Life in the Country

 

There are few things that make this

city girl happier than heading out

for a day in the country.

 

Hopping in the car with a snack

and my camera, NPR on the radio.

 

A country road trip to me means no

interstates, I don't even like state roads

anymore.  I want to be on a lonely

country road.

 

I love to be able to pull over and

take pictures of the old barns,

 

or animals that just happen to be

hanging out at the side of the road.

 

Today was a chilly but beautifully

sunny day, which just made the trip

even better.

 

This guy looks like he's talking

to me.

 

Piercings?  Kids these days...

 

I love the little awnings on this barn.

 

And I'm always happy to see the

county seats that kept the old

city halls, they are beautiful.

Holiday Ornament Class

Come join us for a Holiday

Felt Ornament Class on

December 8th, 2014.

Details follow:

 

 

Choose one of the 13 felt

ornament patterns and

get a felt roll kit for $10.

 

 

Register now!

 

Come stitch for a few hours, enjoy

holiday music and cookies.  Perfect

for getting in the holiday spirit!

 

 

Happy Birthday American Homestead!

 

Today is the 3rd anniversary of the launch

of the American Homestead blog.  It was a

"milestone" birthday for me and I thought

a great time to start a new venture in life.

 

 

I had a little point and shoot digital camera

that I didn't know how to use.  A new laptop

that was even more foreign to me.  I didn't

even know how to get the photos from the

 camera to the laptop. 

 

 

My daughter set up a Blogger account for

me and sent me off to eastern Europe with

an index card with  step-by-step instructions

and somehow I figured it out even while on

a boat sailing along the Danube with a very

sketchy wifi signal.

 

 

So, today I am launching my new blog,

Homestead Travels.  It is a blog with

stories and photos from my travels and

my style of traveling.  I hope it will be a

place to exchange information about

places you have been or places you are

going to.  Please follow along on this

new journey:

 

http://homesteadtravels.blogspot.com/

 

Explore, Dream, Discover!

 

 

Happy Thanksgiving 2013!

 

It is Thanksgiving Day in the United States!

A day to gather with your loved ones and feast

on turkey and all the trimmings ~ and then there

is pie.

 

 

From our American Homestead, Avalon, to

wherever you may call home, we wish you

good health and happiness and all the best

for you and those you love.

My Guest Appearance

 

I was up well before dawn this morning to

drive a few hours south to Columbus, IN to

make a guest appearance at the Quilter's

Holiday Extravaganza.

 

This is what I call the American Homestead

Corner of the booth of The Quilt Shoppe.

 

 

Dawn had a little table set up for me where

I could demonstrate the stitching on the felt

ornaments, sign some autographs and show

people the ways they can use the feltwork in

their homes all year round.

 

 

The new felt kits in the American Homestead

European Folk Art colors are now available.

 

 

I wish I could wheel this little cart home

with me!

 

 

I love how the folk art colors look on

this white tree.

The extravaganza continues on Saturday

until 4 pm.

 

 

 

 

Quilter's Holiday Extravaganza

 

Friday morning (11/22) I will be at the

Quilter's Holiday Extravaganza in Columbus, Indiana.

 

http://www.quiltersholidayextravaganza.com/

 

 

I will be demonstrating how to make my felt

ornaments in The Quilt Shoppe's booth.

Come by and say hello.

International Shopping Spree

 

 

By this time next week our Thanksgiving

houseguests will have arrived!  That can

only mean it is International Week at our

American Homestead, Avalon.

 

http://americanhomestead.blogspot.com/search?q=international+thanksgiving

 

We spent most of the day cleaning windows

and working on the lawn and gardens and

then headed down to the big city to start

gathering the products that will make our

meals interesting and delicious.

 

We started in the Asian market.

 

 

Then on to the Indian Market.  We didn't

buy much here because our guests live near

Iselin (Edison), NJ and that has been nick-

named Little India and the shopping there

is spectacular so those products will be

traveling across the country with them.

 

 

Then a stroll through a Mexican Tienda

just because it is big and filled with fun stuff.

 

 

And finishing up at Trader Joe's where

you can always find unique and tasty items.

 

I can't wait for the fun to begin!

 

 

 

I Enjoy Being A Girl!

 

Last Spring I was visiting the beautiful city

of Gent in Belgium.

 

While walking along one of the streets

I came upon this sweet little shop.

 

It was decorated in a style many of us would

 like if we had a little room of our own.  Creamy

walls and soft pastel colors and lovely soft

lighting.

 

The merchandise was just the kind of

things we girly girls love.  Sweet little

girl dresses, jewelry, linens, umbrellas

that seem to be more like parasols.

 

In the center in the bottom of the photo

are antique little boxes filled with jewelry.

 

 

I spotted a pair of earrings that I loved

and had to have them.

 

 

I was having lunch with a friend today and

I was wearing the earrings and I told the story

of being so happy in this little boutique.  It wasn't

merely that the shop and merchandise was pretty.

It was the experience that was lovely.

 

 

The packaging to take home was as nice

as the jewelry.  The earrings were placed

in tissue and then put in a simple fabric

bag then in a cellophane bag with their

 business card.  And 6 months later

I still have the wrapping and look at it

and enjoy the lovely memory.

 

 

 

 

 

My First Book!

 

Just about a year and a half ago I attended my

first International Quilt Market as a vendor.  I

had just started a quilt pattern design business

and this was my first big time exposure in the

quilt world.

 

 

I was in my booth at Market one day and I was busy

with customers.  My fabulous Mr. Wonderful was there

to lend a helping hand, he's great with a hammer and nails

but a needle and thread ~ hmmmm, not so much...

So a woman came into the booth and started asking Rob

some questions which he tried to answer, finally he

confessed,  "I'm just the driver."  To which the woman

replied, "Oh, you're adorable", she then gave him a card

and said she was the Publisher at C&T Publishers.  When

 I finished up with my customers Rob gave me the card

and told the story.  It was a cute story but I was so sad

because I would have LOVED to have had a chance to

speak with a big time publisher.  A short while later

another woman came into the booth and said she was

the Creative Director or C&T Publishing.  She said her

publisher made her come visit this time since she had

been to my booth 3 times already and didn't want to

look like a stalker ~ ha ha!  So we gabbed about quilting

and publishing and old time paste-up methods and when

I returned home the conversations continued and soon

 enough I had a book contract!

 

And here we are a year and a half later, all the edits

are in and the book is heading to the printer.  I have

learned so much in the past 18 months and it has been

 a fascinating education.  So much energy goes into

making a book and so many people are involved.  It has

 been a wonderful experience.  I can't wait until I actually

 get to hold the book and flip through the pages, that is

still a few months away but the book is available for

 pre-order right now at the following sites:

 

From C&T:

http://www.ctpub.com/productdetails.cfm?PC=3130

 

From Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/American-Homestead-Quilts-Brownstone-Craftsman/dp/1607058073/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1383245779&sr=1-1&keywords=american+homestead+quilts

 

I hope everyone enjoys the book!

From my American Homestead,

I wish you All the Best,

 

~ Ellen

 

Ps. Please share this post with your friends!

 

 

 

Present Perfect: Handcarved Indian Woodblock

 

This is a present I gave myself and

I plan to give myself many more...

 

They are made for printing designs onto

fabric or paper.  I often see blocks like

this on my travels but I don't buy them

since I'm generally throwing my luggage

onto trains, boats, tuk-tuks, planes and

other assorted modes of transport and

I was afraid they would chip or break.

Since this trip I only had to get home

from Houston, I finally bought one!

 

And... it is a Paisley/Persian Pickle/Welsh

Pear design which is one of my favorite

design elements of all time.  I plan to print

it onto fabric and add additional embroidery.

 

And... these woodblocks are handcarved by

families in India and the income from the

blocks being sold in Europe and the USA 

has helped 40 families earn enough money

to get electricity in their homes and pay for

their children to attend school ~ and that

is a great thing!  Here is the link to where

you can purchase them:

 

http://www.splintersandthreads.com/wooden-printing-blocks

 

I think this will become my new travel

project.  It will be something I do for me.

The presents multiply...