Santa Fe - deuxieme partie

So these are the stores in the corner. What fun stores. We literally spent hours back here browsing and touching and learning. One fun reason to come to Santa Fe in the midst of January is that the crowd has gone home, the locals are chatty and you learn so much and find that the entire trip is geared down a notch. Much more restful. Montez art gallery. They had some really fun stuff and some really grand stuff, so things for each budget and I'm positive that there is something there for everyone. I purchased a small shrine. I have an idea for a fabric piece to go inside. I plan on making it happen, I do, I do, I do.
And this lovely place is called Poem. The wares were like words in a poem, each dependent on one another to tell a story, to show a picture and to make you want to stay there forever. They had mica flakes, children's toys, glasswares, tablewares, the whimsical, the serious. I think I spent an hour in that little place just discovering all the words of the Poem.
Yet another alley full of things to buy.
One of the thousands of art galleries in this town.
Last breakfast. Had to have green chile on the eggs too. La Fonda. We missed eating dinner there, so we thought we'd try breakfast for a change.. it was excellent.
Aren't those Marc Roberts fairies simply inviting in the store window?
Oh I would just love to get one of these cuties on valentine's day. Guess I'll have to get busy and make one... Love the vintage photo, the trims and all the red glitter.
The toile paper adds just the perfect bit of contrast to the heart.
Great chair, great sale, we brought my vehicle and not the big truck :-(!!
Love the crosses.. all of them.
Don't you just love the trims on these little purses. I can see a sweater being repurposed into one of these.
Once again the Lensik Theater. Love all the intricate work on this building.
Vigas and corbels. I could take pictures of each and every one because they are all so different.


I believe this is the oldest shrine to Our Lady of Guadalupe. The church is located on South Guadalupe street.
The workmanship on the statuario is amazing. That face will take you under her wing and comfort you for sure.
Venessie..... a first class piano bar. We had so much fun after dinner the evening before this shot was taken. Note to self, get a pocket camera!
More gables..
And a real favorite place to shop. Do you have a feeling this trip was all about shopping and eating. It was. No bones about it. Jackalope. Needed another pot. This one for inside the house. I find that their prices are so much better than I can find around here. Also had to pick up pinion coffee. We are hooked.
The ski run was running full blast. Aren't the white peaks amazing?
So we shut the door on another fun weekend. As much as we did it was very restful. However I came home with my head filled with ideas and the brain in overload. So many fun things to make, to take in and now I'm redecorating. Again.

Santa Fe again...

We left Lubbock last Friday morning for a weekend in our favorite spot on the globe - Santa Fe, New Mexico. When I win the HGTV giveaway house and/or the lottery, count me moved! We left in warm temperatures, but this is what greeted us from before Clines Corners on I-20 and then along a good portion of NM-285. Snow. Blowing snow and cold. We even encountered a TV crew from Albuquerque on NM-285. And I-20 was closed at the New Mexico-Arizona border. But it didn't dampen our spirits.
See those heavy snow clouds and the mountains getting snow?
We stopped at a new place for us before we got to Santa Fe. This darling little (and I mean little) place is on the Old Las Vegas Highway - it runs right along I-25 as you head west into Santa Fe from NM-285. This view was remarkable.. the little birds kept going to the feeder the entire time we were there. Not one pesky dove or crackle or crow to shoo them away!
The place is called Bobcat Bites and we filled our bellies with the best 10oz green chile burger ever! And the best part - we didn't have to wait.
So we check in, and all is well. Of course it's time to see what the stores have stocked and we head out. Well, just before this surge of snow hit, we had found the bar at La Fonda, looked out and I couldn't resist showing you how heavily the snow was coming down....
And you thought the weather changed frequently in Lubbock! Look at the sun shining on the beautiful Saint Francis Cathedral.
And on the Palace of the Governors...
This could really be next year's Christmas cards! They still had the Christmas tree up in the square, surrounded by mounds of snow.
We are almost back at the Hilton. It's our preferred choice because we just park the car when we get there and don't see it again until it's time to leave. Very convenient to all of our activities.
The view out of our window... see all those clouds.. some are still getting snow. We sashayed to the bar, got hung up on the fireplace and the view down the stree to the cathedral and just vegged out and had dinner right there.
Next morning.. Cafe Paris! Those croissants are about the best I've had on this side of the Atlantic. I really recommend this darling place.

It's in Burro alley, not far from the Hilton.

The Palace of the Governors where the Native Americans set up to sell their wares each and every day. It was quite cold and the merchants were sparse.
The Museum of Art is even artful from the outside.
You have to make sure you check out the alleys between the stores because you'll find vendors with some fun stuff.
We didn't eat here this time but The Shed is a wonderful place to eat. Make reservations even in the slow times of the year.
Venturing into this courtyard, we came upon two shops that were recommended to us. The courtyard is swell enough. What could those stores possibly offer?

Stay tuned on Wednesday to find out what we found in those little shops in the corner!

Fabric covered hearts ... for very special people

Welcome back. I'm so glad you are here. Today I've got a darling fabric covered heart box to share with you. Truthfully, I'm addicted to these little boxes. They are just so much fun to make. The next one you'll see here is a lace-shaped heirloom confection. Stay tuned for that, you won't want to miss that one either.

Step one would be to cover the top of the box with fabric adhering the fabric with double sided tape. Be sure to clip the curves so that you have nice finish.

Used a #16 wide gathering foot for my machine to gather two sides of a strip of fabric. Folded the fabric on the gathered line and then edge-stitched that in place. Hides those raw edges so well.
Then attach the strip to the side of the box lid overlapping the edges and folding the ends under for a clean finish.
Then it's time to find all those things you didn't remember you had and attach them to the top with glue dots, hot glue or adhesive of your choice.
Buttons and ribbons add such a nice touch.
The silver cupid started out as textured paper, embossed with silver embossing powder and then inked to give it an antique look.
Tuck in a few lace leaves in between the velvet leaves. Thank you my dear friends Gail and Charlotte for these.. I can't seem to have enough of them these days!

Check out the craft section of the craft store. Some of the flowers are so much more detailed than the silk flowers in the floral department.


I simply painted the bottom with an off white spray paint.
And because enough isn't enough, I added two more rows of little lace around the gathered fabric side. and covered the top with another mini rose.

The bottom has a fabric heart tucked inside to make it look more finished. You could stamp or embroider something delectable on this!

And if the recipient is very lucky, the box will still contain some chocolate. But if not, you could fill it with other goodies.. Have fun, thanks for dropping in. Cya soon!

CHA Sneak Peeks... make sure you have plenty of time

It's that time of the year when all attention is focused on the Craft and Hobby Association's Winter Show (CHA-Winter). Having been blessed to have attended once, having been blessed to have attended the Houston Quilt Festival (the sewing extravaganza counterpart) and many more shows and festivals in between, I'm saying it's the place to be! This is where all the companies attend, set up booths so that the crowd (mainly store owners and teachers) can purchase merchandise wholesale only. It's the time for store owners to see new product, to restock merchandise, take advantage of show-only specials, take classes, attend seminars and otherwise get re-energized to come back to their stores bringing renewed energy, excitement and product with them.

I have for you a link to the sneak peeks available of the product that will be making it's debut at the show. Be sure to go get a drink, take your potty break now because you will get involved and spend the next several hours oogling the new stuff! I promise.

CHA Winter Sneak Peeks