Two Blessings Lupus Awareness & Fundraiser Cross Stitch Pattern

My "Two Blessings" design has been out for about 1 year now.  I never did a blog post about it when I released it, but there is a special meaning behind it.

When I originally designed the piece, it was to help raise funds for the Greater Ohio Chapter of the Lupus Foundation of America.  I was taking a portion of the profit from the sale of each pattern (and we all know profits are not large) and donating on my sister's behalf.  She's been battling Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) for a couple of years now.  If you're not familiar with it SLE it is an autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue. It can affect the skin, joints, kidneys, brain, and other organs. 

Many people associate the "butterfly rash" with lupus, which is why I chose a butterfly for the piece.  Also, the colors for lupus awareness are purple and green.  As far as the quote, well, I figured since my sister is the one dealing with this disease on a daily basis, I'd let her pick it out.

In 2013 I did the Walk to End Lu?us Now with her.  Unfortunately last year it was the same weekend as my stitching retreat.  I was going to cancel the retreat so I could go with her again, but she wouldn't hear of it.  Instead I still did my fundraising and was a "virtual walker".  Well here it is 2015, and I'm now 2,200 miles away from my sister and the rest of my family.  There's no question of the fact I will continue to support her, even though I won't be there to walk with her in person.

I've registered again this year as a virtual walker.  On the morning of September 26th I will be up and walking (probably on the treadmill at my apartment complex) while my sister is walking in OH.  And I've even put it on my calendar so I can't double book it with a stitching retreat, or anything else, like I did in 2014.

If you're interested in helping, you can do it in one of two ways:
1.)  Purchase the pattern from any of these retailers between now and September 15th, and I'll donate $1.00 of my profit to the organization. Or,
2.)  Make a donation direct to the organization via their website.  You can go here to the Living La Vida Lupie Team and look for my name (Kelly) on the team members and make your donation.

If you want to make a donation on the website, please be sure to do it under my page, as the donors just might be entered into a giveaway I'll be having *wink, wink* after September 15th.

Thanks for all your support and Happy Stitching!

And the Winner of the January 2015 Giveaway Winner Is.....

After verifying all entries for tweets, twitter followers, newsletter subscribers and blog comments and then scrubbing the list of invalid entries (which was 114 of the original 238 entries!!), I'm pleased to announce the winner is:

Kelly, you should have received an email from me asking for your mailing address to send your package. 

Keep following here to participate in future giveaways! :)

January 2015 Giveaway

It's time for a giveaway!!  Woohoo!!!

I decided it's been way too long since I've done something fun, so it's time for another giveaway.   Here's a pic of some, but not all, of what you'll receive:

The prize package, worth $40+ USD, will include the following:

• The zippered project bag shown
• A printed copy of my Pinwheel Christmas Quilt pattern
• Floss needed to stitch the Pinwheel Christmas Quilt pattern
• Pin Pal kit by The Purple Thread (not shown in photo)
• Chatelaine by My Big Toes Designs (not shown in photo)
• A few other miscellaneous stitching goodies (not shown in photo)

Please note: Giveaway is open to residents of the United States only.  Entries will no longer be accepted after Saturday, January 17, 2015 at 11:59pm EST

Want to win this prize pack?  Just click the giveaway link below.

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

Winner will be announced on Monday, January 19th.  Good luck and Happy Stitching!  :)

Editor's Note on Weds. 1/14/2015 at 8:26pm:
Please note that the entry list will be scrubbed of all invalid entries, such as people clicking the link for 5 entries that they've left a comment on this blog post, etc. when they have not.  As of the time of this edit, more than 50% of the entries are NOT valid (23 people have clicked they've left a comment where only 8 of them really have).  In an effort to make this a fair giveaway I respectfully ask you play by the rules.  Thank you.

Friday Fun, Trivia & a "Giveaway"

Since it's Friday I thought I'd have a little trivia fun and tie it in with a coupon code giveaway.  I was going to do it on my Facebook page, but they have all kinds of stupid rules about giveaways, so I thought I'd do it here.  If you're interested in possibly "winning" a SUPER SECRET code for 40% OFF your next purchase from my Etsy shop, keep reading.

OK, here's the details for this little trivia contest...

• The first 3 people that provide the correct answer will receive a coupon code for the above mentioned discount.
• Your answer will need to be emailed to stitchnmomma@hotmail.com so that I have a way to contact you back with the code (if you are a winner).
• If you're not going to use the coupon code, I kindly ask that you don't enter this particular giveaway so that someone else that wants it has a chance to win.  Thank you!  :) 
• I'll email the winners later in the day (please be patient as I will be at work while this little "contest" is going on) and they will be announced publicly on another post Saturday morning.

So...do you want to know what the trivia question is?  I'm going to make it an easy one for this particular contest (further contests will have more difficult questions).  And the question is....

What was the very first item I sold in my Etsy shop and on what date?

Ready, set, go!

July 2013 Summer Giveaway

It's been quite a long time since I've done a giveaway. I decided it was well past time and it needed to be a good one.  

Here's what the winner will receive...

The package, worth $30 will include:

• A hand-painted tote bag perfect for carrying a smaller cross stitch/craft project in
• A printed copy of my Sunsational Sunflowers pattern
• A piece of 14 count hand-dyed aida in #727 Light Topaz, perfect for stitching the sunflower piece on
• A hand-stitched sunflower key chain/fob

So, you're probably wondering what you have to do to win.  You can earn entries by liking my Facebook page, following me on Twitter, tweeting about the giveaway, or making a purchase.  Just click on the giveaway box below to start earning your entries.

The winner will be drawn and announced the afternoon of July 28th.

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

Money Monday - December 3, 2012

IT'S TIME FOR A GIVEAWAY!!!

Ok, so I have an ulterior motive, but it will be a win/win for all of us!!  :)

OK peeps, here's the GIVEAWAY DETAILS....

* Go to my Facebook page and share THE PHOTO BELOW and help me get to MORE THAN 400 likes BEFORE December 15th.

* Once I get over the 400 mark, I'll have a giveaway from the names of everyone that SHARES THIS PHOTO

* One name will be randomly drawn to win any 3 PDF Cross Stitch Patterns of their choice from my shop ( www.stitchnmomma.etsy.com ) That's a $15+ value!! :)

Thanks for your help!!  I really want to make it over the 400 mark so I can offer everyone a fantastic deal!!  :)

And the Team MetalFoot Giveaway Winner Is....

First, I'd like to say a huge thank you to each and everyone of you that supported us through donations (because that was the whole point), facebook page likes & shares and cheering us on through the HUNDREDS of miles that we (me & Zach) walked & biked over the last 60 days. We both really appreciate it!!

Now for what you've all been waiting for.

I've taken the list of everyone that has donated, removed the last name, and removed the anonymous & immediate family donations from eligibility in the giveaway.   Each name has been assigned the number seen below:

 

Then I used a random number generator to pick the winner.  Oh, and the yellow square means nothing.  That just happened to be where the cursor on my computer was when I took the screen shot.

 

Let's give a big congratulations to Rebecca W.!!! 
Rebecca, I have your mailing information from the donation report provided by the fundraiser so I'll get your 2 items in the mail to you in the next day or two.  Can't wait for you to receive them and hope you like them both!

And I thought we were going to have 2 winners today, as I had a post on Friday to win a free pattern from my shop, but there were no qualifying entries.  I did have one person leave me a comment wishing me a Happy Birthday, which I appreciate, but it wasn't an original funny song or poem, so it didn't quite qualify.  Keep reading my blog and there will be more ways to get free goodies in the future.

Happy Stitching!

Team MetalFoot Giveaway Update

We're down to less than 3 weeks before the end of our fundraiser and we're still way off from our goal. *insert sad face here*

I finally was able to get the 5" hoop that I needed to "frame" the cross stitched piece I did.

So here's the skinny on how you can get the items were giving away...

• Make a donation in any dollar amount to www.stayclassy.org/teammetalfoot before midnight on September 11th and you're automatically entered into the drawing
• On September 12th I will compile the list of names, less my family members, that have donated to our fundraiser.  All those names will be assigned a number in order by their date of donation.
• I will use a random number generator to pick the winner from those names.  Simple as that!
  

The hand-stitched Americana Flag Heart would normally retail in my Etsy shop for $20 and the pendant necklace from Sovereign Sea Designs would retail for $12-15.

If you don't remember what we're raising funds for, all the other details are here.  You can also find our team page on Facebook here which has updates on the number of miles we've been doing (we're into the HUNDREDS now).

A huge THANK YOU to everyone that has donated so far, and of course to those that will find it in their hearts to donate before 9/11/12.

Hooah!

Freebie Friday - August 3, 2012

For today's Freebie Friday I'll be giving away 2 original Joan Elliot cross stitch charts.  One is "Magic Dragon" and the other is "Love's Promise".  

As stated, these are both original charts, so there's no copyright violations going on, as that's something as a designer I would never do.

If you're interested in winning these charts, leave a comment below (all comments must be left on this blog post.  Comments left on Facebook or Twitter won't count) and be sure I know how to contact you in case you're the winner.

The deadline to enter is Wednesday, August 8th and the winner will be announced on Thursday, August 9th.

Good luck!  :)

The Giveaway Gets Bigger!

On Sunday I did a post about how you could win one of my hand-stitched pieces.  Well today, I have even more good news....we have a 2nd item that will be included in the giveaway!

This gorgeous Reflexology Glass Pendant Necklace, made by my good friend Emma over at Sovereign Sea Designs, will also be included in the giveaway.  I think it's rather fitting for the event as with all the walking and biking we'll be doing we could certainly use anything to help our bodies relax and recover.

If you're not sure what you have to do to enter, it's pretty simple.  Make a donation in any amount to the fundraiser my son and I are doing, with the proceeds benefiting ActiveHeroes.org and the National Fallen Firefighters Fund, and you will be entered into the drawing for these 2 items.  And you never know, there may just be more items that get included in the giveaway before I do the drawing on September 12th.


Thank you for your continued support! *smooch*

Do You Want to Win?

If you follow my page on Facebook, by now you have probably seen that my son and I are walking & biking to raise funds for a charity.  The charity is something that is near & dear to our hearts...ActiveHeroes.org.

For this particular event, they have teamed up to not only raise funds for their own organization, but also for the National Fallen Firefighters Fund. The purpose of the event is to preferably run, but in our case walk & bike, as much as you can before 9/11 and raise as much money by that date also.  The funds will then be split 50/50 between the two charities.

I think most of you know that last year my son went into the U.S. Army and was injured in a training accident.  What I haven't posted about is the fact the injury was bad enough that he was given an Honorable Medical Discharge with a 20% permanent disability.  Due to the injury, he can't run, but walking short distances (by short I mean like a mile at a time, not the 4 & 5 mile walks I do) and biking was & still is part of his physical therapy for it.  By helping with this charity he feels like he's still there doing something to help his brothers & sisters in arms.

 Zach & Kelly at Zach's Swearing In Ceremony for the U.S. Army

So you're probably asking yourself right about now, "where does the winning come in?".  Well, let me tell you.
 
For every person that makes a donation to our page, by either clicking on the photo of me & Zach above or using the link on the right side of this page, you will be entered into a drawing to receive a FREE finished cross stitch from me!!

The piece you will receive will be an Americana Heart Flag, similar to the photo shown below, only your piece will be stitched on a light tan fabric and will be nicely "framed" in a hoop and ready to hang on your wall.  I thought it would be a very symbolic piece that shows your heart is with those that protect your country, whether it be from acts of terrorism, or the men & women that battle every day tragedy of a house fire that can take our loved ones from us so unexpectedly. 

I have already started stitching the piece the winner will receive and will post a picture as soon as it's done.  The drawing for the winner will be done & announced on September 12, 2012.  All names will be taken from the list provided by my charity page of the donors and I will use a random number generator to determine the winner.  All will be done in a "fair & square" manner with pics posted of the list, number generator, etc.

Remember, every single dollar that people donate add up to something large.  So if you can find it in your hearts to give something, we would truly appreciate it.  (Why am I starting to feel like Jerry Lewis doing the MDA Telethon?  LOL!)


Thank you and HOOAH!  (It's an Army thing, lol!)


 

Freebie Friday - Feb. 17, 2012

It's time for another "Freebie Friday"!  

This is the item I'll be giving away completely FREE.  Just click on the picture for details on how you could win it.

Freebie Friday 1/27/2012

Have you checked out the free item I've giving away over on my Facebook page today????

I Want Your Photos!!

As stitchers we all love to ooh & aah over any type of needlecraft we can find.  I’d love to start a “Stitchers Gallery” photo album of your finished pieces on my Facebookpage. 

So as a special incentive, this is what I’m going to do for you…

If you send me a picture of your finished piece that is either one of my original patterns, or any other piece that has been stitched on hand-dyed fabric you have purchased from Stitchnmomma, I will give you a $5.00 gift certificate that can be used off your next purchase in my Etsy shop.

Simply email me a .jpg file of your completed piece to Stitchnmomma@hotmail.com and I will reply back with your gift certificate number.

So, who’s in???  Will YOU be the first person to send me a picture?   

I can’t wait to see what you’ve all made!!

Guess the Pattern and WIN!!

So I've been teasing my readers for months now on this new pattern I've been working on. I took this picture last weekend and have made significant progress on it since then. I'm hoping to have it completely finished and listed in my shop in the next 7-10 days. Yay!!

Here's how you win...

If you are able to guess what the pattern is I will provide you with a coupon code for $5.00 OFF any $10.00+ purchase from my ArtFire shop. You can buy whatever you'd like; patterns, magnets, craft supplies, whatever. :)

There's no limit to the number of people that can win. I'll provide a coupon code to each person that guesses correctly and you can enter up until my next post when I announce the winner(s) and show the finished product.



Sorry Emma and Leah ~ you lovely ladies aren't eligible to win since you both already know what the pattern is.

Happy Stitching!

ENTER TO WIN....

With the ever changing and expanding world of social networking, I'm finding it hard to keep up with all the various forms, so based upon popular demand I've decided to start a monthly newsletter.

If you'd like to receive this newsletter, simply email me your first & last name and your email address to Stitchnmomma@hotmail.com Your email address will be kept private and I'll never sell or share my list.

In addition to having a new newsletter to announce my new patterns, categories, share works in progress, etc. I thought I'd have a NAME THE NEWSLETTER CONTEST. The winner will receive a gift certificate to my ArtFire shop. If you'd like to enter, just post a comment here or on my Facebook fan page with your newsletter name. Make sure I know how to get in touch with you in case you're the winner. The winner will be announced in the first premier issue the first week in January.

Can't wait to see the names you all come up with and good luck to everyone!

Looking forward

IT'S TIME FOR THE GIVE AWAY!!!!

I surpassed the 100 "fan" mark on my Hair Today Yours Tomorrow Facebook Fan Page so now it's time for me to do my give away. Yay!!!

ENTRY DATES: Friday August 13th to Friday August 20th, 2010

THE PRIZE: A $20.00 "shop credit" to my Hair Today Yours Tomorrow shop where you can choose the hair accessories that YOU like vs. what I pick to give you

HOW TO WIN: Each person can get up to 8 entries in the giveaway drawing:

• Follow this blog = 1 entry

• Become a facebook fan = 1 entry
• www.facebook.com/HairTodayYoursTomorrow
  

• Tweet about my giveaway = 1 entry
• Be sure to put @Stitchnmomma in your tweet so I can see it

• Purchase 1 or more items from Hair Today Yours Tomorrow = 5 entries!!
• Purchase must be made 8/13/10 thru 8/20/10 to count towards the give away with a note posted here that you've purchased

Entries will be taken from all comments that are left here on my blog.

Most importantly - don't forget to tell me how to contact you in case you're the big winner.

Good luck to everyone and I'll post the winner next Saturday, August 21st!!!
:D

P.S. For all you cross stitch fans, I'll be doing a give away for my Stitchnmomma store in the next 4-6 weeks, so stay tuned for that.

My 1st Giveaway!!!

When I get to 100 fans I'll do my 1st give away.

Are you a fan??

www.facebook.com/HairTodayYoursTomorrow