Lupus Walk Fundraiser Raffle

I'm sure by now many of you have seen my "Two Blessings" design.  You may or may not have also seen the blog post that tells about the meaning behind it.  There is now less than 60 days for me to raise funds for this year's Walk to End Lu?us Now that will be held on September 26th.  I decided it's time to kick it into high gear and have a fundraiser raffle for it.  

Here's the info on the prizes...

The first prize package will be a copy of my "Two Blessings" pattern, along with the floss needed to stitch it and a piece of 15" x 18" Charles Craft Gold Standard 14 ct. Fiddler's Cloth aida fabric.  Approximate value of this prize package is $20.00.

The second prize package will be a copy of all 7 of the designs currently released in my Modern Dictionary series, 3 pieces of fabric large enough to stitch most of the designs on and 3 skeins of DMC #310 floss.  Approximate value of this prize package is $55.00.

The third prize will be a new, unopened DMC color card with actual floss samples.  The pictures of the inside come from my own copy.  Approximate value of this prize is $25.00

The grand prize in this raffle will be my finished model for the "Two Blessings" design.  It is a heart-shaped wicker-type basket with my stitched design finished as the lid.  The professional finishing on this piece was lovingly completed by SnowBerry NeedleArts. Approximate value of this prize is $75.00.

So, are you interested in winning one of these prizes?  If so, keep reading for details on how the raffle will work and what you need to do to enter.

The Rules...

1. THE RAFFLE IS OPEN TO RESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES ONLY. 
2. To enter, you need to go to my fundraising page and make your donation. All money goes directly to the Greater Ohio Chapter of the Lupus Foundation of America and is tax deductible.
3. For every $5.00 you donate, you will receive one raffle "ticket" towards the drawing.  If you donate anonymously I won't be able to see your name and enter you into the raffle.  So the more you donate, the more chances you'll have to win!
4. Only one prize will be awarded per entrant.
5. All shipping costs will be paid for by Stitchnmomma, so the only money you need to spend is what you want to donate to a worthy cause.
6. Entries will be accepted from July 26, 2015 through September 15, 2015.  The winners will be drawn on September 19, 2015 and will be shipped as soon as mailing addresses are confirmed.

Thank you in advance to everyone for their support in this year's walk!!  

And in case you're wondering, even though I'm no longer living in N.E. Ohio, I'm participating as a "virtual walker" and WILL be doing my 5K here in Las Vegas the same day as my sister and all her other supporters are doing in back in OH.

Bulldog Silhouette Cross Stitch Pattern

Today's finish was another requested breed...the Bulldog.  I stitched it using DMC #844 on a piece of 32 count Belfast linen in "Tempest" by Picture This Plus.  I absolutely love the fabric and am wishing I had more.

This pattern along with all my other silhouettes (which can be found here) is now available for purchase at your local needlework shop or various online retailers.  If you don't want to do a Google search, just click here for a current list of those places.  

If you're a retailer and would like to stock this design, or any of my others, you can purchase here.  

 

And if there's a particular dog breed, or something else you're looking for in a silhouette, just let me know and I'll gladly add it to my list of designs to create & stitch.   

 

Until the next time...Happy Stitching!

Patchwork Pin Cushions Cross Stitch Pattern

Almost 2 years ago I picked out a bunch of buttons from Just Another Button company for a series I had in mind.  I worked on the designs on & off, and could never get them to be something I was happy with.  I put the buttons aside and knew I would eventually find a use for them.

Several months ago the light bulb went off and I new exactly what I was going to do with them...feature them as a focal point on patchwork pin cushions.  I'm proud to announce the series is now coming to life, and as of today, the first ones are available.

Each pattern will contain two different designs with a specific theme for the month.  The first two are July (a patriotic theme) and August (a sunflower theme).

The patterns provide the information on the appropriate buttons.  And as an added bonus, the printed copies of the patterns include step-by-step finishing instructions.  Unfortunately there's no way for me to provide those same instructions with the instant download version available through Patterns Online.

If these designs are something that interest you, you can locate a retailer here.   

Stay tuned for the September/October pin cushions, along with more designs in my silhouette & Modern Dictionary series.  

Chocolate is Proof Cross Stitch Pattern

I think many of you already know that I'm a complete chocolate addict.  Well several years ago, one of my besties gifted me a magnet that say "Chocolate is proof that God loves us and wants us to be HAPPY".  As with many other quotes, I looked at it and said it would make a great cross stitch design.  And so I charted it.

This is what the "first edition" in 2010 looked like.

I no longer have the piece, or any photos of it, so had to do an internet search and found one from when I had pinned it a long, long time ago.

As I'm continuing to expand my line of designs available through my wholesaler, I found this was a piece that had never been published with them.  Looking at the old chart, I was no longer impressed with it, and decided to do a "revised edition" for 2015.  This is what it looks like after me stitching it and SnowBerry NeedleArts giving it a lovely custom finish.

So much better, don't you think?  I kept the original floss colors, and the font on "chocolate" and "happy".  The rest of the text got a new font and the piece was given a new, modern border.

The fresh, new version is now available through any of these retailers.  If you like stitching fun & quirky quotes, check out the others I currently have published.

Be sure to keep checking back for updates.  Not only do I have new designs I'm working on, but will also continue re-releasing older designs that haven't been available for purchase for a couple of years.

Until the next time...Happy Stitching!

Butterfly Silhouette Cross Stitch Pattern

Today's finish isn't technically a new finish.  Recently I've been going through my older designs that were originally created with software purchased in 1996 and converting them to my new software so they can be released to my wholesaler and other online retailers.  My butterfly silhouette was one of my most popular patterns when my Etsy shop was open.  In fact, if you click here, you can see an album I've started of pics people have shared with me of their stitched butterflies.  I stitched two models for it.  The one I'm using for the cover photo was done in Weeks Dye Works "Aqua" on a 14 ct Fiddlers Cloth.

 

 

This pattern along with all my other silhouettes (which can be found here) is now available for purchase at your local needlework shop or various online retailers.  If you don't want to do a Google search, just click here for a current list of those places.  

If you're a retailer and would like to stock this design, or any of my others, you can purchase here.  

 

And if there's a particular dog breed, or something else you're looking for in a silhouette, just let me know and I'll gladly add it to my list of designs to create & stitch. 

Instant Download Cross Stitch Patterns Available Again!

Sometimes being a business owner brings difficult decisions with it.  Last year I stopped offering PDF downloads due to copyright violations.  Now I understand that some people feel it's OK to share patterns regardless of what form it's in, but if it's a printed copy they at least need to go to a little more work to scan it before sharing it.

I have one wholesaler I work with, and that's one that takes care of the printing for me.  Unfortunately there are a group of brick & mortar shops out there that feel they can deal with one wholesaler only (not mine) and that's it.  I've received quite a few requests from stitchers that patronize those shops, or ones that live outside the United States, to find another way to get my designs.  That left me with two options...1) start printing patterns myself and ship to another wholesaler, which is NOT anywhere near being cost or time effective for me, or 2) go back to PDF / instant downloads.  I decided to go the instant download route.  And no, re-opening my Etsy shop was not included in option #2.

About two weeks ago I started uploading my designs to Patterns Online.  This will be a slow process as many of the patterns will need converted into a new file format, as well as the photos all needing to be resized.  I will eventually get them all uploaded, so just keep checking back.  If you want to see what is currently available, just click here.  All future designs will be uploaded to POL the same time as I release it to my wholesaler.  

You can always find links on where to get my designs on the "Where to Buy" tab on my homepage.  I also include a link to this tab each day on my Facebook page with the Design of the Day posts.

As always, thanks so much for all your support and Happy Stitching!