When packing...

Everyone has things they start packing as soon as they know they're going on a trip. They go through the checklist of things that need to go and try to figure out what can be packed now, as opposed to what has to wait until just before they leave.

What do you think a needleworker starts packing?



Ah yes :) This is going to go with me on the flight because I don't have time to work on it right now. I can't wait to see it done.



This is a close up of the completed design. It was on the cover of Zweigart's September, 2007 issue of at home with Needlework.



I fail at getting anywhere on it because I'm trying to wrap up all the time-sensitive work I'm doing ASAP.

Look what I found!

A new thread, and a new contest to win some of your very own! The thread is Lecien Cosmo embroidery floss from Japan and oh man, I can't wait to get my hands on some. She found a local distributor, so she's lucky, but you can order from them too :) Just follow the link from her blog.

Contest ends: 3-25-09 at 11pm PST. GOGO!

New crafty articles :)

If you're so inclined, check out my recent articles.

This one's about a new trend, using fabric selvage in your craft projects, which is actually really neat and I can't wait to try it. If any of my readers try it, please link me your pictures!

Also, with several events right around the corner, I've gathered some ideas for party invitations for Celebrating this season's return of baseball as well as Earth Day party invitations, and if you weren't sure if you wanted to throw an Earth Day party this April, or you weren't sure how to do it...I can help there, too, with tips and tricks for throwing an Earth Day party as well as craft ideas for kids within the Earth Day theme.

Don't forget to visit my profile on Examiner.com to see if there are any articles you missed. I'll be updating there again in a day or two. You might also want to help me dust off some old articles I wrote about gift ideas for stitchers, and introductions to blackwork embroidery as well as hardanger, and if you're looking for drop spindle recommendations, look no further, I tried some Kundert drop spindles and I'm in love.

Is it the weekend yet?

I'm booking flights and juggling finances for an emergency trip, and I'll be gone a while (but still blogging), but I wanted to let you guys know about this contest I'm getting ready to enter.

It's for a free apron from the Hip Hostess. I visited their website through the post I linked. Their aprons and tea towels are divine. GO GO, and sign up!

Also, if you don't win but still want an apron, that link offers a coupon code valid through the end of April. Don't miss out!

Did you hear?

Lark books just notified me of a new contest to generate interest in their new book:

Head on over here, download the rules, and get started! You have until April 30th to be entered to win that and 9 other selections from Lark Books

Also, in case you were not aware, I'm now the Detroit Arts and Crafts Examiner for Examiner.com. If you'd be so kind, please check out my new article about National craft month at Jo-Ann's, which is running all this month. The article has a link to their new patterns for lots of different types of crafts.

Also, have you heard about people using fabric selvage now for crafts? *sigh* I want to try it. If anyone else has...link me a pic!

Did she just?

This winter was a doozy, wasn't it? This is my meager revenge. I drafted the pattern, should be easy enough for anyone with a basic understanding of the stitches to duplicate but if anyone wants the pattern, let me know :)

Oh wow!

I just won a contest over at CraftGossip for this book :D I can't wait to see it.

They're running another contest for a different book now. Why don't you head on over and sign up? Maybe you could win too!

March is Mending Month!

This obviously needed mending, no? My rabbits got ahold of my comforter goodness-knows-when and I've been meaning to fix the underside they chewed, but never got around to it.

Now I'm glad I didn't, because I entered the Get Er Done Giveaway over here (contest is almost over) and it gave me just the kick in the buns I needed to finally do it. I don't know if I'll have time to get anything else done because I'm so busy (which is why I hadn't gotten it done in the first place) but boy am I relieved it's done now.

Want to see?



Lights had to be on there...it took a while to fix it since I was doing it all by hand.

That's Civil War Era Reproduction fabric my grandma gave me. I'll think of her every time I see it. Patches don't always have to match the original. Sometimes it's better if they don't!

New shipment!

What's this? My new shipment from Valdani! I'm testing colors for my upcoming kits because I want one of them to contain Valdani threads. Being a designer is awesome.

Oh that's right, I probably haven't blogged publicly about my kits.

They're educational kits for my favorite type of embroidery, with some of the best supplies available in the market so that people get a good understanding of what to look for when they're choosing their own supplies in the future. I've tried threads from all over the world and I've done some truly wonderful and awful things to them to make sure that I know which products to recommend to others. 2 of my 4 beginner kits are already being tested. I want the 3rd to have Valdani threads.

Would you like to know which products I've tried and how it turned out? I'm getting ready to write reviews and comparisons on some of my favorites...

But, to focus on what's important here...let's talk about you, my dear readers.



I hope you like purple, because that's what color I'm getting ready to do my new sampler design in. Of course, if you don't like purple, that's okay too...because you get to pick your own supplies.

The pattern will be available here, on my blog, for free. I may even run a contest with it. Anyone interested?

Crafty business...

My secondary nickname is "God of Crafting Chaos" for a reason. This is 5 of the projects I have running right now. 2 are almost done (yes one DOES contain a cuss word), and one is going to be unveiled, with free pattern, on this blog.

Note Buddha. He is unfazed by this chaos because he knows it all works out in the end. He's how I keep my sanity (what's left of it anyway).