Happy Thanks Giveaway!

I am a huge fan of Heather Mulder Peterson of Anka’s Treasures. I want to be her when I grow up. She designs patterns and fabric and sells kits and writes books and blogs and creates tutorials and loved her grandma so much she named her business after her. If you haven’t tried one of Heather’s patterns, here’s your chance.

To participate in this pattern giveaway you must leave a comment in this blog post before noon PST on Sunday, November 29, 2009. In your comment you must:

1. tell me what YOU enjoy giving away (e.g. smiles, pies, tissue cozies), and
2. leave the link to a blog or website that really feeds your creative soul and gives to you.

That’s it! That’s all you have to do to enter. I’ll draw names out of a hat on Sunday evening and will send an email to the winner to request your snail mail.

“Outwardly one’s life may suffer every kind of limitation, from bodily paralysis to miserable surroundings, but inwardly it is free in meditation to reach out to a sphere of light, beauty, truth, love, and power.” -Paul Brunton, Meditations for People in Crisis

The Ministry of the Tissue Cozy Continues

“Do you have to carry that box with you everywhere?” asked my son, Shane.

Yup. I’m sharing the love!

My box is looking a bit empty today, I’ll be spending the evening working to fill it back up. I’ve made 115 tissue cozies, given away 98 and I don’t see myself stopping any time soon. This is too much fun!

And look who else has joined in the Share the Love! ministry of the tissue cozies:

• Happy Cottage Quilter, Jocelyn
• Anne of Reverent Irreverence
• Hodgepodge Debbie

Follow the links to their websites to see what else (beside cozy madness) they are up to…

“There is only one real deprivation, I decided this morning, and that is not to be able to give one’s gifts to those one loves most.” -May Sarton

SHARE THE LOVE! stats: 115 tissue cozies made, 98 tissue cozies given.

The new Email Subscription option…

If you look to the right you will see that I have added a new “Email Subscription” option to my blog. I’ve been disappointed with the previous subscription options, but this one looks really neat and is even a smaller file to download than the webpage itself (for those of you, like me, still on dial up).

Making our words count

My mother got after me for my Lingerie Football League post yesterday (Hi, Mom!). So after reading the LeeHaven Lady’s post this morning where she talked about wordles, self discovery and wise choices, I decided to see just how off topic and out of focus I have gotten lately and Wordle my blog (yes, wordle is a verb *g*). Wordle looks at your blog (or any document) and creates a word cloud, the more you use a word, the larger that word appears in your wordle.

Kim. really. find. just. little. right. one. minutes. I think mother is right, I am a bit off topic and out of focus. What say we make a few cozies after class tomorrow, Mommie?

“Despise not small things, either for evil or good, for a look may work thy ruin, or a word create thy wealth. A spark is a little thing, yet it may kindle the world.” –Martin Farquhar Tupper

P.S. Check out the Wordle on my prayer blog, seems I’m doing a bit better over there with my word choices.

Oh for…What the…Who in the…Where do they…?

Yup, that’s right, Ladies, I have something to share with you and it ain’t pretty. Okay, no, that’s not right, it’s as pretty as all get out, but it’s, well, it’s….aw, heck, I’m STILL stammering.

How do people think this stuff up? And how, may I ask you Miss Kim of the Big Adventures, how do you find this stuff? You crack me the heck up!!! (Pssst, did you know that if you Google “nude, kim, quilter” you’ll get right to her blog? Yup, top 4 answers.)

Anyway, here it is, pure and plain and simple: Lingerie Football League. And it MUST be true, it’s on Wikipedia…

Oh, and Kim had a great idea! If you have fabric that you need to sneak into the house and you need a distraction for the hubby, tell him about this and give him the link. He’ll be distracted for hours!

And while we are on the subject of football, may I just say, “GO GATORS!” and “Hey, Tim Tebow! Call me, I’ll bake you some cookies!” (Geez, am I really that old?)

Oh, and if you Google “NAKED, kim, quilter” you’ll find me, third one down, just above the Adventurous Kim. In your FACE, Miss Kim!

“This I conceive to be the chemical function of humor: to change the character of our thought.” –Lin Yutang

TODAY’S EXERCISE TISSUE COZIES MADE: 105. COZIES GIVEN: 63.

Design Wall Updates

I’m working on building Christmas today. Stop in and see the progress, step by step…click and go.

So far I have gone from here to there — with many steps in between — and I haven’t stopped playing yet…

Take 5 Minutes, then Go, Do, See!

After sewing 87 of these little lovelies, I have cut my time from 10 minutes each to 5 minutes each. See what a little practice can do?

And I bet it would only take you 5 minutes to go through your scrap pile and find a piece at least:

• 6″ square
• one 6″ x 7.5″, and
• two pieces 3/4″ x 6″.

and cut them to size. That’s all it takes to make a tissue cozy. Click here and follow the tutorial. Make one, make 100, then Share the Love! and give them away. It feels really, really good.

BTW, if you have been looking inside your mailbox, hoping to find a package from me in there (and your name is Anne, Cindy W., Della, Jayne or Diane) then you’ll be waiting JUST a bit longer. I keep giving these things away almost faster than I can made them! (I’ve given out 59 so far.) But if your name is Faith, Dana, Pat D., PattiCakes (the other Pat D.) or Becky, then your package should be arriving soon! I really hope you like it, I made it just for you.

As long as we are all going to Share the Love! (yes, in fact, I DID just say it again *g*) then let’s share our way on over to Just Something I Made, you won’t believe what I found over there!

I first heard about her from the dude at DudeCraft. Go see him too!

And the Winner of the Giveaway is….

“I would love to be entered to win it. I too love that quilt. It is beautiful.

“I will brag on my mom. She was a stay at home mom for my entire lifetime and raised six children and still supports all of us by listening to all our complaints/joys whenever we need her and praying for each of us daily. She is my best friend and I thank God for her.”

-Becky, http://becky-mccoy.blogspot.com/

That was fun! And I REALLY enjoyed everyones little stories, they put such a smile on my face. Let’s do it again next week, okay? I have another really cute pattern to share, so keep your eyes peeled (pealed?) for another giveaway.

Tis the Season (Almost) for a Giveaway!

When I saw this quilt in the display window at Sister’s Fabric Shop in Chehalis, I clapped my hands with joy, jumped up and down and then ran into the shop shouting, “I MUST make that quilt! Where is the pattern? What fabric did you use? I want THAT fabric!”

Now let me tell you something you may not know about me: I do not buy patterns, I do not copy quilts on display in quilt stores. But THIS quilt called to me, and called loudly.

But, alas, I find that I will not have the time this year to make this quilt. So I am going to offer YOU the opportunity. I have the pattern and I’m willing to mail it to one of you. Here are the rules for the giveaway:

1. Leave a comment in my blog, anywhere in my blog, and say that you would like to be entered into the pattern giveaway.
2. Tell me a little something nice about your mother, your best friend or your dog (or cat) – you choose.

That’s it, that’s all you have to do. Thursday evening I will draw a random number and choose the winner and I will email the winning entry. If you get back to me with your snail mail address I will have this popped into the mail and into your home by Saturday morning! Good luck!

Share the Love! news

I have made 80 tissue cozies, given away 50. There have been over 535 visits to the Travel-sized Tissue Cozy Tutorial in the last 10 days. Thank you for helping to spread the Word! But don’t stop, tell two friends today. Send them my way and Share the Love!

I’ll be stopping by the store on my way home from choir practice tonight. As you can see, I’ve run out of tissue packs. Can I get you anything while I’m in town?

“Even if our efforts of attention seem for years to be producing no result, one day a light that is in exact proportion to them will flood the soul.” -Simone Weil

TODAY’S EXERCISE: Holy crap, not again. What is this? A reality diet and fitness show? Well, if it is, it’s a FAILED reality diet and fitness show!

It is better to give than receive…

…but getting is feels really, really good too! And it’s not always about the quilting, sometimes it’s about cupcakes!

Go to the Bake It Pretty blog and enter your name into their giveaway. While you’re there, look around, They  will tempt you, but it’s not a sinful kind of temptation. Well, at least it isn’t THAT sinful. Okay, well, it’s sinful, but it won’t keep you out of heaven as long as you share. Oh yeah, Share the (cupcake) Love!

“You cannot be too gentle, too kind. Shun even to appear harsh in your treatment of each other. Joy, radiant joy, streams from the face of one who gives and kindles joy in the heart of one who receives” -St. Seraphim of Sarov

TODAY’S EXERCISE: What? Are you kidding me? It’s cold…and it’s wet…and, and…dang.

More blogs “Share the Love!”

I’m sending a shout out and a posting a little Link Love, because these blogs really know how to “Share the Love!”:

• Happy Cottage Quilter
• Connections by Karen S Musgrave
• Kim over at PeachQuilting.com shared the Love! TWICE!
• Jayne at Journey Through Grace showed LARGE love, especially for a non-quilter! (non-quilter, yet! apparently she hasn’t found the right drug dealer, er, I mean, quilter shop owner?)
• and Sharon R., Anne W.F., the Enchanted Wart, Jackie in Reno, Roni in MT, Debbie V., Majik Quilter, Laura P. and Leah (the colorful art girl) are all vowing to sew away the day (at least an hour) soon!

I took a box full of my little lovelies to my Art Quilt Group meeting at Ruby Street Quiltworks in Olympia yesterday and was very pleased with the Artful Ladies response to the cozies. Lots of “ooohs” and “aaaahhhs” and “Oh! That one’s MINE!” I left home with 39 tissue cozies and came home with 13, what does that tell ya? *bg*

I bought that modern Christmas fabric you see in the picture, but I don’t know what the make or model is, but it is really GORGEOUS! Maybe Jan at Ruby Street will leave a comment and let us know?

I came across a really wonderful tutorial at Celine’s blog for Perkin’s Dry Goods. Check it out: Invisible Binding Finish. If you haven’t been to the Perkin’s Dry Goods website before, GO! And prepare to spend a lot of time looking and shopping…

Look who wants to “Share the Love!”

O how I love how the Love is being shared! Let’s take a look at who is sharing the love:

• Attic Window Quilt Shop, Comstock Park, MI
• All Decked Out with Pat Deck

There is little Link Love for you, Ladies. I hope you Readers will visit them!

Right now I am ALL about the Mary Engelbreit, as you can see from the tissue cozies to the right (Patty D., those are for you!), take a look at my design wall (below). I’ll tell you more about my charm pack quilts later and post a lovely pattern (yes, for FREE!).

I love you all. Stay safe and be nice (because nice really does matter).

I’ll end this post with a GO GATORS! and a quote from Urban Meyer (coach for the UF Gators) my Big Man that he sent me this morning:

“Have you ever gone 19-0?” Meyer said. “It’s not ho-hum, I can assure you that. If it’s ho-hum for someone, you’ve got to really reflect to say, ‘Where am I headed in this life right now?’ If 19-0 in the Southeastern Conference at the University of Florida is ho-hum, then you’ve got one exciting life, man, you’ve got a lot of good stuff going for you.”

Thank You,
Marshall L Ellis

Sent from my iPhone.

Join the “Share the Love!” campaign

Why? Because it is REALLY fun and REALLY feels good to give someone a gift and let them know that you were thinking about them and that you care.

Here’s how the Share the Love! campaign works:

1. Go to my tutorial page where you can learn to make your own travel-sized tissue cozy. Once you learn how, you’ll be churning these little cuties out by the DOZEN!
2. Purchase mini Kleenex packs at your favorite store, any brand will do as long as they are no larger than 4.25″ x 2.25″. I’ve found 8 mini packages for anywhere from $3.50 to $2.58, it pays to shop around.
3. Present two of your handmade lovelies to a friend, co-worker, the bus driver, post mistress, hair stylist or anyone else that looks like they need a little love. Tell them that you are taking part in the Share the Love! campaign and you would like them to have one tissue cozy as a gift and to give the other one away to someone to….yup, you guessed it, Share the Love!

If you have a blog and you would like to spread the word, I have a couple of handy badges for you to post. Choose your size, and then simply copy and paste the html into your blog post or sidebar. Easy peasy, ladies!

<a href="http://kimquiltz.wordpress.com/travel-sized-tissue-cozy-tutorial/">
<img title="Share The Love!"
src="http://kimquiltz.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/sharethelove-320.jpg"
alt="ShareTheLove-320" width="320" height="320" /></a>

OR

<a href="http://kimquiltz.wordpress.com/travel-sized-tissue-cozy-tutorial/">
<img title="Share the Love!"
src="http://kimquiltz.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/sharethelove-197.jpg"
alt="Share the Love!" width="197" height="197" /></a>

If you link to my tutorial, please, share the love and let me know that you are sharing the LOVE!

“…in a time lacking in truth and uncertainty and filled with anguish and despair, no woman should be shamefaced in attempting to give back to the world, through her work, a portion of its lost heart.” -Louise Bogan, American poet (1897-1970)

The Share the Love! Campaign (Coming Soon!)

I’m off to get my hair “done” this morning (it’s hard work keeping up with these greys!) but when I get back, let’s talk about my new campaign I call “Share the Love!” Shhhh! Don’t tell anybody, let’s surprise them! (Oh, wait, YOU don’t know yet! ha!)

In the meantime, amuse yourself by going to this link and see how Good Craft can go Bad. Seriously, you owe it to yourself. (Come on, there’s a boob scarf and soaps shaped like buffalo wings!)

“The highest reward for a person’s toil is not what they get for it, but what they become by it.” –John Ruskin

Little Charmers IV, Moda & M.E.

My first Christmas project is pieced and ready for quilting and I did it in only ONE SHORT EVENING.

Hoorah for Moda’s “The Caroler” charm pack, hoorah for Heather Mulder Peterson’s Little Charmers IV pattern and for M.E. (Mary Engelbreit).

Hmmmm, now how shall I quilt it…?

“In this age, which believes that there is a short cut to everything, the greatest lesson to be learned is that the most difficult way is, in the long run, the easiest.” –Henry Miller