First up, Houston...

I took a little journey to Houston, checking out the International Quilt Show there. DJ and I went and helped out a bit in Lesley Riley's booth, wandered the aisles, took some photos, and had some adventures in our short time there, including: getting stuck in an elevator (and not even realizing it had stopped); riding a bikecab for the first time; being evacuated from the hotel; taking photos at midnight on the downtown streets; leaving purses and suitcases in various places; having my return flight canceled, etc.




And we ran into familiar (and not so familiar) faces! It was a nice surprise...

Up next...Journalfest

Give-Away Winner

Quick post as I'm running from one adventure to yet another. Houston was an interesting trip--more on that later. Right now I"m trying to get packed to leave for Journalfest in Port Townsend, WA. I'm SO looking forward to going back to PT again; it's been way too long. Maybe I'll see some of you there?

On another note, congratulations to Elke for winning the packet of vintage papers! Elke, please email me with your mailing address and I'll get that off to you after I return next week.

Now back to my packing dilemma--Max isn't making things easy on me. Think he's trying to tell me something?

Sharing the bounty...

Lest you think my 'hunting and gathering' interests lie exclusively with fabrics, think again. I love vintage ledgers, old script, diaries, bookkeeping records, all of them. They conjure up memories of summers spent at my grandparent's in Walnut Grove--a much simpler, slower time.

It's impossible to convey in a photo just how HUGE these books are--they are so heavy that I can't even lift the three of them (and I carry around both grandkids all the time!). They date from the late 1800's to the early 1900's and were filled with layer upon layer of old invoices at one time. Some of them are missing now, but there are still plenty to share! (I can only claim 1/2 ownership of the largest book, due to an unintentional Ebay 'bidding war' with a friend, but that's a story for another time!)

And this gorgeous book from a horse stable has page after page of meticulous handwritten records of "horses bought and sold" from 1901-1905. It was not inexpensive, but worth every penny.




So here's my offer. Leave a comment on my blog and I'll randomly choose someone next Sunday to receive a Provisions packet with an emphasis on vintage papers.

Here's a sampling of what you might receive...

I'll get back to fabrics on my next give-away, as that definitely seems to be Max's preference....

Self-Portrait Wednesday

Sunday Flea Market

We left at 7am for the Flea Market yesterday, expecting fog, cold and wind. Instead we got this--a perfectly beautiful fall day with the San Francisco skyline greeting us. No wonder all these people are heading that way...we just followed the crowds.

I didn't purchase much on this trip (well, except for the 7' tiered, rusted iron garden thingie that now sits in my living room with fabric spilling out of it) but I managed to take a few photos.


Seems like most folks were in a contemplative mood, except for this fellow, who just looked a bit stunned by all the activity.

Stephanie pretty much summed up our mood for the day!

Friday...

The weather here in northern California is so fabulous that it's darn near impossible to stay indoors. So we've all just been hanging out a bit, enjoying the change of seasons. Max and the girls are already feeling a bit sad that the swim season is over, but then they don't know how quickly it'll come around again. Me? I'm loving every single moment of this glorious day, coming inside just long enough for an iced tea and a quick post.

And what do you think the odds are that I can find another treasure like this at the Antiques Show this weekend? This is the first celluloid album I've ever seen in the shape of a fan--pretty cool, eh?

I don't need another darn thing, but that's never stopped me! My goal this time around is to take lots of photos (and partake of the fresh, warm, melt-in your-mouth, to-die-for donuts and the polish sausage--all in the name of tradition...and a bit of gluttony, truth be told) Hoping you have a great weekend as well!