Where does one begin except with the sad note that NO CAMERAS were allowed! So I will just have to tell you all about it. Okay, I have to add pictures, because I can't stand to not have pictures on my blog, they just won't be my pictures.
First off I decided not to wear a quilt but a plum colored silk top, I thought the quilt would add more than 10 pounds on camera :)
I walked into the party to find a camera right in my face that looked me over head to toe, boy that was awkward. On my left was a wild guy hosting the bar called
the Margarita King from San Francisco. He was making mojitos, margaritas, and some pomegranate mixed drink. Evidently this guy does the bar for events like the Grammy’s, he was really fun. After getting a mojito, I walked through the room. There was a very nice jazz band playing in the corner. In the kitchen I find none other than
RICK BAYLESS with his full staff preparing the appetizers.
He just won the
James Beard award for the best restaurant in the country on Monday, and here he is at this party.
The cameras were everywhere and usually about 9 inches from your face. It was a little uncomfortable to say the least. How can anyone eat all those yummy things, (ceviche, goat empanadas, little hot chocolates with tequila and a churro on top) constantly going buy on trays with cameras every where you look. It was hard enough drinking the mojito and making sure a big chunk of mint leaf was not stuck between my front teeth.
When
Oprah came in she looked just as beautiful as she does on tv. She came by and said hello and shook hands with everyone. Where did all those words go that were on the tip of my tongue just moments before? After a while she went up to the microphone to talk and said a few words about neighbors and community and good friends. And then she said she brought a good friend-
Michael Buble! 
(who had just spent the last hour and a half hiding upstairs in the bathroom) He sang four or five songs about three feet away from me. I wanted to back up but I was cornered with the piano player a couch and a tree right behind me. Oprah and several of my cute, thin, young, single neighbors danced away to Michaels crooning.
Mel, I wish you could have been there, you would have loved it!
After Oprah left and the cameras started to turn off, I made it to the kitchen to try some of the yummilicious appetizers and treats and got a chance to chat with Rick Bayless. He is so down to earth, a nicer guy could not have won that big award. It is so funny cause Juan (my husband) just met him on a trip to Dallas at a restaurant event and brought back an autographed cookbook for me last month.
As we got ready to go we were told that we would get a call from the studio and that we were to come over at 7 am next Thursday morning for the live taping of the show. Eek! All that footage really is going to be broadcast for the world too see.
We all left with a big gift, just like when you go on the show. Inside it was a trifle dish filled with, a Michael Buble CD, Frontera grill salsa and chips, and the Margarita king’s margarita mix and cocktail shaker.
I hope I don’t look like a big dork on tv, it feels so unnatural to have that many cameras watching your every move. But it was a lot of fun!
back detail. pretty on both sides ^_^
Wow, I have been nominated by Sandy from the blog Garden Path to be the recipient of the thinking blogger award. I am so honored. She has a beautiful blog, if you have never seen it you should visit. She is a nature lover from the state of Maine. She takes the most gorgeous photos and often writes haiku's to go with them.
Finally done, binding sewn down, sleeve sewn on and label attached! 
I sewed wide yellow ric-rac into the faced binding. I think it adds that little festive touch and will help it to show up against the black drapes in shows like IQF Houston.
Sunday was the Chicago School of Fusing May birthday party, hosted by chef and artiste Melody and her husband Dave.
that wiped these two gals out before we even got to eating lunch.
Here is Emily with the ever present needles in hand. This is how she gets so much knitting accomplished, she knits ALL the time. 
This is Emily's beautiful sock yarn that she sells in her Etsy shop.
Mel made all the birthday girls a pair of socks.
Emily made every one totes, you can never have too many! This is Anne packing her tote.
This adorable brown one is for me. I am not a May birthday, but it is sort of turning into an everyones birthday party.
This morning was the taping of the show. It aired live in Chicago so I have not seen the show yet. I will have to wait until 11 pm tonight to see it. During the taping they showed the previously recorded footage of the party and the landscaped balconies on a big screen, so I did see that.
Oprah and I are like best friends now, not, lol. It was clear actual communication was not an option.
Here's what I came home with. Another gift package like we got at the party so I can make more mojitos. And a gardening bag from Smith and Hawkins which I think will make an awesome KNITTING bag with all those pockets. Inside was a book from that cute Aussie gardening guy, sun hat and gloves, a gift card for gardening tools, seeds and a Lowes gift card for I think $150.
I walked into the party to find a camera right in my face that looked me over head to toe, boy that was awkward. On my left was a wild guy hosting the bar called the Margarita King from San Francisco. He was making mojitos, margaritas, and some pomegranate mixed drink. Evidently this guy does the bar for events like the Grammy’s, he was really fun. After getting a mojito, I walked through the room. There was a very nice jazz band playing in the corner. In the kitchen I find none other than RICK BAYLESS with his full staff preparing the appetizers. 
He just won the James Beard award for the best restaurant in the country on Monday, and here he is at this party. 
When Oprah came in she looked just as beautiful as she does on tv. She came by and said hello and shook hands with everyone. Where did all those words go that were on the tip of my tongue just moments before? After a while she went up to the microphone to talk and said a few words about neighbors and community and good friends. And then she said she brought a good friend- Michael Buble! 
(who had just spent the last hour and a half hiding upstairs in the bathroom) He sang four or five songs about three feet away from me. I wanted to back up but I was cornered with the piano player a couch and a tree right behind me. Oprah and several of my cute, thin, young, single neighbors danced away to Michaels crooning. Mel, I wish you could have been there, you would have loved it!
As we got ready to go we were told that we would get a call from the studio and that we were to come over at 7 am next Thursday morning for the live taping of the show. Eek! All that footage really is going to be broadcast for the world too see.
Easter weekend, some people from Oprah’s studios across the street stopped me in my lobby. They said that Oprah wanted to meet her neighbors and that it would be featured on the following Thursdays show. They interviewed several people in our building, including me, and walked through our units with cameras filming. Our place is a working studio that two adults and two children that are homeschooled happen to live in. There is no living room just a big open space filled with large tables, sewing machines, computer equipment, file cabinets and art supplies. There are projects of all kinds everywhere. We were not chosen to be on the show, much to my relief. I was not up for the cleaning that would be involved in having the rest of the world see our place. 
The other day Dick Blick had a whole display of linoleum blocks and rubber carving blocks. So I had to buy a few of each to play with. I thought I should start easy and carve the softer material first. What the package says is true "cuts like butter", it is so easy to carve, but I am not sure it would hold up to much abuse since it is so soft. Time will tell. Very fun though.
My sister Deb went home yesterday, after three weeks. It was a very therapeutic visit because we mourned for our Dads passing, made art, shopped for cool new art supplies, went to the Art Institute and hit some good restaurants. 
This was the scene from our windows yesterday afternoon. More than 150,000 people marched past for more than one and a half hours, chanting, carrying flags, banners, playing drums and sometimes a few jazzy horns.
