All Hallows' Eve

Happy Halloween to all my friends, family, and followers! A while back, I mentioned I would post an early photo of me dressed up for Halloween...well, yesterday I was sent a gentle reminder of that statement...so here I am making good on my promise. This is an early childhood photo of me dressed up for Halloween (well actually two photos I scanned and edited to make one)...don't I make an adorable monkey??! Truth be told, these are the only two photos I have of myself dressed up for Halloween...and seeing them always makes me giggle...
My sister and I loved to go trick-or-treating each year...and our goal was to go to every house in our small town...we would run from door to door and collect as much candy as possible...plus, back in the day we would get all sorts of homemade goodies (popcorn balls, caramel apples, cookies, etc.). I remember helping my mom pop popcorn all day and filling small Halloween paper treat bags...we would add candy corn and small sweets to the popcorn bags and hand them out to children who visited our house in costume. I also have vivid memories of my mother placing our bags of Halloween treats on top of the refrigerator, so we couldn't "fill-up" on candy....the day after Halloween, my sister and I would trade candy with each other, so we each would have our favorites...and I'm sure mom and dad got some of our goodies too!

Over the past ten years or so, I have celebrated my love of Halloween by designing quite a few needlework charts and patterns especially for this time of year...I thought you might enjoy seeing a collage that includes many of my spooky pieces...you can find additional information on each of these pieces by exploring my website...enjoy!

May Jack-o-lanterns burning bright
Of soft and golden hue
Pierce through the future's veil and show
What fate now holds for you.
                                                           -Author Unknown

Giveaway Recipients

Good morning friends and followers!

WOW - I was blown away by the enthusiastic response to my latest giveaway - what a treat it was to read many of your encouraging and kind comments....to my followers (long term and new) - thank you for joining me on my creative journey...I truly wish I could afford to give each and every one of you the chart of your choice. For those of you not listed as one of the recipients, please don't be discouraged - I love to give things away...and there will definitely be more chances in the future! So without further ado....here are the randomly chosen recipients:

A. Moonlit Midnight recipient: Paula Still

Paula said:
What a wonderful and generous offer! All of your designs are amazing and - to win or not - I know I will be adding them all to my BR stash! If I were to choose one (ugh ... decisions, decisions, decisions), it would be ... drum roll ...
A. Moonlit Midnight
Not only is Halloween my favorite holiday, but I love how you incorporate all these "spooky" motifs into a stunning collage. The best part of this design is that each motif can be stitched separately and finished into a fob, ornament, etc. I feel like I am getting 10 designs for the price of one!!!
Thank you for entering me in your giveaway!

B. Pocketful of Peppermint reciepient: MommyDearest (Connie)

Connie said:
Belinda, Thank you so much for such a wonderful give away.....and for making it SOOO hard to chose just one!! It would be terrific to win B.Pocketful of Peppermint...it would be an awesome birthday gift!!

C. Quilted Garden recipient: Tricia
Tricia said:
I would love to win Quilted Garden! I started quilting a number of years ago and really enjoy it - or at least I enjoyed it until I started having trouble with my shoulders and started to get migraines after quilting. : ( I would love to stitch a quilt instead, and the colors in your piece are so lovely... plus there are bluebirds -- which make me remember the old Shirley Temple movie about the bluebird of happiness being found right in your own home. Love it!

The three recipients were notified notified via email earlier this morning.

Again, thank you all for reading, following, commenting, and supporting my blog and designs - you all make me happy!

A, B, or C Giveaway

Hello friends! I was thrilled to see my official follower count pass the 500 mark last week - thank you so much for visiting my blog! - and I promised a big giveaway when this happened for those who choose to faithfully follow...I finally have three prizes together and the details ready...and I think (hope) you will be pleased and excited!

For this giveaway, official followers will have the chance to win an upcoming design chart (you will be one of the first to have one!) along with the coordinating threads and finishing kit - you will be responsible for your own linen, stuffing, mini drill, and basic sewing supplies.

Out of all the comments provided, I will randomly choose three recipients: one winner from those who choose A. Moonlit Midnight; one winner from those who choose B. Pocketful of Peppermint; and one winner from those who choose C. Quilted Garden.

The rules are easy (please read carefully):

1. Make sure you are an official follower - current or new (you must be listed under "Followers" on the right-hand toolbar)...so if you aren't already following, feel free to sign up by clicking on the "Join This Site" link in the right-hand tool bar (this button is right under the word "Followers". My international followers are also welcome!
   
   
2. Leave ONE comment to this post telling me which of the three new designs is your favorite (the one you would like to win) and why: A. Moonlit Midnight...or B. Pocketful of Peppermint...or C. Quilted Garden. Please leave only one comment and make sure to tell me your choice - multiple comments will be deleted/disqualified.
   
   
3. All entries require a valid email address. Please make sure your email address is visible in your profile (so I have a way of contacting you, should you be randomly chosen) - if you are uncertain, please leave your email address with your comment - entries without a valid email will be disqualified.
   
   
4. The deadline to enter will be 11:59 pm CST, Friday, August 12th. Recipients will be chosen by random draw and posted on my blog on Saturday, August 13th. I will contact the recipients via email - you will have 48 hours to respond, if I do not hear from you in that time frame, I will choose a replacement recipient(s).

So those are the details....I hope this giveaway was worth the wait...I am happy to be able to thank those who continually follow my blog and leave encouraging and enthusiastic comments! I hope my future posts maintain your interest and inspire you...

Good luck to all!!

"Quilted Garden" - Coming Soon

The last couple weeks, I have done blog posts on my new designs coming out later this month at the TNNA Fall Needlecraft Market - I have already shown you "Moonlit Midnight" and "Pocketful of Peppermint"...and today the focus is on "Quilted Garden". This design model (which combines two of my favorite things next to needlework: quilting and gardening) is stitched on beautiful Pecan Butter hand-dyed fabric by Lakeside Linens and uses Weeks Dye Works Cotton Floss (DMC equivalents are provided). The entire piece is cross stitch over two linen threads, except the verse and the personalization (initials/year) which are cross stitch over one linen thread. I know some needleworkers will shy away from over-one cross stitches, so the chartpack includes alternative charting for these stitches in back stitch (there is an additional back stitch alphabet/numbers for personalization and an alternate back stitch chart of the verse)...so you can choose to do either over-one cross stitches or back stitch - whichever you feel more comfortable working! This design pack also includes charting and complete finishing instructions for a matching pin pillow and scissor fob. There are many other fun ideas that can be taken from this upcoming design - wouldn't a row of the quilt blocks make a great bookmark?...or you could easily make a needlebook, pinkeep, or floss ring tag using the quilt block motifs...oh - wouldn't the little quilt blocks make great magnets for a quilting friend?! I thoroughly enjoyed working on this design and have some other ideas for new pieces that would incorporate some of the same concepts.

You can get all the information on the three new designs by visiting my website - stitch counts and supply lists for all three pieces have been posted - visit the "Future" page or the "Designs" page for complete details! All three new charts are set to be released at the TNNA Fall Needlecraft Market next weekend...so look them at your favorite needlework shop in the coming weeks...

"Moonlit Midnight" - Coming in August

Over the next couple weeks, I thought I would do several blog posts featuring my new designs being released at the TNNA Fall Needlecraft Market. This fun Halloween design is item BRD-101 and is titled "Moonlit Midnight". The models are stitched on 32-count Tundra hand-dyed fabric from Lakeside Linens with Weeks Dye Works cotton floss. This whimsical piece is perfect for taking sections and making Halloween ornaments, needlework smalls, and holiday decorations! The chartpack contains charting for the sampler and needlework smalls shown below, stitching instructions, and complete finishing instructions for the ornaments/fobs and pins/magnets. I had a lot of fun working on the small pieces; the ornaments/fobs are made with 2" Finishing Forms by Flying Needles (http://www.flyingneedlestx.com/)...and the pins/magnets are made with Half Ball Cover Buttons by Dritz (http://www.dritz.com/) mounted on cotton fabric yo-yos....the chartpack gives you easy step-by-step instructions for making each! I will be posting all the specifics and a complete supply list on my website in the next couple weeks...and stay tuned for feature posts on two more new designs coming out in mid-August...

Coming the Fall of 2011 - "Moonlit Midnight"

Okay, I do know it is a little early to release a Halloween design...but here is a sneak peek at a new design that will be coming in August of 2011. It is called "Moonlit Midnight" and the chartpack will contain charting for the entire sampler - along with finishing instructions for making the ornaments (or scissor fobs) shown below....and finishing instructions for making the pins/magnets with yo-yo backs, also seen below. The pieces were stitched on 32-count Tundra hand-dyed linen from Lakeside Linens with Weeks Dyes Works cotton floss. This piece was originally designed for a special Halloween event, but the coordinator didn't think it was a good fit for their group - so their loss is your gain - I will be releasing it to the general public later this year! You will have to be patient for the release...it won't be available until the fall needlework market...but since the stitching is complete, I thought I would share it now - a little something to look forward to...







A couple more things to share...
I have updated my website with details and supply lists for the two new designs being released in February at the Nashville Needlework Market... http://www.blueribbondesigns.com/blue_ribbon_coming_soon.htm

Exciting news - I will be releasing my 100th design at market (can you believe it?! - and that is not counting magazine or teaching pieces)...so I will be having a giveaway in the coming weeks to celebrate....

One last thing - I see my blog has reached 400 followers - WOW! - thank you so much for reading, commenting, and encouraging me! I will be having a milestone giveaway for my faithful followers in the very near future....check back soon!