Its always fun to meet someone who you really admire.  At the Atlanta Gift Market last month, I had the good fortune to meet Mary Engelbreit in the showroom of Katherine’s Collections.  Mary was there for a personal appearance.  I have always been a fan of Mary’s as well as appreciate her as a trail-blazer for art licensing.

The past couple of months have been the most hectic of all.  Preparing for two major trade show events in January required hours and hours of work.  Attending the shows, Atlanta Gift Market and CHA (Craft and Hobby Association) were almost like vacations because while they were technically work, I could lay down my paint brush and ignore my computer for a few days.  Plus, its always such fun to meet up with friends.

The day before the CHA show in Anaheim, Brenda Pinnick and I went to Laguna Beach for some much deserved R&R.  We shopped and had a great lunch while watching the Laguna Beach surf (which was very high due to the recent rains).

Although the shows are over, work continues with work from the shows as well as the work that was still in progress before the shows.

And, I am happy to say that I just finished a new fabric collection and am really excited about it.

I hope you are all staying warm in all this cold and snowy weather.

Phyllis

When walking International Quilt market, there is so much eye candy to grab my attention.  This dress in the booth of Coats and Clark really jumped out at me just from the sheer beauty.  (My picture doesn’t do it justice). This dress is befitting the dreams of a fairy princess!

The dress was an award winner in the Bernina Fashion show last year.  The fabric was all sheer and machine emellished with Coats Dual Duty XP threads which you can see in the detail closeup.

In addition, crystals were added in the back.  The construction of the skirt was really unique with  streamers of fabric sewed at the waist, with the edges slightly overlapping and sewn around the bodice in several layers.

Below are more wonderful quilts from the quilt exhibits.  (If you missed my earlier post with some quilts, check back a couple of posts to view them.)

Cynthia St. Charles from Montana designed this quilt of a Village.  I love the colors!

Another fabulous quilt with wonderful colors, this one was designed by Carol Taylor of NY.

Pat Watson of Victoria, BC Canada designed this quilt.

This quilt by Katie Williams of Colorado was an award winner.

All of the quilts above have such wonderful colors.  These were just a sampling of the quilts exhibited at International Quilt Market and they all were wonderful.

I  have one more article I want to post from Quilt Market - but its something fun, unique and whimsical that I saw outside the market in the park

The quilt designs are copyrighted by the quilt designers.  The photo’s are copyrighted and cannot be used without the permission of Phyllis Dobbs.

The International Quilt Market and Quilt Festival in Houston always has a huge exhibit of exciting quilts made all over the world for various quilt challenges and exhibits.  I took bunches of pictures and want to show you a some of my many favorites, starting with a few today.

This is a gorgeous quilt of pumpkins by Lauren Strach.  I loved the color and the whimsy of it.

Bodil Gardner from Demark created this whimsical quilt.  The women are a delight!

This quilt by David Taylor of Steamboat Springs, CO, was simply amazing. I just had to show you the detail involved with the piecing and tight quilting.  And what a twinkle in the chick’s eye!

Patricia R. Charity from California created this gorgeous quilt of a vinyard.  The bottom edge with tassels added to its charm.

This quilt by Linda Beach of Ketchikan, Alaska caught my eye and brought back wonderful memories.  I was on an Alaskan cruise in May and visited Ketchikan.

I still have lots more to show you from Quilt Market so please check back!

The copyright to these unique and special quilts belong to the individual quilt designers.  The photos are copyrighted and cannot be used without permission of Phyllis Dobbs.

I just returned from a terrific weekend as a house guest of my talented and gracious friend Brenda Pinnick.  I went to Atlanta for the gift market in addition to some brainstorming time with Brenda.  Brenda and her husband are wonderful hosts (and their kitties are just as gracious and friendly).

We attended the gift market, meeting up with artist friends Stella Violanto and Andy Mathis .  Andy exhibited at the market with his booth serving as our meeting point.  Unfortunately, he was located very close to the cash and carry section.  I’m afraid that we “cashed and carried” too much, but hey, I’m only human and who can pass up all the fun jewelry.

Brenda, Stella and I walked the market for trends and connections for our art licensing businesses.  We all went to dinner together at one of my favorite restaurants in downtown Atlanta, Azio, where we were able to catch up with our chatting since there was no “cash and carry” nearby to distract us.

Brenda and I stayed up late, trilled with the time to do some more talking and brainstorming, which was aided by a couple glasses of wine.  I also had a tour of Brenda’s studio, which was very organized and inspirational and filled with her gorgeous fine art paints (she is one very talented artist).

It was such a fun weekend and now its Monday, and back to earth and my own studio. 

My heart goes out to all of you in Texas and the gulf affected by Ike. 

Blue ice seen on train ride from Skagway, Alaska into Yukon territory May, 2008.  More Wordless Wednesday blog links.

While enjoying all the beautiful glass art pieces in the shop at the Seattle Glassblowing Studio, I had a very hard time deciding which piece to purchase (no one was twising my arm, but I just had to buy something).  The decision on which piece to get was helped by airline regulations, you know, weight and number of checked pieces.  After a lengthy bit of time with a paperweight in each hand, trying to decide between the two, I saw this one, picked it up and walked to the register. I have a small collection of paper weights as they are easy-to-tuck-in-the-suitcase items so this one feels right at home. 

I did a lot of walking on vacation and just have to show you my very you my very comfy red walking shoes.  Brenda Pinnick - eat your heart out!!!!  (My very talented, fun friend who just happens to love red shoes!).

After a wonderful trip to International Quilt Market in Portland OR, I took an absolutely fabulous 2 week vacation to Seattle and Alaska.  It was eye-popping every step of the way, including the unique trip to Seattle from Portland.

After arranging for a rental car to drive to Seattle and having increased fees added to my reservation on an almost daily basis, I decided to chunk the rental car reservation and take the Amtrak.  Let me tell you, it was a great idea - not only did it cost much, much less, it was a pleasant, scenic ride without the stress of driving and none of the hassle of going through an airport.  There was so much room, as you can see in the picture I took, plus dining and lounge cars.

Actually, this is business class.  It only cost $13 more to upgrade and since I was already saving a bundle of money, I splurged!  I really hope Congress passes bills to increase Amtrak’s funding so that we can have high speed trains like those in Europe.  I love traveling by train and want to be able to travel this way in the U.S.

Just imagine - getting to the train station 45 minutes before departure, checking oodles of luggage with no extra fees and boarding with no hassles.  And once on the train, you will have plenty of seat and leg room plus you can walk around and go to the dining and lounge cars to sit, talk, eat, read or have a drink. Oh, did I mention that there are bathrooms in each car - such convenience!

Once I returned home, I checked on the Amtrak schedules in this part of the country and they are very inconvenient for any trips I will be taking.  So I will have to continue to use my car for short trips and fly on the longer ones.   I look forward to the day when I can just hop on a train to go somewhere.

International Quilt Market is always a beautiful trade show, full of eye candy with all the beautiful colors of quilts and fabrics.  It was an exciting event for me as Meow, Meow, my new cat fabric collection debuted with Quilting Treasures. 

I also created several projects for Quilting Treasures’ booth using Meow Meow.  I’m in the center with Donna (left) and Jodi (right) from Quilting Treasures.  The two quilted projects shown in front are a Meow Meow Cat Carrier (with a fluffy white “stuffed” cat), and a Meow Meow Table Runner.  Free instructions for making the table runner as well as a quilt will be on the Quilting Treasures website for downloading soon.  I will post a link when it it up.

Two other quilted projects that I designed with Meow Meow cat fabrics are a Chair Back Cover and a Tote Bag. 

Quilt Market was held in Portland, OR in mid-May, during an unexpected heatwave with temperatures in the 90’s.  Since I live in the South with high temperatures, I was looking forward to the cooler days in Portland.  Oh well, at least it didn’t rain.

Portland was really beautiful with all the flowers blooming.  Even though Portland is known for roses, I think it should be noted for rhododendrons as they were huge and blooming everywhere.  They were gorgeous and gave additional eye candy for Quilt Market.

After Quilt Market as I took a vacation to Seattle and an Alaskan cruise.  Please check back for lots more from Quilt Market as well as some photos of unbelievable scenic views from Alaska and Mt Ranier.

Prague is incredibility beautiful and picturesque with a mix of architecture, a beautiful river running through the city with several medieval bridges, flowers everywhere, narrow meandering streets and a display of art all over.  Not only is it a feast for your eyes, its literally music for your ears. Numerous concerts are held each night and you can hear the music as you wonder through the city.This is Wenceslas Square, which is actually a wide boulevard, is lined with picturesque buildings.

Charles Bridge is a beautiful 500 yard walk across the river. The bridge is pedestrian only and a treat as you stroll across it. There are numerous artists and craftspeople set up on the bridge, so you can have your portrait painted or buy an interesting hand crafted item. Since I love unusual jewelry, I bought a few pieces on my strolls across the river and they were very reasonably priced at a few dollars, better by far than the prices in the stores. 

Crossing the Charles Bridge during the day, we saw wonderful views of the other bridges across the river and all the buildings with their red tiled roofs, as well as the Prague Castle, sitting on a hill above the bridge. These photos  are veiws from the bridge - Prague Castle and the cathedral, the old mill, Little Quarter at the other side of the bridge, and crossing the bridge.  

We walked back one night to see the city with its lights. We could also hear the music from a concert on the banks of the river.

The Prague Castle looks down on the city. Inside the castle walls is a medieval cathedral, St. Vitus Cathedral which is very gothic looking. After going inside the cathedral, I immediately dropped my jaw in awe at the size and beauty. I joined a line, not knowing what it was for, but assumed it was for something interesting. It was a line to go to the top of the cathedral tower - all 287 steps, round and round and round to the top. This is not for the faint of heart, and I was on the verge of turning back a few times, but being determined not to give up, I made it to the top. And it was worth every step to see a full 360 degree breathtaking view of the city.

If you love shoes (and I do), then you would love this giant shoe. It is by Jean-Jacques Ory and is part of the Festival of Scultpures that was going on. Inside the shoe is a painted replica of Venus from ”The Birth of Venus”. I guess she liked shoes also.

One of the most popular gathering spots for tourists is at the Astronomical Clock, which does an elaborated show on the hour. The clock, which is the top circle, is very complex and gives several versions of time with revolving disks and sweeping hands. 

Prague has so many restaurants and pubs.  And if you like beer, this is the place to go. Czech beer is very good, and even better, is at very good prices - between $1.25 and $2.00, depending on where you go.The food is very good also, especially away from high tourist areas.

Of course, we had to find the Lennon Wall. It was close to the Charles Bridge, but difficult to find. We had to ask directions numerous times, almost every 50 feet (these are all winding little cobblestone streets). It was really a perk in communicating that everyone spoke English. This picture is a small section of the large wall, which was painted with memorial graffiti when John Lennon was killed. It symbolized hope and freedom when they were under communist rule.

With all the flowers throughout the city and in window boxes, there had to be flower shops.  We saw many of them, of which this is one.

As I said in my post yesterday, you had to look - up, down, front and sideways so as not to miss anything, like this view of a restaurant down an alley.

This is just one of the many beautiul buildings througout Prague. 

I hope you enjoyed my photo’s of Prague. If you ever get a chance to visit this city, go for it!

I have always loved Art Nouveau and to see its influence on a city was awsome and inspiring. Art Nouveau is everywhere in Prague - doors and doorways, decorative trim on buildings, the structure of the buildings, windows, stained glass, light fixtures and art. The city is really “eye candy”.

This door is in the shape of a sunflower with sunflower decorative motifs. Its a huge entrance as the door is area below the round design.

This was another fabulous entrance that we saw. The doors were open so I took a separate picture of one of the them.  This entire building was fabulous. We just happened to stumble on it as we were wandering down a side street and found an entire block of Art Nouveau buildings. This was decorative trim on one the buildings on this block. The buildings had beautiful paintings and more elaborate scrollwork. 

You really had to look everywhere as you walked as well as look up toward the top of the buildings to find the most amazing decorations.  Most were hard to photograph so I had to store them in my memory.

The most fabulous Art Nouveau building in Prague is the Municipal House. This building is the home of Prague’s largest concert hall and a few restaurants.  We were so fascinated with the building that we went back that night for a classical concert.  The windows were all stained glass.My pictures do not even begin to do justice to this building with its beautiful windows, light fixtures and other trim or all the Art Nouveau found in Prague.

This building is in Josefov, the old Jewish Quarter, which had many beautiful Art Nouveau buildings.

In addition to Art Nouveau, Prague’s architecture spans thousands of years.  There are fabulous buildings intermingled throughout the city in Medieval, Baroque and Renaissance styles and are in various colors. They are so picturesque especially since so many had window boxes filled with colorful flowers.

Please revisit my blog so see more of the sights of Prague.