A New Opportunity

Recently I was asked to join Stitching the Night Away as a monthly contributor.  I'm beyond thrilled at the opportunity, as I think Loretta's site is amazing and it's a new audience I can talk to about stitching.  

Yesterday was my very first post and I thought I'd share it with you.  It's just the beginning of what I hope will be a great series.  Please take a moment to stop by and read it, and of course feel free to join in with the discussion via comments.

Hope everyone's had a fantastic Thanksgiving weekend (if you're in the U.S.) and was able to get lots of stitching done.  :)

It's Here!!!!!

You're probably wondering what's here.  Well if you haven't figured it out by the great big picture, it's SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY!  The one day a year we all come together to support the small businesses...mom & pop shops, independent artists, etc.

Today only in my Etsy shop, if you use coupon code SMALLBIZSAT you will receive 20% off your order.  It even includes items already marked down in the Clearance Section.  Sorry, but the discount doesn't apply to shipping charges.

And in case I haven't told you enough throughout the year, THANK YOU for your continued support.  If it weren't for great fans & customers like YOU, I wouldn't be here.  :)

The Biggest Shopping Weekend of the Year....

Thank you!!!

I wanted to take a moment today today to say THANK YOU!  

All of you are the reason I'm here.  :)

Wordless Wednesday - November 20, 2012

Photo courtesy of Clark Little Photography

Portrait Embroidery

I think by now everyone knows I like to browse the web and find different little bits of art I find amazing to share with you.  Recently I came across a portrait artist by the name of Cayce Zavaglia.  A lot of people make portraits, you may be thinking, so what makes her so special?

Well, take a look at this photo and I think you'll see.  All of her portraits are embroidered!  

I must say, watching the video (click the picture to see it), I'm a little bit jealous (ok, maybe a LOT jealous) of her talent.  I mean she doesn't even use a pattern and the detail is absolutely phenomenal!!!

I don't even know what else to say besides I'm in awe and I really, really think you should take the 4 minutes to watch the video and see how she creates them.  :)

 

Pattern of the Week - November 17, 2012

Whew! Saturday is almost over and I'm just getting around to my weekly post.  So sorry about that, hope I didn't keep you waiting.  :)

So this week it's not cross stitch, and it's not a pattern, but it's still needlework and beautiful!

One of the many designers I follow on Facebook is Emily Peacock.  She shared a photo this morning of this gorgeous peacock one of her customers finished into a pillow.  I decided instantly I needed to track it down and make it the pattern of the week.

The design is called "MidCentury Peacock" and is available as a needlepoint kit through her Etsy shop.  If you're interested in learning more about it, just click the picture and you'll be taken straight to the listing.   

 

Wordless Wednesday - November 14, 2012

Photo courtesy of Michelle Roberts Photography

Tips & Techniques - Facebook Biz Page "Schedule" Feature

I thought I'd do something a little different today and branch outside of the needlework realm. 

I know so many people online that have Facebook business/fan pages and don't know about one of my favorite tools.  It's the "schedule" feature.  Sorry peeps, it's not available for personal pages.

It's super simple.  You just add your photo, status update, whatever.  Then before you click the "post" button, you click on the little clock icon in the lower left corner (see photo below).  That will then bring up different links for scheduling your post (year, month, day, hour, minute).  Once you select all the criteria you want your "post" button will now become a "schedule" button.

If you're like me, and work multiple jobs with long hours outside your business, or even if you're really busy with your business and/or family and just can't spend a lot of time on the computer, it's a great tool to use.  I typically schedule 1-3 posts that will then share at different times throughout the day while I'm at work, have a busy day running errands etc.  It's great to be able to connect with my fans & customers that are spread out over various time zones throughout the world, as well as not bombarding them with a bunch of stuff at one time while I'm able to be on the computer.

Hope this has helps people out there organize their time a little better.  We all know time is something we can always use more of.

Pattern of the Week - November 10, 2012

I was rather undecided this week (and a little rushed) on what I was going to select as the pattern of the week.  Based upon the fact that Bromley Mountain in Vermont started making snow this week, I decided my theme would be "winter sports".

I quickly did a Google search to see what was out there, and wouldn't you know, my favorite online shop (well, besides my own, lol!) had a selection that was first on the list, so that's what I went with.  

Aren't these snowmen just the cutest things???  And the pattern for all 6 of them is only $5.39 + shipping.  Talk about a bargain! If you're interested in getting the pattern, just click the photo and you'll go straight through to 123stitch.com

And as a side note that's unrelated to stitching, I personally DON'T ski. In fact I'm not keen on snow at all.  I'd say in this case, hate isn't too strong of a word to use.  If I never had to leave my house when the white stuff is outside I'd be the happiest woman on earth.  

So you may ask, why do I know what's going on at Bromley Mountain?  Well, have you ever taken a ride in an alpine slide?  If you haven't then you have no idea what you're missing!  Did this the first time many, many years ago when I was a kid on Bromley Mountain.  And sorry, that's not me in the photo.  I got this from Bromley's website.  :)

Freebie Friday - November 9, 2012

This week I was asked to find a small butterfly pattern.  Well, I found lots of them. There were so many I like I figured instead of sharing just one I'd share all of them.  Just click the picture and you'll be taken to the page where you can download any of them for free.

Happy Stitching!  :)

P.S.  There are even more butterflies than what are shown below!

Icing Artwork

I recently came across this artist on the web and was amazed by the artwork she creates from cake icing!  The mural on this wall is "painted" completely using the same icing you would use to decorate a cake with.

I spent quite a bit of time scrolling through all the pictures on her site and was amazed by them and the stories that go with all the different pieces of art she creates.   She also has a series of sand sculptures featured that were created years ago.  I'd definitely check those out also.

And just about 6 weeks ago she participated in an event in Toronto, ON with this awesome display.  Tons of pics to look at here.  Wish I could have been there to see it in person.  I'm sure I would have enjoyed not only seeing her wall, but all the others that were part of the event.

Now if you'll excuse me, all this talk of cake icing is making me hungry.  Think it's time for some breakfast.  :)

Wordless Wednesday - November 7, 2012

Photo Courtesy of Thru Her Eyes Photography

Have You Been Heard?

I'm not big on all the crap we've been inundated with during election season (especially for those of us that live in Ohio or any of the other "battleground states") this year in the U.S.  What I will say is what I was told by my parents growing up....

Today is election day.  If your state is one that participates in early voting and you haven't done so yet, I strongly encourage you to do so TODAY.  Get out there to the polls and make your voice heard...regardless of what your opinion is or what party/candidate you support.  And don't just vote for the Presidential election, pay attention to what is going on in your own community.  It's amazing what the power of the people can do.

I'm Stitchnmomma and I approve this message.  LOL!

Money Monday - November 5, 2012

Guess where I'll be shopping this weekend?????

If you guessed JoAnn Fabric and Craft Stores then you are correct!!

I've scanned a portion of my recent mailer I received.  Look at that...DMC floss at $.33/skein AND a 60% off one item coupon.  Now I just need to decide what that one item is that I want to get a really good price on.

If you're in the U.S. and you're NOT receiving their flyers, I strongly suggest the next time you're in the store you sign up to receive it.  The coupons alone are worth it.

Happy shopping!

What a Mess!!

I've been so busy lately between work and jumping from project to project trying to get things made as quickly as possible for my Etsy shop, to be shipped to The Good Goat Gallery, for various charity projects I've volunteered for, gifts to be made and custom orders to be finished that I haven't taken any time in between projects to clean up & reorganize my stitching supplies.  (nice run on sentence, huh?  LOL!)  This is what my current stitching area looks like...

All of my floss has been piling up, I have a box of metallic threads that hasn't been put away and the pile is photocopies of patterns, books and various magazines I've been stitching patterns from.  And of course you can see the current project I was working on last night/this morning sitting on the arm of my recliner.  If you're wondering what the plaid thing is on the floor, that's one of Max's dog beds.  He has to be within 1 or 2 feet of me at all times, so I slide it right up against the loveseat and he's a happy camper.  :)

I work the closing/night shift tonight, so one of my priorities for the day (in addition to dishes & laundry) will be cleaning up this mess!  This is a picture of where it all SHOULD be...

This is the hutch of Zach's old desk, which is currently used as my sewing table since it won't fit in his bedroom (or go up the stairway in this old house).  Along the top I keep my binders with all my Stitchbows in them (LOVE them!! and yes, they are labeled with the numbers in each binder), my boxes that still have floss bobbins in them (working on using all of those up) along with spools of metallics, etc., and files I've made (all in various categories that are alphabetical) of misc. loose copies of patterns and then all of my projects that are on large scrolls, 17x17 Q-snaps, etc. that won't fit into the drawers of my craft bins.  In the cubby holes I keep my stitching magazines, calendars with patterns and anything else like that.  I have a couple of small built-in bookshelves on the other side of the living room where my hardbound books are stored.  (I didn't take a picture of those).

So now you know that even someone like me that tries to be organized can be a messy pig also.  I guess that means I should get off the computer and get busy cleaning!

Happy Stitching!  :)

Pattern of the Week - November 3, 2012

Originally for this week's featured pattern I wanted to share something Scandinavian inspired.  It's one of the hottest trends right now and after browsing through a separate insert in issue #257 of CrossStitcher Magazine I decided I wanted to see more of what's out there.  I did a Google search and one of the top returns was Nordic Needle.  I've been to that site many, many times so I knew there would be great selections.  

Unfortunately I never made it to the beautiful red and white Scandinavian patterns I was expecting to browse.  Instead this beauty was one of the first things I saw.  I was instantly enthralled!  

It's called "Celtic Flower" and is available at $8.99 for the pattern.  I'm still torn on whether I'm going to order a copy for myself.  The only thing that is holding me back is the fractional stitches.  I loathe fractionals!!  Somehow I don't think I'm alone in that feeling.  Either way it's still a gorgeous pattern full of the vibrant colors I love.  If you're interested in the pattern, just click the photo and you'll be taken straight to it where you can read more about it or purchase it.

Happy stitching!  :)

Freebie Friday - November 2, 2012

I know I have a lot of horse fans out there, so today I thought I'd try to find a nice horse pattern for you.  And since it's also autumn here in the U.S., this one fits in nicely.  It is called "A Quiet Ride" and it's free from the cross stitchers club.  You will need to register for the site, but again, it's FREE and only takes a moment to register.

Just click the photo and you'll be taken to the site where you can get it.  Happy Stitching!  :)