Easter Scavenger Hunts?

After a week of abnormally warm temperatures -- the flowers were blooming. Yes, this is my favorite tulip picture from LAST YEAR...I'm sure it was a mutation that I will never see again in my life...

But that's okay. I appreciated it for what it was...one special fleeting moment...

This year John had a nice stand of spring flowers...



Another superfulous shot of Lillian last summer with her best friend, Sophie...

This Easter, Lilly will be 3 years old and that's the right time for her very first EASTER SCAVENGER HUNT.

When the boys were growing up -- I wasn't into the "Easter Bunny" myth. And Lord knows the Easter Candy was a problem. The boys would go to bed, and the next morning all their chocolate bunnies had their heads bit off.

What a mystery...
So -- instead -- I'd buy one toy or game for each of my boys. Then, I'd put the toy into his Easter basket and hide it. When they got out of bed, the first "clue" would be waiting for them on their door. It would take them to the second clue...which would take them to the third clue...yada yada...

My clues were always lame. They go something like this:

#1: Happy Easter, Lilly -- this is going to be fun...
Your next clue is in the left shoe that you use to run....

(then -- she will run to find her shoe -- and folded up will be another piece of paper)

#2: To find the next clue, go to the frig and look up...
It's a piece of paper resting under your cup...

Well -- you get the idea.

Here's the thing. My boys NEVER enjoyed my painstaking clues and Easter Scavenger Hunts. Unfortunately, I made them do it LONG AFTER they were officially "grown up"...

But the Easter Scavenger Hunt has definitely become one of those things that remembers better than it lived...

Much like time you served in the military, going on field trips with 25 third graders, or delivering your first child...

Hey -- it's a long list...

Seasonal decorating

Easter is SO EARLY THIS YEAR...yikes!! APRIL 8...

To blog about Easter, I had to find a picture with a bunny in it...I was SAVED by my Aunt Ada....who can be counted on for theme decorations
Linda is helping her Mom to create the perfect egg/bunny/springtime/Easter decoration ambiance...

Aunt Ada is always delighted to host a little party...

Home Dec IS HER THING. Every corner of her house is beautifully decorated. At the age of 80+, she recently bought a new house and then REMODELED it. No kidding. Who has that kind of energy??

Every corner of her place is decorated down to the finest detail...

She loves to create little vignettes...and she is always changing things up all the time...

Her home is NEVER the same...she changes it for the seasons, decorates for the holidays, blows out a wall, changes the paint colors, the displays, the art on the walls...

Oh, wait -- I was going to write about Easter....

Maybe tomorrow...

On the Road Again!!

Today -- I must do one of my LEAST FAVORITE THINGS....get on an airplane...

So that I can do one of my MOST FAVORITE THINGS -- Ya Ya with Mary...

We'll be at the Cleveland Original Sewing & Quilt Expo

Peggy Sagers does a great fashion show every day at Noon...on the big free stage...

And Cindy Losekamp will have a big crowd at her hands-on workshops...

Tomorrow (Friday) I'll present "Life Is Not A Dress Size" -- and I'll be showing two BRAND NEW PROJECTS that I just made for Puyallup...

And tomorrow night -- Mary and I will do our "Midwest Ya Ya Sisters" Quick Gift presentation.

If you ARE IN THE VICINITY -- please look me up. Tell me you are a blog reader and I'll buy you a cup of coffee...(yes, I know that is a pitiful benefit)...

OR -- CALL ME. Here's my cell phone number: 563 529 5438.

SEE YOU IN CLEVELAND...

Rita's Random Ramblings

Well, instead of spending HOURS trying to write a post about a specific topic, then finding the pictures to support my thoughts -- today I'm going to begin an experiment.

I'm not even looking at the pictures. Instead, I just chose three random numbered shots...and AFTER I see the pictures, maybe I'll write something...

Beautiful jacket....and she was clearly very happy I was taking her picture...lol...if you know my Mystery Guest -- TELL HER SHE'S ON THE BLOG TODAY...

I KNOW THIS ONE!! Right before her FABULOUS style show -- that's Pati Palmer on the left with her usual gorgeous smile, Mary Collen in the middle (our fashion show manager) and of course Marta Alto on the left...simply one of the BEST teachers in the world.

They work FOR MONTHS to bring a snazzy new fashion show to Puyallup. Every garment must be fit on a model, and they all have a scheduled "pre-run" on Wednesday. Every model has a "dresser" backstage...hey -- NOTHING HERE IS EASY, LADIES...

Random shot of jacket back. Usually, I get a picture of the FRONT before I ask them to turn around for a picture of the BACK...
Who are you? What are you doing?

Rita's Posse

Okay -- what I'd REALLY LIKE TO BLOG ABOUT would be my wonderful 2012 Sew Expo SISTER'S TRIP. But I can't get the pictures to upload...

SO -- instead of a mystery picture blog post -- I decided to write about the emotion of that great sister's trip -- with another group of supportive women.

MY CLUBBERS...

We started off as a "book club" -- and there were more of us. But we SO ENJOYED OUR TIME TOGETHER -- we decided to make it a "breakfast club" -- and we get together once a week.

Every Tuesday morning -- we get together for breakfast and the "download"...this picture was taken in December, when Mary came for her annual visit...Linda K., Mary, Linda P., Sandy and me....

On another day -- in the parking lot -- we sometimes look like we're doing a drug deal. Except it's fabric...


Because almost every week -- we have a little "Sew & Tell"...this was my NEW TOTE BAG from the Inspired 2 Sew girls, Jan Potter (mother of the Hey Rita tote) and Bonne Swett.
Linda is the "artist" of our group. Who could forget her very interesting take on dryer lint...

The fabric I'm showing them on this day came from the Kansas City Original Sewing & Quilt Expo!! Emma Seabrooke had the MOST WONDERFUL collection of that stretchy ruffle print!! IT WAS SOO BEAUTIFUL...

I was explaining how these stretchy knits can be made into little baby girl rompers...

Here's a picture my niece Kelcy texted to me...it shows a little girl wearing a strapless "romper". You just cut a small piece of the stretchy ruffled fabric -- stitch the "crotch" -- and it just pulls up under her arms. Well -- honestly -- a picture really IS worth a thousand words...

So -- if you are anywhere in the vicinity of Cleveland, Ohio this weekend you should come come to the Original Sewing & Quilt Expo. And BRING YOUR POSSE...bring your clubbers, your real sisters, your sewing sisters or your co-workers...

Come join us for some GIRLFRIEND FUN...because there is no better therapy in the entire world than spending time with like-minded women who love you.

Believe me -- I know what I'm talking about...

But you should get there early if you want to beat me to Emma's booth to see what new ruffly fabrics she brought to the show!!

Libby Lehman

Okay -- I know you're tired of me whining about my picture problems -- and, frankly, I was hoping if I just acted like it wasn't happening -- my pictures would magically FIX THEMSELVES...

Some problems are like pimples, y'know...if you just leave them alone -- they go away on their own. Whereas -- the more you pick at them, the worse they get.

The trick in life, of course, is knowing which problems are pimples...

Unfortunately, my picture problem seems to be in the "other" category. Ugh...at one time, I had 1600 pictures in a file, but when I clicked on a certain photo to upload it -- a completely different picture appeared.

Then -- over the weekend -- I tried to post some blogs -- and only 182 pictures were in the 2012 Sew Expo file.

Fun, eh?

The good news is that because I was having problems -- I did not erase the pictures from my camera -- but Best Buy was no help whatsoever...and the local camera shop guy told me he NEVER HEARD OF SUCH A THING...(honestly, he didn't sell me the camera, so what was I expecting??)

Anyway -- of the few pictures I can get at right now -- there was a great shot of Libby Lehman. THIS -- however -- is a picture I took last summer when I attended the SUPER SEMINAR to meet with Alex Anderson about being a speaker at Sew Expo....

Ricky Tims had put in a good word for us...

This was a picture of Libby I took at their Super Seminar -- she was showing me her popular Pinata quilts...

They had their own version of "sewing sisters" coming to their really big show...

THIS IS A RARE picture from the 2012 Sewing & Stitchery Expo...Libby is setting up in the Bernina classroom...

She always has the most beautiful smile -- and she is such an accomplished teacher -- receiving rave reviews from her students...

Hey -- what would a blog post be without a pointless, completely RANDOM PICTURE...Ross, in South Africa last fall. Yes, he actually could have got a real zebra rug for me. But did that happen? NOOOOOooooooooo. Of course not. (to be fair, it does cost $2000)...

Although I thought this was a picture of the Bernina classroom -- it is not. WHAT CLASSROOM is it? Who are you people? What are you doing??

GREAT JOB, LIBBY -- and nice try, me. I ALMOST WROTE a blog post that made complete sense. But not quite...

Hey -- I can't even get Lillian's 3rd birthday pictures off my camera...

WHAT'S A GIRL TO BLOG ABOUT??

REASONS TO GO TO OSQE IN CLEVELAND

Here are TEN REASONS you should saddle up your bags and head to Cleveland next weekend for the Original Sewing & Quilt Expo...

There are wonderful classes -- Cynthia Guffey, Emma Seabrooke -- did I mention Gail Yellen??
You will meet friendly strangers who help you HAUL YOUR BAGS TO THE SHOW....

You can spend time with your favorite Sewing Sisters....

Reconnect with some sewing sisters you haven't seen in years...

Have a visit with Marlene -- who makes the show better every year...always looking for the NEXT BIG THING...

You'll see a fabulous quilt show....with sooo many beautiful works of art...


Big and small -- traditional and art quilts...

Every day has exciting stage shows and valuable door prizes...
OH -- and there will be a display of wearable art garments that is sure to INSPIRE AND DELIGHT...


I already mentioned Gail Yellen, right??
And Mary Mulari will be bringing her special sewing-engineering-why-didn't-I-think-of-that-great idea classes to Cleveland...
And Cindy Loosekamp...


And -- OH YEAH -- those Midwest Ya Ya Sisters will be doing their thing...

Cleveland Original Sewing & Quilt Expo

This is a picture of Mary Mulari -- the last time we were working at a sewing show...and next weekend -- WE GET TO DO IT AGAIN!!

At the Original Sewing & Quilt Expo in Minneapolis -- we had an audience full of smiling faces...


Next weekend -- March 29 - 31 -- we'll be in CLEVELAND, OHIO -- at the Original Sewing & Quilt Expo. It is always a delight for me and Mary Mulari when we get to partner up to present our newest and latest YA YA SHOW...

This page links directly to the description of the Ya Ya event:

At the OSQE in Cleveland -- I'll be helping out some of my friends...


I'll also be teaching my MOST FAVORITE TOPIC EVER -- This links to the show page talking about my seminar: Life is Not a Dress Size: It is always a thrill for me to present that topic -- and this year I have some new things to add.

DO YOU KNOW WHAT THIS IS? One of my favorite sewing ideas EVER -- which I learned about when I wrote 'Dress Your Dream Bed"...

You'll just have to COME TO THE SHOW to see what we have lined up for you. There have been several clues contained in this post -- but you NEVER REALLY KNOW until you come to the show!!

Project Runway FINALE

With all the hub-bub in my life about PUYALLUP -- you might think I've totally lost track of my reality television shows.

OHHHH NOOOOO...

I am completely caught up -- even with the most recent episodes of the disgusting yet fascinating "Dance Moms".

And OF COURSE I have watched every episode of Project Runway All-Stars. There has never been a moment of doubt that Mondo would win. He's just that good. He's one of those people who actually IS CREATIVE. Every week, it's his design I am most eager to see.

Here's a picture of his designs that SHOULD HAVE WON THE CHAMPIONSHIP during his original season on Project Runway....
At the end of this season -- I have several observations.

Austin Scarlett should have been way more successful at this point in his life. Did he say his mother was living in a shelter? Are you kidding me? Didn't they pay him for his season of Project Runway? Didn't he get a big job with a wedding design house? How about the show he did with Santino?? For crying out loud, Austin -- GET A JOB AT WALMART!!

Austin's clothes this season have been overworked and forgettable. And his collection tonight will be more of the same. Too much of everything...too much pleating and tucking and pinching and fussing and embellishing....

Whereas, in contrast, Michael is the complete opposite. His caftans are not worked enough...no darts, no fit, no waistline, no way to wear a bra, absolutely no STYLE -- and no woman I know would be caught dead in one. (dead would mean you are laid out in your coffin -- and can you just imagine what his plunging-to-the-waist neckline will do for you then??)

But I digress...

Mondo wins. He wins because his collection will be the best. He wins because every week, I can't wait to see what he made. He wins because his clothes are full of personality and energy and point of view.

But Mondo also loses. Because this season of Project Runway All-Stars has shown him to be an immature, childish, hard-to-be-around and impossible-to-work-with because he-thinks-he's-all-that insufferable DIVA of a designer.

Really. From the beginning of the season -- Mondo was down at the mouth -- always complaining or whining about something. Every episode, he turned into the depressed whiner....on the verge of quitting the show or committing suicide. Before he could produce a single thing -- he had to drag himself down into a bottomless pit of sadness and depression. Then -- miraculously -- HIS FABULOUS DESIGN WOULD MAGICALLY APPEAR ON THE RUNWAY...the judges would rave and give him the win.

Even though -- at the end of the day -- what he produces is fabulous -- I predict Mondo will never get a real job.

Honestly...WHO COULD DEAL WITH ALL THAT NEGATIVE ENERGY??