Great Weekend and Giveaway Winners...

Printed autograph with a "smiley" face. Adorable!

The North Port Concert Band put together a great show yesterday.

Top of the bill was a thirteen year old lad named Geoff Gallante. He's

been playing music since he was SIX! He started with the cornet and has since mastered trumpet, flugal horn and piano.We enjoyed a rare  treat when he performed "Carnival of Venice", "My Cherie Amore" (a version arranged especially for him), and "Come Back To Sorrento". He also sang a sweet version of "Que Sera Sera" that left us all smiling.

He was more than happy to pose for pictures after the concert, too.

Geoff autographed my program, so I could say, "I knew him when".

If you look closely at the first picture, you'll see his signature up in the

top left corner. He was lying down on two chairs in the music suite

telling me that he'd love to live here in Florida while he signed it! (He

 lives in the northeast and told me it's cold up there right now.) All that

 talent makes one forget he's still a little boy until we had that exchange.

  He put on his "picture face" for his shot with Handsome. That's not  the shirt Handsome wore for the concert, but he's always a real quick-change  artist after they finish playing. Suits and ties get hot under the bright lights!    Geoff couldn't wait to head over to the  restaurant for something to  eat, so he just put on his jazz hat and smiled. He's an all-around, great kid. If you've never heard of Geoff Gallante before, head over to YouTube and type in his name. (This is a link to a version of "Carnival of Venice" he played three years ago. He's definitely better after three more years of practice!) What a wonderful way to spend an afternoon!   Are you ready for the Giveaway winners?

I went to Random Number Generator and here are the results:

 First winner is one of my very first blog friends:

#23

Twyla of Two Crazy Crafters

and

Second winner is one of my newest blog friends: #48 Sharon Hughson   Sharon: please contact me with your email address so I can get the information I need to transmit your prize to you. (I already  have contact information for Twyla and will contact her, too.)   Thanks to everyone who entered.  Don't be too disappointed. There's another celebration coming in  ten, short days. If anyone can guess what we might be celebrating,  leave a comment on this post and the first right answer will win  a little gift!  (I'll see who read this all the way to the end, right?)

May Your Cup Runneth Over With Joy...

Art by Jennifer Lambein - studiopetite on Etsy

I LOVE this image! Isn't it vibrant and fun?

Did I tell you yet that I'm planning a complete remodel in the studio?

Yup. I'm going to need LOTS of coffee to get through this!

It's going to be a lot of work. First, the room has to be completely emptied.

That, in itself, is going to be a monumental task. No getting around it,

though. I need to get everything out of there so I can start from the

ground up...new flooring, a new paint job and all new (to me) shelving.

This remodel will take place in April, so I have a lot to do between now

and "Re" Day. I'm going to be sorting, purging and selling those things

that will not be going back into the studio when it's all REmodeled.

Today, I'm finishing up our year-end bookwork, but I'll be back in the

studio tomorrow. I have two Headstart quilts to make, as well as three

special orders...two iPad cases and an organizer. I can't wait to get at them.

I think I'll have that cup of coffee now.

Don't forget to enter my Five Year Blog Anniversary Giveaway!

(Click here to leave a comment to be entered.)

Good Luck, everybody!

My Blog is FIVE Today...

 Today marks FIVE years since I wrote my very first Brynwood post.

I had been contemplating starting my own web log for quite a while and

had talked about it with some of my friends on Ravelry. On March 15th, 

I finally took the plunge. I never imagined just how much joy I would find 

in opening up my creative (and a little home) life in this format. 

When I wrote that first message and clicked the"publish" button that 

would send it out into cyberspace, I never thought I'd still be doing it 

all these years later. I can't believe how quickly the time has passed!

Since that first post, I have had nearly 421,000 page views and 1773 posts.

and the most gratifying - and never expected - surprise is that you have left

18,440 comments for me to read (and try to respond to). You humble me

beyond words with your willingness to visit, read and comment on my

(and Fezzik's and Taggart's) posts. I repeat, "You're all the best friends ever!".

I think this calls for another giveaway.
This time to celebrate my blog turning FIVE! 

I'm offering TWO $25 Gift Cards to your local quilt, fabric, yarn or book shop.
If you like, I will give you a $40 gift certificate to my Etsy shop instead.

Whoever wins the random drawing for this giveaway will give me the name

 of their favorite shop. I will then contact the shop and purchase a gift card

 or certificate in the winner's name. I will choose two winners.

There are a few rules to enter:

• You must be a follower/friend to participate (after all, you've put up with me all this time!)
• One entry for just for leaving a comment on this post
• If you share about this giveaway on FB or in a blog post, come back and leave a second comment on this post for a second entry
• All followers are eligible - no matter where you live 

DRAWING ENDS AT 11 pm SUNDAY, MARCH 23, 2014.

Winner will be announced Monday, March 24th.

 It's that simple.

Thanks so much for being on the receiving end of my musings every day.

Even if you never comment, I appreciate that you're out there reading.

(Sometimes, you tap me on the shoulder at a quilt show or event to tell 

me you've been out there reading and learning from me. I still smile 

when I think about that, my friend.) I'm so glad I started this adventure.

I've had great fun meeting wonderful, new friends because of it. I've also 

reconnected with old, dear friends who left comments that brought me 

immeasurable happiness. It's true that "what you send out comes back tenfold".

Thanks, and thanks again.

Back To Basics Class Today...

I'll be teaching another class today. This class is called "Back to Basics".

 Students learn the basic techniques used in quilting, while completing

a small quilt - a mug mat. We'll meet from 10 am until 3 pm, and many

students will leave with a completed mat. Most will only need to hand

sew the back side of their bindings when they finish today's class.

 First efforts are always a little challenging, but they'll be well on their

way to tackling larger quilt projects - and making more mats - that will

be fun, quick and pretty gifts for friends and family members.

My friend, "minimiss" (real name withheld for privacy), commented 

from Australia New Zealand (sorry, MA) yesterday that this month is my
Fifth Blog Anniversary.

The date of my very first post was March 15th, 2009. I realized this prior 

to her comment, and had already begun writing about it for Saturday's 

visit. I just wanted to commend my friend on her keen observation.

 By now, you may have guessed...I'm going to have a giveaway to celebrate!

 You'll have to come back tomorrow to learn more. I'll give you all the details 

then. Today, I shall lose myself in the joy of sharing some of the things I know 

about quilting with novices to the art. I'm really looking forward to it.