Kinda like Oprah. Part 2.

Remember this? So I got an email that the episode with our giveaway was airing yesterday. First of all the promotion: I highly recommend The Quilt Show for anyone who watched Alex Anderson on Simply Quilts on HGTV for eleven years and for anyone who loves sewing and quilting. The pairing of Alex and Ricky Tims was genius. Their show is informative, interesting and entertaining. It is reasonably priced and since it is web-based, you can watch it at your convenience.

Inbetween segments with the guest artist, Alex basically did an infomercial about Around the Block Designs. Wow, she said some nice things about us.

Okay, so since it requires a membership to actually watch our episode, I, uh, took pictures of my computer screen. Rather than video, you will see my crummy pictures, and rather than audio, you will get to read my transcription of most of the conversation. Excited?? (geez, I hope the FBI won't come knocking on my door for felony copyright infringement or something...)

Alex: I'm really excited about the Treasure Chest because I found the items and know you are going to love them. These are made by Mark and Cindy Wiens of Around the Block Designs. They have an array of fused glass. Mark makes the star out of glass and Cindy makes a little quilt and they are just precious. So I can tell you, if you need a gift for a quilting friend...

Ricky: How many designs do they do?

A: They have tons. And they also do plates. Wonderful plates. So if you need a wedding gift, perfect, contemporary, and in the right price range... You can get coasters. Some are quilterly and some are not quilterly, but if you go to their website you can see it all.

R: This is really a unique fused glass process they've come up with, right?

A: And here's what you need to know. Every year we have a TQS legend, and Mark and Cindy design the plaque for our legend.

R: That's right. If you remember, our 2008 legend was Jinny Beyer. When Alex and I were there we gave her a wonderful plaque with the TQS star on it. That plaque was made by Mark and Cindy.
A: Exactly. They also do jewelry. I love their necklaces because they are fairly priced. They're perfect for traveling. They come in all different colors.

R: Now I know there's a lot of different items here but I know everybody wants to know--

ka-ching, ka-ching. Is it expensive? What's the price range?

A: They're very fair in their pricing. They're fantastic people (blush) . I love them to pieces and I know you will too, because everyone in the audience is going home with a necklace. (crowd erupts into screams and starts jumping up and down. Right....)

Oprah, if you're reading this, we may have some giveaway slots still open. Have your people call our people.

Kinda like Oprah

Yesterday I stopped by Aaron and Christa's to spend a bit of time with Charlotte and Levi. Christa's mom, Debbie, stopped by too, and after a bit of chatting I said, "Well, gotta go. We're doing an Oprah giveaway and I have to get it ready for shipping." They both stopped and looked at me kind of incredulously and said, "Really?? Oprah is giving your stuff away on her show??" Oh. Ahem. "The Quilt Show is giving away our pendants to their studio audience during taping. You know, like they do on the Oprah Show. That's what I meant." But I'm thinking to myself: Hey, it could happen. Maybe. In an alternate universe.

So 55 dichroic pendants on cords, assembled and packed, ready for shipping.

The show also has a segment called the Treasure Chest, where Alex Anderson pulls something out of a box and says, "Hey look what I found!" She requested three Glassy Quilts, a set of coasters and a dichroic bracelet.

So who knows? Hopefully the studio audience will find their way to our blog, website, or (hopefully by that time) our etsy shop.

And besides, one of The Quilt Show's producers used to be a producer for the Oprah Show. So it's kinda like Oprah....right?

Looky here!

So I was at Borders the other day, drinking coffee, paging through magazines that I did not purchase. (I know, sue me. Magazines are folding and dropping like flies lately, but I'm still not going to take complete responsibility for their demise.) Anyway, I was browsing through Quilter's Home and there was a photo tour of Alex Anderson's home. Having taken some pictures of her studio myself last year, I was quite interested in these pictures.

To backtrack, a couple of years ago when Mark and I came up with the idea of combining our chosen mediums, his in glass and mine in quilting, and when we finally figured out how to do it, we started making Glassy Quilts. Alex was one of the first recipients and since she was still the host of Simply Quilts on HGTV we made a one-of-a-kind for her and the little quilt block said "Simply Quilt." We thought if I embroidered "Simply Quilts" we might be running into some copyright infringement issues (ha! like HGTV would even notice us in the first place....) so we left the "s" off, hoping it would kind of sound like a suggestion. You know, like if you're stressed out....simply quilt.

When I took my pictures in her studio last year, Mark and I were pretty jazzed to see it there on one of her countertops. As I was looking at the magazine spread, which I'm sure was probably "staged" by prop people or photography assistants or somebody, there it was, on the counter, in the photograph, in the magazine! Woo-hoo!!!

Here are two views of her studio from the magazine. In the bottom picture, on the counter to the right is our Glassy Quilt. Still hard to see?

Here's the close-up.

Hooray for magazines still being published. Oh, and yes, I did buy a couple copies...

Boo!

I have to admit that Halloween is not my favorite holiday of the year. Don't get me wrong. I really love pumpkins, and you gotta admit, they have a lot of orangey goodness going for them. And then there are these sad pumpkins who started partying a little too soon....

And costumes? Well, Caspar the Ghost doesn't scare the heck out of me and what little princess doesn't make you want to say, "You are tooo cute!", and this year I have a suspicion that I will be particularly fond of monkeys and hot chili peppers (can anyone say "grandchildren"?).

However, to celebrate the holiday that is loved by so many, ATBD got into the "spirit" of things and came up with these items for your decorating pleasure:

Hey, who blew that candle out when I wasn't looking??

BOO!