Hello and welcome to Part 2 of the Downunder Diversions road trip that I went on about 8 months ago.  I know it seems like it's waaay after the fact.  It is.  But I just finished my Double D quilt in remembrance of that amazing trip and thought it was as good a time as any to show you how that quilt came to be - but first I have to tell you about the trip!  

If you haven't read Part 1 yet, click HERE to read the general information about the trip as well as the first stop, Magnolia Market in Waco, TX.  It was my favorite part of the entire trip!!!

Part 2 of this fantastic trip included two great fabric stores and the Pioneer Woman Mercantile.

The first stop was Cabbage Rose Quilting and Fabrics, located in Ft. Worth, TX.  It's a quaint little shop filled with beautiful fabrics!  The employees there made us feel special by doing giveaways and serving us a delicious lunch.  We stayed for a few hours and had a wonderful time.   

Any store that has white planked ceilings and rainbow bunting has my heart.

The second shop we stopped at was Oklahoma Quiltworks in Oklahoma City, OK.  Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures there (because I was too busy shopping!)  But trust me when I say it was a fabulous store and you should go there if you ever get the chance!

Here's a horrible picture (taken in my hotel room that night) of my fun finds from the day!  

It's a happy pile of fabrics if you ask me!

The next day we drove to Pawhuska, Oklahoma.  Home of the Drummond Ranch - where Ree Drummond - the Pioneer Woman, blogger, cookbook author, host of a Food Network TV show and owner of the Pioneer Woman Mercantile lives! 

As you can see Pawhuska was gorgeous.  This is what my dreams are made of.

We continued on a bit further and stopped at the Pioneer Woman Mercantile for breakfast and shopping.  What a treat it was!

So many things to choose from but I finally settled on Edna's Pancakes with 3 different syrups (orange flower, sea salted caramel and vanilla) and 3 kinds of butter!  It did not disappoint!  Getting to eat at the restaurant of a Food Network Star was amazing!

Then we shopped.  And shopped.  And shopped.

The store was huge and full of mostly kitchenware but lots of other fun stuff too!

I would've taken one of everything but only went home with a few things - two bracelets and a sweet little porcelain, floral trinket tray for myself and two Aztec clutches for gifts!

Look at that packaging!  I die!

Well, it was a wonderful day at the Mercantile.  I'd love to go back again.  

Have you been?  Any favorite menu items from the restaurant?

Thanks for stopping by today.  Be sure to come back again soon to read Part 3 of the Downunder Diversions road trip - when we went to Hamilton, MO to visit the mothership of all quilt shops - Missouri Star Quilt Company!

Have a great day!

P.S. If you want information about upcoming Downunder Diversions road trips click HERE.
OR
To read Part 1 of this Downunder Diversions road trip click HERE
To read Part 3 of this Downunder Diversions road trip click HERE
To read Part 4 of this Downunder Diversions road trip (the finished "Double D" quilt) click HERE.

Downunder Diversion Road Trip - Part 1

It's been about 8 months since I got back from one of the most fabulous trips I've ever been on!  The first ever, Downunder Diversions road trip!  It was hosted by Jina Barney and Moana Burgess (two friends originally from Australia and New Zealand). I feel so lucky I was able to go.  I've been wanting to share these pictures with you and I recently finished a quilt I made in memory of that fantastic trip...so I figure now's as good a time as any!

The trip combined three of my loves: the TV show Fixer Upper, good food, and quilting!  On the itinerary: Magnolia Market, Cabbage Rose Quilting and Fabrics, Oklahoma Quiltworks, The Pioneer Woman Mercantile and Missouri Star Quilt Company over the course of about 6 days.

Our first stop on the trip was Waco, TX. to visit Magnolia Market.  Honestly, this was the main selling point of the trip for me.  I am a huge fan of the TV show Fixer Upper and was so excited to visit the Silos.

My friend and roommate on the road trip was Amanda Niederhauser (@jedicraftgirl).
We both love antiques, food, and quilting so it was a blast!

Magnolia Market was gorgeous.  All their displays were right up my alley and I would've like to bring it all home with me.  I only bought a few things - one of which was a roll of wallpaper for my laundry room!  I have yet to install it but after we makeover the entire room (which should hopefully be in the next couple of months) I plan to have it installed between the lower and upper cabinets.  I'm so excited.

[Heirloom Rose Wallpaper in yellow.  Photo credit: Magnolia Market]

[Me and Amanda]

In the back corner of the grounds, there is Seed + Supply store.  It's quaint and cute.  I bought a few bath bombs for my daughter but there were some other sweet gift items like little succulent plants and fairy garden furniture!

Nearby, in the garden...

Can we talk for a minute about the Silos Baking Co.?

I'm obsessed.  Like honestly, I can't stop thinking about it.  I neeeed to go back.  Amanda and I each bought several items and shared all of them.  Seriously, everything was delicious.  Everything.

Among my favorite items...

(The best sugar cookie I've ever had.)

The cupcakes were sweet (but not too sweet).  Moist, yet dense.  They were just perfect.
We also tried the Silo Cookie (a chocolate chip, peanut butter chip, and walnut cookie), as well as, the Peach Pie Cupcake which were both heavenly.  I was so impressed that everything was so divine!

Outside there's a little patio for eating.

I snapped this picture of one of the magnolia flowers.  Such a pretty flower, don't you think?

The Silos - an iconic piece of Waco. 

Here is everyone that participated in this Downunder Diversions road trip.  We traveled from Waco, TX. to Hamilton, MO., making many stops along the way.  We watched movies, sang, took turns telling about ourselves, worked on hand sewing projects, napped.  It was a blast.  Everyone was so kind and it was fun to make lots of new friends! 

It was kind of a dream come true to go to the Magnolia Market.  I hope to go back real soon!

Have you been?  What was your favorite part?

Click on the following links to check out the rest of this amazing trip!

Part 2 (The Pioneer Woman Mercantile) 

Part 3 (Missouri Star Quilt Company) 

Part 4 (The Finished "Double D" Quilt)

Thanks for following along!
Have a great day!

In the Meadow Blog Tour

Hi friends!  Welcome to stop no. 3 on the 

In the Meadow Blog Tour!

 In the Meadow is a new fabric line designed by my friend Shari Butler of Doohickey Designs.  Shari is also the creator of Binding Babies (which I totally love!) as well as, several other darling fabric lines!  In the Meadow is being distributed by Sweet Bee Designs.  Look for it soon in a quilt store near you!

Today I am excited to share with you a project that I've been working on that's made with several of the In the Meadow fabrics!  The pattern comes from the book, For Keeps by Amy Gibson.  It's called Potluck but I adjusted the instructions to make a table runner instead of a quilt.  

These blocks were really fun to make!

Block no. 1...

No. 2...

and then there were 3!

I am loving all the sweet prints and the clamshell/leaf quilting that Cathy Barney did on it.  

Those little clamshells are so tiny!

I used up a few fat quarters on the back side of this runner and machine bound it to finish things off!

This was such a fun project!  It was an absolute delight working with Shari's In the Meadow fabrics!

They're so sweet, I think you'll love them too!

Be sure to visit the other bloggers in this tour:

Tuesday April 17: Jedi Craft Girl | www.jedicraftgirl.com

Thursday April 19: Jina Barney Designs | http://jinabarneydesignz.blogspot.com 

Tuesday April 24: Gigi's Thimble | www.gigisthimble.com

Thursday April 26: Debby Brown Quilts | higheredhands.blogspot.com

Tuesday May 1: Piper's Girls | www.pipersgirls.com

Thursday May 3: Go Go Kim | http://www.gogokim.com

Tuesday May 8: Kea Bee | http://keabee.com

Thursday May 10: Doohikey Designs | https://doohikeydesigns.com/blogs/gethescoop

Happy quilting!

The 5 FASTest Baby Quilts I've Ever Made [Friday Favorites]!

Happy Friday Y'all!  

As part of my Friday Favorites series, today I am sharing the 5 fastest baby quilts I've ever made!  Because let's face it, sometimes you need something quick to gift - that's made from the heart.  So here's five quilt ideas that you can get done in a day.

1. Big Baby Quilt from my Vintage Vibe Book

Click HERE to go to my Etsy Shop.

I've made this a few times now.  It's quick and great for boys or girls!

2. Modern Baby Quilt

(See original post HERE)

There's not really a pattern for this modern baby boy quilt (above).  Basically, just cut (7) 6 1/2" x 38" strips, cut each one into 18" and 20" lengths, then add in a 2 1/2" x 6 1/2" blue rectangle between the two white strips.  Alternate the white strip lengths so the blue rectangles are offset and voila!  This is seriously the fastest quilt I've ever made!

3. Simple Strip Quilt

Click HERE for the free PDF instructions.

4. Lulu 

This pattern comes with instructions for two different sizes (crib and throw) 

and is Jelly Roll friendly!  

Click HERE to go to my Etsy Shop. 

I actually didn't make this exact version.  My friend Christine Cook did.  

But I've made a couple other versions and it goes together pretty quickly!

5. Simple Squares Quilt

Click HERE for the free PDF instructions.

Well, that's it!  Five simple baby quilts that you can get done in a day!  

What's one of your go-to, fast, baby quilts?  Do share!

I hope you liked this installment of Friday Favorites!  

Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend friends!

IronEZ Winner

Well, I had a busy week and didn't get a chance to announce the winner of the IronEZ last Friday like I had hoped.  Please forgive me!

I'm happy to announce that Robin Westendorf is the winner!  Robin, please email me your shipping address and we will get that sent right out to you!  

For those of you still wanting your own IronEZ, please use THIS LINK and coupon code: AJ20OFF to get one (or two) for yourself!  That code will give you 20% off and if you order two or more you get free shipping as well!

These things are so handy!  I think you will love having one as much as I do!

Have a great day friends!

IronEZ Coupon Code + Giveaway!

My friend recently introduced me to the IronEZ and I just had to get one for myself!  

It's a new product that clamps onto your ironing board to hold your 

water and starch bottles so they don't fall off your ironing board!  

Tell me I'm not the only one that has this problem!!!  

My bottles fall off every time I iron, without fail!  It's so frustrating! 

Let me tell you about it.  

First, it holds standard water bottles, starch bottles and Best Press.  

But it even comes with a good quality water bottle!

.

 I've been using my IRonEZ for a few weeks now.  I love it so much that I decided to get another one.  One for each of my ironing boards (I have my standard one and then I have my ironing board tray that I keep by my sewing machine).

Even if you don't have two ironing boards like me, you might want two to hold both your water and spray bottles!  Whether you press linens, shirts or beautiful fabrics, I think this is super handy for anyone that irons (not just quilters!)  

The other thing I love about the IronEZ is that it folds up with your ironing board when you need to put it away.  Check out this video my husband took of me showing how it works.

The IronEZ retails for $24.99 but I have a coupon code for you today!  Use the code "AJ20OFF" to get yours for $19.99 + shipping.  OR, if you buy two or more you get free shipping.  Give one to a friend or enjoy 2 for yourself (it's definitely nice to have two!)  Click HERE to get yours!

Because I love you (and the Iron EZ) so much, I want to give one away! 

To enter, leave a comment below telling me if you're tired of bottles falling off your ironing board too and/or how you feel about ironing.  My mom tells me she really enjoys ironing but I, on the other hand, hate it (unless it's a couple of cute fat quarters!  Then I don't mind it!)  Hmmm...maybe I need to get my mom an IronEZ!?!

This giveaway is open to US residents only and will end at midnight MST on 3/16/18.  Good luck!