Relaxing and Refreshing

On Sunday, Jeff and I went to the "Black Forest" in Minneapolis for lunch. It's one of our favorite places to relax and enjoy a wonderful German meal. The weather was nice enough and we were able to sit outside on the patio. I had to share the unbelievable floral baskets and the lush greenery with you. 

The floor is red brick and the tables are covered with checked tablecloths. While you're eating, little birds are flitting under the tables hoping for a tid bit or two. Jeff and I are softies, we tossed them a handful of tiny pieces of bread. Now we have about 8 winged BFF's. They'll be watching for our next visit.

My thought is to try making a basket like this for my deck - next summer. I only get the sun in the morning til about noon, so the impatience would work well.

Our table was right next to this waterfall. The sound of the water was so relaxing, if we hadn't had some previous plans, I think we would have just spent the afternoon chatting and enjoying the peace and quiet. 

Patti

Here we go..."Next Act"

Hi,

Patti H. my computer guru has been working on getting my blog set up. I asked her to use the same floral background as I had on the Fabric Town blog. I loved it, soft floral in relaxing colors. We are still tweaking it - being as non-techy as I am, it takes a while for Patti to try to find what I envision in my head as my blog and then make it happen.

The name I have chosen for my blog is "Cranberries and Calico".  I came up with that name over 20 years ago when I first started working for Barb at FT.  I had said that if I ever owned a quilt shop in Massachusetts  I would give it that name.  Being from Boston/Cape Cod I have always been in love with cranberries... Ocean Spray Cranberry sauce is good with everything. So, if you add my love of pretty fabrics to my cranberry addiction  you get "Cranberries and Calico".  It never ended up being a quilt shop... but it works well for a blog.

With the closing of Fabric Town, I find myself starting over and a new chapter in my life is beginning. I have mentioned "Next Act" in my FT blog but not been specific.  My sister, Nancy, and I are both starting on a new adventure. It was Nancy's idea but the more we talked about it the more exciting it got. "Next Act" is going to be a shop with Antiques, Collectibles and Treasures. Nothing specific... we have a certain look and style we are working toward. I have been painting some fun pieces of furniture, I guess the phrase is "re-purposing".  I think I finally found something that I'm good at and enjoy. Face it.. I wasn't the best quilter and my attention span is short. If the quilt had more than 100 pieces - not happening. (Did I mention that I bought my self a buffer and sander... a woman and power tools!!!) 

Our shop will be two doors down from where Fabric Town was located. We rented the smaller side of the gift shop. It was perfect for what we had in mind. Right now, we're trying to get all the necessary things taken care of and then we'll get in there and start setting up. Our goal is to open by the end of September. We will announce our Grand Opening and all the details as it gets closer.

I will be posting some of my projects as I'm working on them. I hope you like this new blog and that you will follow me into my new life. After 20+ years with FT, this is a new journey and I must admit a bit scary. I'll also post different things as I enjoy life.

Creatively Yours,
Patti