We DID It!

We bought the rings, got the license, and tied the knot! If you don’t know me, no big deal. If you DO know me, you know that Scott and I have been together for at least 7 years and have pretty much ignored the idea of getting married, figuring it just wasn’t necessary to our happiness. But, in order to make other people happy, we have been trying to come up with a good date and a good place for a wedding. But after a year of trying, it just wasn’t working out. With family and friends sprawled across 6 states, it seemed like an impossible task to get everyone together. Kind of like herding cats. Fun for a while, but eventually you get worn out and just want a nap.


So here's how it all happened. Scott had been shopping for rings and pretty much knew what he wanted, and I kept saying, “no biggie…I’m easy to please” while he was digging for real hints about what I liked. And he did SO good. I love it!



The plan was to go to the courthouse and get married and then have dinner with friends, so we started telling friends that we were gonna do it. And then, everyone got SO excited and wanted to BE there, and then how do we choose WHO? And how could we enjoy our local friends being there, but none of our far away friends, or what about our family who are all out of state? And, and, and….we both decided maybe we should just get the license and then maybe plan a little ceremony for later so more peeps could come. Or, maybe a ceremony in Oklahoma and one in Washington and one in California. Wow! Then, we gave up again and told everyone that we were going to wait. Oh my….I was all perplexed and didn’t know what to do until the day before our appointment to get the license. I don’t know what happened, but Scott and I looked at each other and with a twinkle in our eye decided to just DO it. He called a video buddy to meet us there, and we were ready.

Ready? Not really! We made a mad dash to the local mall and I found a beautiful white satin ruffledy blouse and some darling jeans. Then we snagged a gorgeous shirt for Scott that was the exact same color and a pumpkin colored silk tie. We picked up our rings and slept with great anticipation for the next day.

I woke up the next morning and realized I simply HAD to have a bouquet of fresh flowers. So, I ran to the grocery store. I know that sounds bizarre, but I spent several years in flower shops and I’ve made umpteen bridal bouquets so all I needed was a couple dozen fresh roses. Well, there I was in my pretty satin blouse, new jeans, pearl handbag, and matching pearl necklace and earrings, stumbling to the flower counter. Imagine my pitiful pout when the chick told me she “couldn’t give me the flowers that she just unloaded from the truck because they weren’t seasoned yet.” ARH! Even though I explained how I was getting married in 2 hours, she didn’t budge. I hopped back into the car in search of a fresh flower shop on Main Street and found an angel named Nancy who was more than happy to chop the stems off the most beautiful white roses for my wedding day. I love you, Nancy!



As I finished up binding the stems with satin ribbon and pearl corsage pins, it was about 1 hour before our noon appointment, and we got to wondering if we needed witnesses. I said no, but Scott looked back over the paperwork and sure enough, we did. Yikes! So, he called over to the K1C2 Studio to see if anyone was there, and Susan was. She high-tailed it the few blocks to the courthouse to meet us. She’s fast, because she even bought a bottle of champagne on the way there! Now, that’s a friend.

It was FUN! We had the cutest man to marry us, and he even started singing an Elvis tune at the end. We caused quite a buzz with our video dude juggling his camera and microphone, Susan with her camera and champagne, me with my flowers and nervous giggle, and Scott with our rings and briefcase and a big happy grin. No drama, just happy shiny people.

I wish that ALL of you could have been there. But actually you were! You were right there IN MY HEART, carrying me to the perfect angel to hand me those roses, carrying me across the courthouse lawn beneath the waving palm trees, there when Scott placed the ring on my finger and there in my voice when I said “I do.”

Now, you can call me Mrs. Wilkinson. Or you can still call me mom, grammy, grandma, sis, and all those other names, like Pattie, wackers, and anything else you want. Hey, be nice.



















Yummy chocolate mousse and cookies from Tutti’s after the big to-do of I-do’s.

Watch NOW!

That’s right!


You can watch the new “Let’s Craft with PattieWack” webisodes right now on LifetimeTV.com, just like I promised. To debut the craft videos, I have 3 segments there with a little intro from my front porch, a cowgirl vintage style apron, and transformed luggage. What fun!

Crafty girls unite, and spread the word…

Help me send a message to the folks at Lifetime, by going to see the webisodes, and blowing them out of the water with our numbers!

Thanks again for all of your support. This is just the beginning, as 2 fresh new webisodes will be added every week with a new crafty project. At the end of the month, Crafty Chica will be launching her webisodes there, too! Holy Cow!

One of the cool things about this is, you don’t have to pay to play the videos, or be a member. But, if you register, you can be a part of the message board there, and we can exchange craft ideas and advice. There is sooo much to see at that site, and tons of fun with the games, the romance, and other experts like Jane Seymour who has decorating tips for us. You could literally spend the whole day, hanging out with women from all over the world. So, come on…..come see me….and craft with me….on…
“Let’s Craft with PattieWack”

Lifetime Portrait

LifetimeTV.com certainly knows how to capture a personality, and that's what they did on my Portrait Page at the website! When Melissa Macron called to interview me, I knew that she was going to dig up more about me than I had shared with anyone else. I can't believe I told her how much I love the character Pee-Wee Herman. His humor and the fabulous set design for PeeWee's Playhouse just makes me giggle and think about creative ways to transform chairs and wigs and plants into completely unexpected art.

Oh, and Amy Sedaris cracks me up, too. She has the guts to take a handful of peanuts to David Letterman, and show him how easy it is to glue google eyes onto them. Jeeeez, crafting and gluing with David Letterman? How fun is that!

Anyways, if you are so inclined, you can go to my Lifetime Portrait page and read it all for yourself. Who knows what you'll learn about me and my crafty past.

Cruise Night in Santa Paula

Time for a little fun with friends! After all that crafting for the Lifetime videos, Scott and I headed downtown to check out the hot cars at Cruise Night in Santa Paula. We do this every first Friday night of the month, and it is HUGE! Everyone from all over brings tricked out, custom cars and line the streets for a big car show. I fell in love with this old Mercury 50-something Fireman’s cruiser. Wow! The pleated seats were incredible.



We hung out with these peeps and sold tickets to the upcoming charity event for the local firefighters and policemen. Moonlight At The Ranch is September 29th, and I can’t wait. Music, dancing, wine, fine dining, balloon rides, bocce ball, and crazy friends. Speaking of… That’s Connie, John, Catherine and me before we headed to the Mupu for a late supper. They have the best cheeeeeese burgers….yummers.

Oh, Insight Film and Video (our production company) produced the PSA ( Public Service Announcement ) for the local TV stations. Be sure and click on the video and watch. It looks preeety good, if I say so myself!

LifetimeTV.com Shoot with Pattiewack

It all happened behind this door, baybee. Four days of staging, lighting, equipment, directing, audio, set styling and crafts! My design studio was filled to the brim with all that stuff, plus the shiny happy people from Lifetime Network’s Broadband Video crew. So come on in, and let me give you a behind the scenes sneaky peak.
AND, get ready because…..

“Let’s Craft with Pattiewack!”
will be launched on SEPTEMBER 17th!



Director Harriet Ells was a total blur during the shoot as she ran around checking each step-out, camera angle and script. She has a fantastic eye for detail and made sure that whether it was an apron, necklace, tote bag, or martini glass, it was shot with perfection.


















I especially liked how Ruben our DP/Camera OP, kept track of his C47s. (That’s “clothespins” to the rest of us.) He was extremely patient with me as we stopped and started for each set-change and pick-up. I think he even got “into” some of the crafty stuff, too! I mean, what guy can resist “Girls Night Out” crafts with girlie girl papers and bows and ice buckets?



I want to be sure and thank everyone who sent awesomely abundant boxes of products. I just have to say thanks to Ed Murphy at EK Success , Linda Selnick and Alyson Udell at Duncan, Michelle Neuhauser at Krylon, Doxie Keller at Deco Art, Nancy Jewell at Singer, Coats and Clark , and Provo Craft for making me look good. You were ALL amazing with your efforts to get last minute supplies to me. And I know that you are just gonna LOVE the crafty things you made possible!



Did I tell you that we did 16 WEBISODES? Yes, sixteen! It was a ton of work to get the step-outs just right, but Harriet and I made it fun, and we came up with some spankin’ new ideas just for LifetimeTV.com that I have never done before.



After shooting 3 out of 4 sewing projects, we were just about to roll tape on the fourth one, when we heard a big truck outside and had to stop everything. It was the UPS man, and he had a big box with a fabulous new sewing machine inside.

Check it out. It is the Singer 7470 Computerized Sewing Machine with 1000+ Stitches. I can embroider, seam, stitch and hem with endless styles and options to work with. It’s fantastic! Needless to say, we stopped everything and threaded this puppy up, and sewed the cutest cowgirl aprons you’ve ever seen. Big thanks to Nancy Jewell, Director of Media Relations at Husqvarna Viking, SVP Worldwide and her amazing team!


















I fell in love with Mike’s dimples. (Don’t tell Scott…) What a cutie-pie, and what a fun Production Assistant he was, too. We all just died laughing when this humongous reflector came out of the bag. My goodness, it was HUGE! You could LIVE underneath it! I think we might have attracted some attention from the Santa Paula Airport with this big guy flashing sunrays around. Actually, Scott was behind the scenes helping me all week. He was great at telling me if my outfits worked and what jewelry to wear, and if my hair was too crazy. Thanks, babe.


Harriet busted up laughing at the big honkin reflector, too. Oh, and Mike did a super job with the cue cards for my open. Nice penmanship, dude. Now what font is that exactly?



There’s Ruben! Yeah, that reflector is BIG, but he can’t hide from the camera.

Oh, I almost forgot…(because we didn’t get a pic of him), Evan Blackford, Senior Lifetime Producer, was great at the shoot, too. I LOVE him! He was truly interested in the paper crafts and told me that he and his fiancé did handmade cards with embossed rubberstamping for their “save-the-date” announcements. Now THAT'S cool.



Our front porch was in full bloom with my hot-glued flower chairs and the gorgeous basket of plants that Joan Fee gave us as a housewarming gift. The red begonias were the perfect touch to brighten up my open as I welcome all of you to my crafty webisodes.



Well, it’s a WRAP until next time. We had great food all week from the some of the best places in Santa Paula , and I want to thank Richard at the Mupu Grill, Hozy’s, the Santa Paula Coffee Company, and the Familia Diaz restaurant for keeping us going!

Gone Crafting

We are shooting my craft video segments for www.LifetimeTV.com next week, and I am in a crafting FRENZY! So sorry I haven't been posting every day, since it's hard to sew, paint, bead, paper craft and decoupage while I'm blogging. I promise to bring you more crafty things, so do come back and check me out. Today I'm working on circle books, re-crafted 6-packs turned into organizers, and sassy invitations to a girl's night out party. Ta-ta-for-now....

Fantasy Balloon Ride!

When I hit the alarm at 4:30 a.m. on Saturday morning, little did I realize what an experience I was about to have as my feet hit the floot. We were about to meet at The Limoneira Ranch before the sun came up. It seems that early in the morning is the best time for perfect air, according to our pilot, Steve Wilkinson. This photo is courtesy of Dan and Sue Harding from Pacific Images. They were there to capture this early morning event with us, and they were absolutely delightful!












Scott was happily grabbing his camera to snag shots of this breathtaking event for a promotional video by Insight Film & Video. I grabbed mine too, and shot the rest of the photos you see here. I was having the time of my life!















As we rubbed the sleepies from our eyes, the crew began to fire up the balloon with hot air and the giant sheath began to rise up.
















It was amazing. Everything was so calm and beautiful and before long the balloon was high in the sky.
















The video turned out fabulous, and Scott was having those goose-bump moments. The balloon hovered over the magnificent flowers and citrus orchards while we chased in vans with Cindy Wilkinson from
Fantasy Balloon Flights.














What a magnificent day! It all ended with a champagne toast, thanks to Cindy and Steve and their crew. We are going to be doing this again, but next time it will be INSIDE the balloon basket so we get a different perspective. I can hardly wait!!

LifetimeTV.com Secret Revealed!

Yes! I can finally tell my BIG secret.
















I signed a contract with LifetimeTV.com to shoot craft videos for their fabulous new website! We just broke the news today, and I am soooo excited! As a designer, it is a pleasure to be able to share diverse craft projects and techniques with such a huge audience. This is an immense opportunity to bring crafts into the homes of the over two million Lifetime TV dotcom members and to inspire a younger generation to experience the satisfaction that comes from being creative. And yes, you read it correctly, that’s 2,000,000 members on the Lifetime TV website. No pressure! *giggle*













We had a blast with the Director Harriet Ells, as we scouted out locations. I took pics and Scott checked things out with Alex Teague, the Senior Vice President at The Limoneira Ranch in their lemon packing warehouse. What a fantastic place to shoot!













One of the coolest places was underground where they store the lemons. I can’t get over how big it is. It’s like a football field of lemons underground.














Harriet and I went nuts over this particular corner where the big doors close and the roughness of the building is just perfect to contrast with the craft studio set-up.












The aroma was amazing and totally intoxicating in the Limoneira packing house. I would love to take a whole crate of lemons home with me. But it would be a little hard to sneak those under my shirt!

Okay, now that the BIG SECRET is out, you can believe I can start letting you in on all the fab crafts I’ll be creating for the videos on LifetimeTV.com. They plan to launch the segments in mid-September, and we will be shooting them the week of Labor Day. For sure, I’m going to to be one busy gal to get more than a dozen projects done. My fabric stash is going to come in handy. Can you say sew, paint, stencil, glue, and bead???? Stay tuned!

LA Fashion District

My name is Pattie Donham, and I am a fabric-holic. Yes, it’s true. I can’t get enough of that luscious, creamy, silky, textured, graphic, luxurious, kitschy, fabulous FABRIC! And to feed my addiction, my friend and design partner Susan Levin invited me to go for a bus ride with fellow fashion design students to Michael Levine’s and other shops in the Los Angeles Fashion District today. The 90-block district offers the largest concentration of fashion-related businesses in the Western United States.













Going to downtown LA reminded me of one of my trips to Hong Kong, with no air conditioners and shopping out of cardboard boxes. One of the first places we went to, had an upstairs floor filled with fabric for $2 a pound! Of course I went spastic, and before I knew it, I had my arms full of scraps. I only spent $12 there, and got this HUGE bag of fab stuff. I found big buckles for 25 cents each... just begging to be decoupaged! And a bolt, yes a bolt of beaded fringe for 3 bucks. Yowza.















Susan went nuts over the wool and natural fabrics. These places aren’t fancy, but we were box diving and giggling like we were about to get caught doing something naughty.












Where’s Susan??? Another place was all about suit fabrics. It was like a sea of wool and oxford cloth. I found 5 bolts of taffeta to line purses and tote bags in crazy prints like green and black zebra and polka dots. Yummy!













I felt like I was back in Costa Rica when I saw all of the fabric on the street for as far as you can see. My gosh, it was impossible to see it all, but I did get some sweet cotton covered with bright red cherries right off the street.













We walked past the flower market, and the floral smells were wonderful. It made me wish I was working in a fresh flower shop again. The last place we went was an outlet where designers dump seconds and samples. I freaked out on crocheted pieces and trims. Susan found more wool and beautiful plaid pieces. Then it was back on the bus for a ride home with the belly of the bus filled with monstrous bags of amazing textiles and notions, and a bunch of crazy fabric-holics just like me.













I can’t wait to start sewing. I am working on designs for a top secret gig, that I will be revealing soon. Then I can share with you about all the projects for my fabric stash.

Sunday Ride

Today was a perfect day for a ride on our bikes. Can you believe it? A day without crafting!













Scott always rides at least 30 miles up through one of the canyons, but I just ride around the avocado and lemon orchards. He rides around with me on my little trek of 5 or so miles, then takes off on his own. Today we plan to scout out the Limoneria Ranch where they are building bocci ball courts. This will be fun....

Fun, Fun, Fun

Can you say, smooooth jazz, crazy crafts, friendly people, and tons of fun? Well, all I can say is amazing, cool and exciting, because that’s what the Hot Summer Jazz and Art Show was last night in downtown Santa Paula. Rochelle Margolin did a fantastic job wrangling the event, and everyone had a fabulous time.



There were people everywhere! Good thing we got there before the crowd to set up, because it never did get slow. I brought a stack of my new “Crafter's Guide to Glue” books, and sold out!



One of my favorite peeps, Peggy Kelly showed up and I got her picture before she could run away. This gal is the hottest newspaper reporter around here, and I can’t wait to see what she writes every time I open the Santa Paula Times.



The Grooveheads and Bryan McCann were just unbelievable. Their smooth jazz was perfect for the event, and drew a big crowd. By the end of the evening there were about a dozen couples dancing and a little “pda” goin’ on.



My main man, Scott is the dude that makes me look good. I don’t know what I’d do without him helping load and unload, and giving me the goof.



I made lots of new friends like these two gals. Those flower covered chairs got lots of attention, and all of my one-of-a-kind designs brought everyone in to take a lookie-loo.



And to think it all started with my little sketch. I ended up not bringing the little round table, and it’s a good thing because it was too crowded with people.



At the end of the evening we packed up and headed across the street to the Mupu Grill, our favorite hang. Had a nice cool glass of chardonnay and a bite to eat. What a great day. Many thanks to all of you!