Personalized Baby Blankets

Cash James loves his new blanket. I designed the fabric for Modern Yardage so that it can be customized for any child's name. Of course, I wanted to create one for my great nephew Cash in the turquoise and a coral colored version for his cousin, my great niece Madelyn Rose.

Melissa at The Linden Tree helped me select the soft, fuzzy Cuddle fabric for the back of the blanket and sew it together in her shop. I am so grateful to have her help to bring these fun sewing projects to life.   They offer sewing classes to help you sew, too.

Do you know a child who would love a blanket with their name on it?  All you do is submit the name with your order at Modern Yardage and it will be placed in the blanket pattern. It is available in two different print scales, too. The scale shown here is large.
To order the turquoise fabric click here
To order the coral colored fabric click here.

Great River Road Wrap Up

This is the best looking catfish I've ever seen along the Mississippi. It's home is at Abode Gallery in Stockholm, Wisconsin. They are more than a gallery and to appreciate what they do, check out their website here.  I eagerly dropped off my card catalog with them and am excited to say they have ordered my cards! I am grateful to be in such a wonderful venue.  Here's a few more pics of the gallery.  I did not get to spend enough time in Stockholm and need to go back.

The General Store next to Abode was stocked with great Wisconsin made foods and  gift item. Love the sign.

Onward south to Pepin and the Villa Bellezza Winery. More info here. It's right on why 35 so you can't miss this Italian architecture stunner.  I went into the wine tasting room and sampled 3 different wines expertly described by the hostess. There was an event going on so the other buildings weren't open to explore, but it was a beautiful day to enjoy viewing the vineyard.  

I stopped for lunch at Nelson Cheese Factory and found that delightful as well. It's also right on the Great River Road, highway 35, so you can't miss it. Info here.  It's a market, lunch place, wine room, ice cream shop and has indoor and outdoor seating. It was sunny and near 70 so outside dining was perfect. Again, you must stop here! The food and atmosphere are terrific.

It was after 2:00 when I left and I still had a couple more stops to make. I crossed back over the Mississippi River to get to Winona, Minnesota to stop at the Minnesota Marine Art Museum, recommended by my good friend, Marlene. It is located right along the Mississippi in a beautiful building and held marine art collections. The Hudson River School paintings were spectacular. I'd only read about them in Art History classes. I also got to view the new Ansel Adams Exhibit with his stunning black and white photography.  More info here.

Winona was beautiful with its rolling hills of color. I continued traveling south to Prairie Du Chien, Wisconsin and cut over to the Iowa side at McGregor and down towards Guttenberg where I ran out of daylight before making it to my parent's home. Nature really put on a show this Fall and I'm glad I got to witness it and visit some great towns and shops along the way.  

Plan your own Great River Road trip here.

Visit to Cultural Cloth

Wow! What a pleasant surprise stop this was. While on my trip down the Great River Road, I stopped at the Cultural Cloth store in Maiden Rock, Wisconsin. Founder Mary Anne Wise purchases textiles, accessories, rugs and woven goods from women in developing countries to economically empower them.  I love that idea and I love the array of pattern, color and texture on the goods the artists create.

Cultural Cloth located right on 35 so you can't miss it!

I really liked seeing photos of the women artists.

Please stop by to visit this shop and keep in touch with them thru their Facebook page. I am so glad I stopped in to see this shop and learn about the wonderful work they do. I bought the loveliest scarf while there to remind me of this special place. Mary let me take pictures of various patterns and textures in the shop to share with you. Enjoy!

Friends of Freedom Park

What a beautiful Fall day to enjoy the color and start of the Great River Road running from Prescott, Wisconsin along the Mississippi River!  The gift shop has been buying my cards for a few years and I always wanted to stop in to visit. 

My cards greeted me just inside the gift shop door. The Gift Shop Manager was away on business, but  I met Jessica Bierbrauer, the Executive Director, who shared additional materials about the Great River Road. The building serves as an educational facility with hands on exhibits, and has panoramic views of the Mississippi River. I wish I had more time to check out all it had to offer but I had a long road ahead of me that day.

I LOVE this rock machine that dispenses gems instead of bubble gum!

There is a sculpture created out of trash collected from the Mississippi River. This reminds us all of our responsibility to be conscious environmental stewards of our natural resources.  

For more information on the Great River Road Visitor & Learning Center, click here.