Pink Giveaway!!

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
  Many of us have had our lives touched in one way or the other by this disease.  Perhaps we have known someone that is living with Breast Cancer, participated in fund raisers for research, or just simply worn pink to show our support. 
The Strawberry Sampler has generously donated the following items for a Pink Giveaway.

Prize Number 1.

The Chart and threads for My Pink Needle.

 

Prize Number 2.

The Kelmscott Needle minder called "Spirit of Hope" and the adorable pink Storklette scissors.

 

Prize Number 3.

A very pretty light pink fabric, from Picture-This-Plus, called Sorbet.  The winner will choose a single-cut size of either 16ct Aida (shown on the right side of the picture) or 32ct Linen (shown on the left side).  You'll have to trust me that the fabric is more pink than what the picture shows!!

 

There will be three random draws.  Simply leave a comment on this post, and tell me which of the three prizes you'd like a chance to win.  You may throw your name in for one, two or even three chances! 

The winners will be chosen on October 31st ~ and provided Hurricane Sandy hasn't knocked out the electricity or that I am not in a sugar coma from eating the boys' Halloween candy, I will post the winner's names that night.

Hhhhmmmmm.....there will be three prizes, but really, everybody wins.....stay tuned!

 

Perhaps one day, a way will have been found to make Breast Cancer Awareness month a thing of the past....

“When you do the things that you can do, you will find a way.”
― A.A. Milne

I'm Snow Not Ready.....and a Tusal.....and Other News....

It's still October, right?  I didn't miss the rest of the fall season did I?  Because this is what I am seeing today....

 

 

 

 

I am a little concerned as to what this winter might bring, especially since fall is already showing us the white stuff!  Should I blame my husband since he purchased a snowblower back in August??  I was sort of hoping that would mean no snow, guess I was wrong...

Right now as I am sitting in my front living room typing this, I am watching a pair of bluebirds flying about my front porch trying to find a safe haven from the snow and wind.  They are trying to hide in the robin's nest from last spring. 

I also need to post my Tusal update.  So here's my monthly picture:

It's getting harder to push the threads down in the jar!  The threads on the top are a result of my latest start.

Does anybody know what it is??

I have some other news to share.  The ladies of the Strawberry Sampler have been asking me for a while now to join their craziness.  I finally took the plunge!  I have been helping out at the store one or two days a week.  So, if any of you ever order anything from there, you may see my name on your mail order (or better yet, if you stop in the store and I'm there, I will get to meet you in person)!!  Some of you may have noticed that I have added a link to their site in my sidebar.  Here's my shameless plug....if you aren't signed up for their newsletter, you might want to do so.  Every week, they'll update you on what's new and usually advertise a "Wacky Wednesday" sale.  Sometimes, they'll even throw in a special sale related to anything from sports to weather.  For instance....now through Monday if they get snow in Chadd's Ford (and I can tell you they are...) any patterns with snowmen will be 20% off.  You can place an order online or email them with your order...

They are also letting me offer my blog readers 15% off any orders placed between November 1st and the 15th.  Just place "Bramblewood" in the subject line or comment section of your order.

It's been almost a year since I started this blog, so stay tuned....I think a giveaway will be in order!!

Thanks for stopping by and welcome to my newest followers!!

Stitching Friends and Goodies!!

How does one keep busy on a beautiful, but warm, October weekend.  With baseball of course!  The boys had games and practices both days that kept us running all over the place.

For other events in my life, let me go back a few days.  On Thursday, Brett, Anna and myself were able to meet up with Peggy Lee of the Kentucky Sampler.  We started with a two hour session at Starbuck's.  The rest of our day consisted of shopping at the Strawberry Sampler and Kohls, then off to lunch.  We had a ton of fun!

Here we all are at the Sampler.

Here's Peggy Lee at lunch - did you see the name of that BBQ sauce? 

This tote bag is from a general store in Kentucky where Peggy Lee is from.  The back tells the story of the store and the front shows the picture.  A girl can never have enough tote bags - thanks Peggy Lee!  I love it and I know it will enter the rotation of bags I use to carry my stitching.

 

How appropriate to find a package waiting for me when I arrived home that contained the traveling pattern that originated with Peggy Lee!  The blue shown under the pattern is the journal where each stitcher is documenting their project details and leaving special notes for Peggy Lee to read when it finally arrives back home.  The fabric at the bottom is what I'll be stitching on - 32count Antique Gold by Silkweaver.  My thread choices will remain a secret until I finish.  I put my other projects aside and started working on this Thursday evening.  The perfect way to finish my day.

 The following are some goodies that I won from June at Butterfly Wings.  I may have to stitch up a few of those motifs from Anchor for some Christmas ornaments!  Thank you so much June!

I want to take a moment to say hello to my new followers!  Oh, and Ned the Gnome has done some more traveling.  To see what he's been up to, click the picture in my sidebar!

Thanks for stopping by!



Finally... Some Framing

There was a framing marathon in my living room on Sunday.  All but one of these pieces was stitched prior to this year!

First up is Jenny Bean's Humble Servant by Shakespeare's Peddler. 

I highlighted my initials with a different thread in the alphabet, and used my own information in place of Jenny's.

Next is 'Tis the Gift by La D Da.  A favorite saying of mine.

 As you can see, I stitched this last year.

I have one more addition for my seasonal decorating, this is Primitive Winter by Notforgotten Farm.

I love the detail on this frame! 

Next up is a set of Hinzeit Charmed Matters, the Family theme.  These were stitched in 2009.

I love the weathered look of this frame! 

And finally, Live Simply.   I can not recall the designer at the moment.  I ran out of thread at "Live Simp", and the new thread was from a different dye lot.  In the dull winter light, I didn't notice too much of a difference, but when I took this out to frame in the bright summer light, the L,Y and final motif just seemed brighter.  I almost didn't frame it, coming close to sending it to Peggy Lee to take care of (if you don't know what I mean, check out her post from June 24th - http://kentuckysampler.blogspot.com/)  Then, I threw caution to the wind and decided that even though they were over dyed threads, I was going to coffee dye the entire piece.  If I look closely in the right light, I still notice the difference, but I love the look the coffee gave to the piece!

All of these frame moldings were purchased at The Strawberry Sampler, my LNS.

Thanks for stopping by! 

New Friends, Baseball Season??, Treasured Gifts, and a Birthday

Where have I have been for the last six days?  This is where is all started.  Last Thursday my friend, Brett, and I traveled to the Strawberry Sampler to meet Peggy Lee of Kentucky Sampler fame.  

Do you know if you show up before they actually open the doors, and no one is in sight, all you have to do is bang on the door, hold up a box of munchkins, and they will come runnin' to let you in!

Here we are in all our glory:

I'm still trying to figure out where all that extra me comes from.  I guess it is not a great idea to wear a down vest when there is picture taking!! 

Peggy Lee stitched a beautiful sampler for her new grandson, Liam, and is leaving it to be framed.  I forgot to get a closer picture of it, but I know she has one on her blog!

 From here we headed to Trader Joe's.  Check out Peggy Lee's blog to read all about the shopping bag!  The last one was snatched up by someone in our group - but not me!  I had to console myself later at my grocery by buying this one at the checkout.  Cute for spring, but still not like the one from Trader Joe's!

  From here we headed over to the Christmas Tree Shoppes.  Here we found the latest and greatest in Easter fashion:

Sadly, Peggy Lee had to leave us early to pick up her MasterChief from work.  I think it is safe to say that if Peggy Lee lived closer, there would be some crazy times to be had!  I am so glad that we finally had the chance to meet.  If it works out, we'll be able to meet up with her again before they head towards home in a few weeks.

Friday was spent madly trying to catch up on laundry and packing for a weekend baseball tournament.  We left Friday night and headed to the Rehobeth Beach/Georgetown, DE area.  The temperatures were anything but beachy and the team pulled an early game on Saturday.  We were all at the fields by 8am!!  Here is my oldest in action:

The team was pretty rusty as the weather so far this spring has not allowed them much outside practice.  Definitely not their best outing!  We found out Saturday night that we were to have the early game once again on Sunday.  As luck would have it, Sunday's games were canceled due to the cold and snow, yes, snow!!!  With the temperatures hovering around freezing, I don't think anyone was really that upset. 

There was a wonderful surprise waiting for me when we arrived home.  A box from dear Myra!  When Myra won my 100+ Followers giveaway, one of the extras I sent to her was a charm pack of BBD fabrics that I had won from BBD a while back.  She graciously said she would make something for both of us!  I know how wonderful her things are, so I sent her the other charm packs that I had and asked her if she would also make me a needlebook.  Well, this is what I found in the box:

Minus the chocolates of course - the boys grabbed those right away!

Both sides:

I am thinking of using the fabric basket to hold some of my stitching goodies.

 

In this piece of fabric was a pack of sunflower seeds!  My oldest heard me talking about it and got excited, until he realized that they weren't ready to eat.  We have to plant and grow them! 

Here is the front of the needlebook.  I love it! 

Opened to show the front and back.  Did I tell you Myra is amazing! 

The inside - with needles included!  She thinks of everything!

And my favorite part, which I didn't find until later.  Myra is sneaky and hid this under the inside piece! 

Thank you again Myra.  I will treasure these gifts always!

I can't wait to see what else she creates with the extra charm pieces!

Well, it's official.  It's March 30th.  My baby's 7th birthday!  Here he is on the beach this past weekend:

He suddenly realized that a big wave was coming in fast!

The  boys in my life...time is passing faster than I'd like and these are moments to be remembered...

Now, I'd better get to bed.  There is a cake to be baked, icing to be made, presents to be wrapped and fun to be had later on (and baseball practice squeezed in as well)!

Thanks for stopping by!

Some Things Are Better With Friends

Earlier in the week, I knew I was not going to make it to the end of "Live Simply".  My GAST Mulberry was running out!  I was so close!

"Live Simp" required a trip to the Strawberry Sampler.  These trips are always much better if you take a friend or two.  My good friend Brett came along.  She is new to stitching (she just started last fall when her son started full day school) and she seems to be a natural!  She's already trying her hand at linen and acquiring stash!  After a quick stop at the drive-through, we were on our way with coffee and Chai Latte in hand.  Nikki met up with us at the shop. 

The Mulberry seemed to orange and of course I did not take the stitching with me to see how close (or not so close) it was, so Nikki kindly offered to bring hers to the next stitch night hosted by the Sampler to see if any of hers match.  Thanks Nikki! 

I ordered frames for some pieces I stitched last year and found a premade frame for another.  Pictures will follow when they are all put together.  We made our purchases and then headed for some lunch (stash enhancement takes a lot of energy).  We had some interesting conversations and a lot of good laughs - so much so, that we were told we were having too much fun and would have to leave!  We did have to head on our way though, as Brett and I had to get home in time for our boys to get off of the bus. 

I finally finished the PS piece!!

This design is from PS #83 Winter Samplers.  There are three patterns total in this leaflet.  I have one more to stitch!

And, I started a cute snowman by MollyMade (Molly can be found at the Strawberry Sampler!)

I will be stitching some more on this today while watching the snow falling outside.  I am using colors that I have on hand, so there are some changes.  And, I might just start the "New England Winter" from By the Bay Needlearts.

Thanks for stopping by!  Hope you all have a wonderful weekend filled with love, laughter and stitching!