I'm getting ready for the big sale!

Place mats, hot pads, hobby horses, and quilts. Get 'em while they're hot.

This bird will stick around this winter.

Tina Givens lends her graceful hand to all of her beautiful painterly fabric designs. I love this combination of colors and the subject matter couldn't be more timely. Naked branches with saffron colored leaves, and pomegranates, both in season right now. The alternate side is lighter and brighter, with lovely scrolling strokes of turquoise.
Soon, I will have a design wall up featuring my favorite Free Spirit fabric designers, including Tina,Jennifer, Heather and Denyse. Let me know who else you think I should include in my palette! This will make the choosing of fabrics less overwhelming.

Happy Halloween!

And the raffle winners are.....

1st place- Anna Fogg from Bohemian Cotton- let me know what colors you prefer and I'll get quilting!

2nd Sweet Baby Jamie- Gets her hearts desire- a bottle of Rudy's Rub!

and
Jodi from Pleasant Home wins 10% off at my Open Sky shop, plus I will throw in some Sis Boom Fat quarters!

A great big cyber-hug and thank you for all who entered. I wish I could give something to you all...

So, I offer 10% OFF SALE. This sale applies to EVERYTHING in every OPEN SKY shop, including Yes You Can Grill’s Outdoor Chef City Grill to Cooking With Friends’ Jarden Ball Home Canning Kit to Veggie Gardening Tips’ Composting Accessory Kit.

Here are the details:

- Coupon Code: Nancy1009
- Offer: 10% off
- Expiration: November 15, 2009

Please check out all of the wonderful shops that they have. From birding, to beauty, to baking with one of the finest pastry chef's in NYC (Le Bernadins' Michael Laiskonis ) there are many places to spend some if not money, time reading posts from experts in there passions.

Happy blog surfing!

Fondly and gratefully-
Nancy

Raffle

I would like to offer a raffle prize to anyone who comments on the Dark Horse Farm Designs blog this week,and clicks on the "OPEN SKY" store icon. The inventory is limited at the moment, but soon I hope to have all of the unique and necessary items that I need to make my crafts, quilt, cook, and garden, horse-keep and house keep. The raffle begins today October 25th, and ends Friday October 30th. There will be 3 winners.
Winner #1 gets a 40" x 60" whole cloth quilt made with Sis Boom fabrics- you let me know what color scheme you like.
Winner #2 gets a jar of Rudy's Rub - check the blog 2 posts ago for a great recipe!
Winner #3 gets a 10% off any store item.
So start commenting- this won't last long! And please, stop in again, soon.

Something to keep in mind when you are decorating a room....

You can be too careful when decorating. Remember- nothing is perfect unless it is perfectly you.

Go take a nap!

Okay, class. It's naptime. Ahhh, the nap. Imagine someone actually demanding that you cuddle up mid afternoon and close your eyes. Perhaps even nod off into slumberland for a few precious moments. This kindergarten memory has inspired a series of sleeping bags, nap rolls, "nap" sacks if you will. Perhaps not quite tent worthy in cooler weather, but certainly just right for a dimly lit classroom, living room floor, dining room table fort- you know, the kind with a few sheets thrown over the top...

This Napping Sack is made with all of Heather Bailey's fabric, and hence her name is Heather. I will do a few more as soon as I have a minute, the next will be "Jennifer"- for her namesake, Jennifer Paganelli.

Custom made to order. Personal touches can include hair and eye color- whatever it takes to make her your own. ($275.00) Includes 2 dolls and a pillow.

Stephanie made her dorm set with a little help from Amanda Fleur.

Amanda is not her roommate, or a fabulous New York decorator. Amanda Fluer is a Sis Boom fabric from the Pretty Please line. So Parisian, no? Does it surprise you to hear that Stephanie is an art major just beginning college at The University of Rhode Island?

(generous twin quilt, 1 pillow case, 1 laundry bag/pillow case: $325.00)

Margeuax has made her dorm on a drawstring- and how!

Another fab set- this time the duvet top is actually a QUILT. Very luxurious. Stuff that baby with a down comforter and I promise you those Chicago winds will be just a rumor....

$425.00, patchwork pieced duvet cover, pillow case, and pillow. It can be yours. That fab headboard/ memory/ bulletin board was made by MRR Designs!

Bob and Courtney made the baby's bed...

"Sixx Design" founders, Bob and Courtney Novogratz have this beauty of a quilt for their seventh bundle of joy, Major. I am honored to have it as part of their collection of amazing decorative items in any one of their incredible abodes. You must check out their website and also, BRAVO networks reality show featuring this tribe unto itself. They are super talented, handsome and gorgeous, amusing, giving and sweet. I know, I wanted to hate them, too, but they are just too marvelous. They do wonderful things for people who have, and for those who have not. Courtney was instrumental in finding a bone marrow match for her daughters classmate. What I really want is some of that Novogratz energy! Can't wait to tune in...Bravo, January 2010.

Please meet my friend Nancy Donahue...

Meet Nancy Donahue.




(Pictured at top for Vogue magazine in the 1980's, and with me and crew when we first met on a Mademoiselle magazine shoot with model Michael Ives, and again at a recent reunion in East Hampton)Ex-Super Model, present day fitness and health guru, and super friend. Her new blog, Barefoot and Buff, will surely provide plenty of food for thought, thoughts on food, fitness beauty and fashion trends. She's new at this so be patient, and please come back to visit her often. That's hot.

Molly made her bed.

With Sis Boom Brown Zebra, Orange Amanda Fleur, and Orange Sally. A very sophisticated take on the wild side!

Lucy's bed is made!

Another burst of Sis Boom bloom. This time for my niece Rebecca's little girl, Lucy. My sister, Amy, calls her a "wood sprite" so I decided to applique a few butterflies on the pillows to add a bit of fancy. You can't see it in the photos, but the quilting pattern is a big butterfly meander.

Happy 2nd Birthday, Lucy!

What kind of message do you want to send when you hit the "sack"?

Flour sack remnants that send a message... sometimes it's hard to communicate your feelings....

This cake was a kick!

Thanks to my Wilton Cake mold I was able to creat a magical Dutch soccer ball cake for our friend, Dutch Clown/ Hair Dresser to the stars... (REALLY!!!) Ronnie Stam. His gorgeous Greek Goddess wife, Jan Eleni, did an amazing job cooking and decorating their fab Ft. Greene floor- thru, complete with Alice in Wonderland garden. Maybe our magical manure played a part in that??? You may remember pics of it from an earlier post, "A garden grows in Brooklyn."By the way never under estimate the power of Magic Candles... it was hilariuos!

And the winner is....

Before I name the quilt winner, and the other two lucky (but not quite as lucky)contestants, I must thank all of my regular followers, or rather, extraordinary followers, as there is nothing ordinary or regular about a faithful blog follower. You inspire me to keep creating, and to try new things when I go to your blogs and see what gets you going. It's such a giving community and I am so glad to be a part of it. 

Which reminds me, I have been wanting to thank Colorado Lady, Susan Melkoski,because during this raffle she kept on sending people over, as she said, "at the risk of narrowing her own chances..."

She was kind enough to recommend that I do things differently next time, to help strengthen my blog following, which I really appreciate! As I have said, I like CONSTRUCTIVE criticism! 

So I go to www.random.org to pick my 3 numbers and then check the list to see who won. GUESS WHO??? Colorado Lady! See how this works- maybe she should change her name to Good Karma Lady? Congratulations, Susan.

And to Nancy Ward and "Berries 01" from Sweden! A pattern and fabric for both of you! I'm feeling extremely generous tonight.

As to why I changed the date of the drawing, i am leaving town for a few days and wasn't sure I would be able to have a computer handy. Apologies...

No tears. Go to my other blog, Dark Horse Farm Designs to enter my give away next week!

Thanks again, this was exciting!

Big Twin Quilt Raffle!

This is a big one, but I feel I owe it to all of my super sweet supporters, fabulous followers, and quilters and crafters in blog land. Because it is a big one, it will be up until July 16th. You must comment- that is all... and promise- even if you are fibbing, to come back and visit, or direct your friends my way. Just humor me for Pete's sake! Then I will pick a number using the random number indicator.

What's at stake here? A lovely twin quilt, in peachy hues. A combination of Heather Bailey and Heather Ross, married to Valorie Wells, Amy Butler, and a few others. The pattern is one I developed for Sis Booms 7 color ways of Flower Power Michel,( It can be seen below on the post "An Invitation for you" hanging on the wall behind George the Labradoodle) and re-did it when I was trying to make a pattern that others could use.

Winner #1 will receive the quilt.

Winners # 2 and #3 will receive 10 fat quarters or the pattern- their choice.

Winners will be announced on Tuesday the 14th!

Good luck.