Holiday Madness

And I mean mad. But, those who know me would be very proud of the fact that I kept my cool in spite of myself. Here I was, minding my own business, sitting in my car on a quiet Wailuku side street, getting ready to eat my slice of pizza and read a little of my library book on my lunch hour.

Then, from the front of my car arose such a clatter!

Turns out a guy in a 4WD Toyota Tacoma, who was turning right at the stop sign ahead (mind you, I am parked neatly at the curb an entire FOUR spaces away from said stop sign) ran over my front fender!

Thankfully he stopped, but only reluctantly gave me his insurance information. Apparently, according to his girlfriend she didn't like the tone I used as I was speaking to them. I was actually quite calm and cool about it since there didn't appear to be any serious damage that Bruce wouldn't be able to fix. But what kind of tone are you supposed to use when someone crashes into you as you are quietly eating your lunch? She just didn't want to let me see the insurance card, which I insisted upon and carefully wrote down in my date book - she was just mad because I wouldn't let her write it in MY BOOK herself. When I asked her for her phone number again SHE wanted to write it down. I told her that I wasn't illiterate and could do it myself. Really, that was my only snarky comment the entire time! I also refrained from calling them idiots for being, well, IDIOTS!

I'll take my car home and have Bruce take a look. I'm sure the tire treads will come off with a little rubbing compound.

Alls well that ends well. But seriously, be careful out there!

Honu goes to "Road"

I received my acceptance letter for "Honu" to go to Road to California on Saturday! I was getting a little worried since they said letters were going out the last week in November, and figured that maybe he wasn't going to get in, but he did after all.

He is packed in my California box waiting to go by FedEx tomorrow. Bruce and I are going to the mainland on December 21st for my Mom's 60th birthday, Christmas and New Year's! This is our first holiday season on the mainland since we moved to Maui.

The California box has most of the Christmas gifts, the "outlaw" toiletries not allowed in carry-on bags, and Honu in his pillowcase and plastic bag right on top. Turns out we will be driving right through Upland on our way to San Bernardino to visit my Uncle Jim, so he gets to be hand-delivered to the contest.

I have to admit I was shocked at the return shipping charges imposed by Road - either $55 or $125 depending on the size/weight of your box. I DO appreciate the fact that they send by FedEx (my carrier of choice), but if quilt shows keep imposing inflexible return shipping options (IQA Houston did this year - I think to the tune of $65?), there are going to be a lot less quilts available for shows. I sent Honu to NQA last June for about $24 - via FedEx. It should be the choice of the entrant how the quilt should be returned. You have to weigh the risks/benefits/costs on your choice of shipping and plan accordingly. Thankfully, for me, my Mom is picking him up at the end of the show and sending him home a less expensive way.

Now, I've never taken down a quilt show, nor had to ship hundreds of quilts in a short time frame, so I have no idea of the logistics of such, but maybe if you require the entrant to send the quilt with a pre-paid return method, maybe everyone can be happy?

New Blog Header

I finally got off my duff and personalized my blog header. In case you don't recognize the background, it's from my Honu quilt.

Thanks to Brenda for her Blog Banner Tutorial. I've had it bookmarked for months. It was informative and super easy to follow. She even had a few pointers to help correct any goofs.

I also recently purchased Adobe Photo Elements 5.0, so my pictures should start looking spiffier. I've been a long-time user of Photoshop, but really found it to be cumbersome since I don't use it all the time. Elements helped me tune things up quickly and easily. I can't wait to do more with it!

I'll be making more updates soon, with new links and a longer blog list. Stay tuned!

Santa's Workshop

This is the version of the Amy Butler Swing Bag I made for my secret pal, Durlyn Finnie. It's the basic bag, but quilted with Superior glitter thread in a gorgeous aqua color and embellished with beads.

I've always loved beads and have a modest collection, but I've begun using them more and more lately. I especially love bead mixes like the ones I used on this bag. I got this particular mix from a booth at the 2005 Pacific International Quilt Festival. She had beautiful assortments, but my budget only allowed for one. I can't remember the name of the booth, but will post it later if it comes to me.

Hawaii Quilting Bloggers, Where Are You?

A thought crossed my mind today as I was skimming some blogs. Where are all the Hawaii quilting bloggers? I have a hard time believing that only Robin (Quilt Antics) and I are the only ones!

So, if you have a quilt-related blog and live in Hawaii (or know of someone who does) let me know and I'll link you on mine. If we get enough, maybe we can create our own ring. And if you don't have one, START ONE! They are free and easy. And FUN!

Pussycat, pussycat, where have you been?

Well, I had a bad cold, then fell in the parking lot - SPLAT - at Borders yesterday. But rather than bore you with all the sorry details, I will tell you that I have some quilt content coming! Between bouts of sneezing and pining for sympathy, I worked like a crazy woman in Santa's workshop last night to get things ready for tonight's guild meeting and Secret Pal Reveal.

I've had a lot of fun with Secret Pal's this year. I had a good one to give to, and a very good one giving to ME. I'll find out who she is tonight.

So, stay tuned...pictures (and more artsy fartsy stuff) are coming!