Looking for a great place to eat?  Our favorite in town in Country Spirits. We've never had a bad meal and the atmosphere is wonderful.

4.  No list of my favorite fabric shops would be complete without mentioning Bunkhouse Quilt Shop in Lyndeborough.  It is very much OFF the beaten path, but set your GPS for 352 Center Road, Lyndeborough, NH 03082 and you'll get there.  She carries so much beautiful fabric and I love the ladies that work there - fun, pleasant... worth the trip! 

Not too far down Route 101, you can turn left towards Mason and have a fantastic meal at Pickty Place.  One of the buildings on site was the model for the Little Golden Book version of Little Red Riding Hood.  The real reason to head there is for the monthly menu.  Each month has a different 5 course meal.  Yup... 5 course.  ALL GOOD!

No trip to NH would be complete without a stop for maple syrup somewhere!  Further along Route 101 towards Peterborough, you can visit Ben's Sugar Shack in Temple.  It's open year round, not just sugar time!

Now that I've completed today's post, which seems to resemble at travel-blog, it's off to get ready for Fresh Chicks Market which opens tomorrow!!

Hope to see some of you there!
Enjoy the rest of the weekend,
Carrie

In search of fabric... online

I was thinking about where I find fabric and realized that perhaps some of the sources I use might be new to you, so I thought I'd take a few moments to share some thoughts/places/locations.  Today's post is about places on-line to access fabric pretties!

1. Have you ever bought what you thought was enough, set the project aside only to find you didn't quite have quite what you need and it's not in the store anymore?  If it's RJR, the greatest place to look is the "Fabric Finder" on their website.  It is a forum where fabric seekers and those with fabric find one another!

All you do is zip in, make a request and it will be up for 30 days.  The more information you have, the better.  What is the line?  How about the collection or designer?  Exactly how much do you need?  Does it having to be running yardage?  Pop the info in and shop owners/fabric sellers across the country will see if they have it in stock.


2. Having been an eBay seller for many years, I found the site a GREAT place to find fabric!!  Are your needs specific?  Type in the line, style, color number, whatever you have and see what's out there!  Are you looking to start a project?  You can find sets of squares of all sizes and colors as well as fat quarters and yardage.  It's colorful and fun!  Don't even get me started on the patterns available!   Click on the logo below to head on over.

 


3.  Have you wandered over to Etsy.com?  Not only is it a fantastic place to shop for wonderful hand crafted goodies and endless ideas for things to try yourself, you can find fabric and supplies!  The bulk of the site is artisan, but if you are looking for Amy Butler (the one line that's shown in catagories), you will find over 4,000 listings!



4. How about Fabric.com?  They offer free shipping on orders over $35 (how hard is that to spend, unfortunately??) and through May 30th I see they have a coupon for 30% off clearance fabric!  Yippee!!  I do love a sale!

5.  How about this site, The Fabric Empire?  I have never purchased from them, but the name and the home page alone make me want to cruise through their online shop!  Anybody with this much Minky has got to be good!!

Do you have other place YOU like to look?  Do share!  We'd love to take a peek!  Just leave the URL in a comment below.

Have a wonderful weekend... maybe do some window shopping!
Carrie