Fun Books from Market/Festival

I'll admit, sometimes when I get home from a trip my suitcase can sit unpacked for a coupla days.  Especially if there's nothing in there I really need (like dirty clothes....).  Honestly, am I alone here?  You know, you crack that baby open only long enough to grab your toothbrush and toiletry kit and then try to ignore it until one day you find yourself wondering if you can fit into your daughter's underwear just to eke out ONE more day of NOT unpacking????!  Well, this time, I couldn't WAIT to unpack my bags from Houston because....oh boy, I brought home some TREASURES!   And I wanted to share them with my girls.  So while the laundry was happily spinning in the washing machine, filling the house with the scent of fresh lavender (gotta love that Tide!), I sat down with my daughters and flipped through the pages of these lovely books I brought back from market.  Check out my finds....

First...a whole book full of Amy Butler bags!

We decided I needed to try to make THIS little clutch for some upcoming dressy events I have to attend.

But, uh, it requires a zipper.  YIKES!

It comes it 3 different sizes...I think I might try the smallest!

(my daughter may have to do the zipper tho...)

Next was this ADORABLE book by Amy Barickman of Indygo Junction

This is one you'll want to SIT and READ!  It's decked out with vintage pics, 

needlework, sewing, cooking, fashion...etc.  Just look at this cute little peek inside....

Then I HAD to get Kay Whitt's new book, Sew Serendipity! 

(if you'll remember, Kay got the special People's Choice Award for "Cutest Texan"!)

My daughter likes to make clothing and LOVES that Kay autographed this book to her!  

She'd like to make this cute wool coat FIRST...nothing like jumpin' right in there, huh?

I also got Kay's "Media Frenzy" book.  It has all sorts of fun bag patterns!

Personally, I'd like to make the little wallet right there in the bottom right-hand corner.

They were SO cute!

So I swung by Jo-Ann's yesterday and bought me all sorts of fusible interfacings and stabilizers, 

in preparation for my bag making fest! 

Even got myself a zipper (or two).....

The People's Choice Awards...

Maybe you're not aware that during International Quilt Market, awards are given for various booths.... best single booth, double booth, multiple booth...then there's the new exhibitor, merchandising and...the most coveted....creativity!

For example, here's Daisy Janie, who won the award for New Exhibitor.

She just so happens to be from PA!  And there's Julie Herman's quilt (of Jaybird Quilts) in the background....

 However.  THIS year, we decided to take matters in our own hands.  We decided to give out the 4H People's Choice Awards!  (4H's stand for Halladay, Herring, Hawkins and Hawkins.)

Amanda Herring, of The Quilted Fish, talked Elliot into presenting the prestigious awards.  Here he is giving out the first one....

And the First award goes to the hubby of Barbara Jones of Quilt Soup....

for being SOUPER MAN!  

Then Brian...who got the Best Truck Driver Award....

Patty Young....for Best Halloween Costume! 

(and her hubby for Best Polyester Pants and Vinyl Shoes)

Then Elliot found Kay Whitt...for the Cutest Texan Award!

She was so thrilled she gave him a smooch.

Here's her blue ribbon, being proudly displayed for all to see!

Moving on, it was decided that Barb and Mary of My Sister and Me Designs

deserved the award for The Best Table Weaving!

And Dana of Lazy Daisy Cottage was awarded the prize for 

Best Use of Props Borrowed from a High School!

(whew!  Try writing THAT on a post-it with a Sharpie.)

Then the Love Bomb girls got Best Use of Papier Mache...

(see blog below for a pic of the Love Bomb)

Oooh, and here's Peter Cho of Anthology Fabrics 

for Best Truck Mate.

(Although 3 of the H's are seriously thinking of revoking this award after he blocked all of our booth stuff for festival with his two ginormous palettes in the truck.....Hmmm, or he could compensate with some of his yummy fabric, we're easy that way!)

Next, the Abbey Lane Quilts girls got a prize for....uh....

I can't quite read that post-it note in the pic, can you?  

At any rate, their award was split in half so each of them could have a part!

(we can be accommodating like that...)

And Ann Hansen from Pixie Girl Quilts

gets the award for Best Use of Pixie Dust!

Our last winner wasn't in her booth at the time of the award giving (possibly because it was 5 minutes before the end of market...) 

so Elliot left her award to adorn her flower table.

It went to Nellies Needle for Best Covert Passing Out of Flyers.

The 4H's had a FABULOUS time passing out these great awards!  

Stay tuned for Spring Market in Salt Lake when all the winners were asked to play it forward and find a worthy winner of their own to pass on their prestigious People's Choice Award.  

Somewhat like the Stanley Cup....

the Tour de Mark!!!

Last day of Quilt Market was SOOOO much fun!  We had a GREAT time running around chatting to all the peeps we came to see.  But....we felt a little bad for our friend Mark Lipinski who couldn't be at market this year.  SO.  We took him with us for a tour of market!  Glad we could spend some quality time with ya Mark!!! (we had to give him a new shirt....he was so tired of wearin' the same ol' thing!)

First let's check the guide and see where we should go!

Ah-HA....Blackbird Designs....

(oops...'scuse Mark, his nose was a little itchy.....)

Oooh, Mark, who IS that little man on your shoulder?  Is it Brad Pitt? LOL!  

No, it's Elliot from The Quilted Fish!

(he was two-timin' ya though, we heard he had a little make-out session with

Amy Butler later in the day!)

Look Mark!  99 luftballons....

How about a little demo at the Checker booth?

Oooh the Fabshop....let's stop and see what good friend Meg Cox has been reporting on....

Look!  She did an interview with Liz about trunk shows in the latest issue!

Speaking of friends....let's go talk to a few....Here's cute Bari J!

Hey Mary Holmes of Sister's Quilting Trunk...so good to SEE you again! 

(watch that hand Mr. Lipinski!)

Darn...Amy Butler wasn't at home....

That's OK...let's go see Ty Pennington, hey Ty, I'll scratch your back if you scratch MINE!

LOOK!  Liza Prior Lucy's quilt!

Hey...my FAVORITE Aurifil thread!  Buy my special Mark Lipinski box!

What is this....?  A papier mache bomb??  It's in the Love Bomb booth, by Keri Beyer.

Ahhhh, but look...there's a comfy bed....papa Bear needs to take a little power nap!

Uh-OH!!!!  Someone gotz in TROUBLES!  Please sir...let him of with a warning, will ya?

I'll be a good boy and walk on over to the Kansas City Star booth to read up on my 

favorite Lizzie B Girls.....

And maybe I'll mosey on over to....OOOH, what DO we have here?

This looks fun!

Hey!  Look who's settin' up for a photo shoot!  My bestie Jodie Davis!!!

Blechhhhh!  We're good friends Jodie, but not THAT good!

Do ya mind if we take a potty break?  Sometimes a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do....

Whew!  That feels better!  (even armless....)  But hey, is it cold in here, or is it just me?  Maybe I should stop and do a little modeling stint for Kay Whitt.  She's simply fabulous!

(and so am I, I must say...)

Hmmmm.  What IS this?  I have no idea what this is.....never seen anything like THIS before....

And to top it off....Mark get's the "People's Choice Award", presented by Elliot, 

for "MOST ground covered at Market without FEET"!!!

YAY MARK!!!  Take a bow!  He's speechless folks.  Truly speechless.

(dedicated to Mark Lipinski....even when you're not here with us, you liven up the scene!)

XOXO - the Cre8-a-trons

Halloween in Houston, BABY!

Wooohoo!  This was our first time bein' at Market over Halloween....and how fun to walk around wearin' a costume...collecting chocolate from everyone's booths AND seein' everyone ELSE in costume???

Not EVERYONE chose to go incognito....

Here we are with Jodie Davis....had a fun chat in the hallway while they were settin' up the cameras for QNN TV.

We totally had a FUN chat with Mark Lipinski earlier in the day....he was iChatting at the 

All American Crafts booth.  We SOOO miss Mark here in Houston! (tomorrow, we're gonna try to snag his cardboard cutout again and walk around with him...)

Patty Young and hubby.....we vote BEST costume award!  We shoulda got a pic of the shoes...dang.

Gina Halladay sportin' a cool cap....lotsa ric-rac and Amy Butler modeling Gina's cat-eyes!

Here's Beth with Amy holding up her AWESOME quilt that's soon to be a FREE

DOWNLOAD on her site...better keep checkin' back, you're gonna want it!

Seriously the COOLEST yo-yo's we've EVER seen!

And by the way....Amy FINALLY won a booth award.  Would you believe it's her FIRST?

She won for BEST double booth...congrats AMY!

Speaking of awards...we were told they were looking for the Lizzie B booth while judging booths....

We told 'em we needed to give others a chance...LOL! 

And here's the winner of the coveted Creativity award....

Jenean Morrison for Westminster!

LOVED her bike...

Nothin' like a bit of fabric and Mod Podge!

We passed by the Ty Pennington booth.  Unfortunately, he was here while we were still flyin' in.

Our kids were totally BUMMED, they wanted autographs!

Loved the Michael Miller booth with the prom dresses.

And....

We weren't quite sure what this glass booth was at MM...see the woman inside trying to catch all the papers flying around?  Think she was tryin' to win somethin',

but it totally reminded me of "Get Sticky with Mickey" from the movie Matilda!

Had to stop by Tula Pink's booth of course...(we'd heard she had totally cool PINK M&M's! It was 

trick or treat day after all....)

Then we hung out at Amanda's booth of The Quilted Fish

Totally SWEET!

Ok, well her fabric line is called Sweet Divinity, with Riley Blake AND she had

homemade DIVINITY!

It was divine....take our word for it.

Here's her NEW line....Sugar and Spice.  

Amanda, you're fabulous, REALLY!

We ended our day at Chuy's, a FUN Mexican eatery.  We had a party of 20+ because, ya know, 

it's all about gettin' together with fun friends in the industry!

I loved the ceiling above our table....

Hubcaps!

But now that we're back at the hotel...catchin' up on Twitter, facebook and bloggin', we decided it was time to break out the VITAMINS.

Gotta keep up our strength, ya know!

Milk chocolate for strong bones, dark chocolate for a healthy heart, and sea salt....minerals!

It's all good.