Jenny Garland

Moda, Moda, Oh My!

These are the fabrics I bought at United Notions (Moda) today. It was the first time I've been to the Dallas warehouse and it was nothing short of textile heaven. When I walked through the front door, Moda Vicki greeted and ID'ed me (you need a resale license to shop). Then Vicki gave me the grand tour. Oh, I wish videotaped it for you. On the way to the warehouse there is a room designed with the latest and greatest Moda fabrics, creations, and patterns. Then there's a library with fabric samples from every single Moda line. My fabric lovin' heart started to beat so fast and I knew I was where I was meant to be! I tried to act all relaxed but my giddiness couldn't be hidden. I think I may have skipped and twirled. Not really, but I did think about. I hoped I would run into Modalissa but it didn't happen.

Moving on with the tour... Vicki slowly pushed the solid steel warehouse door open and angels sang. Oh, friends. Aisles upon aisles upon aisles of bolts. Gorgeous bolts. Every color, every pattern, every style you could ever want. And then. Vicki said, "Have fun!" And in the blink of an eye, she disappeared. Are you kidding me?! "I am never leaving," was my first thought. I started to browse the aisles for sophisticated, sassy fabric. It was so hard to choose. But I'm thrilled with what I got and can't wait to sew fabulous things. I showed Brad the fabric I selected when he got home from work. His response was "Cool. Looks good." Apparently not a fabric junkie.

I Need Your Input, Please!

Hey gals! I need your help. I'm developing a cute, unique line of home and personal sewn accessories for the lady who wants something both useful and stylish. I am definitely going to offer quilted coasters, cloth napkins, placemats, funky potholders, and large totes. I've been perfecting designs but have a bit to go until they are just right. I'd love to know what other products you would like offered. What everyday practical items do you want to see?

On a side note, I have a little bet going with my hubby that I can get 150 subscribers by June 1. I'm at 110. If I win, he's going to geek out my blog (make the middle section of my blog much larger so pictures are easier to see, make the sidebars easier to navigate, etc.). Help a girl out, will ya?

PS - I am heading to the Moda warehouse tomorrow morning for the first time and can hardly contain my excitement. I can't wait to see it in person :) I wonder if they frown upon nuzzling the fabric? I may not be able to resist.

PPS - The grandparents are keeping both girls overnight so I'm going to bed early to get a full night's sleep. The first in 3 months. Woo hoo!

PPPS - what does "PS" stand for and are "PPS" and "PPPS" grammatically appropriate?

Craft Club's First Meeting ... Glass Etching!

Last night was the first meeting for our craft club, McKinney Marthas. We etched ourselves some pretty cute things, if I do say so myself. Take a look at a few of the pieces:

The Pottery Barn catalog shows an etched pitcher just like her's!

Sherry's "C"

Thanks again, Sarah for the tutorial and craft club tips! Now we need to figure out what to do at the next meeting. I'd love suggestions! Leave a comment if you've got one :)

Show Us Where You Live Friday ... Kitchen Edition

I'm joining Kelly for "Show Us Where You Live Friday ... Kitchen Edition" and hope you will too!

Let's get started, shall we? This is our kitchen nook and where we always eat. The table's from Garden Ridge and was a great bang for the buck piece. I channeled my inner preteen by sewing up a scrunchy for the light chain. I made the drapes, The rug is from the Martha Stewart collection at FLOR. Have ya'll heard of FLOR? They sell modular carpet tiles you can piece together any which way. I like the carpet squares because lets just say your toddler spills a full cup of fruit punch Crystal Light, you can pop out the stained square, clean it, and put it right back. Genius. We never really have flowers on the table but they're from last night's McKinney Martha's meetup. Blog post coming soon!

This part of the kitchen open ups to the family room.

Not so much to talk about at this spot. I do keep tupperware in the bottom left cupboards:

This is the other side of the kitchen

Right above the paper towels is the cupboard where we store our cherished, heirloom glasses. See for yourself (bottom shelf):

Mmmhmm, those are our beloved insulated cups. My husband first introduced me to their glory. I tried to fight it for a long time, but we've entirely switched from regular glass to insulated heaven. No coasters, no sweaty glasses, and always a cold drink. Love, love, love these.

I also like my double oven a bunch and use it more than I thought I would.

Here's the fridge. Notice the diet coke. It's on the door too. Yummy! Also delicious is the wine. And coffee.  And smoothies. I like beverages, what can I say?

 
This is our pantry. Normally I never have things boxed up like this (a little obsessive looking, isn't it?) but if you've been following my Tweets, you know we've had a major ant problem. Gross. This past Monday they found the pantry and I had to throw away more than half of the food in there. So, now I'm determined those little buggers aren't going to get into any more food, hence the OCD boxes.

And finally, here's a view of the kitchen from the family room:

Thanks for looking and I hope you'll link up at Kelly's and share your kitchen too.