Mary Lou Visits Hollywood with Friends and Imagines FUN Quilts

So I have many photos to show you from my adventure from last week beginning in Hollywood and ending up in San Diego. No wonder tourists love these places! Hollywood is something else and so are the people-a great source for quilt ideas!
If you ever get to the LA area and want an excellent wonderful place to eat, Mo's is the place. The food is beautiful and delicious.


Below is Ellen and Peggy who met me at the airport with Molly. We are waiting for Molly to get the rental car and we are all giddy with excitement as that night we get to see Dancing with the Stars. Ellen just had her 80th birthday and this was a gift to her from Molly. Ellen is a hoot and Peggy is a doll. Both are excellent quilters. :0) They live in Sacramento.

We took a quick trip to downtown LA and got some snaps of the Hollywood sign. It was a beautiful day and I was all excited about Dancing with the Stars and American Idol the next night. There are a couple of things I did not mention about these. Before the show, they take away your cameras (go through your purse) and your cell phones and any food you have. Right before they start filming someone goes up and down each aisle with a cup and tells everyone to spit out their gum into the cup. There are body guards with every star and they stare into the audience meanly. They are all bald with shaved heads....what is up with that? The weird thing about American Idol is that someone sings a song, they stop and announce "three minutes" and then the judges get up and walk out and then they do a countdown of time and when it hits 30 seconds, the judges come in and sit down. Then someone sings and then they walk out again and it starts all over. They do this with every song...it is weird. Ellen's Girlfriend Porcia is flat as a pancake and has 0 bodyfat....I have never seen such a skinny girl. Probably one of the biggest things was that three members from Glee were there...did the one guy look like high school? NO....he is 27 and looks 30 something. But he does a good job on tv. I watched the Madonna special and it was good. Those people can sing! I heard you can get free tickets to both Idol and also Dancing with the Stars if you write but you will have to wait about a year to get them. Nice people sitting around us.



Breaksfast of champions- a hot latte and some biscotti. This bakery in LA was wonderful and we ordered large bowls of fruit that had everything good in it. Note Molly's pretty manicure...my nails are plain broken and look like they need a nice maniucure and some lotion. Note there is no photo.

I could have taken hundreds of photos of all of the lovelt flowers in bloom in both LA and San Diego. That sunshine does something great for everyone...lots of smiles and my it felt good just to sit out there and bask in the warmth and feel that vitamin D hit your soul

WOW, Dancing with the STARS,American Idol and the Dodgers Game

It isn't what you know but who you know. I would not ever get the chance to go to any of these wonderful events if not for good friends. It is late and I have lots of details to tell you about but I am going to bed because I am tired. But I will give you a couple of tidbits until I can get to the nearest computer. I leave for San Diego in the morning and plan to get to my room and sleep and rest and sew before I teach. :0)
So here is the word on American Idol. The word TINY. You cannot believe how teeny all of the dancers are. The guy who is dancing with Pamela Anderson looks only a little bigger than my Grandson who is 8. Imagine a ten year old -I am not trying to be funny. They put him in these shirts that he doesn't tuck in....he is teeny and smaller than Louie who is teeny too but a smidge larger. Pamela Anderson is small! She has a perfect body really and is like a little Barbie doll. I do not know anyone who is as little as these people. The black comedienne Nessie looks heavy on tv right? She is about a size 8 and absolutely stunning in her face (beautiful) in person. It is so amazing. She is busty but if you saw her in person you would not think she was fat. Depressing.
We talked to the costume designer and his favorite dress was Kate's and he liked Evan's sparkly collar that he said looked like volcano flames shooting out. I looked and ok, if he says so.Kate did not smile much and I thought she would go this week although the soap guy was not very good. The costume designer said that he never used more than a quarter yard of fabric for the Russian girl that was his partner and she was his muse.
He told us other things and I will tell you but I am too tired to write the details.
American Idol was the nest night and it was totally different and fun. Some of those people had awesome strong voices. My favorite guy is teeny (again). My favorite girl was Crystal and she has so much strength in her voice. I think Simon is trying to get rid of any of the young kids. He looked more normal size. If you live and work down here, you are small. If you live in the Northwest, Mid-west, eat hot dogs and mac and cheese, enjoy sitting and quilting, you won't be invited to dance or sing.....everyone seems to be teeny except for Big Mike on Idol.
Went to the Dodger's game tonight and those guys are big compared to anyone else who is popular here. And I saw some heavy people eating a dodger dog like we did. We had front two seats behind the dugout. WOW. Very cool and the Dodger Stadium is beautiful. Blue is now my favorite sports team color I think. My husband wasn't very impressed about Idol or Dancing as I don't think he watches the shows but I called him from the Dodger game and he was really impressed. I bought him a hat and he is a happy guy. :0)
One last thing about the Dancing show-the dresses are incredible....really fabulous in person!!! Jewelry that matches and hair bows etc....and lots of bronzer and makeup. Kate didn't smile much did I say that. Derek is always smiling and waving. He is so cute! Brooke Burke is small with HUGE breasts...and beats Pamela Anderson by far.
I have more to tell you and will when I get the chance.
I bought some incredible fabric at Michael Lavines today....such fun!
See you girl in San Diego in a couple of days! Very fun. And I will be seeing the retreat girls soon too!
Stay tuned for more stories about Hollywood.....

WATCH FOR ME ON TV AND LOOK AT THESE QUILTS!

Below is an exceptional photo of Molly who looks lovely as oppsed to my photo. The nice news is that Molly and I will be at Dancing with the Stars Monday night (tomorrow) and we will be in the audience of American Idol the next night. So, I plan to make the best of it and really enjoy the loud music and the outfits and the energy. Can't wait to tell you the details when I get home. I will be teaching In San Diego this coming weekend for Canyon Quilters and hope to see some of you there!
I asked Molly to send me photos of her sewing doll made by Tasuti Zoo. It is so cute and I am not sure the photo will show how cute she is but I am going to try. They make the coolest stuff! Hope your week goes well and you enjoy the sunshine and hang around with someone who is positive. :0) Be a positive light to someone else too.

I hesitate to put this lovely photo of Mari's quilt on this blog. I look like Jobba the Hut but hey, the quilt is so wonderful I had to show you! Now I am going to buy 4boxes of X-lax and see if it helps (just kidding)

Below everyone is looking at quilts and studying what makes a super story quilt! This was a great group of ladies...I so enjoyed the people in both classes there this year! Asilomar is the place to make lifetime friends...


Below at the bottom is Nancy who did a quilt about her twin daughter's at the beach....above, you can see this awesome quilt....isn't it great? Below this statement is Patty who is Nancy's friend and has a great stash!

MORE PHOTOS IN CASE YOU MISSED THE SHOW IN IDAHO

The quilt above is by Barb Lambrecht my friend from Spokane. This is her Granddaughter. Isn't this a wonderful quilt? And something nice to keep for generations.

The photo below is of Pam Mostek who lives in Spokane and is a collage artist. The quilt below her and above her is her work. Pam was the featured artist at the show


Below is Anna who owns Sew Uniquely You. Anna has been responsible for the art quilt show for years and this is her last year. She is responsible for teaching many Spokane/Couer d'Alene ladies how to be better artists and she hires GOOD teachers to come in and teach. I have gotten to go to two of these workshops and they were awesome. Don't ever quit taking classes (that is my advice). Anna has given alot to our area and we love her for it.

This is Sandy, one of the owners of Bear Paw Quilting in Coeur d'Alene. They have been selected as one of the Best Shops this year by American Patchwork. For those of you who are coming to my retreat, we will go there to shop and eat dinner. It is a big shop with lovely fabrics and great girls that work there and you can say you were there once the magazine comes out!

The quilt below was very well done. The trees are of dark velvet and there is angelina in the middle that helps it look like the sun peering through-well done

The photo of this isn't that good but it is printed with rust and was really interesting to see what you saw in it...kind of like one of those psychiatric tests

This quilt was totally dimensional and it made me ask, "where is she going and what is she going to do?"-this could be a great story quilt!

Post Falls Idaho Hosts a GREAT Quilt Show!

So today was a sunny and beautiful day and I headed over to the jac which is the art building that I am giving my retreat in or at. :0) Today was the quilt show and so I thought I would share some of the quilts there both today and tomorrow. Who doesn't love quilt photos to study and you might get a sense of this glorious building that I get to use for my retreats! It is wonderful and we are so lucky to have it. I was the judge of this show and there were so many GOOD quilts this year. Lovely and clever and colorful. Hope you enjoy seeing them too!

Living Through Other People's Experiences

I often love to listen to people when they tell me about where they go, what they see, their Grandkids, their finds at flea markets or tag sales, fabrics they find at a new quilt shop they hadn't visited before, new seeds or plants for their gardens, funny experiences anywhere....you know, girl talk! Del Thomas always sends me good letters that are short with something fun to read and I have a list of friends who live far from me that feed my creativity and curiosity.
Last month Mel McFarland visited Paris (I commented on this earlier). She sent me two wonderful photos of cookies and also the richest most decadent hot chocolate ever. Can't you just taste this from the photo???
I have never had chocolate like this but can imagine it. I bought the movie "Chocolat" when it came out because the book was so good. And by coincidence, I went to France for 3 weeks shortly after that. I walked into a Chocolate shop and said something about being excited because of the movie. The French lady shook her head back and forth and said "the French did not like that movie." I didn't ask why. What could be bad about a French town, darling characters and chocolate? But then again, some of us love a book or movie and others don't and that's ok. Hope you enjoyed these photos, I sure did! These deserve a story quilt!

Kids Today Don't Think Like We Did....

My Grandson's other Grandfather was reading him a book about Paul Bunyon (one of my childhood favorites). After he got done with the part about Paul cutting down all of the trees, my Grandson said "someone needed to tell him he ruined the oxygen there- what was he thinking?" I didn't know the connection between oxygen and trees when I was 8, did you? I thought Paul Bunyon and his ox Babe were great.

This wonderful quilt was made by a student of mine named Joanne Adams Roth. She had a special neice who lived in Valdez Alaska and this quilt depicted special things for her. Isn't this wonderful? What neice would not love a gift like this (that will last for her lifetime and longer). GREAT job Joanne. I LOVE this quilt and give you an A+ for results!
If you love art quilts, please read the next post-I hope some of you can make this wonderful show this weekend!

Fabulous Quilt Show this weekend-I just judged it and I can't wait to see the quilts again!

Imagination Unleashed 2010
“Journey”
Featured Quilter: Pamela Mostek
Eighth Annual Juried Art Quilt Exhibition
Presented by Fabrications Quilt Artists and Sew Uniquely You
Saturday, April 10, 10 AM to 6 PM
Sunday, April 11, 12 NOON to 4 PM
Jacklin Arts and Cultural Center (where my retreat is being held)
405 William Street, Post Falls ID
$5. entrance fee

Gifts that the Heart Keeps..........

It is coming along to the time last year that my Mother passed away and I was looking at some old photos and thinking about how much I still love and miss her. I often ask in my workshops "what present do you remember most from your childhood?" This doll that my parents gave to me will always be in my mind. She had the most beautiful pink outfit and she was with me on many of my childhood journeys. She needs to be in a quilt! I hope you have a lovely memory of a gift you received once. What was it?

Hey, It's Easter...

Just got home from sunrise service at the Mission which is on the river. The service was held outside under the trees and you could watch the birds fly and see the flow of the river all with a 35 degree temperature. I took my gloves that are warm, a blanket and I had on fancy tennis shoes....my feet froze with the grass under them. But as usual it was a wonderful service and they had a guy 36 who told about the breakdown of his family and being beat up at seven over and over by people his Mother moved into the house and how at 13 he was a drug addict and alcoholic and how he went through life hating himself and ruining the lives of people he got into relationships with. In Louisiana someone told him the Mission in Spokane could help him learn to love himself again and he has been sober and happy for 18 months now. He was very sweet. Then a woman told about how she started drinking at the age of 45 and became an instant alcoholic. She was beautiful and said she had a gorgeous home, fabulous car, clothes, jewelry etc. She lost it all to alcohol and she said she too hated herself. She was living under the bridge in Spokane and someone told her about the women's part of the Mission and she thought "hey, it has to be better than living under a bridge." She said their love and caring made her learn to love herself again and quit drinking. She said she has learned to pay it forward and she is helping others that were in her spot. Both speakers were good and then the guy who is the minister there did a short sermon. Many people I know, know this man personally and I have heard about him for years. The talk he gave was the best Easter sermon I have ever heard.Usually you know what they are going to say but not this time. No wonder they hired him. He was just magnetic and so good.
So, we came home and Mark quickly left the house to go and watch a hockey tournament held here that our son in law is in (he is the goal tender). My daughter was going to come with her kids for brunch but they had croupe this week and they are still sick. So, we will have a simple meal, and enjoy the day.
Last night we had a lovely dinner with my daughter in law's family and there was an egg hunt and just alot of good old enjoying each other. Very nice.
I have so much to be thankful for.Glad I have a little time to sew today. Mark has to be at work at 5pm, so I will be home and sewing and thinking about my many blessings. I am going to be in San Diego next week and that is always so much fun. NICE people there, sunshine, good guacamole and Rosie's which has cheaper prices on their fabrics and a huge selection. Not that I need one more inch of fabric but that never stops me.
I hope you are having a nice day for Easter or that you celebrated Passover if you are not a Christian or had a nice week. Easter has always provided me with nice memories of egg hunts, family, spring colors and church. I have always loved this holiday and hope you do too.
Love,
Mary Lou

Happy Easter Weekend to YOU-Party Potato Recipe

Today I have potatoes cooking away for romanoff potatoes for dinner. We are going to my son's inlaws and plan to have a lovely family time. Tomorrow we will attend the Mission downtown where the homeless stay. It is a lovely experience being around people for a service who have no home and no possesions and are trying to do the best they can with the mistakes they made in the past and the hope for the future. It is always nice listening to the two people they choose to tell about what happened to help their life in the past year. At the end of the service, they serve hot coffee and cinnamon rolls and we come home for a nice brunch with people we love and thankful hearts that with God's blessing to us, we didn't have to try to overcome the pitfalls of losing your family, your friends and everything else. Easter Sunday is always my most thankful day for who I am and how lucky I am with all of God's many blessings.
I hope you experience this during this lovely time of the year!
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PARTY POTATO'S-an old favorite of our family
6 medium potatoes (8 IF THEY ARE SMALLER)
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese (shred)
2 cups sour cream
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 teaspoon dried dill
1/3 cup chopped green onions (scallions)
Cook potatoes, cool and shred coarsely with a grater or even a ricer if you have one. Mix in sour cream, onions, salt, pepper, and cheese. Place in greased casserole (about 1 1/2 quart) Bake 30 minutes at 350°F. Some buttered panko crumbs on top add a little extra too.
ENJOY!

THE MAGIC OF MEMORY MAKING, A LITTLE DYE AND KIDS THAT MAKE YOU FEEL YOUNG AND HAPPY

Take a plain white egg, hard boil it and take out your best colored crayons. Get your Grandchildren or children or neighbor kids and have them go to town coloring on the eggs as they eat Easter candy. Mix three or more colors of dye and enjoy what happens. Everyone ends up happy and Joila! You have memories for a life time for all of you! And you get egg salad sandwiches or deviled eggs to enjoy afterwards. :0)

Love in the Garden by Sylvia-Look at that detail!

This quilt was made by Sylvia who took my Asilomar class a couple of years ago. If you can click on this image, you will see that she did alot of really interesting embellishments and details on all of the images. The title of the quilt is "Love in the Garden." I am hoping that she will stop by and tell us more about this quilt! A nice memory quilt for sure and with great detail and hey, It's out of the box so you know it is good!