Saint Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day friends, family, and followers!

To celebrate the holiday and let you know how much I love you, I have re-posted a long retired complimentary design on my website "Freebie" page....the design is called "Crowned Heart ~ A Tiny Gift Sampler" (shown right) - and it will only be available for a limited time.

To obtain a copy of this complimentary pattern, simply visit my website: http://www.blueribbondesigns.com/ and click on "Freebie" in the left-hand menu - you will see a photo of the design at the top of the "Freebie" webpage - click on the statement "CLICK HERE FOR CHART" (directly under the photo) - a new window will open containing the design in PDF form (you will need Adobe Reader to view/print the chart). Please remember, this design is protected by copyright law - thank you for respecting my copyright. Enjoy!

June "Just Because" Giveaway Recipient

Good afternoon friends and followers!

I was quite happy to see 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 award each and every one of you with a set of my designs. If you aren't the recipient of this latest giveaway, please don't be discouraged - I love to give things away...and there will definitely be more chances in the future (in fact, I already have something special planned for July)! So without further ado....here is the randomly chosen recipient:

Congratulation to Myrna - comment #3 - she posted:

MyrnaJune 12, 2012 10:11 AM

Love, love your designs!!! Please enter me into your drawing! Thanks in advance for the chance!

Myrna, you will be notified via email momentarily.





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

A June "Just Because" Giveaway

Let's liven things up with a Blue Ribbon Designs giveaway..."just because"...

The prize?? - a quartet of Blue Ribbon Designs needlework charts (the four shown in the photo): "Friendship Blooms", "Turn The Page", Established With Love", and "Sweet Simple Samplings"....yep, one lucky recipient will receive all four design charts...

To enter, simply leave one comment on this post - all comments will go into a random drawing where one fan/follower will receive this special set of design charts.

Fine print (read carefully):

• Giveaway is open until 11:59 PM CST Friday, June 15, 2012.
• International entries welcome.
• 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 or post "anonymously", please leave your email address and your first name with your comment - entries without a valid email will be disqualified.
• No chart substitutions.
• E-mail entries will not be accepted, you must leave a comment on this post.
• One comment per person; multiple comments will be deleted/disqualified.
• One recipient will be announced on Saturday June 16, 2012.

There you have it - all the "Just Because" giveaway details...I am thrilled 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!

A Little Extra Sweetness

I love to bake....in fact, I rather bake than cook...I am not much for eating baked goods, but I really enjoy making them...to me, it is relaxing. Since it is just me and my husband, I find I give away a lot of the items I bake. This week, Travis had a sweet tooth and wanted me to bake something....and due to limited supplies on hand, I narrowed it down to peanut butter cookies. This is a pretty standard cookie recipe, except I have a little twist before baking - I like to roll balls of dough in granulated sugar before flattening with the fork...I like a little crystal sugar on the outside of the cookie...a little extra sweetness!

Peanut Butter Cookies
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup shortening
1 1/4 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 egg
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda

Heat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Combine peanut butter, shortening, light brown sugar, milk and vanilla in a large bowl - beat at medium speed (I use an electric mixer) until nicely blended - add egg - beat until blended.
Sift flour, salt, and baking soda - add to creamed mixture at low speed - mix until blended.
Roll heaping teaspoons of dough into balls - roll in granulated sugar - place approximately 2" apart on an ungreased baking sheet - flatten with fork (I like to do a criss-cross pattern).
Bake at 375 degrees F for 7 to 8 minutes or until just starting to turn brown. Cool for a couple minutes on baking sheet - then place on sheets of foil to cool completely.
This recipe makes about 3 dozen cookies. I almost always double the batch, as they freeze nicely.

I decided to foof (wrap with GiftGloss) several packages of cookies for our neighbors - just a fun little summer treat!

This past weekend, I started shipping my new designs ("Liberty Stitchery" and "Sweet Simple Samplings") to needlework shops and distributors, so they should be available VERY soon from your favorite shop....visit my website for more details. I am keeping quite busy with new designs for the Fall Needlework Market, but I did manage to design a new complimentary chart that I will be posting soon - in fact, I will debut it here first...so you can look forward to that later this week (think Christmas!)...

Coming Soon...

My two new designs are *finally* back from the framer...and the printing process is underway. These took a little longer than expected...and I am happy they are ready for printing and then packaging...*hopefully* they will be shipping to needlework shops by the end of the month. I am busy getting the website updated and supply lists posted - this information should be available in the next couple days (please be patient with me)....

Sweet Simple Samplings (model stitched on 40-count Lentil by Lakeside Linens with Weeks Dye Works Cotton Floss):
















Liberty Stitchery (model stitched on 40-count Fawn by Lakeside Linens with The Gentle Art Sampler Threads):

Sweet Simple Samplings - The Smalls

To say this week has been a bit hectic in our household would be an understatement. First off all, after being vandalized while I was in Rockford, my Jeep was at the dealer being repaired/painted this week...this meant several days of a trashy rental car (seriously, with my moderate OCD, I had to Lysol it before driving it). We are also in the middle of starting a bunch of home improvements...so, we had meetings with our bank, an appraiser, and multiple contractors this week for new roofing, windows & doors, siding, and a new deck - it was almost overwhelming picking new colors, windows, doors, skylights, wood for the deck, light fixtures, and various other things. On top of that, we are doing some landscaping and building a small retaining wall in our back yard, so there was a bunch going on with that as well....and today I had a stump removal company come to give us an estimate for removing the awful hedges in the front of our house. That would all be enough...but on Wednesday, I had to take Simba (my Shih Tzu) to the vet for the day to have his teeth cleaned and his annual shots...he has had a small growth on his leg for quite some time, and at his last grooming it had been an issue, so we decided to have it removed, as well...he made it through everything okay, but he has five stitches in his leg (which he constantly wants to lick) - so he has an E-Collar (you know, the lampshade that goes around his neck)...which is a HUGE issue, as he cries, whines, and grunts the entire time it is on...so needless to say, I have had two sleepless nights. Add all that to my increasing pile of work and I feel like everything is out of control! I did find time to finish up the smalls for "Sweet Simple Samplings" (shown below)...and I am frantically model stitching on various other deadlines. I am hoping to release "Liberty Stitchery" and "Sweet Simple Samplings" towards the end of July (if all goes well) - I was hoping to have both pieces back from my framer today...but that didn't happen...maybe tomorrow...then the files will go to my local printer for production. I have so many new Blue Ribbon Designs projects I want to start...and so many ideas swirling around in my head...if I can just stay focused with all the construction starting soon. I think I will need my weekly sewing/quilting stress reliever tomorrow morning...

Wishing you a wonderful 4th of July holiday weekend...take some time to enjoy family, food, and fireworks...

Sneak Peek - "Liberty Stitchery"

FINALLY....here it is....my latest design model (pre-frame, of course)...titled "Liberty Stitchery", I am hoping to release this piece (along with "Sweet Simple Samplings") sometime in July...we'll see how quickly the framing and print production advance...I will give you a little better idea of a release date in the coming weeks. The design model was stitched on 40-count Fawn hand-dyed fabric from Lakeside Linens and uses The Gentle Art Sampler Threads. I am truly looking forward to getting it to my framer this week...
























So, as I promised myself, I stayed up until 3:12 AM finishing the stitching last night...well most of it...I made a design change today and did a little extra stitching early this afternoon. Now for my reward...I still have a couple hours in a quiet house, so I plan to do a little sewing and play with my new quilting toy (a shiny new Accuquilt GO! Fabric Cutter)....

Sneak Peek: "Sweet Simple Samplings"

You are seeing it here first...a sneak peek at one of my new designs for release later this summer...it is titled "Sweet Simple Samplings". This design will also include instructions to make each square into an ornament, fob, or hook hanger...stitch the entire sampler design or stitch a small single sampler. Obviously this is a pre-frame photo and not in the perfect lighting, but I wanted to share it with you right away...you get the idea! The model is stitched on 40-count Lentil hand-dyed fabric from Lakeside Linens with Weeks Dye Works cotton threads. I can't wait to start stitching a few of the ornaments...more information and photos will be forthcoming...

Just For Fun...

Hello friends and followers!

I know it has been a whole week since my last post...and well, basically, it is because I have been super busy. I am teaching at the first New England Stitchers' Retreat next month (there are still a few openings - please join us - I would love to meet you!) and I have been preparing and getting the files layouts ready for printing. I have also been charting some new designs for release this summer...plus I have designed a special needlework tool and have been spending time perfecting the prototype and getting production started.

I have managed to finish a set of fabric dolls...these are actually from the fabric line "Aunt Lindy's Paper Dolls" by Sibling Arts Studio for Blue Hill Fabrics. I picked up this fun fabric panel (four dolls and four pets) on our weekend getaway to Galena. I actually have a paper doll quilt from the Baum Textiles fabric Paper Dolls completely pieced and ready to quilt....in fact, it has been in the machine quilting pile since last fall....maybe these dolls will be the motivation I need to get it finished! Over the last week, I worked a little on the dolls each day - I think cutting them all out took the longest. Last night, I finally got them stuffed and started hand sewing the openings closed...and this morning I finished them up. Each doll is approximately 14" tall. For some reason, even though I am not a "doll person", these bring me joy! Hopefully I will be showing you my finished paper doll quilt next....I just have to make the time to quilt it...

On the agenda today...I am starting to model stitch "Sweet Simple Samplings"...a new release for this summer...maybe you will get a peek in the next few weeks...

Wishing you sunshine, signs of spring, and things that bring you joy...