When I check my emails everyday, the first thing I look for aside from any Facebook notifications, are recipes.  Although, I’m not a seasoned cook, I love to watch the cooking shows, get cooking magazines and search online for new things to try.  One of the emails I recieve comes from MyRecipes.com.  The recipe I’m sharing with you today is from the email I got from them this morning.  They are doing this Cookie Countdown, where everyday until Christmas you get a recipe for a new cookie.  This one is the Hello Dolly Cookie .  Just click on the image to be directed to site for the recipe and nutrition facts!

Do you have a recipe you’d like to share with us? Please email me at nichole@stitchinheaven.com .  Thanks, Connie Cook for giving us your recipe for Banana Bread!  Her recipe is only 152 calories and sounds scrumptious!  So, that you aren’t scrolling through all the comments to find it, here is her recipe:

BANANA NUT BREAD

Mix in a bowl
3 Ripe bananas, well-mashed 2 eggs, beaten until light

Sift together
2 Cups flour ¾ Cup sugar
1 Teaspoon salt 1 Teaspoon baking soda
2 Tablespoons melted butter, optional ½ Cup nutmeats

Add the flour mixture to the bananas and eggs and stir well. Add to the bread mixture ½ Cup nutmeats, chopped

Stir well. Put in a buttered loaf pan 9 by 5 inches.

Bake 50 to 60 minutes at 350°F.until the bread pulls away from the pan sides and it is golden brown.

To vary:
Add also ½ Cup raisins for Banana Nut Raisin Bread

I’m just loving these weekly questions. Did you all happen to notice the abundance of Bonnie Hunter fans?  They really came through for her, huh!? Although, with 138 comments (how AWESOME) and the majority being for her, our winner this week chose Judy Niemeyer as her favorite designer.  It is so hard to chose just one, isn’t it?  Some mentioned a couple!  Well, lets all give a hearty Congratulations to our winner for this week:

Marsha Warren

Congratulations, Marsha!

You ready for this week’s Quilty Question?

Here ya go:  Describe in ONE word what quilting means to you.

Hope you all have a wonderful week! Please don’t be shy and stop by to say”hi!” often and don’t forget to leave your answer for this week’s Quilty Question for your chance to win a $25 Stitchin’ Heaven Gift Card, just like Marsha!  Also, we just had our after market party at the store on Saturday, so this week all the cool finds will be on the Hotflash! which is our weekly newsletter, so if you aren’t already signed up…what are you waiting for?! As, always, if you need anything you can call or email me nichole@stitchinheaven.com .

We just can’t help ourselves over here!  Like we really need another reason to post and talk to you, Deb’s was like “Let’s post recipes each week.”.  Well, why not, right?!  So, why not start today. Deb emailed me a recipe for the World’s Greatest Banana Bread to share with you. Ya know, and since it is coming to be the Holiday season, why not give some inspiration. Here’s the recipe:

(please note: the image is not the actual image, I took it off of Google, but I needed one for dramatic effect & to seduce your senses!!)

World’s Greatest Banana Bread

2 cups of flour

1 teaspoon Baking Soda

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups shortening (Crisco)

3 over ripe bananas (the kind you would throw away!)

2 eggs

Topping (1/3 cup sugar plus 3 teaspoons of cinnamon)

5 tablespoons milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two loaf pans.

Combine flour and sugar, then add all other ingredients except topping items and mix together. Pour batter into the pans and smooth tops. Bake for 10 minutes.

Sprinkle cinnamon sugar mixture over top of bread. Bake for 35 more minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

If any of you make this recipe, please let us know how it turned out. Got an even better recipe? Let us know!  Or if you have a  recipe definatley worth sharing, please email them to me at nichole@stitchinheaven.com . I’ll fit them in! We love pictures, too, so if you have an image to accompany your recipe, do send.

Fun, right? On behalf of us all….We always LOVE hearing from you and Thank You!! XOXO

It’s a new week, sorry I’m a day late, but I have our winner for last week’s Quilty Question!

Congratulations, Gretchen!

Gretchen is our random winner for our weekly Quilty Question!

I’ve really been enjoying getting to know you all through these questions.  They’re quite inspiring, humorous and informative.   Thank you all!

This week’s Quilty Question is: Who is your absolute favorite quilt designer?

This is kind of a tough one. I know for me it is.  I can name a few, although, I think I can narrow it down to my favorite.  How about you? Please leave a comment, I’m anxious to hear what you have to answer with.  Oh, and of course, you must comment for your chance to win our weekly $25 Stitchin’ Heaven Gift Card!

Hope you are all having a wonderful week so far!

This month, I’m off to San Francisco, California and off  to a late travel start.  I decided to stay a little longer with my favorite quilt shop friends at Stitchin’ Heaven.  That’s ok, though, they are always fun and always have something going on.  I watched at the shop the whole Monster Mash Mystery. A lot of fun, especially that the class was decorated and the students were all dressed up! 

I’m really looking forward to my trip to CA, not only for the beautiful valleys, but the awesome quilt shops!  I plan on visiting Britex which is 4 floors of wall to wall fabric, it’s right off of Union Square in the middle of all the action and with gorgeous fabrics of all textures. It’s also a couple blocks up Stockton from Powell BART/Muni station, the cable car lines & Market St. buses. Tha cable cars are awesome.  You just can’t go to San Fran and not hitch a ride on one of those, it’s the San Francisco treat..No, wait….that’s Rice A Roni! LOL   The Stitch Lounge is also a good one, that I have every intention of stopping by to see.  I hear they have some pretty new and inventive things going on as far a the fashionable ambitious.  Ooh, if any of you live in the area or are going to be in the area, I’d love for you to take a pic from a destination spot or landmark, send it to me and I’ll give ya a suprise. Fun, right?

I’m sure there are a million and twenty things for me to do and see and get into trouble with, so we’ll just have to see.  The project I chose for this month comes from the book Quilter’s Get Organized , I actually found this book laying around Stitchin’ Heaven right before we were headed to Market.  I found so many great organizational ideas using fabric, including a tote bag!!  Your project is the Trendy Tote Bag (so suitable for us, I know!) and we’re using Moda’s Nouveau fabrics. I just love this line, great fall colors and very “hip”.  It’s a really nice travel bag too.  Good for projects, clothes & shopping.  In between sewing time you can read the new Quilt Sampler Fall/Winter magazine included with your project this month. 

Well, I’m off to have an amazing lunch at The Cliff House : Set in the historic cliff house, high above the waves of Ocean Beach, Sutro’s at the Cliff House is a casually elegant dining spot where patrons enjoy spectacular ocean views with their fantastic fare. The menu at this critically acclaimed restaurant offers locally caught seafood and creative preparations of American cuisine. Headed by Chef George Morrone, the first Bay Area chef to ever receive four stars from the San Francisco Chronicle at two different restaurants, this San Francisco seafood restaurant is not to be missed.  Sounds yummy, right? 

Talk to you soon and please let me know what you’re up to! How are you going to use your Trendy Tote Bag?

Toodles ~ Perse

Woo hoo! Saturday was so much fun with the Monster Mash Mystery. Thanks to all of you who particpated, shared and commented! It was a lot of fun! 

Congratulations to:

Jane Waddel - Grand Prize Winner

Winners for the scavenger  & decoration hunt:

Julie Westbroek

Sharn Knarr

Joyce Michael

Shown are the prizes the winners won. The wallhanging is part of the Grand Prize and the bags of goodies are for the hunt winners! Thanks, again girls and to all who participated. Happy Birthday, again to Portia’s mom!

Week 2 Quilty Question Winner for the Stitchin’ Heaven Gift Card:   Pam Biswas

Congratulations, Pam!

For those who are just joining us, each week we will post a quilting related question and ask you to post your answer as a comment to be entered in our random drawing on Monday’s for a $25 Stitchin’ Heaven Gift Card! So, you have from Monday to Sunday each week to post your answer.

Quilty Question for the week of Monday Nov. 2 -11th is :  What sewing/quilting notion can you NOT live without?

It’s been busy around here with all the new stuff coming in from Market. Be sure that you are signed up for Hotflashes! Trish has a bunch to feature this week including Girl Scouts fabric!  The Holiday season is official, the stores are all ready with Christmas trees and decorations and “To Do” lists are growing by the minute. At least for me they are! We have a ton of great gift ideas and will be featuring them until Christmas.  So, be sure to check in with us first (wink)!

Thanks, again for always making my job fun! I love you guys/gals!

Wow! I had so much fun, today! You guys are the best! I got your images all day long, I loved how you all participated in the group and then for the final challenge, you guys did it! Look out Monday, I will be posting names of our winners along with pics of your prizes. You won’t actually know what you get until Monday, shoot, I’m not really sure yet, what you’ll get…I’m gonna grab some goodies from around the store for ya!

Please congratulate Jane W. as our Grand Prize winner chosen randomly for participating with us all day and to all our other winners.

I can’t believe the event it over already!  If you continue to sew and finish your quilt top, please go ahead and submit it to the Flickr Group!

Had soooo much fun!  Thank you, thank you, thank you!

And HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

]]> http://blogs.stitchinheaven.com/blog/?feed=rss2&p=1911 6 http://blogs.stitchinheaven.com/blog/?p=1904 http://blogs.stitchinheaven.com/blog/?p=1904#comments Sat, 31 Oct 2009 20:26:01 +0000 Niki http://blogs.stitchinheaven.com/blog/?p=1904 Alrighty Girls! Ready?  Mission Monster Mash: Find a carved pumpkin and take your pic with it…Be creative, you just have to find a carved pumpkin. It can be a picture with you holding it or a picture of you in front of your monitor with a pumpkin on it….Then send it in to the Flickr [...]]]>

Alrighty Girls! Ready?  Mission Monster Mash: Find a carved pumpkin and take your pic with it…Be creative, you just have to find a carved pumpkin. It can be a picture with you holding it or a picture of you in front of your monitor with a pumpkin on it….Then send it in to the Flickr Group. All who post by 3:45p Central (that gives you about 20 minutes) will get a nifty prize! How’s that sound!?

Ready?……Set?……..GO!!!!!!!

Congratulations! You’ve made it! It’s been a wonderful day, and we’re almost done.  It’s just a little sad, even. But, we must push forward!

This is the final step! Step #6

First things, first … the winner of our drawing was Jane W! Congratulations!

Now, on to something special for everyone…

FREE SHIPPING!
That’s right, all those items that you dropped into your cart today (at great savings!) will be shipped to you FREE! Of course, this is only inside the contiguous United States, but if you require international shipping, don’t fear, we’ll reduce the cost so you can enjoy this saving, too.

Now, the painful Good-bye.

Thanks for participating in our Monster Mash Mystery! This is our last formal post, and we’ll leave you to work on your own after this.  It’s been a long day, and I’m sure many of you need an afternoon break.  Don’t worry, we’ll be around here for another hour, or so, just in case you have any questions or problems we can help you with.

I’ve had a wonderful day, and I hope you will join me again sometime for another online mystery. Till then, if you need anything, or have any questions, please feel free to contact us.  Our normal hours are Monday-Saturday (Friday online) 10am-5pm Central Time. You can contact us at 800-841-3901 or drop an email to info@stitchinheaven.com.

Feedback, please!
I could use a favor!  Please e-mail me at nichole@stitchinheaven.com, and let me know what you thought of our Monster Mash Mystery. Did you enjoy it? Do you have changes, or suggestions? I want to hear your feedback.

‘Till next time, may your days be pieceful.

Happy Halloween!

We’ve come accross a little discrepency! The ladies in the class are a little further ahead and helped bring this to our attention. SKIP STEP 4! Ignore how it says to assemble and go to step 5 and attach them as it appears on #5. Here’s an image from one of the class members on how it should be assembled! Sorry for the confusion! You guys did say “trick” right? LOL

We’re so glad you’ve stuck with us, and we certainly hope you’re having a Spook-tacular time!

Here’s your next clue … Step 5!

$10.00 Off your Monster Mash Mystery Quilt Backing fabric!
*This quilt is 82″ square when finished, and you’ll need approximately 7 1/2 yards of fabric to back the quilt.

Go through our fabrics, and find that perfect one to back your quilt.  Add 7 1/2 yards to your cart, it’s that simple! Don’t forget to put the code MONSTERMASH in the Comments Section of your order form this evening so that we know to adjust your order.

Oh, and before I forget…
Show Off Your Progress!

Ok!  I’ve been showing you bits of my progress as we go along, so I would like to see how your quilts are coming along.  Our kits were offered in 3 different colorways, and since most of you are working from your own fabric stash, it’s gonna be really exciting to see how everyone’s quilt is turning out!

NOW, do me a favor and get out your camera one more time.  Take a picture of your progress, and post it to our Monster Mash Flickr page: http://www.flickr.com/groups/monstermashmystery/

AND, to make it a little more exciting, I’ve got something special here that one lucky (random) person will receive for posting an image.  Then, along with our final post, at 3:00pm, I will announce the winner. Good luck, everyone!

Ok, ladies and gents! We’ll see you again, one last time, at 3:00pm!

Hello again!
Here is the link for Step #3!

Special Selected Patterns – HALF PRICE!

We’ve put together a collection of great patterns just for you. There’s a great range of holiday and other patterns, including some home dec and beautiful Vintage Spool patterns! All at 50% off!

Click here to view patterns.

This time…a few jokes for the season. Hope you have a good chuckle, and a tasty lunch, too!

Chased By A Coffin

No one seems to be holding the coffin; it’s just bumping down the street behind him.

The man is scared. He’s sure it’s following him! In an effort to shake it off, her turns a corner. To his relief, the sound stops. He keeps walking but before a minute has passed, he hears the familiar sound behind him again:

BUMP! BUMP! BUMP!

He is terrified! He starts to run towards his home, but the faster he runs, the faster the coffin bounces along behind him!

Bumpity BUMP! Bumpity BUMP! Bumpity BUMP!

He pushes open his front gate, and runs up the path, fumbling for his keys. The coffin reaches the gate and effortlessly pushes it open. It’s right behind him!!!

Finally his shaking hands manage to unlock his front door. He has no time to slam it behind him; the coffin is right on his heels! He rushes up the stairs, praying the coffin cannot climb after him.

BUMP! BUMP! BUMP!

The coffin pauses at the bottom of the stairs. The man breathes a sigh of relief but …

clappity BUMP… clappity BUMP… clappity BUMP…

The coffin is now climbing the stairs behind him. He runs to the bathroom perhaps he can lock himself in there! His heart pounds and his lungs hurt with the exertion of running for his life! He has only just latched the bathroom door when …

CRASH!!!

The coffin breaks through the bathroom door!

What can he do? The coffin is nearly upon him! He reaches out for something heavy that he can throw at the coffin, and his hand comes to rest on a large bottle of cough syrup.
Desperately, he throws the cough syrup as hard as he can at the coffin and

…………..finally the coffin stops!!

A Little Help from the Coven

There lived a man who was very unhappy because he was deeply in love with a girl who didn’t know he was alive. In desperation, he visited a coven of witches who lived nearby and presented his case before them.

Touched by his tale of woe, and impressed with the young man’s appearance, manner, and bearing, they decided to help him. They worked their magic and eventually presented the young man with several small objects that looked like capsules. “Bury these under the window of your beloved under a full moon and she will love you,” they instructed.

Doubtful, the young man resolved nevertheless to do as the witches instructed. On the very next full moon, he stealthily made his way over to his beloved’s house and carefully buried the capsules in the rich loam beneath her window. Nothing happened right away, but, trusting the wisdom of the old ladies, he went home to see what the next day would bring.

The next morning, he walked hopefully over to the girl’s house and rang her doorbell. She opened the door, saw it was him, and grabbed him.   She hugged him, kissed him, and invited him in for lunch. Their courtship was short but passionate, and within a month they were happily married.

Late one night after they had been married, the young man visited the coven again. “I just want to thank you ladies for your help. My life is everything I could have desired.”

“No problem, dearie,” said one of the old ladies. “After all, nothing says lovin’ like something from the coven, and pills buried says it best.”

A Bat Story

A vampire bat came flapping in from the night covered in fresh blood and parked himself on the roof of the cave to get some sleep.

Pretty soon all the other bats smelled the blood and began hassling him about where he got it. He told them to knock it off and let him get me sleep but they persisted until finally he gave in.

“OK, follow me,” he said and flew out of the cave with hundreds of bats behind him. Down through a valley they went, across a river and into a forest full of trees.

Finally he slowed down and all the other bats excitedly milled around him.

“Now, do you see that tree over there?” he asked.

“Yes, yes, yes!” the bats all screamed in a frenzy.

“Good,” said the first bat, “Because I DIDN’T!”

Hope you got a giggle! See you again at 1:00pm!

Welcome back! Here’s the link for Step 2.

Your Mission:
Find this book in our webstore

A quilter’s must have!  Once you find it, read all about this wonderful book, and if you choose, you can order it for
Only $9!

Retail price is $19.95!
**Discount will not appear in your cart. We will make the necessary adjustments upon billing.**

Happy Hunting, and I’ll see you back here at 12:00.

You may have already gotten these, but just in case, we’re posting them again:

Here is the link to Step 1 – Cutting Instructions

Half-Price Halloween Fabrics!

Once you’re finished cutting, why not take a look through our Halloween Fabrics … they’re Half Price while supplies last!
**Please note the price listed is not Half Price. We will make the necessary adjustments upon billing.**

Your Mission

Send Pictures!
Do you have a picture of a favorite quilt? Something you made? Or just the most important people/friends/pets in your life! We want to get to know you. You can post your pictures to Flickr so everyone can join in the fun!
We’ve created a Monster Mash Flickr, and here’s the link:   http://www.flickr.com/groups/monstermashmystery/

See you again at 11:00!

Good morning, and Welcome to our Monster Mash Mystery!

I’m so glad that you decided to join us, and I look forward to spending this “virtual” day with you.  My name is Niki (that’s me dressed as a witch!), and I will be here to help out.  You can contact me at nichole@stitchinheaven.com, or write a post, and I will get back with you just as soon as I can.

The Fun: We’ve got some really fun things planned for today – other than just the sewing – and you are invited to join, but you don’t have to.  If you’ve got a digital camera, you might want to grab it, and keep it handy.  We’ve got great sales planned throughout the day that you can take advantage of, so get those shopping carts warmed up and ready!  I would suggest that you fill your cart and submit 1 order at the end of the day since you may want to take advantage of several of these sales, and this would help to keep my confusion to a minimum.  By the way, not all the sale prices will appear correctly in your cart, so, please put “MONSTERMASH” in the comments section, and we will adjust the total to reflect the correct amount before billing.  On Monday, we’ll pull the orders and do our very best to get everything out to you as swiftly as possible.

The Quilt: There are 6 Steps, and we’ll be posting the first at 10:00am, then, another pattern every hour after until the last one posts at 3:00pm this afternoon. The quilt is designed by our very own, Debby Luttrell, and is a really great size quilt at 82″ square finished.  Our first ‘clue’ will be the cutting instructions, just in case someone missed them last week, and it will be posted shortly, at 10:00am.

Now, to get us started, and everyone introduced, if you would, please post a comment, give us your name, and maybe the state where you live, and a short “Hello.”  All in all, our goal today is to get to know each other a little bit, have some fun, get some great deals, and leave this afternoon with an exciting new quilt project well on it’s way to completion. Those are BIG aspirations, but we’re sure gonna try!

Oh, yeah…Happy Halloween!