Hobby Lobby!

About a year ago I heard about Hobby Lobby on a TV show dedicated to highlighting quality companies.  Not only is Hobby Lobby a large craft/hobby chain store, as I learned they are also a value based company. The Christian founders of the company still close stores on Sunday and have a large array of religious items in stock.  While not all of my readers may agree with their Christian values, I find something admirable in the fact that they keep their beliefs as a core part of their business.  As a crafter who gets many requests for unique religious gifts and decor I also appreciated the religious items that can be hard to find when crafting.  

Anyway, after hearing about Hobby Lobby on TV I asked my craft buddy from work if she had ever been to a Hobby Lobby.  While we have Michael's and AC Moore in NYC we unfortunately do not have a nearby Hobby Lobby.  I kept saying I would make my way to a Hobby Lobby eventually but it wasn't until this past weekend that I finally got to explore.  There was one not far from the route I was driving and the ten minute detour was well worth it.

As soon as I walked in I was greeted by this beautiful fall foliage tree.  While I am enjoying every last minute of summer, I also love the fall season so it was nice to see this decorative touch.  It may not be important to everyone whether their craft store decorates, but to me it is more than just looks.  Sure a pretty store can lift my mood, but it also shows that the owners/ staff of that store have an appreciation for creativity.  Like the crafters who frequent their stores they can take parts and envision a greater whole.  It is a connection to the store and materials I just don't feel looking down an aisle of bins and racks.

The effort put into Hobby Lobby was evident in more ways than one.   I was immediately struck by the size and neat layout of the store.  While I do enjoy exploring through chaotic craft stores, it is nice to walk into a store sometimes and to know exactly where to find what you are looking for.  Even the clearance section was organized and   When everything is neatly displayed you will be surprised what new things you may come across.  I don't know about you, but my mind is always looking for new ways to create and it can be the least expected thing that will trigger a new project idea.

Along with the aisles upon aisles of crafts there is also a large selection of home decor items.  Creativity can be expressed in so many ways and this is one of the few stores that give you the tools to turn your home into a work of art.  Neatly organized are decor items for firefighters, cowboys, police officers, car lovers, and musicians just to name a few.  I had one of my best guy friends with me and he HATES craft stores.  I usually have to beg him to stop in with me when we are hanging out and pass a craft store.  Since I was driving this time he had no choice but to come along.  I was sure that I would hear complaints about stopping the rest of the drive but boy was I wrong.  While he still was not amused by the typical craft store items he was like a kid in a candy store when it came to all the unique decor sections.  He even asked as we were leaving if Id let him know the next time I was heading to a Hobby Lobby!

Overall I have to say Hobby Lobby met my expectations and surpassed them.  My little detour turned into just the fun I needed on a rainy summer day.  I will definitely be heading back in the near future.  I'm thinking a pre-Halloween trip will be a necessity after seeing their adorable Halloween displays.  Halloween happens to be my second favorite holiday, running a close second to Christmas, and Hobby Lobby has plenty of unique items for both.

         

If you have a Hobby Lobby in your area (or are willing to go a little out of your way for a good craft store) dont forget to download their SmartPhone App.  The app provides coupons and the more you save the more crafts you can get! So whats your favorite part of Hobby Lobby, or is there another craft store you think out shines the others?

Marshall's Farm Market

This past weekend I had the pleasure of selling some of my crafts at a yard sale in East Stroudsburg, PA.  Even though it was incredibly hot, the time flew by and I met some very interesting people.  I had so much fun at the PA sale that I can't wait for my next one in the Catskills this weekend.  Anyway, after a long weekend my family and I began our trip back from PA to NYC.  The traffic on I-80 was bumper to bumper so we decided to take Route 46.  It has been years since we have taken this back route home and we were pleasantly surprised when we came across Marshall's Farm Market.  

There is something special about out fashion farm markets and stands, a magic that is lost in the big city.  We pulled over at first to take a look at some of the beautiful wood yard decorations and furniture but once we saw the wide selection of fresh produce, we had to explore further.  The fresh harvest colors welcome guests to the farm stand.  Everything was ripe and it is clear that these farmers know their produce.  While the outside is  quaint the smell of just picked fruits, vegetables, and herb mixed with the homemade pies and baked goods draw you into the traditional market.

Inside the market, customers are taken back to a time when homemade, made by hand was valued.  The wood floors, shelves and barrels at a cozy feel.  It is easy to forget that you are so close to a modern interstate filled with trucks delivering mass produced goods.  If even for just a moment it is nice to feel a connection with your roots.  I loved the large selection of canned goods dips, jams, jellies, vegetables etc.  Not only was there a nice selection but there was a table filled with free samples, encouraging guests to be a little adventurous.

While exploring the store I came across a few shelves filled with items from the Irondale "Whistle Stop" Cafe.  For those of you that are unfamiliar, this cafe inspired a book which later was translated in the movie "Fried Green Tomatoes."  This movie about friendship and the families we make has been a favorite of mine since I was a teenager.  I thrilled to see that I could now take home the Whistle Stop's famous fried green tomato recipe and taste the signature dish.  I grabbed a box right away and headed back out for tomatoes (buying green tomatoes from my local supermarket just wasn't going to cut it if I wanted that true country taste).  My family had never had green tomatoes before and we had no idea how to pick them.  After debating back and forth for a while one of the employees explained to us what we were looking for a why.  (For those who are as clueless as I was: firm with an even green color- no spotting of white or pink because this means they are beginning to ripe and the colors represent growing sugars in the tomatoes.  Green tomatoes are not suppose to be sweet).

In case you bought as much as we did and needed some help carrying all of our farm market treats home there is a lovely room to the side filled with baskets of all shapes and sizes.  Along with the baskets is a selection of some other country favorites (soaps etc).  And don't forget before you leave to wave goodbye to the adorable puppy that "guards" the back door.  While I was not happy about the traffic on I-80 and the resulting added time to my travel time home, I am happy that I found this family owned farm market.  If you are ever in the area, stop by and get yourself a taste of the country. And yes, we made the fried green tomatoes last night and they were perfect, every bit as delicious as the book/movie says they are :)

For more information about the Marshall's Farm Market visit their website at:

http://marshallsfarmmarket.com/

A Single Thread: Book Review

I think I have made it pretty clear that I have a passion for crafts.  I am also a reading/writing addict. I have always found a connection between the creativity required for crafting object with your hands and the creativity required for crafting a story with your mind.  It is because of this connection that I cant help but to be drawn to reading books that bring these two creative worlds together.  When A Single Thread by Marie Bostwick popped up on my recommended books list I just had to read it.  

A Single Thread takes place in a lovable old fashioned New England town.  The reader is given a pass into this tight knit community and asked to come along for the emotional ups and downs of four special women.  The main character, Evelyn Dixon, finds that the cure for her heart ache may be to finally follow her dream of opening a quilt shop.  Her first big event at Cobbled Court Quilting, a Breast Cancer Awareness Quilting Day, establishes a connection with three strangers, soon turned family. It is through tragedy and challenge that these women learn together to grow and conquer.    

While A Single Thread is set in a quaint town, has a cast of likable characters, and a plot that will have you routing for these incredible women, it is so much more.  Bostwick was able to put into words so much of what I love about crafting.  She highlighted the tradition, the sense of community, and the love and care that is behind every handmade treasure.  It is a great read for anyone interested in reading about how friendship, love, and community help us through the obstacles in life (not to forget the quilting aspect which makes it a great read for my crafty side).  Oh and did I mention the best part?  This is just the first book in a series so we have the chance to follow the characters we have grown to love through a few more books.  I cant wait to get book two.

Aside from being an inspiring read A Simple Thread has renewed a dream of mine from many years ago.  As a little girl I received a Furby as a birthday gift and I absolutely treasured it.  I treated the adorable electric toy as if it was a real pet.  Of course every pet needs a bed of its own, right?  Well my nine year old self was determined to create the best bed ever for my Furby.  While some of my friend's parents had purchased doll beds etc for their Furby counterparts, we were going through a bit of a rough patch and ordering a doll bed was out of the question.  My grandmother had the perfect solution for our dilemma; Furby could sleep in her box and we would make her a pillow and quilt to keep her warm.  

We went through the closet and found a few pieces of clothing my baby sister had outgrown.  Carefully we cut the material for the pillow and my grandmother began to teach me to sew the seam by hand.  We even make a ruffle to make the pillow look more like a decorative sham.  Next we cut a bunch of little squares and she showed me how to join them together in a pretty quilt.  We used the scraps from cutting our squares to stuff the pillow and a larger piece of a shirt to make a back for the quilt.  

When we were all done with Furby's set I knew it was better than any of my friend's Furby bedrooms.  I might not have had a canopy or a bed with drawers but I had something better.  I was able to reuse something, and with my own two hands (and a lot of help from Grandma's) make a quilt that was all my own.  Even the mistakes were special because I was able to see how far I'd come and how much I learned about sewing by hand.  Sixteen years later though the reason I remember that quilt was not because of the Furby, but instead because of the time Grandma and I spent together working on it.  That little Furby quilt was not very big but it was special and I dreamed of  one day making a quilt of my own.  One that would represent little pieces of important moments in my life and one big enough to wrap myself in.  I know now that hand stitching a full sized quilt is no where near as easy as Furby's so I forgot about my dream for a long time.  This book has reminded me of how special the quilting experience can be and I am once again determined to make a hand stitched quilt.  It might take me a while with the holiday season (AKA crafting crazy season) so close but look forward to some quilting experimentation in the near future :)