It’s Giveaway Day!

Happy Giveaway Day!  And welcome to all who are visiting today!

Today I am giving away this corduroy satchel. 

It is upcycled from a pair of corduroy pants, and lined with new fabric.

To enter, let me know what great books you have read lately! (This could be anything from fiction to a cookbook to the book you read to your kids before bed last night.)

The giveaway is open to anyone in the U.S. or Canada.  (Please check out my other blog for an international giveaway!)  The winner will be announced the evening of Dec. 16.

Thanks for stopping by!  And have fun entering all of the giveaways!

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We Have a Winner!

Thank you to everyone who participated in Giveaway Day!  I enjoyed reading each and every one of your comments.  I appreciate all of your kind remarks about my shop, and yes, the quilts were included in the giveaway (every quilt deserves a loving home!) 🙂

I can only pick one winner, but I have a little something for everyone.  From now until Monday, you will receive 10% off everything in my shop with the coupon code “GiveawayDay” 

And now….

the winner is…….

True Random Number Generator:

Min: 1

Max:  238

Result: 22

Elizabeth!  Who wrote:   love the brown piggy!
your other things are lovely, too, but the piggy is my favorite!

Congratulations!  I’ll be emailing you sometime today with the details.

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It’s Giveaway Day!

This giveaway is now closed.  Thanks to all who entered!

Welcome to everyone who is visiting today from Sew, Mama, Sew!  I know it’s a busy day of blog-hopping so I’ll keep this short.

Today I am giving away one item from my shop.  That’s right, ANY item.  Winner’s choice.  All you have to do to enter is leave a comment telling me which item you would like if you’re the winner.  That’s it! 

The giveaway is open to everyone, everywhere.   I will pick and announce a winner at 7 am (ADT) on the 26th of May. 

Thanks for dropping by!   Have fun entering all of the other giveaways today!

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It’s Fun to Give!

Remember Pay it Forward?  I have been having so much fun sewing for others this year.  Although it is nice to be paid for my work, (and necessary for making a living,) there is just something so uplifting about making something to give away “just because.” 

I have two of my Pay it Forward projects finished and received by their new owners.

The first was this little pencil roll for Penelope Neal at Nothing Worth Stealing. 

Penelope is a talented lady who often posts sketches of dogs, which led me on a search for the perfect dog fabric.  It took me forever to find just the right one, and when I saw this one I knew it was perfect!   It is a Heather Ross fabric from her “Lightening Bugs and Other Mysteries” line.  And it was listed at $38 for a half-yard – what??!!!!  This was my first encounter with highly priced out-of-print fabrics.  I couldn’t pay that price, but all of the other dog fabrics I found paled in comparison.  But patience and perseverance paid off on this one and it eventually came up on Etsy at a reasonable price and I snapped it up.

Besides the great dog print, this is one of the most beautiful fabrics I have ever worked with.  It had a beautiful weight to it and was so soft!  A quilter’s dream.  I completely understand why you pay more for designer fabrics – and it is so worth it! 

The second Pay it Forward present was for Sara.  Sara is a fellow quilter who posts her beautiful creations on her blog, as well as her embroidery projects (which I am in awe of.)  I discovered that her favourite flower is the peony, and that got me started on her gift. 

It’s been a while since I’ve taken out a crochet hook (maybe years?) but I went looking for fabric peony tutorials and found this crochet one and knew that’s what I had to do!   I was really proud of myself for getting this done without one call to my mother (who is the crochet master.)  Maybe crocheting is like riding a bike…once you learn you never forget? 

The fabric underneath is from Heather Bailey’s “Pop Garden” line.  Once again I was on Etsy and Ebay searching for the perfect peony fabric and this was the winner.  It took me awhile to decide what to make out of this one but eventually I settled on a purse.  (As Sara said when she wrote me – a woman can always use another purse!)

I used this tutorial which was fun and easy to follow.  I made a few changes (of course) because I wanted my strap to lie flat against the bag at the sides, I just think it looks neater that way. 

I still have one Pay it Forward present to go.  I am still pondering this last one, although I have a few ideas for what I might do.  In the meantime I won a little present myself. 

I won these beautiful coasters and napkins from Small Town Girl.  She also has a great blog where she posts sewing projects, and if you have little ones at home she  has a weekly series where she posts fun and easy activities to do with toddlers. 

So yes, it is fun to give and to receive! 🙂 

What projects have you been working on lately?

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And the Winner is….

Thank you so much to all of you who gave me suggestions and ideas for this blog.  You gave me a lot to think about!  I am so thankful for each and every one of you.  I can’t promise I will do everything, but I definitely have some good ideas going forward, and you can count on some more step-by-step gardening information this year! 

And so, without further ado, the winner of the giveaway is….Corinne!   

(Chosen by a random number generator.  It would be impossible for me to choose between you – if I had time I’d make you all something! )

Thanks again for your input!

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What Would You Like to See Here? (and a giveaway!)

When I started this blog, a year and a half and 250 posts ago, I was writing mostly for me.  I had been a writer once, walking around with ink-stained fingers, beginning my days with pen and paper in hand, watching life go by and turning what I saw and felt into stories and poetry.  And then I launched into the “working world”  and let 8 years go by only exercising my skills when writing progress reports, newsletters, and summer camp brochures (but they were superbly well-written brochures, rest assured!) 🙂 

So I started this blog to have a reason to write every day (or at least a few times a week.)  I approached these pages when I felt like it, and posted whatever happened to be on my mind (or on my camera) at the time. 

But then I started to get to know all of you.  I am still awed, amazed and incredibly thankful for all of you who come here to read these words I put down.  You are true blessings in my life and I find more and more that as I write, I think of you.  “What would she like to hear about?”  “I wonder if they know about this?”

And I wonder too, about those of you who drop in but never say a word.  You are mysteries to me in that I know nothing about you, but I wonder about you too.   I wonder what you like to read about, and what you come here looking for.

I am starting to become more intentional about this little blog of mine.  And I have big dreams for the future, what I might like it to become.

But I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you.

And so, I am asking for your help.  Would you be honest with me? 

• What would you like to see on this blog? 
• What do you wish I wrote more about? 
• What do you wish I wrote less about? 
• What kind of posts are your favourites? 
• Any wild and crazy ideas for me for future posts?  (or simple and mundane ideas, I’ll take those too!) 
• If I did some kind of sew-along/quilt-along/cook-along/garden-along would you be interested in participating? 
• Any wishes I can grant? (as in “I really wish there was a blog that talked about…”  or “I wish there was a tutorial for…”  or “I wish Andi would teach me how to….”)  I won’t promise I can grant them, but I’d love to hear them!

 I really and truly want to know what you think.  And don’t feel you have to answer all of the questions, and if you have something else to say, feel free to add that too! 

And just as a thank-you, anyone who comments on this post will be entered to win something handmade by me.  I’m not sure what it is yet, but I promise it will be something nice (maybe something from the shop, or something custom-made just for you?)  I’ll announce the winner April 2nd, but feel free to leave a comment here even after that date. 

Thanks for your help!

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Starting the Year with Giving

Do you ever happen upon a blog and something about the writer makes you decide you just have to add it to your daily blog reading? 

That’s what happened with me and Keri who writes Quaint and Quirky.   Three things in her bio caught my attention  – she lives in New England (so she’s not too far from here), she’s an Irish dancer (and I would love to be an Irish dancer!) and she used the words “kindred spirit.”    I have been reading her blog ever since.

She had a great idea she posted on her blog yesterday to start her year with giving, by paying it forward.   I decided it would be a great way to start my year too, and I am excited to pass my giving on to you.

Here is how it works. 

“Pay it forward” is the idea that random acts of kindness are given without expecting anything in return. It’s passing on a kindness hoping that your recipients will do the same, and forming a never-ending chain of goodwill , that’s what this is about. But it isn’t only kindness, it is also a means to connect with our fellow crafters, to network, if you will, and to share our enjoyment of crafting/sewing instead of just keeping it to ourselves or where only friends and family get to see it.

 This is how it works: You’ll have to comment on this post and the first three people who comment will receive a handmade gift from me within the next few months. But those three people will also have to post the idea on their blog (or Facebook for those of you I know who might like to participate but who don’t blog!) and commit to making a gift for the first three people who comment and so on and so forth.

 

SO, the first three people to comment here will get something handmade by me,  but you have to do this on your blog as well.  I’ll be reading your blog (or checking out your Facebook!) to figure out what to make you and to make sure that you have posted about your Pay it Forward!   

Have fun giving to others!

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And The Winner Is….. (and some must-read books!)

I am a little sad that the giveaway is over.  I have so enjoyed reading all of your comments and can’t wait to dive into some new books!  Thanks for all of the great recommendations.  If I had all the time in the world I would love to email each and every one of you just to talk about books!   If any of you are looking for some new reading material for you or your kids, I encourage you to take a look through the comments.  At some point I may make a comprehensive list of the most-recommended books for anyone who might be interested, but for now, I’ll just mention a few that stand out:

Harry Potter – I love them too!  I am currently reading the first in the series out loud to my students and they are loving it!  

Material Obsession came up again and again as a favourite sewing book.  I have yet to read this one but it sounds like I need to add it to the list!

 Karen Kingsbury was mentioned several times.  I have not read any of her books but know many who do. 

The Red Tent is a book I would also recommend to others. 

Like Water for Elephants, Book of Negroes, and the Time Traveller’s Wife are all books that have been recommended to me before and your thoughts echoed what I had already heard. 

 You can’t go wrong with the classics – Lord of the Rings, Little House on the Prairie, the Narnia Series, and Anne of Green Gables are all books I have enjoyed both in childhood and adulthood and they came up over and over again in your recommendations.  For adult reading Pride and Prejudice and To Kill a Mockingbird were mentioned often. 

There are many, many, more but I know what you are really waiting for is to find out who the winner is, so without further ado…..

The winner is … Janet!  She wrote: My favourite book of all is called Oh Rugged Land of Gold. It is the tale of a woman’s survival in the Alaskan wilderness and is very inspirational for any woman. Thanks for a chance at your giveaway.

Congratulations Janet, and thanks to all of you for stopping by!

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It’s Giveaway Day!

Happy Giveaway Day!  Welcome all visitors to my little corner of the blogging world. 

I know you have lots of places to visit today so I am going to keep this simple. 

Today I am giving away…

Drum roll please…

a $10 gift certificate for Sew, Mama, Sew!   

(Insert cheering and wild applause.)

I wanted to give away something that I would be excited to receive, and open it up internationally, and this seemed like the best way.  The lucky winner will be emailed the certificate and then can have the fun of picking out a beautiful fabric (or amazing pattern) of their choice! 

To enter, leave a comment telling me about one of your favourite books.  It could be a sewing or quilting book you love, your favourite cookbook, your child’s favourite bedtime story (as a teacher I’m always looking for great titles) or that novel you just couldn’t put down.

That’s it!  The giveaway will be open until Friday, December 17 and the winner will be chosen randomly from the comments. 

Thanks for stopping by!

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Season of Secrets

This is the season of secrets.  A season when I am involved in more creative projects at one time than almost any other time of the year – and I can’t talk about them!  (Well, at least not yet.)

Even cooking is taking a back seat these days as I rely on easy family favourites.

This is the season of tiptoeing around and humming, of closed doors and secret wrapping, of boxes and goodies hidden away in unused corners of the house.

And so things are a little quiet around Laundry on the Line too. 

But they won’t be for too much longer.

On Monday I will be participating in Sew, Mama, Sew’s Giveaway day!  If you love to sew, or you love handmade things, you’ll definitely want to check out some of the many, many, many creative blogs that will be hosting giveaways on Monday (and throughout the week, which is a good thing since it can take all week to visit them all!)

Friday will be the last day of school and so I will be spending some of this week making gifts for my students.  Nothing as elaborate as last year, but I hope to make something they will enjoy!  (Who knew I would be teaching the same class for the third year in a row?) 

And after that getting ready for Christmas will begin in earnest.  I can’t wait to pull out the Christmas decorations and make the house look festive, and to have time to putter around in the kitchen, making delicious holiday meals.

But for now it is back to secretive sewing and crafting.  Shhh……. 

See you on Monday!

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