A Day With Girlfriends...

What's an outing with girlfriends without cupcakes??....
Salty Dog, Cinnamon, Turtle, and Tiramisu

I have been so busy trying to catch-up after my bout with the flu, that I have barely been out of my studio/office...there are about a million things on my ever-growing list....but yesterday, I did take a little timeout to go on a short road trip with my girlfriends Lorrie and Mary. We made plans over the last couple months to drive out to Winterset, Iowa (the birthplace of John Wayne...and known for its covered bridges) to visit the Fons and Porter's Love of Quilting Quilt Shop, the Ben Franklin (yes, they still have a Ben Franklin and it is a treasure trove of fun stuff), and have lunch.  We left bright and early and arrived in the Winterset town square at 9:00 - perfect timing, as Ben Franklin opened at 9:00. After taking a few photos, we headed inside and began shopping - it was quite the "blast from the past" and we saw all sorts of items that made us smile - they have a full service crafting/sewing area, so we were all right at home. I picked up a few fun fabrics, some ribbon, two itty bitty wooden embroidery hoops, and of course some Scotch pink Hair Set Tape that is almost impossible to find (I use it for needlework and machine embroidery).

After an over an hour perusing the aisles of Ben Franklin, we walked a couple shops down to the Fons and Porter's Love of Quilting Quilt Shop. I'm sure many of you are familiar with the Fons and Porter's Love of Quilting television show seen on PBS stations or their fabulous quilting magazine(s). The two-story building is on the town square and has a grand view of the Madison County Courthouse...it houses a retail shop and mail order business on the ground floor and Love of Quilting editorial offices upstairs. This is a quaint shop - and we really enjoyed our visit - the customer service was wonderful - they allowed me to take some photos and gave us wonderful advice on where to have lunch. If you are looking for a specific Fons and Porter publication or quilting tool, than this is the place...although some of us (who will remain nameless) have pretty much all of their special tools and accessories. We all managed to find some treasures to take home...and I found some great bargain fabrics...and we each found an issue of Fons and Porter's Love of Quilting magazine in with our purchases (a gift from the shop!). Although this shop is a small space, it packs a good punch and we had a wonderful time!

We stepped inside another shop on the square and did a little looking, then we were off to a recommended place called "The Cellar" for lunch - a coffee house that serves lunch from 11:00 - 2:00. It was a windy and cool outside, so we all had soup and a sandwich...and the soup was Savory Portobello...yummy!  After lunch we headed back to West Des Moines...and I just *had to* stop to take photos of a barn quilt, just before reaching Bevenington, Iowa. Once back in Des Moines, we visited a couple favorite shops (and a new shop called Hinge) in Valley Junction...then of course went to Scratch Cupcakery for cupcakes (where I got to open some early birthday gifts from Mary). It was a perfect day....

Today, it is back to work (and reality)....I have charting to do....photography to take care of...a pile of paperwork and correspondence....and more items to list in my Etsy shop...part two of the mystery sampler is in printing production....and my embroidery machine is humming. Tonight, I am taking a painting class at The Social Canvas with my dear friend Lorrie - this is our first time visiting this new local artistic business, where you can enjoy an (adult) beverage while doing an acrylic paining project - they supply all the materials (canvases, paint, brushes, easels, and aprons)...and the class lasts about 2.5 hours. We are taking the "Love Tree" class and I plan on enjoying a glass of red wine while I paint my Valentine tree....