Marie's Mouse...

Marie shared her completed needle felted project from our Craft Day last weekend. Isn't this wee mouse adorable? It reminds me of Feivel from the movie. I think it's the cutest thing ever, and I told Marie I think she's a natural at this.

I think it may be a while before we see Adrienne's projects. It seems her cats were extremely interested in them and there may have been needle felted massacres. She said she is still unable to find parts for one of them. Yikes! 

I know Claudette was awfully intrigued with my fox. I showed it to her when I saw her staring at it, but not soon after, I placed it high on a wall-hung shelf where she can't access it.

I'll see if I can get photos of George's projects, and will wait for those from the other ladies who attended. I really loved this project, and will likely do another soon from the kits and wools I have, but you well-know that I have a few other projects to complete first.

I'm heading to an appointment this morning with an orthopedic doc to see just what I may have done to my leg when I got tangled up in the dog bed six weeks ago. It still hurts like the dickens, so I need a diagnosis and hopefully, relief.

When we get back home, I'm going in to work for my boss. She went to urgent care over the weekend and was diagnosed with sinus and lung infections. She would usually work a double shift on Mondays, but I told her I'd work the 10-4 shift and she should go home and rest. We came to an agreement, so even though I don't think she should work the first shift, at least I got her to go home for second shift. 

We'll see what I can accomplish once I get home. I'd like to have some "play time" if I'm up for it. I'll let you know tomorrow.

Sunday Scripture...

Exodus 14:14

 

Wouldn't This Be Lovely?...

First, let me say this is not a room in the farmhouse. Would I love it as a place for all the books that are currently still in boxes in our (safe and dry) basement? Indeed, I would! In fact, I could happily inhabit this spot for hours reading or stitching. 

Sadly, the "under the staircase" portion of our farmhouse does not lend itself to this design. One side of our stairs shares a common wall with the kitchen stove area. The other is where our built-in china cabinet is located in the dining room. Even so, a girl can certainly dream, and even simply adding shelves in a guest room would be wonderful. Until then, I'll continue to save photographs such as these for inspiration.

I'm off to work now. Last night was busy and flew by. After Handsome and I had dinner, I fell asleep in my chair. We were watching "Jeopardy", and truly, I was no competition at all. lol

Today, I'll be thinking about returning to my bluebird embroideries. That's my plan for next week. It's time to complete the embroidery portion of the project so I can choose fabrics to finish it into another wall hanging. I hope you enjoy your weekend. See you again soon!

March Craft Day...

Last Saturday was Craft Day in Portage. We each had a needle felting kit to make, but none of us finished them before our gathering was over. We all took them home to finish.

I sat down as soon as I got home and went about completing mine, but felt it looked a bit more rat-like than foxy, so I reworked it over the weekend. This is my finished project.

I purchased my kit from Grey Fox Felting  (HERE). The kit came with all the supplies needed to complete this piece, and there's enough wool in the kit to make another smaller one. You can see what the original looks like from their website photo.

I got a little carried away and added legs and a black tip to my fox's tail on mine, and I think mine had been eating a little more than the model, too.

All in all, I think it's a good first attempt at making something more realistic than the snowman from our first class. I definitely need more practice, though, so I'll probably take that leftover wool and try to mimic the fox on their website more closely. I can see I need to practice "faces" more. Practice makes perfect!

I haven't seen anyone else's project yet, but I'll share once they do. I know there'll be some cute ones, because these ladies are pretty talented. Even Adrienne's son made one. He made a cat that day, and a fox later in the weekend. You'll definitely want to see those!

Another week in the rearview mirror. Work tonight, and I picked up hours for tomorrow. We're stretched pretty thin at the station. My boss has been interviewing and training, only to have people call in saying they don't want the job - or in some cases, just not showing up at all. It's very frustrating and means that the rest of us need to pick up the open spots. I offered up my free Saturday when the call went out. yippee

All the main giveaway gifts went out yesterday, but I still have the jewelry case to convert for Bobbi (her request), and a couple others from the auxilliary giveaway. Those will go out today. Bobbi's will go out early next week. I'll work on it over the weekend. I'll visit again soon, but I've got to run for now.

Happy Friday!

March Classmate Dinner...

We had a larger group this month, and we celebrated the Birthday of one of our group. Dan (center front in the blue plaid shirt) turned seventy. Because my birthday is in December, I'm older than many of my classmates. We'll be celebrating more of them in the coming months, but yesterday was Dan's day.

One of the gals left before we got to taking our monthly photograph, but we managed to snap a few before the group broke up for the night.

I spent the morning and early afternoon making cinnamon rolls, and was extremely gratified that all of them sold, with the exception of one pack of two. The rest were packs of four. I stopped at work on my way home and gave my boss, Kim the last package. When someone asked her if it was her birthday, she said, "No. Donna just loves me." She's right. I've known her since she was six or seven and it feels like we're family.

Now that our party is behind me, I'll be concentrating on packaging up all the giveaway gifts, and the extra something I'll be sending to those who shared their mailing addresses. Once that's finished, I'd really like to try to do a little needlework. We'll have to see how that works out.

My March Artist Trading Cards...

This was another project I completed recently. These are in the mail and on their way to the Handmade Treasures group swap partners. There were twelve (plus me) for thirteen total this month.  I'm quite happy with the way they turned out.

 

I decided to go with a non-traditional green over the usual Kelly green, and although there are shamrocks (which were the theme), they're not the main feature. I added French knots to the center of the shamrocks, and the final touch was a small sparkle between the two largest ones. 

I'm already looking forward to finding out what Jan's theme will be for April..."Showers" perhaps? We'll see soon.

I have more projects to share this week, but I'm baking cinnamon rolls today. Our classmate dinner is at 3 pm, and I have a lot to finish in the kitchen before then. Better grab my coffee and get busy!

 

My Latest Spoolie...

You had to know I'd be making a little Bella Labrador Retriever, right? When I showed her to Handsome he only had one request. "Could you add just the end of her tongue sticking out of her mouth, just like Bella does once in a while?" Done!

She's wearing a sparkling charm on her fashionable red collar, and I attached a "B" charm and paw print. All perfect for the WMBBD, don't you think? I'll have more projects that I worked on last week to share during this week.

I've heard from many of you already, but I'm still offering a little gift to everyone who entered. If you haven't sent your address to me yet, there's still time. I'm at work today, so I won't begin mailing out gifts until tomorrow. It's just my small way of saying "thank you" to each of you.

I guess I'd better go get ready. I'll grab my decaf cuppa and head off to the salt mines. lol (Not really, but you get the idea.) Hope you all have a great day!

And, The Winners Are...

WINNER IS SHERRY OF CREATEOLOGY!

 

WINNER IS CARLIE!

 

 

 

 

 

WINNER IS MA FROM MAGPIE'S MUMBLINGS!

 

 

WINNER IS GAIL FROM MN!

WINNER IS BOBBI NORRIS!

Clarification: I only counted original comments, not responses or additional information comments. 

So, I ask that winners contact me with their full names, preferred mailing addresses, and full email addresses, please. Use my email link in my sidebar, and please put "GIVEAWAY WINNER and your gift/day number in the subject line.

I'll be preparing packages to mail and will confirm all information prior to shipping. Bobbi, please let me know if you'd like to finish your stitching case yourself, of if you'd prefer to work with me to finish it for you.

If I don't hear back from each of the winners by midnight Tuesday, I'll choose another winner for the unclaimed gift. (I'm confident this won't happen.)

Now for one more surprise: If you've read this far and didn't win one of the daily giveaway gifts, I do have a little something for you. If you'll send an email to me with your full name and address, I'll send a little gift to you, too! Just to say "thank you" for commenting! I'll look forward to hearing from all of you, too!

Thank you to everyone who commented and participated in my giveaway. You've helped make my 16th Anniversary a true celebration. 

Sunday Scripture...

Isaiah 40:8

 

Winners Will Be Announced Monday...

All the giveaway gifts have been revealed, and everyone can still enter once each post until midnight tonight. I'll be choosing the winners via Random.org on Sunday, and writing my post for the winners list for Monday. 

Remember, once I announce the winners, I'll need to hear from each one by Tuesday evening with contact/mailing information, or I'll choose a new winner. I'm hoping to be able to mail out every single gift package by the middle of next week.

Thank you to each and every one of you for being such loyal friends. As I recognize this 16th year, each of you will hold a special place in my heart for being my inspiration to continue. You all mean the world to me.

DAY FIVE - FINAL DAY...

I'm going to do this in my best Charlie Brown teacher's voice...WAAAH WAAAHHH. I'm sad to see the celebration come to an end. Choosing gift packages every day has been so much fun for me! I'm just sad that there can be only five winners this time.

So, with that in mind, I'm revealing the gift(s) for DAY FIVE of my 16th Blog Anniversary celebration...

How would one lucky winner like to receive their very own travel sewing case? You'll remember how I recently shared that I'd learned about turning travel jewelry cases into fun sewing cases. Well, when I purchased two cases recently, I had this giveaway in mind.

Here's the (I hope) best part...The winner of this gift can choose to have it sent directly to them as is (I've already removed the ring holder part in the center of the lift-out section), OR we can collaborate and I'll fit it out for you in the theme of your choice.

That means, I'd work with the winner choosing trims, colors, fabrics, etc. and I'll include a Brynwood magnetic needle keep as a bonus. If the winner chooses to embellish their case themselves, I'll still include the needle keep, and add some trims that can be used or not.

So, sadly, this is the final giveaway day and gift. If you've missed entering any previous days, you have until Saturday evening at midnight to enter.

As I mentioned before, I'm sharing the rules each day of the drawing to avoid any confusion.  Also, remember you can click on any of my blog images to enlarge them.

HERE ARE THE ENTRY RULES: (Not many actually)

1) Follow my blog and/or follow Brynwood Needleworks on Facebook or Instagram (let me know which)

2) You must enter a comment in the section below (this post only) to be in the drawing for these items.

3) You can live anywhere in the world, but you're responsible for any tariffs or VAT taxes imposed on your end.

4) Only one entry for each drawing, please. 

5) You may enter every giveaway offered, however again, only once per drawing.

6) Make sure you monitor the drawings next Monday for results. If you win, I'll need a mailing address. If I don't hear from winners by Tuesday, March 24th, I'll choose another name.

 

GOOD LUCK!!!

 

DAY FOUR GIVEAWAY...

We've made it to Day Four of my 16th Blog Anniversary Giveaway, and I have a new gift package to share with you for today. This one will work for needleworkers or quilters! Let's have a look, shall we?

This gift package includes a full jellyroll of Moda™ fabrics. These are full 40-42" width strips that are 2 1/2" wide and it includes strips from every fabric in the line. This sweet fabric line is called "Simplicity" from Three Sisters, and it's a beautiful collection of fabrics in shades of pink, green, soft aqua, and yellow.

In addition, I'm including a coordinating zippered pouch to hold the included threads or items of your choice. I slipped in three spools of Anchor™ perle cotton, and ten skeins of floss that coordinate with the fabric (in case your idea is to create something for some slow stitching). There's also an Elegance Ribbon™ card of specialty fibers, and finally, a Moda™ pattern booklet called "Moda Candy", containing 18 different patterns for wall hangings, table runners and more. 

Come back tomorrow for DAY FIVE...as I'll be sharing the gift items for the last day of my anniversary giveaways. 

As I mentioned before, I'm sharing the rules each day of the drawing to avoid any confusion.  Also, remember you can click on any of my blog images to enlarge them.

HERE ARE THE ENTRY RULES: (Not many actually)

1) Follow my blog and/or follow Brynwood Needleworks on Facebook or Instagram (let me know which)

2) You must enter a comment in the section below (this post only) to be in the drawing for these items.

3) You can live anywhere in the world, but you're responsible for any tariffs or VAT taxes imposed on your end.

4) Only one entry for each drawing, please. 

5) You may enter every giveaway offered, however again, only once per drawing.

6) Make sure you monitor the drawings next Monday for results. If you win, I'll need a mailing address. If I don't hear from winners by Tuesday, March 24th, I'll choose another name.

 

***I haven't mentioned this before, but all drawings will close at midnight Saturday, March 22nd, so if you're interested in entering, you'll need to leave your comments on the giveaway posts by then.***

 

GOOD LUCK!!!

 

DAY THREE GIVEAWAY...

Are you having fun yet? I sure am! We've made it halfway through my Five Days of Giveaways to celebrate my sixteenth year of blogging. YIPPEE!!

I've chosen something a bit more special to me for today's giveaway. I hope you like it! When I owned my needlework shop, I decided to teach needlework classes. I had this idea in my head to create a primer for my students to take away with them from my class. 

I also wanted them to have a project to work on, so my very first design "Examplar One" was born. It led me to a decade of designing and creating samplers for my customers, and also for other shops around the world. I remember driving to needlework markets on the east coast, as well as teaching classes in surrounding states in America's Heartland. My sampler charts shipped to shop owners in the UK, Australia and across the United States. I'm very grateful for the enthusiasm shown me during those years, and have planned something special to reintroduce the designs very soon. My first pieces will be included in this giveaway gift.

I'm so pleased to offer this gift to one lucky winner. This is one of three remaining copies of my "Primer and Class Companion" for my "Examplar One" counted thread sampler. 

The verse for Examplar One is:

"I learned my stitches one by one, and some I did repeat. I wrought each one with special care, til my sampler was complete."

The Primer is thirty pages of tips and tricks I learned over many years of experience, and classes from other talented needleworkers and designers. There are diagrams, additional charts, and other images, too. I've also included blank pages for notes. Previously, you had to take one of my classes to get one of these primers, but one lucky winner will have a copy for herself. I am planning to reprint this primer in the near future, but it won't be in this format.

This gift would be incomplete without the accompanying chart photographed on the front page of the Primer. I've also added DMC size 26 tapestry needles. Not shown are the twelve cotton floss colors called for in the chart, along with a wooden needlecase to hold the needles. Rest assured they will be included. I may even add a few other surprises!

As I mentioned before, I'm sharing the rules each day of the drawing to avoid any confusion.  Also, remember you can click on any of my blog images to enlarge them.

HERE ARE THE ENTRY RULES: (Not many actually)

1) Follow my blog and/or follow Brynwood Needleworks on Facebook or Instagram (let me know which)

2) You must enter a comment in the section below (this post only) to be in the drawing for these items.

3) You can live anywhere in the world, but you're responsible for any tariffs or VAT taxes imposed on your end.

4) Only one entry for each drawing, please. 

5) You may enter every giveaway offered, however again, only once per drawing.

6) Make sure you monitor the drawings next Monday for results. If you win, I'll need a mailing address. If I don't hear from winners by Tuesday, March 24th, I'll choose another name.

 

GOOD LUCK!!!

 

 

DAY TWO GIVEAWAY...

Today I get to share the giveaway items for DAY TWO of my Sixteenth Blog Anniversary celebration! I'm hoping you're loving the offerings I'm assembling for these giveaways.

The first part of this offering is one of my custom crafted fabric and natural cork wristlets. There is a cork strap inside the zippered pouch. Use it for your organizing your handbag or to carry sewing or needlework supplies. 

The second part of this giveaway gift is a complete wool kit from Primitive Gatherings called "Give Thanks" from my personal collection. This one has a fall/Thanksgiving theme and it measures 9" x 20".

Finally, I'm including twelve skeins of DMC cotton floss in fall colors which could be used to stitch the runner kit, or for any other project of your choosing.

As I mentioned before, I'll share the rules each day of the drawing to avoid any confusion.  Also, remember you can click on any of my blog images to enlarge them.

HERE ARE THE ENTRY RULES: (Not many actually)

1) Follow my blog and/or follow Brynwood Needleworks on Facebook or Instagram (let me know which)

2) You must enter a comment in the section below (this post only) to be in the drawing for these items.

3) You can live anywhere in the world, but you're responsible for any tariffs or VAT taxes imposed on your end.

4) Only one entry for each drawing, please. 

5) You may enter every giveaway offered, however again, only once per drawing.

6) Make sure you monitor the drawings next Monday for results. If you win, I'll need a mailing address. If I don't hear from winners by Tuesday, March 24th, I'll choose another name.

 

GOOD LUCK!!!

 

DAY ONE GIVEAWAY...

Let the celebration commence! Today is Day One of my five day celebration drawings. It's going to be a fun week, friends! These are the gifts I've chosen for my DAY ONE Giveaway to mark the occasion.

 

First thing I have to share is a copy of Carolyn Pearce's Home Sweet Home book. Between the pages you'll learn to assemble and embellish your own little cottage! But wait...there's more! (hee hee. I've always wanted to say that.) I loved this book so much I bought it twice, so I'm offering up one copy to a lucky winner.

The winner will also receive a generous size piece of 32 ct. natural linen fabric, a SIXTY color assortment of DMC floss, and a zippered pocket pouch to hold them.

HERE ARE THE ENTRY RULES: (Not many actually)

1) Follow my blog and/or follow Brynwood Needleworks on Facebook or Instagram (let me know which)

2) You must enter a comment in the section below (this post only) to be in the drawing for these items.

3) You can live anywhere in the world, but you're responsible for any tariffs or VAT taxes imposed on your end.

4) Only one entry for each drawing, please. 

5) You may enter every giveaway offered, however again, only once per drawing.

6) Make sure you monitor the drawings next Monday for results. If you win, I'll need a mailing address. If I don't hear from winners by Tuesday, March 24th, I'll choose another name.

 

That's it! Easy peasy. Happy St. Patrick's Day. My you find the luck of the Irish this season.

Good Luck!!

Sunday Scripture...

Psalm 27:1

 

It's My SIXTEENTH Blog Anniversary!...

When I typed out my first post on March 15, 2009, I never in a million years thought that 1) I'd have a single person interested in anything I might have to say, and 2) that I'd still be at it SIXTEEN years later!

What I've found is a loving blog family, built through all these years of sharing my thoughts with you, and you leaving daily comments for me, too. I admit there have been days when I've seriously contemplated shutting this all down and fading off into the sunset. You've all been so kind to me, and encouraged me to keep doing what I'm doing, so here I am.

Well, I can tell you today that I still have a thing or two to say, and I'm still happy to share my creative endeavors with you. While that remains the case, you can count on me to continue to write my daily posts.

So to celebrate, beginning Monday, March 15th and ending Friday, March 21st, I'm going to post a giveaway each day. If you like what you see on a given day, simply leave a comment on that blog post to be entered into the drawing for the item(s) in that day's post. You can enter once per post, but you can enter every day. Comments on this post will not count toward drawings that start on March 17th.

These are not "domestic only" drawings either. It doesn't matter where you live, but if there are tariffs or taxes due, the winner will be responsible to pay those.

Come back on Monday and I'll reveal the first giveaway item. I'll reiterate the terms each time, so I hope you don't get bored with that. If I don't already have your address, winners will need to get them to me. If I don't receive an acknowledgement from the winners within two days after the winners' announcement, or I'll choose another person in their place.

I'll choose winners on Sunday, March 23rd - after the drawings close - and then announce all the winners on Monday, March 24th. PLEASE be sure to come back on Monday, the 24th to see if you've won.

I sure hope you're as excited as I am! See you Monday for DAY ONE!!!

Jammed...

Handsome got his wish. Yesterday, we processed the strawberries I picked up from the delivery truck on Sunday. These strawberries were hauled north from Plant City, FL and they're delicious! 

I stood and cored them on Monday, then bagged them in two quart batches to make life easier on canning day. All I had to do was dump them into my Kilner pot with the SureJell™ pectin, and once that mixture came to a boil, add sugar. It had to come back to a boil, and cook another minute to be ready to pack into pint jars. The jam was processed in a water bath for ten minutes and then removed to cool on the counter.

I purchased sixteen pounds (24 pints) of strawberries. After they were cleaned and packaged, I had four two-quart batches (plus another four cups to eat fresh). I processed two batches at a time, and we ended up with just shy of nineteen pints of jam.

This morning, they'll be labeled to put away. I'll have to rearrange the jam shelf in the pantry a bit to accommodate all these jars, too. Of course, a few will immediately be gifted, but I won't need to can strawberries this summer. I'll be able to concentrate on something else from the garden or local market instead. 

I think it's time for my morning coffee, accompanied by a small bowl of fresh strawberries and cream. A nice start to the day, don't you think?