Coffee Craziness

Coffee has been on my mind a lot lately.

My quilt for the Kona Coffee Cultural Festival contest is safely in Kona waiting for the show to open on November 10th. Other coffee-themed quilts are swirling in my mind like frappuccino in a blender at Starbucks.

Speaking of Starbucks...I've never been much of a coffee drinker, but once again my palate is changing. As I stand in line pondering my choices: should I have a grande mocha frappuccino double blended no whip, or my new favorite (thanks, Jerry!) - a venti non-fat (sometimes decaf) caramel macchiato? Nothing like a little jolt of sugar-laced caffeine to get you going in the morning.

People ordering coffee drinks always cracked me up and here I am now, one of them! Listening to several pros order their cups of joe (sissy and serious) can be quite intimidating, but once you get the cadence down, you're set. This reminds me of the coffee store scenes in Will Farrell's movie, "Kicking and Screaming," which we saw this week. It was worth watching the movie just for those moments - any coffee orderer can relate and will appreciate them!

No doubt the serious coffee drinkers out there are poo-pooing my taste for coffee drinks (akin to juice cocktail - probably just 10% of the stuff)...

But back to the quilt ideas...I want to make an arty quilt called "Coffee and Cigarettes" (no, I don't smoke, but I like the name!). I wonder what I can come up with?

I think I'll grab a cup and contemplate it.

Cody Comes Home

This is our darling new boy, Cody. He is a yellow Labrador, eight weeks old. We are thrilled to have another dog in the house!

The first night was a little bumpy, but he's a very good puppy. We are crate training him and he's doing great so far.

Our last dog, Maile, who passed away in April, was an Akita. We've had two Akita's and this is our first Lab. He's quite a different dog...I think he's "tasted" everything he can get his mouth on. In fact, I think he's chewed more in the first 24 hours than Maile did in her whole life! Well, we will have lots of toys for him and give him plenty of attention.



Ginger, our newest kitty, wants to play but doesn't quite know what to make of Cody. She spent most of the afternoon in the avocado tree.
They've come nose to nose a couple of times, but Ginger spits and runs away if Cody moves. I'm sure they'll become fast friends soon - Cody was socialized with the family cats at the breeder, so he just has to wait for her to lighten up!

20 Things About Me

I've seen this on a couple of blogs now, so I thought I'd share some things about me:

1. I was a hard rock “headbanger” in high school – leather miniskirts, thigh-high boots, silk jackets, bandanas and all.
2. I loved being in marching band and color guard in high school, and was part of the Velvet Knights drum and bugle corps color guard for three seasons.
3. Mean kids picked on me from 6^th grade to 9^th grade.
4. I had poetry published in Teen Magazine in 1984.
   
5. My first car was a Toyota truck, which I turned into a low-rider and then joined a mini-truck club (much to my parents utter annoyance). I had that damn truck for 20 years (the lowering stage was short-lived, however)!
6. I know how to shoot a gun.
7. The longest race I’ve run is a half-marathon and would like to complete an Olympic-distance triathlon or full marathon before (or when) I’m 40. (YIKES! That’s only 2 years from now…I’d better get on it!)
8. I love my husband to distraction and he is also my best friend.
9. I have very 1950’s thoughts and values when it comes to marriage.
10. I am a fiercely loyal friend and that can sometimes get me into trouble.
11. The ocean scares me and enchants me at the same time.
12. Music is a very important part of my everyday life.
13. If I knew then what I know now, I would have gone to culinary school.
14. I am very happy with the direction my quiltmaking is taking.
    
15. I still sleepwalk on occasion.
16. My grandmother had a huge impact on my life and I miss her dearly.
17. I cherish my small circle of friends.
18. I love old things and could spend all day in antiques stores (this was cultivated in me at a very early age by my mom who loves old things too).
19. If money was no object my husband and I would have a farm with lots of animals.
20. I wish my family wasn't scattered so far apart.

Sliced Pineapple Wins at PIQF!

Joan and I had a reason to celebrate this past weekend. Our quilt, "Sliced Pineapple," won the "Best Interpretation of the Theme - Innovative" category at the Pacific International Quilt Festival last weekend.

As you can see, I was lucky enough to be there in person and see the show. The quilts were spectacular and inspiring and there was a nice array of vendors. Keri was there with her quilt and needlepoint designs (Keri Designs - www.keridesigns.com) and booth traffic was very good. Hula Kahiko was just behind the pineapple quilt, Joan's fish quilt was right at the entry door, and Shel's quilt was just around the corner from Keri's booth. I even ran into Shel's daughters, grand-daughter and daughter-in-law as I was leaving the show for the airport.

There were 176 quilts in the Innovative category, 115 in the Traditional category, and 115 in the Wall Quilt category. Here are a few notables from my perspective. I tried to keep track of the quilt's and maker's names, but I can't figure this one out. I just love the greens and the frame around the flower to give it focus. If anyone knows the maker, please let me know and I will post an update.

The next one, "Traveling Poppies," was made by Grace Errea and Joan Werner of Laguna Niguel, California. The liked the bright colors and movement of this quilt. You can almost picture the poppies swaying in the wind.

Debra Roby's "Eucalyptus #1" also caught my eye. It was right at the entrance of the show in an excellent "feature" spot, kind of by itself. This is one of my favorite color palettes. Maui has beautiful and stately eucalyptus groves and this quilt really captures the essence of those trees. Note: this picture was taken at an angle (as were most because of the crowds) - it actually hangs straight, square and smooth.

This quilt, "Canopy" by Gloria Loughman, was in the Australian quilts exhibit, "A Slize of Oz." I passed this quilt a couple of times and each time it was surrounded by admirers. The quilt positively glows with color and light.

I have to thank my new friends, Sharon and Daisy, for telling me to be sure to see the International quilts exhibit. We flew up together from Los Angeles on Southwest and their lively company and conversation made the flight pass quickly. One shared cab to the convention center and a few minutes together at the show just wasn't enough time. I'm sorry we didn't have more time together - hope you ladies enjoyed the entire show!

I flew up early Saturday, then back to LA on Sunday, where I had another fun seatmate. It was nice to chat with Martha, who was formerly of San Jose, but now lives in Irvine, and makes it to the show for the weekend with another quilting friend who is still in the Bay Area.

I'm glad to be home now, but brought home a bug with me and have been home sick all week. Hope to be back in top shape soon. Will post more quilt photos as time permits.

Pet Tuesday - Ginger Grows Up

My friend Robin has a day on her blog she calls "Family Friday." Well, we don't have any kids, so I thought "Pet Tuesday" would be fun.

Remember "new cutie pie" from a couple of weeks ago? Well, here she is in hunting mode in the backyard. I suspected she would be a good hunter and she is. She already dragged a lizard in the house - alive - and lost it. I'll no doubt come upon its skeleton when I least expect it; kind of like the squished geckos in the doorframe (ugh!).

We decided to name her Ginger since she's got a really "spicy" personality.

Lily of the Nile

This is the inspiration for my latest quilt. I only knew the flower as "agapanthus," but my mom let me know its more lyrical name, "Lily of the Nile."

I have the pattern drawn, which is a full bank of these plants and their firework-like blooms. It's about 72"wx60"h. It started with a photo I took, which I traced onto a transparent overhead sheet, then blew up to the size I wanted. My friend Joan let me use her overhead projector and design wall so I could get it the size I needed.

I'll be shopping for fabrics on my trip to California this week. I'll have about one day in So. Cal., then one day at the Pacific International Quilt Festival. I'm SURE I'll find something good there!

Visit from Barbara

I have a list of things I want to post, but have to get all my pictures together, then write the posts, etc., etc. Those of you with blogs know where I'm coming from! Where does the time go?

This is a picture of my new friend, Barbara Murak, and me at the Maui Quilt Guild September meeting. Barbara gave an inspiring presentation featuring her work over the years. There was something for everyone and it was neat to see her progression as an artist and what she's achieved. Her warm and gentle nature was extremely well received by our group. Check out her amazing website at www.barbaramurak.com.

We're planning a postcard swap with her group in Buffalo for the beginning of the year. Can't wait!