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?)

Always Grateful...

 Aside from my family, nothing makes me more grateful than the beautiful

friendships that have been made through Brynwood and my blog. Last week, I

was again surprised to receive packages from two of them...TerriBoog and Twyla.

 Terri (and her little dog, Bitabit) sent a lovely package of goodies. I was

so surprised! She included a corgi t-shirt; a little, wooden corgi figure; a

great corgi magnet (that will go on the Explorer) and pen; a metal acorn 

adornment; and the most beautiful, heart-shaped dish! It has fused glass in 

the bottom that just glistens when the light hits it. I've put it right in my studio!

 Of course, I'm sending a proper thank you note, but I wanted to show you

the wonderful things that she sent to me. I love them all, Terri and Bitabit!

 Dear friend, Twyla, always seems to know just what I need and when to send it. 

She prayed that God "heal my socks off", so she sent me a really cute pair to 

wear! I'm already reading the "Angels on Earth" magazines. They're 

inspirational and comforting, and I love that she cared to send them to me.

Thank you, Twyla. You're one in a million!

 I consider this card a gift, too. It came from loved ones in England

and is so appreciated. Isn't it a pretty card? It made me feel great

before I ever opened it! I love all the layers and the sweet images.

 Gifts from the heart mean so much to me, and it wasn't hard to see the

affection that arrived in each card that was tucked inside these packages. 

The words that were written filled me up. The additional tokens were the icing on top.

I'm always so very grateful for this life and the good people with whom I share it.

Halloween ATC Blog Hop...

Today, I'm participating in Two Crazy Crafters Artist Trading Card Blog Hop for their Halloween Hop - and my theme was chosen by my participation in the Blissfull ATC Swap group this month, too.

The Blissfull ATC Swap theme is "Movie Monsters", so I chose "The Mummy". I've done two versions this month. One to show in the hop and one to send to my Blissfull swap partner, Donna L. (Can you believe there's another one?) of Postcards From The Studio blog.

To create my first artist trading card, I started with a package of Creativ™ Paperclay. I formed the head and eyes and later added the mouth. I had fun painting and prepping the dried form to ready it for wrapping. I used fabric paints on the muslin to mess it up a bit.

After it was completely dry, I mounted black fabric to my base card, added the muslin strips for his her body (It is a "mummy", right?)

  

The mouth is really funky, don't you think? I love the two nasty teeth!

I added an oval cabachon and added "legs" to make it look like an Egyptian scarab. Again, I fit it all on a 3 1/2" x 2 1/2" card.

 

After I finished the original, I photographed it and printed it multiple times on card stock. I glued the full image onto the fabric and then cut out a second head to mount on heavier stock so I could lift it off the card just a little. I wrapped the face with muslin, added the same cab to make the scarab and voila! I hope Donna wants my mummy!

Thanks, Wendy of Blissfull ATC Swap blog 

for the theme for this month's swap.

Thanks, Twyla and Lindsey of Two Crazy Crafters  

for inviting me to join your Blog Hop this month, too! 

You can click here to visit all the other participants.

I haven't done "spooky" or "creepy" before, so it's another first for me. I had so much fun making these cards. I hope y'all like my results.

At The Hop - Miss July...

I'm participating in a special blog hop today,
so there won't be a Silent Friday this week.

You're invited for some patriotic fun today as I join Twyla and Lindsey at Two Crazy Crafters for their Artist Trading Card Blog Hop! The girls chose the ever-so-appropriate-for-July theme, don't you think?

So I hung my flag in the front entry, poured a cool lemonade and got about creating my card with a patriotic flair.
Meet "Miss July". She's dressed in her finest navy blue dress with crocheted white collar and shiny red buttons. To complete her look, she's donned a sash with "America" as it's theme...flags, stars and all things red, white and blue. She even has a little rosette centered with a blue button.

Remember, she's a petite one. Artist trading cards measure a mere 2 1/2" x 3 1/2"! She'd love to visit and share a slice of apple pie, but she really must go. There are so many other artist trading cards to visit! Perhaps you'd like to come along? (Just click on the Blog Hop button at the top of this post to go and visit the rest of the participants!)

Happy July 1st, everyone!

An ATC Blog Hop Party...

Twyla and her daughter, Lindsey of Two Crazy Crafters are hosting an artist trading card (ATC) blog hop on July 1st. If you've followed my blog for a while, you know that I adore ATCs. I just jumped at the chance to participate when Twyla gave me a heads-up!

The theme is "patriotic", and you don't even have to send your card off to anyone. All you have to do is create a card (3 1/2" x 2 1/2" - the same size as a playing card) and post it on your blog on July 1st. Then link your post to Two Crazy Crafters' blog site. I don't think it could get any easier than that. Do you?
So click on the little button above and it will take you to Twyla and Lindsey's blog to see some of their inspiration. If you click here you can read more about the Blog Hop, and let her know that you'll join in the fun. If you're not into making ATCs, please be sure to come back and visit all the bloggers who've decided to participate. I think it's going to be a lot of fun!

Time To Announce The Winners...

Start with jelly roll 2 1/2" strips, join them in sets of three. Then cut the trios into 2 1/2" sections and you're ready for the next step. The beginnings of the Spring Magic quilt.
Join three sets of three for a nine-patch block! These blocks will be bordered in white and then joined to create the quilt top for the second giveaway quilt.

Both quilts will be finished over the weekend, and then I'll share photos with you before they're shipped to their new homes.
Here's one more look at the Whispering Windmills quilt top that will also be completed this weekend.
It's also going to a new home...soon to be determined. I decided that I'd let the first person whose name was drawn decide which quilt she wants, and then the second winner will receive the other quilt.

TIME TO ANNOUNCE THE WINNERS!!!

The first number that was chosen by Random.org is:

Twyla of Two Crazy Crafters

Twyla has chosen the Spring Magic Quilt

Here's her winning comment:

Twyla and Lindsey said... Donna, I enjoy just about everything you write about but if I were to pick my favorites, I do enjoy seeing your knitting and your patterns that you create yourself. Thank you for your generosity! Twyla

The second number drawn is:

Charlene of My Heart's Ease

Charlene will receive the Whispering Windmills Quilt

Here's Charlene's sweet comment:

Charlene said... Donna, Congratulations on 500 Posts!!!! Isn't that amazing that we have this wonderful link to so many other inspiring supportive souls? I am thankful every day for having my blog & all the wonderful friends like you that I have met. I am a follower. I would love to win your beautiful lap quilt but, most of all thank you for having this beautiful inspiring place for us to come visit. Your friend Charlene

Congratulations, girls! Twyla, please contact me asap to choose your quilt. Then I can come back to this post and let the rest of our friends know which quilts you and Charlene have won. Thanks, Twyla and Charlene for leaving such lovely comments, too!

Thanks a million to everyone who participated in the giveaway. I'm so happy to meet all the new friends who have visiting since the start of the celebration. I hope you'll continue to visit and leave comments so that we can get to know each other better!

Blessings to each and every one of you!

Right Under My Nose...

These are the fabrics I've chosen for my 12-month quilt project. I joined a local quilt group, The Disconnected Piecers, last month and one of the members is teaching a free class. I'm learning applique' techniques, and there will be twelve blocks to complete...one per month. At the end of the year, I'll be able to assemble the quilt.

I'm really fond of the colors I've chosen. The pattern shows the design sewn in dark colors, but I want to go for a different look, so I pulled the jelly roll from my stash with all those pretty patterns, and then selected the coordinating fabrics. I also had to purchase the lightest color fabric as the background for all the squares.

I promise I'll show you each square as I finish it so you can share my applique' journey. I think it will be an interesting twelve months, don't you?
Guess what else happened yesterday? This will probably be a yawner for y'all, but I was pretty excited. We had our usual summer storms pass through on Sunday night. I always run into the studio to make sure all of my machines are unplugged. I guess, without realizing it, I had also unplugged the "accelerator" control on Prissy. When I went to sew yesterday, nothing happened. When I figured out why, I had to plug it back in.
Look. Do you see it? There. Peeking out from under Prissy. Could it be? Tell me it is! Slowly, I reach for it and this is what I found...
Woo Hoo!!!! It's my favorite, sharp, almost vintage, seam ripper! What was lost is found. It had been right under my nose the entire time. Safe and sound, but virtually invisible.
From my vantage point, the seam ripper had been obscured by the connector for my foot pedal. I swear I'd looked there before. I even lifted the machine up once, but apparently, it was still covered by the machine and I didn't see it.
I was so grateful that I got out the brass polish and cleaned it up. Then I perched it on the crocheted (tuffet) pincushion that was created by Twyla at Two Crazy Crafters. I left it there for the afternoon and then hung it on the hook right next to my machine for safekeeping before I turned out the light in the studio for the night. One lost item from my list moved to the "found" column. Now, if only I could find those berry bowls!
One more thing...
Some of you had voiced your regrets at not requesting one of my 400th Follower Artist Trading Cards. I contacted you, asked for your address and told you I would do a Phase II set. Not exactly like the first set, but incorporating the same elements. (The embroidery on the right side of the ballerinas is a different design and color.)

They're ready now and will be mailing out today. Thanks again for asking for one of my mini art pieces. I hope you all enjoy a creative day!

Cherish Friends...

I received a package in the mail on Tuesday from Twyla and Lindsey of Two Crazy Crafters. I had entered their giveaway during the Mad Tea Party blog event. (Vanessa at A Fanciful Twist was the gracious hostess of the Mad Tea Party.) They were offering a beautiful tag made by Twyla's daughter, Lindsey...and I won!
They have a beautiful, vintage-flavored blog, and share their love of Barbie Dolls, vintage treasures and Twyla and Lindsey's handwork. I've become friends with them over the past year, and Twyla and I have exchanged gifts with each other over that time. When they notified me that I'd won their drawing, I expected an envelope which would contain the fabulous, magical Alice tag, but this was a box! Ohhhhhh, I love surprises!
Here is Lindsey's beautiful tag, which already has a spot of honor on my inspiration board in the studio. Lindsey works at a scrapbook store and regularly shares her talent for paper assembly on their blog. Thank you, Lindsey for such a lovely Alice keepsake! It's really a treasure!
I was so surprised to find a crocheted pincushion that Twyla made for me! Girlfriend, you know I love pincushions, and this one is perfect for the studio! It's on top of the pattern cabinet, along with the pincushions made by Dawn (The Feathered Nest) and Shell (The Raspberry Rabbits). I'm going to be using it, for sure, but for now, I'm going to look at it and remember the friend who created it for me.

Finally, the girls tucked the acorn tile (at the top of this post) into the box. Do these gals know me, or do these girls know me? I've hung the tile up in the studio and smile every time I look at the words that appear on it (Cherish Friends). I really do cherish all my friends. Thank you, Twyla and Lindsey.

P.S. This is a link to a few of the wedding photos taken of my cousin, Nate and his bride, Chelsea in Wisconsin last weekend. I'm so glad I was there!

Karly Jo Photography has a blog (My Picture Life) with lots of beautiful images of other photo shoots, but the photographer caught the essence of this couple perfectly!

I know that the albums she creates for them and their folks will be a real reminder of a perfect wedding on a beautiful day.

Generosity That Takes My Breath Away...

I can't tell you how exciting it was to read the return addresses on those boxes I found in the studio upon my return from Wisconsin. I promised to reveal more contents, so here goes.

I received more acorns!!! Thank you to Christine from iCandy blog for the beautiful Kansas acorns and added surprises! This package had small bags inside that just revealed more little gifts. Christine included a Halloween-themed gift bag with the acorns, a handstamped tag from Kansas, and a sweet and clever repurposed matchbox which contained a gold angel charm. She even stamped and scrolled my name on the outside of a little brown paper bag. I couldn't help but smile as I unwrapped all her thoughtful gifts.

Thank you so much, Christine, for your generous gifts. Be sure to stop over and visit her blog, and if you leave a comment, please tell her I sent you over!

My next package was also very cool. I WON the fat quarter giveaway over at Bunny Hill Designs from Anne!! (You can read the post here.) The fabric is Martinique from Three Sisters for Moda.

What a gorgeous stack of fabulous fabrics! I haven't counted, but there are a lot of fat quarters in this collection! I can't wait to untie them and see how many different ways I can use them. Of course, they might make one awesome quilt, too!

Anne this is the most generous of gifts from your trip to market this year. I can't tell you how much I love these fabrics! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

And, last, but certainly not least, is the most heartwarming boxful of house shoes that I received from Twyla of Two Crazy Crafters blog. She and her daughter, Lindsey, write lovely posts. I always smile when I visit, and I love the fact that a mother and daughter team share their creative space (online or off).

She read about the Books a Million Tuesday night knitting/crochet group Appalachian Project charity cause, and decided to participate. She sent me TEN pairs of house shoes to contribute to the cause.

I took them with me last night and passed them on to the very grateful organizer of this particular project. She was thrilled to receive them and agreed that they will be appreciated and well-loved by their lucky recipients. Thank you, Twyla, for the generous gift of your time and talent to a worthy cause. (I really wish my photo could adaquately portray just how great these crocheted house shoes are. They really are warm and wonderful...in an array of sizes!)

Can you even believe how very fortunate I am? I have these gracious and generous blog friends who share my passion for giving, gifting, and creating. Sometimes, it just takes my breath away.