Arizona

  • Fabulous.

    ByHeather Bailey

    KristinAlber_Found2_470px

    Watch for my friend, Kristin Alber, in the new issue of Where Women Create. Kristin is the owner of Found, the most amazing boutique this side of the Mississippi. For this issue, Isaac photographed Kristin’s space, along with several gorgeous studios from within her same building, including an interior design studio, a graphic design firm, and a photography studio, all women-owned businesses. Kristin’s kitchen will be featured in Where Women Cook as well—she’s that fantastic. This girl can decorate. I can't leak out all of the photos, but trust me, these spaces are crazy-cool. And so is Kristin. (Here's a peek at her home.) In fact, Isaac is up at Kristin's house today, working a shoot for Gold Canyon Candles.

    If you're piecing this all together, it was at Kristin's other store, Domestic Bliss, that I held a strawberry pincushion class a while back.

    WhereWomenCreate2011Sadly, I missed Kristin's private launch party for the magazine. I went out for a weekend on the town with a gaggle of girlfriends last Friday and Saturday. Isaac had to juggle the kids, the party, and a busy Saturday on his own. I just had to juggle my overnight bag, lots of chocolate and diet coke (to stay up), and a ride to Elijah's State Band Festival the following night. It all worked out perfectly—except for missing the hoopla over at Kristin's. She does what she does so beautifully. Even a 'casual' dinner at her house is styled to the nines.

  • Fossil Creek Waterfall

    ByHeather Bailey


    HoldingHands2

    Fossil Creek Waterfall Map
    Wow, so it sounds like there's a bunch of you looking for directions to
    the Fossil Creek waterfall now.  I did a little search in order to
    provide a link, but I could only find maps of an 8 mile hike in the
    area, with no information on the waterfall or how to get to it. That
    won't do.

    Solved!  Here's a quicky-map of the 1-mile trail from the
    parking lot to the waterfall, with driving directions from Phoenix/
    Flagstaff or from Mesa/Gilbert. Click on the image of the map to download.

    Please bring a real road map too — and sunblock.  Be safe & have fun!

  • Whaa-Hoo!

    ByHeather Bailey


    FossilCreek
    FossilCreek250 Who:          The Baileys

    What:     Best idea ever

    When:    This week

    Where:   Fossil Creek

    Why:      'Cuz it's dang hot outside

    Isaac's
    sister Evie and her daughter Maggie came for a visit this week.  Beyond
    shopping, and taking Maggie's senior pictures, their must-do list
    included swimming in the Arizona heat. (Not enough warmth in Washington
    this summer.)

    We packed up the kids and headed to our favorite swimming hole, Fossil Creek, about 2 1/2 hours north. 

    What can I say?  I had a blast.

    On
    our way home, we stopped in Pine for pastries — a little ol' baker-man
    braids bread inside a funny little grocery store — another favorite
    stop.  We still don't know the name of the place; though it's right next
    to the Sidewinders Saloon if you're looking for it. We are
    always too distracted by the pastries, I guess.

  • Yee-haw

    ByHeather Bailey

    Arizona neighbors! You will seriously miss out if you don't make your way to downtown Mesa, AZ this weekend for Blissfest 2009, presented by my ever-fabulous friends at Domestic Bliss, Kristin & Dan Alber. Stephanie Nielson and her husband, Christian, will be there. Tara Frey will be doing a book signing with her new book, Blogging for Bliss. Jaimee Rose is coming too. There will be music, dancing, dozens of artists' booths, a stagecoach — I mean, come on, a stagecoach! 

    Blissfest

    I'll be at the Blogging Lounge on Saturday afternoon and the HB crew will be there too, with our own version of a general store: Trash Ties, fabric, felt, patterns, kits, chit chat, perhaps some chocolate to snack on. So, AZ folks, put your cotton-pickin'
    boots on and mosey on down to Friday night's 'Grand Fandango' and
    Saturday's Blissfest Market. Details on the flyer above or visit the Blissfest blog.

    Happy Fall. I don't know about your neck of the woods, but, here, the weather is gorgeous. Finally.

    See you there!

    (Felt supply all fat & re-stocked by the way — if you've been waiting.)

  • |

    Red, White, and Blue All Over

    ByHeather Bailey

    RedWhiteBlue-04 

    June
    has been beautiful this year.  Normally it’s breath-suckingly hot in
    June in Arizona.  We’ve been camping and canoeing, working in the yard,
    and eating outside at every chance. Being outdoors with my family more
    than usual this month has put me in a good place for the Fourth of
    July.  Something about the lush cornfields that surround us, the
    well-groomed campsites we’ve visited, and driving along the Mogollon Rim has me feeling patriotic. 
     
    RedWhiteBlueTrashTies310In
    the last month, I’ve seen a bald eagle nesting on top of a dead pine
    tree, 200 feet up, I’ve picniced in a field of wild strawberries and
    I’ve watched hundreds of Great Blue Herons dive for fish to feed to their hatchlings. 

    If you ever camp in Arizona, make a point to visit the movie-perfect Woods Canyon Lake.  It’s looks almost fake, it’s so beautiful.

    We
    have a few more campouts planned for the summer.  In prep, I’ve been
    working on some fun camping crafts, recipes and whatnot.  We whipped up
    a perfect blackberry grunt in our dutch oven that turned our teeth
    black — as though we didn’t feel mucky enough without black teeth. 
    But it sure was delicious.

    Meadowside470

    I’m
    almost to the crest of the mountain with my design work too.  That
    place where things begin to glide.  Several projects now have enough
    stored, potential energy to self-propel when released.  Like a stretched spring. 

    First, a little more stretching to do.  Burn baby burn.

    It’s looking like a great summer.