Etsy Shop Sale

Hello friends - yes, I know it has been a while (I promise I have a good excuse)...and yes, I have a lot of things to share. Let's see - the biggest news: we are moving to the Kansas City area in the next couple months...yep, this 'born and raised in Iowa' girl is moving out of state (insert panic emoji here)! Other news - my fancy sewing machine is still in the shop for repair (insert another panic emoji)...and things are bustling here in the BRD studio (insert happy emoji). I will be back to share details on all those things and photos of all sorts of creative finishes...but right now, I am here to share that I am having an Etsy Sale and FREE gift with $35 purchase.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/BlueRibbonDesigns

This sale will run through Sunday, November 25th and is limited to in-stock items:

• 20% OFF All Single Blue Ribbon Designs Cross Stitch Charts, Pincushions and Pin and Button Packs!
• *Free standard domestic shipping (United States only) when you spend $85.00 or more (does not include shipping or sales tax).
• *All orders of $35.00 or more (before shipping or sales tax) will receive the cross stitch chart "Woodland Tree Farm" for FREE!

For now, please be patient with my blog posts - my husband is already in Edgerton, KS full-time in his new position (he is in management for UPS)...and that leaves me here in Iowa, taking care of all the local details - packing our home of fifteen years and getting it ready for sale…all while trying to do my job to take care of financial responsibilities (and deal with two crazy German Shepherds). It is going to be quite a balancing act. This is early news (I will make a formal announcement when details are a little more clear). I could use your good thoughts, prayers, positive vibes, moving tips, and maybe a hug or two. Please be patient with my e-mail/message response time – I have a lot of irons in the fire…but know I care about you and your business. I will do my best to make this an easy transition – Blue Ribbon Designs will continue in Kansas.

Thank you for supporting my small business and allowing me to do what I love - Happy Thanksgiving!

Spring Cleaning and Savings

The snow finally started to melt today...the forecast calls for rain all weekend...and I have had more bird sightings...could spring be arriving? I am so ready for sunshine and warmer temperatures....and I'm definitely in the mood for spring cleaning...it is time for a fresh clean start in 2013! I have already started cleaning my studio and going through fabric, notions, embellishments, and patterns...picking fresh new projects and planning upcoming pieces...I am overflowing with creative inspiration!

I thought you might like to help me with my spring cleaning, so I have decided to offer a coupon code for my Etsy shop (which incidentally will officially be one year old next month!)...yep, it is time for my first ever "sale"...time to clean up the shelves and make way for my new items in the works. The store is full of items for St. Patrick's Day and Easter...along with several types of pincushions, needlebooks, stitching cases, small pillows, pin and button packs, lace ornaments, and stitch starter rulers (with or without sleeves). If you have had your eye on something now would be the time to put it in your shopping basket. This will be a shop-wide sale of 10% off your purchase - simply use the coupon code LUCKY0313 at checkout. This special offer will last through 11:59 PM CST Sunday, March 10, 2013 - the discount does not apply to shipping charges and is not valid for previous orders or custom orders/special requests. Shop early for the best selection!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/BlueRibbonDesigns

      

For now, I am back to cleaning my studio/office...and daydreaming about new projects and designs I have in the works...so many creative routes to travel...

Stocking The Shelves...

Finally, I have some Etsy shop items to share with you! Remember months ago when I told you I was working on more Needlebook Scissor Cases for my Etsy shop?? - well, here I am posting a LONG overdue update. I had quite a few requests for some made with fabric from the Blueberry Crumb Cake collection by Blackbird Designs...and at that time, I got them all cut and prepared for sewing...then life, traveling, teaching, designing, "you name it", got in the way...and then my sewing machine had to go in for repair. My sewing machine is still waiting for parts - but I dusted off my old machine and got to work last week. I managed to get 26 of the needlebooks completed - along with 24 new Stitch Start Ruler Sleeves - all in the Blueberry Crumb Cake fabric....and I have 6 more needlebooks ready for assembly this weekend. These items are all ready to ship and would make perfect holiday gifts for stitching friends (or yourself!)...

The "Needlebook Scissor Case" is my own pattern which I have perfected over time - each one is approximately 3.5" W x 5.5" H. They are padded with fusible fleece and the pockets/cover are structured with interfacing - making them quite sturdy and durable. The covers are embellished with rick rack, trim, or ribbon...and the closure is an elastic loop and button. Many of the buttons are vintage from vast collection - and the rick rack I used is hand-dyed. Inside you will find wool felt needlebook pages with one pretty stick pin and pockets for your stitching/sewing tools. Each Needlebook Scissor Case is different and unique...

I also added a new batch "Stitch Start Ruler Pocket Sleeves" - these pocket sleeves measure 3.5" x 3.5" and hold the 3" square ruler perfectly - they are fully lined with no raw seams...and they use fusible fleece to give them a bit of padding and stability. Each Stitch Start Ruler Pocket Sleeve comes with a Stitch Starter Ruler (single Stitch Starter Rulers without a sleeve are available, as well). To read more about my Stitch Starter Ruler, visit: http://www.blueribbondesigns.com/USING%20THE%20STITCH%20STARTER.pdf

Orders placed this weekend will ship Priority Mail on Monday, December 17th and should arrive in time for Christmas gift giving....and all of my Etsy items are wrapped in GiftGloss and tied with tulle bows.

For those of you needing affordable gifts for a small group of stitching friends - check out my Decorative Pin and Button Packs! I used pretty papers and cardstocks to fold holders with a pocket on the front and and a pocket on the back...and then tied them together with fancy coordinating ribbon. The front pocket holds a card of 5 decorative pearlized heart straight pins...and the back pocket holds a card of 5 decorative pearlized leaf straight pins...and attached in the center is a poly bag of 24 matching buttons. The holder is tied with approximately a 1/2 yard of decorative ribbon and is placed in a transparent bag tied with tulle. Each package is different and unique...and I still have a nice assortment listed and ready to ship.

I have an impressive pile of pieces cut and ready for assembly this weekend and hope to have more fun items listed soon!

Today, I am finishing up some last minute handmade gifts - then this evening, I will be working on the model for the Elegant Stitch Workshop taking place in April...and I have a project to complete for AccuQuilt this week, as well...lots of creative work to do in the Blue Ribbon Designs studio...

Have a wonderful weekend!

Planting Perennials

I know my posts have been few and far between this month - seems I have been busy from early morning until late at night each and every day. This week I made time to get my perennial garden planted. Those of you who have followed my blog for a while, will remember this flower bed was constructed last spring when we were doing a bunch of outdoor construction on our home. Before we had all our siding, windows, doors, and deck replaced, we removed the old hedges in the front our our home and built a retaining wall flower bed - when the outdoor work was completed last October, it was too late in the season to plant...so the bed has been pretty much empty (with the exception of some lavender I planted last spring). I knew I wanted a perennial garden...and my dear friend Kimber gave me a wonderful book on perennial gardens for Christmas - which I put to great use in my planning...and both Merry and Kimber gave me some wonderful advice on types of plants. I decided on a mixture of herbs and flowers...along with a knockout rose bush (which I LOVE) and barberry shrub. Everything is finally in the ground and the mulch is down...and I am thrilled. All of the plants have been thriving and starting to bloom/flower....I couldn't be happier (especially since my gardening experience is pretty minimal)! I took a few photos to show you this evening...

I also planted two large containers of annuals and three pots of geraniums this week for the front porch front steps....here are a couple close-up photos I snapped while I was outside with my camera this evening...

I am still plugging away on the project for the Salty Yarns class - the framed portion of the project is nearing completion and there are a of couple coordinating needlework smalls (one of which is a brand new design concept for me) that I will begin later this week. I am also almost finished with the needlework smalls for "Berries, Birds, and Blooms", so I will share those with you soon...

For those of you waiting for more of my Decorative Pin and Button Packs - I listed 55 more in my Etsy shop today - the first batch of 25 sold out before I could even get them all posted in the shop, so if you missed out, now is your chance. I do not have plans to make more in the near future, as I have a pile of items ready to sew and quilt...so when they are gone, it may be a while before they are restocked. More needlebooks, needlecases/pockets, and pincushions will be posted in the next week or so...