It's PUMPKIN time!!

The PUMPKINS are HERE! The PUMPKINS are HERE! The outside of the store is decorated full of pumpkins, hay bales and corn stalks. The leaves are erupting in a riot of color and there is a wonderful cool snap to the air! This is definitely my favorite time of the year and everyone at the store is excited to see the autumn come into full view.

We have our ABC Shop Hop coming up October 16th - 19th! This will be our second experience participating in a quilters shop hop and we are gearing up! The ABC Shop Hop includes 6 shops - all within 107 miles of each other. This shop hop is definitely doable in 1 day! A very LONG day - but it could be done in 1 day. We will have extended hours during the Shop Hop, as will the rest of the quilt shops.

ABC Shop Hop
OCTOBER 16 - 19, 2008

Northern Lodge (EST)
Gladstone, MI

Quilts 'n Stuff (EST)
Escanaba, MI

Quilter's Haven (CST)
Menominee, MI

Pine Street Quilts (CST)
Marinette, WI

Sew Much More (CST)
Crivitz, WI

The Quilter's Escape (CST)
Oconto Falls, WI

All Shop Hours will be:
Thursday 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM
Friday 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM
Saturday 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM
Sunday 12:00 NOON to 4:00 PM
**Please remember Time Zone Changes

All completed passports are eligible for the Big Drawings. 1st Prize is 6 - $50 Gift Certificates & $50.oo Gas Card. 2nd Prize is 6 - $25.00 Gift Certificates & $25.00 Gas Card! All stores will also have in house drawings for all the Shop Hop visitors!

For this hop we have all made your free pattern using 9 log cabin blocks and 9 stripe blocks and put them together in different patterns. This will be your free pattern from every store you visit on the Shop Hop! You will also receive other freebies in your "goodie bag", as well as yummy treats!

We also also getting close to our 2nd Delta County Gift Shop Hop! We will be having our Gift Shop Hop during the month of November and it will kick off the Shopping Season! We have extended the days to accommodate more shoppers this time, which will cover 9 days and 2 entire weekends! Stay tuned for more information and the list of shops along the trail.

I have FINALLY gotten the Jewelry Schedule made up! I am so sorry it has taken me so long to get this off the ground again - and I am excited about the new projects! October is Cancer Awareness month, and I have come up with several new projects to help promote awareness. Please download the new schedule from the website and check out the new classes. Remember that if the scheduled class time does not work for you, we have OPEN JEWELRY BAR every Tuesday Night from 6pm - 8pm! You can come in and make ANY of the classes projects on our Open night.

Well, that is all for now!

Autumn is here . . . .

Summer is winding down and autumn is slowing showing it's glorious face. Aren't we lucky to live in such a spectacular place as the Upper Peninsula of Michigan!? Perfect weather today, with more days just like it ahead. Almost time for PUMPKINS!

September has been busy with lots of foot traffic through the store, as well as on the website. Tara is now enjoying her first year down at Grand Rapids Community college and we miss her tons! Debbie has been a god send to this little store! Such a talent at putting things together and always cheerful! I don't think the smile ever leaves her face! Our newest addition to the staff is Trish Alexander - she is attending Gladstone High School. She is also very warm and friendly with a little laugh never far. Please be sure to stop in and say hello to the new girls!

The quilting classes are back in full swing from our summer break! We are offering many classes in September and October will be BUSY! We are one of 6 stores included in the ABC Shop Hop, which will be over 4 days in October. October 16, 17, 18 & 19 - 6 stores / 4 days. This shop hop is doable in 1 day if you pushed it. You wouldn't have an extraordinary amount of time in each shop - but you would certainly be able to hit them all! I am excited to be a part of this one! Each shop is putting together a free pattern for all the shop hoppers, which will include 18 blocks - 9 log cabin blocks and 9 5 stripe blocks. This is the VERY FIRST project I have personally sewn - and I must say that I am quite proud of myself for getting it done! I hope you like it. I am interested in seeing all the patterns that the shops come up with - and YES! I did have fun putting it together. I hope you all come out for the ABC (Annual Border Crossing) Shop Hop! Why ABC? Because there are 3 shops in Michigan and 3 shops in Wisconsin. There is 117 miles between the two farthest points - Gladstone and Oconto Falls. Grab a car load of girls and get ready for Fun Fun FUN!

CONGRATULATIONS to our top three winners from our Gift Shop Hop!
Grand Prize = Jean Spodeck ($325.00 in gift certificates and gas)
1st Prize = Ann Christianson ($215.00 in gift certificates and gas)
2nd Prize = Tom Brown ($120.00 in gift certificates and gas)

We will also be involved in the 2nd Delta County Gift Shop Hop in November! We had a very successful first Shop Hop with the area Gift Shops! We had tons of fun and lots of traffic through the store! Boy did we go through the cookies! We are adding a couple more stores this time around and extending it from just one weekend to a full 9 DAYS! We want to make sure that all the hoppers have ample time to get to all the shops and to allow time to shop once you get there. We will of course be having LOTS of fun!

Be sure to pick up a sheet of coupons for the month of October! We will not be giving them out after October 1st - so make sure you get yours before the month starts!

I am trying to get together a schedule for the jewelry classes, but there just doesn't seem like there is enough time. I am still doing the Open Jewelry Bar night every Tuesday between 6pm - 8pm. Pretty much anything goes at open Jewelry night. Feel free to bring in drinks and eats if you would like. Keep checking the jewelry schedule to see if I can actually get something together! I have a whole bunch of ideas brewing.

That's all for now!

May Days

Today is May 1st - the first day of our 10 day Shop Hop! Welcome QUILTERS!

This is our first year with the Shop Hop and we are very excited! Our shop is small, but we have a lot of fun. We hope everyone comes in to join the Shop the Top-Hop! There are 11 quilt shops in the Upper Peninsula and Wisconsin who participate in our shop hop. For a list of all the shops, please stop by the store or send us an email.

This is how the shop hop works. You purchase a "Passport" at any of the participating shops for $5. You receive a "goodie bag" at that stop and at each shop you visit after that. Your "goodie bag" includes 1 free fat quarter and a free table runner pattern. It will include other items as well, which will vary from shop to shop. Each shop will have a drawing for an in house prize which you will be entered for when you get your Passport stamped. If you make it to all 11 shops in the 10 days alotted, you will be entered for the Grand Prize drawing, which is a $50 Gift Certificate from each and every shop! That's $550 of shopping spree! WOW! What a prize!

On May 10th, we will be having our Mother's Day Celebration! at the store. It is the last day of the Shop Hop as well. We are expecting an extremely BUSY day! We will be giving away tea light candles to the first 50 people through the door, lots of sales and a huge amount of fun! We will be doing Mother/Daughter jewelry sessions all day long. Grab an empty seat and make a great gift for Mom! We will also be doing a meet and greet with two of our area artists! Chrissy Wilbee will be here with the Boh Bon Soap Company to fill you in on what she has been up to, and we will be featuring Jenner Levely and the Flat Rock Candle Company! Jenner will be introducing her new spring scents to us! She has not been at any of the Spring Craft Shows, so we are extremely excited to be one of the first to smell her new fragrances.

So much happening - so much to do. Have to run and get ready! Hope to see you soon!


Pam Cavadeas

April Showers . . . .

Well April hasn't been IDEAL to say the very least. Today is the 11th, and we are again under a Winter Storm warning. When will it end? We have come up with a quick way to help with the blues in the meantime! We are having our very first CUT-UP SALE!

All of our pre-cut fabric will be on sale for 20% off!

No quantity limits or restrictions apply to this sale

(other than we would love for you to buy LOTS!)

Refreshments and prize drawings for free punches on your Quilters Club cards and also a fantastic Door Prize! Be sure to come on down to the Lodge for the CUT-UP SALE this

Saturday - April 12th!

Well, that's all for now! See you Saturday!

Pam

March Madness!

Hello and welcome back to the Northern Lodge!

The Month of March will be a busy one for us, as we have many things planned for our customers. We have 3 really great quilt classes happening! The Table Runner of the Month, the Thread Bag and the adorable Wall Hanging - "The Watering Can Series". Stop in to see the samples. We have some kits pre-cut and ready to go - so get in quick to pick up your kit before they are gone!

We are also making plans and will be included in the Upper Peninsula Shop Hop this year. I believe word just came that we will be doing a table runner of our own design - not the mystery quilt that we thought it might be (mystery quilt will be the project for next year!). Be sure to get your passports and get ready to start hopping! We do have a hotel deal for anyone who might be interested in staying in the Escanaba Area! The Terrace Bay in will give anyone associated with the Shop Hop a 10% discount on their rooms! Go to www.terracebay.com for information about the hotel and all it has to offer.

March will see us making our very first Rosary at the Jewelry Bar! This is something that we have never tried, but have gotten many requests for. We will have various beads and findings to choose from and we are very excited about this! Call ahead to reserve your seat and let us know if you would like a specific bead to ensure we have enough on hand. Pink Rose Quartz means Unconditional Love, Amethyst power is healing for addictions, etc. . . These classes are going to be held on Tues - March 11th at 6pm and again on Thurs - March 13th at 2pm. We have the capacity for 9 people at the bar. See our website to download the class schedule.

We hope to see everyone out and about as Spring Fever hits the North! We also have something very special in the works for Mothers Day! It will be a wonderful celebration and a much needed fun transition into Spring!

IN HOUSE SALES THIS MONTH -

All Wildlife Wall Prints - 15% off, all remaining hand knit sweaters - 20% off. Come in for a Yooper gift basket and mention you read our blog online and receive 10% off!

Hope to see you soon!

LOVE OF QUILTING SALE!

In honor of Valentines Day and to Celebrate the Month of February, we are having our
14 Days Sale - the LOVE OF QUILTING SALE!

For the first 7 days we will feature one item in our quilt shop on sale. For the second
7 days, we will hold a drawing for a different prize each day! It's our way of telling you
how much we appreciate you, our customers and your LOVE OF QUILTING.

7 Days of Drawings!

A Different Item Each Day!

Spool of Thread, Pack of Needles, Sewer’s Aid
12 1/2” Ruler
Holly Lane and Gather “Round Patterns
Gingher Scissors
Happy Hour Book
Shangri La Jelly Roll
24” x 35” Cutting mat ($50 Value!)

Come on in out of the cold and help us to celebrate February.

January Freeze

Well - we are currently in a January freeze and the store is a bit on the chilly side.

We are having our classes as posted, but you might want to call just in case, as the furnace is having a hard time keeping up.

We will be a part of the UP Shop Hop this year! We are really excited to have been invited to be a part of this, as we have had such an unbelievable response to the Quilt Shop! Fay is doing an excellent job as our quilting instructor, and everyone is having a wonderful time.

We are currently promoting our "Table Runner of the Month" club. You can purchase all 12 patterns, with a charm pack and large project bag for $35, or you can purchase the patterns separately as you go. All classes will be $10 plus your materials. We have some really fun runners in store for the months to come - so please stop in to see the samples.

Don't forget your punch cards when you come in! This is a great time to quilt - quilt - quilt!

The Jewelry Bar is now in full swing. We have had 2 birthday parties for girls, with the girls each getting to make 2 projects. We all had a lot of fun. The kids blow me away with some of the beautiful things they come up with. Jewelry design really has no age limits and it is so fun to be able to wear your creations and show them off!

Check out the Class Schedule for the Jewelry Bar and consider taking a class. All the projects are geared toward a beginning level, as I like very simple jewelry design. It is really fun to sit and gab with the "girls" for a couple of hours and then come out with a great piece of jewelry! All supplies and tools are supplied, so you do not need to bring anything with you - only an open mind and a fun attitude!

Are you planning a wedding in the future? Have you ever thought about making the jewelry for your wedding? Get your girls together for a party and make the jewelry to compliment your dresses! How about wine charms for all the glasses? or sandals or slippers for after the ceremony? Make your own shoe clips to jazz up the bridesmaids footwear! At my own wedding (many years ago!) all the girls had different size heels, as some girls were more comfortable in heels, while others were not - but all the girls had the same color shoe with the added clip! That way they all looked very similar and everyone was comfortable in their shoes. Very happy girls they were!

Want something different to do with the girls for an evening out?? Plan an after hours party at the Jewelry Bar! Sitting fee is $10 and then you pick out the project you would like to do! Its as simple as that. Prices will vary depending on the project and materials you would like to do. Bring your own snacks and beverages and really make it a night out! Call the store for more information.

IN HOUSE SALES THIS MONTH -

All remaining Christmas and Holiday items in the store is 60% off! All sweaters are 20% as well. We need to make room for the new stock coming in - so make sure you come in and check out the wool and cotton sweaters. This is the perfect week to pick up a new wool sweater! I think I'll go and pick one out myself.

Hope to see you soon!