The Winner, A Giveaway, And A General Update...

And now, for a celebration of my own!!!

It happened when I wasn't even watching!
The next thing I knew, Brynwood had 400 friends.
Of course, it's time to celebrate with another drawing.

I'm humbled and honored that you like what I write here.
Enough to put me into your blog roll or in your reader so
you can keep up with my projects, activities and thoughts.

You mean the world to me, really!!!...and you make me
want to be a better person. I try to make Brynwood an
interesting place to visit with new things to share.
I always try to put my best foot forward for you, and
really treasure the friendships I've made here.
I look forward to getting to know all of you even better.

I'd like to say "thank you" to
Karen at Graphics Fairy
for this fabulous vintage image of two ballerinas.
I'm going to offer FOUR giveaway gifts using this image.
"What are they?", you say.
Uh, remember the part where I told you
I was taken unawares?
I have no idea what I'll do with this image yet.
I might make a gift tag. I might make a cushion.
I promise that, as the drawing progresses, I'll share
each of the gifts with you as I make them up next week.
Here's how you enter the drawing...
Only comments on this post will count for the drawing.
• One entry if you leave a comment
• One more entry if you are a follower, or become one.
• One more entry if you blog about my giveaway,
post my button, and link back to this post.
PLEASE LEAVE A SEPARATE COMMENT FOR EACH ENTRY.

The giveaway will end at midnight Saturday, July 10, 2010.
I'll announce the winners on Sunday, July 11, 2010.

Feel free to use any giveaway image above in your blog.
Good luck, y'all!
Announcing the winner of my
Strawberry Rose
from the
"Where Bloggers Create II" event.
#57
Rebecca from A Gathering of Thoughts
Congratulations, Rebecca!
Please email your address to me so that I can send out your strawberry.
I finished piecing the French General quilt top yesterday.
I added two more borders from what I showed yesterday,
and today, I'll take it out to be assembled.
I'll add the binding when it comes back.
My Bloggerette Sorority Sister, Marsha,
from Marsha's Musings and Sassy Mini Dolls
is having a giveaway, too!
Deadline to enter is July 14th.
Click on the giveaway photo to enter.
UPDATE: Midnight July 14th
The Giveaway Drawing Is Closed.
Thanks for entering!

Tiny Stitches and Calling Number 3...

I'm sharing another peek of an element in my redecorated

studio. This is a sampler I stitched in 1991 on 36 ct. linen.

That's 36 threads to the inch, which is uncomfortable for me
to see and stitch now. Although, I admit, I'm tempted to find
a high power magnifier and try again. I miss counted thread work.
You'll get to see the full sampler on June 19th, as promised.

Thanks to everyone for the comments you left about Aunt Eula's (now my) vintage pins and the Pin Converter I told you about.

I popped over to Random.org and entered in the magic numbers (1-26), and you can see above whose number came up. Congratulations to...

YVONNE
at
Stone Gable

I'll be sending a pin converter your way. Please email your full name and address to me along with your preference for silver-tone or gold-tone. (dliljegren (at) brynwoodneedleworks (dot) com)

Thanks to everyone who played along in my impromtu giveaway. You never know when the next one will pop up again in one of my posts!
I don't want to forget...Yvonne is having a giveaway at Stone Gable, too! You can go to her site and enter as long as you get there by midnight, Tuesday, June 8th. Here's the link. You'd better hurry!!

Giveaway Winners on Silver Sunday...

Today is Silver Sunday, hosted by Beth at Gypsy Fish Journal, so please enjoy a cup of tea or coffee from my lovely service. This set belonged to my mother-in-law and although it doesn't sit out all the time, it's a lovely reminder of Handsome's elegant mother. Please be sure to head over to Gypsy Fish Journal and say hello to the other Silver Sunday participants.

So, now that you're all comfy...I'll announce the winners of my two giveaways...

The winner of the Sweetheart Valentine Giveaway is
Libbie
of
The Middlest Sister
All those valentine goodies will be heading to Minnesota!
and
The winner of my 200th Follower Giveaway is
Annie
of
Annie Fannie's Green Acres
All those vintage-inspired treats will be heading to CA.

You can click on their blog titles to visit their blogs, too!

Libbie and Annie - Please contact me through my "Click Here to Email Me" button on my right sidebar (right under my clock) with your addresses so I can get your goodies on their way first thing next week.

Thank you to all who participated in my giveaways. I appreciate each and every comment you left and that you cared enough to want to win the items I was offering. THREE MORE POSTS until I write my 300th message to you. Yup...There's gonna be another giveaway, so please check back to see what I'm offering for my 300th Post Giveaway. I'm looking for more special things to share with you!

Happy Valentine's Day. I love and appreciate you more than words can say.

Fly Away Little Bird...

A little bird on its way to a sweet friend, but

before he flies away -

one more reminder...
Both of my blog giveaways end at midnight tonight.
Tomorrow, I'll announce the winners of my
Sweetheart Valentine Giveaway
and my
200th Follower Giveaway
Good Luck!

Oh, Mr. Postman...

The last valentines are finished and will go to the post office today.
These valentines are artist trading cards,
lovingly crafted in wool with flowers and beads.
I was thinking of those little candy hearts that have messages on them.
Can you see my inspiration? (It's ok...click on the photo. That might help.)

One last peek before they leave Brynwood for their new homes.
Sweet little greetings to friends near and far,

and a reminder...
There's still time to enter my
Sweetheart Valentine Giveaway
and the

200th Follower Giveaway!
If you haven't entered yet,
just click on the giveaway buttons to participate!
Don't forget to check out the other great giveaways in my left sidebar, too.
Good luck!

Super Bowl Sunday...

Today, I was able to check one item off my "Lofty Goals for 2010" list on my left sidebar. Handsome and I tackled (get it? "tackled" - yeah, sometimes I just crack myself up!)...sorry, we tackled the last of my stuff cluttering up the garage so that it can be converted into his drum room. It's going to be really cool when it's all done! Harleys and drums...the best! I'll show you photos when it's all done, I promise.

By the time the pre-game started, we were thoroughly tired of work - ready to relax and watch the game. We really didn't care who won. We were just hoping for a good game. Dinner was no big deal. We don't do huge game spreads for just the two of us, but I did work a little sandwich magic I wanted to tell you about.

I slow-cooked a pork roast with onions, and shredded the meat after it had simmered for about 6 hours. I added Jack Daniels Barbecue Sauce and kept it warm as I did the rest of my prep - making my version of homemade creamy coleslaw.

I use crispy lettuce instead of cabbage (along with shredded carrots, sliced onions, mayo, sour cream, a little sugar, balsamic vinegar and a little dry salsa seasoning from Tastefully Yours). It makes for a light, crisp coleslaw with a fresh flavor and I'm just a little proud of the fact that I developed the recipe all on my "ownsome".

I heated up some ciabatta bread and cut it in half, put the barbecued pork inside the bread and then topped the pork with my coleslaw concoction. I served steak fries on the side and dinner was "just enough". If you're looking at my photo, you'll see mayo (Duke's Mayonnaise) on the side. Cat's out of the bag...I dip my fries in mayonnaise. I still get funny looks from the kids for that, and they accused me of turning Handsome "over to the dark side" the first time they saw him doing the same thing! Try it some time. It's good!

So, that was our Super Bowl Sunday. Today, I'll be finishing more valentines, making sure Kes gets to the vet to have an "old lady wart" removed from her head (it's been bleeding intermittently so it's gotta go), and working with my beaded shawl.

Don't forget my Sweetheart Valentines Giveaway and my 200th Follower Giveaway. If you haven't entered yet, please join the awesome group of individuals who follow my musings so you can join in the giveaway fun! You can find my giveaway buttons on my left sidebar, along with a few other great giveaways offered by other bloggers. If you go to their sites, please tell them where you heard about them.

To those of you who have recently signed up as Brynwood friends, I'm looking forward to getting to know you, and you getting to know me better in 2010. I have lots of fun things planned for this year and hope you'll continue to check in and see what's going on. It may take me a while, but I promise to stop by your blogs, or if you don't have one, to send you a message to say "hi".

I love reading your comments. Your feedback is really valuable to me. Otherwise, it's just sort of like talking to yourself...and I can do that any day of the week! Thanks for stopping by, and always, thanks for letting me know you were here. Good luck to all of you in the drawings. I wish I could give each and every one of you a gift to let you know how much you all mean to me.

TWO more important things for you today...My friend, Dawn at The Feathered Nest is celebrating her THIRD "blogiversary", and she's having a wonderful giveaway. Click on her button on the left to go and enter. Please tell her Donna at Brynwood said "hi".
See you there!

You have to go and visit Lisa at Tarnished and Tattered, too! She's celebrating her 200th follower just like I am, and she's got some pretty incredible and beautiful items in her giveaway. Tell her Donna said "hi" when you get there!

Be sure to check out all the great giveaway buttons on my left sidebar. Each of these women has selected beautiful giveaway gifts. There's still time to enter their drawings for a chance to win, if you haven't already!

A Sweetheart Silver Sunday...

It only seems right on this final Silver Sunday that I should share my silver frame collection with you. You see, I have a special set of silver frames. Each one has a heart on it or incorporated into its design. This being the weekend before Valentines Day, and the last of this Silver Sunday series, I wanted to be sure you got to see them.
These are frames that I've collected over the years, and they're all different from each other - except that they all have hearts in common. See? Some of them have a heart in their scrollwork or along the outside of the frame, while others have a small heart-shaped charm or token hanging on them.
I have many more, but you get the idea. They make quite an impression when they're all together. For the most part, I scatter them about the house. That way, I spread the love from room to room. Oh, and that last one up there is our entire family in one shot. Like the Bunsens of Prairie Home Companion lore, "...All the women are strong. All the men are good looking, and all the children are above average". Don't we all feel that way about our families? I can tell you I sure do!

I'd like to thank Beth from Gypsy Fish Journal for being such a wonderful hostess. Please be sure to visit her blog to see all the other fabulous Silver Sunday posts. There are so many beautiful places to visit and it may take a bit of time, but believe me, it's worth it to check them all out! Beth has already told us that Silver Sunday (the next edition) will be once held once a month now. I've already decided what I'll share with you next time. See you then!

Also, be sure to click on my buttons to enter each of my current giveaways. Once you get to each one, you can find out how to enter. Each giveaway will be drawn at midnight on February 13th.

The Opera Singer...

This is Handsome's grandmother, Lulu - the opera singer.
She performed in the United States and Canada
in the early part of the 20th century.
I really like this image of her and thought you might enjoy seeing it, too.

It was rainy in south Florida yesterday, which made
it a perfect day for continuing to work on my valentines.

If you haven't entered my current (two) giveaways yet,
click on the buttons on my left sidebar to enter.
One is my Sweetheart Valentine Giveaway
and the other is my 200th Follower Giveaway.
Spread the word. The more, the merrier!

New In The Boutique And More...

I just added a new item to my Brynwood Boutique!
I handknit this cardigan using Plymouth Confusion yarn.
It looks great whether you're dressed up for a
night on the town, or wearing jeans for a comfortable night at home.
You can click on the cardigan image to go to the Boutique for details.
Still having a great time making valentines.
I'll be finished soon and then they'll be in the mail and on their way!
If you haven't already done so, click on this button
to enter my "followers only"
200th Follower Giveaway
(If you're not already a follower of my blog, you can always join the fun now!)
For twice the fun, click on this button
to enter my
Sweetheart Valentine Giveaway.
Both Giveaways close at midnight on February 13th.

A Peek and Another Giveaway...

Just a quick peek at one of the valentines I'm working on in the studio.
I promise to show you more photos tomorrow.
But, there's more important news to share with you today...

As I write this post, we're one person away from two hundred followers of my Brynwood blog! To show you how grateful I am that you chose to follow my daily musings, I'm going to launch the 200th Follower Giveaway to run concurrent with the Sweetheart Valentine Giveaway.

You'll still need to leave your comment on the Valentine Giveaway to be entered in that drawing.

You'll be leaving comments on this post to enter the 200th Follower Giveaway.

What will one lucky follower receive in the 200th Follower Giveaway? I'm so glad you asked! I have a vintage (chippy, rusty) scrub board that would be great for someone's assemblage work. (I certainly don't expect anyone to use it for laundry!) There's also an ornament with the word "Joy" machine stitched on it, and I'm going to give the winner a tall (empty) wine box decorated with beautiful white flowers. I use mine to store knitting needles. How would you use it? Finally, there is a lovely book called Heirlooms from Loving Hands by Sandy Lynam Clough. She's painted some beautiful vignettes you're sure to enjoy.

Rules for this drawing are the same as for the Valentine Giveaway...

• This giveaway is only for my followers, so leave a comment if you publicly follow me for 1 entry.
• Leave a SEPARATE comment on this post if you write or post a link to my giveaway on your blog for a 2nd entry
• You don't need to have your own blog to enter, but please be sure that you leave a way for me to contact you in the event your name is drawn.

Only comments left on this post will count.
I will draw the winner (by Random Number Generator) at midnight on February 13th and announce the winner on Valentine's Day.

You can grab my giveaway button or larger image to post on your blog. (You can always click on the photos to enlarge them.) It's so exciting!!! Offering these giveaway gifts to you is so much fun for me. Good luck to each and every one of you!

Love Is In The Air...

I'm in the studio, making Valentines! Getting ready to share the love.

I'll show you photos of some of the finished products soon,
and hope that you love them, too!
I'm really enjoying reading all the wonderful comments
about my Sweetheart Valentine Giveaway, too.
Thank you for all your kind thoughts.
If you haven't entered the drawing yet, click on the button
above to enter. You can only enter by leaving comments on that post.
COMING SOON!!!
I've noticed that we're getting really close to having
two hundred followers here at Brynwood Needleworks.
As soon as we hit the magic number,
I'll be offering a second "followers only" giveaway.
Stay tuned to find out more.