A full mailbox inspite of the strike

After all the bad things we've been thinking about Canada Post this past week while we waited for deliveries that we were sure would never arrive (due to the on-going strike), today we're happy to announce the arrival of not one but TWO long-awaited items!! (Isn't that always the way.....either feast or famine!!)

First of all we received an absolutely beautiful fabric postcard from our pal Monika Kinner-Whalen who is one of those people whose enthusiasm for life and art is infectious. She's one of the influences that got us started on these postcards in the first place!! We were so thrilled to see her postcard is one of her prairie landscapes....so distinctive in their style that you recognize her work the minute you see it. Thank you, Monika!!



Summer Road Trip Postcard by Monika Kinner-Whalen

We considered having Mr. Coco hold the card for a photo but alas, he's not nearly as photogenic as Monika's little one ....although he has been known to whine "Are we there yet?" when we travel. (Neither he nor Grandma Coco are very keen travellers.)

Monika's postcard brought back memories of the summer of 1966 when Grandma Coco was but a kid-size captive in the back of the family car travelling across Canada on a 6-week trip that was intended to be "educational" according to our mother. We remember crossing the prairies in a blur of nausea, due to the heat and lack of air conditioning. We know we shouldn't let that memory colour our impressions of the Canadian prairies and seeing Monika's postcard now, we really think we ought to have another look at the place. Maybe someday!

The second item was the Summer 2011 issue of Quilter's Connection Magazine which contains a feature written about....US!! We're the "everyday quilter" in the Show & Tell section of this issue. WooHoo! How exciting! We are (modestly) going to rave about the magazine now so skip this part if you like. You've been warned. It's beautifully laid out with lots of photos and everything is bright and fresh. Lots of patterns, and lots of news about quilting in Canada. We haven't read it through yet....we were in such a hurry just to announce it had arrived! However, we did notice that Monika has a quilt pictured in it, too. Right there on page 51, Simple Blocks = Stunning Quilts. Monika is everywhere!!

The magazine features a pencil drawing we did that we've never exhibited before. So, in honour of that milestone, we thought we'd publish it here as well. The Quilting Bee.

Copyright © Cheryl Coville 2011

If you ever get the urge to swap fabric postcards, Grandma Coco suggests you check out Post Card Cottage. We're having a lot of fun over there.