Who is the winner??

Thanks all for playing.. Tammy - email me and I'll get this punch to you! Lucky girl, I can't wait to see all the wonderful things you will create with this.

October QuicKutz club!

Two pages from which to choose this month.. one set of pages has a more fall feel to it and the other is more Halloween. Same paper, different dies, same layout.. Hope to see you Saturday, Oct. 16th at 10am! Be sure to check out this link for your chance to win a Martha Stewart Halloween mouse edge stamp!

Supplies:
Both:
Basic Grey designer cardstock as shown
1- orange cardstock
1- green cardstock
Revolution die cutting machine
Pop dots
1/8" glue dots
Krylon 18kt Gold Leafing pen
Martha Stewart lace and ribbon edge punch as shown
gold seam binding
monogram charm
bit of white floss
1" circle punch
Basic scrapbooking supplies

Halloween:
Cottage Kutz skeleton and cat
Charcoal cat's eye ink pad
Spider web stamp
JustRite mini Halloween stamps and stamper
QuicKutzscallop cookie cutters die set
Black felt tip brush pen

Fall:
QuicKutz fall leaves (4x4 and smaller set)
Spellbinders scallop oval die set
Memento brown ink pad
Flourish stamp
JustRite Autumn Blessings stamps and stamper

Be sure to sign up for several chances for the giveaway! Thanks for dropping in. See you Saturday! I can't wait.


SPECIAL NOTE!! I've extended the giveaway till Friday.. make sure you've left a second and third comment (Nancy, Bobbie) for those who follow and have spread the word on their facebook pages!!

A Spooky, creepy Halloween giveaway!

 

It's that time of year.. the spooky, deliriously creepy time.. When the ghouls and goblins hobble about, when children are dressed in colorful gear, and we all know that All Hallow's Eve is near!

I have to give away to one follower the following:

 

One, new in the package edge punch with deliriously happy mice!

See how cute they look at the bottom of this project!! 

The fine print - leave a comment (1 entry), be a follower (2nd entry) and post this giveaway on your FB page (3rd entry)...

Good luck, I'll be drawing on Monday, October 18th, 2010.

Happy Birthday Gail

My dear friend Gail, who lives in Huntsville, AL has a birthday on the 12th! So Gail, I stole, no borrowed all your beautiful pictures from your website: Gail's Studio. Happy Birthday to you and may the coming year be filled with all that is good. Be blessed.

So as a treat, I'd like to share some of Gail's amazing work with you. Sit back, grab a cuppa, enjoy! Be sure to visit Gail's Studio for more inspiration.

This is a piece I am so particularly found of.

I totally love this table topper. wow. I am sure I have some dishes that would be perfect!

 

Stay tuned - I've got a great give away planned on this blog this week.. Probably Wednesday.. you know the rules, follow and post.. and the prize can be yours....

Antique Roses

I  L O V E linens, old new and anything in between. I look for blank canvases on which I can embroider. I look for old tablecloths, new tablecloths, I have a closet for just for linens. My name is and I'm addicted...  I saw this blank canvas at Martha Pullen's School of Art Fashion in Huntsville several years ago. I had to have it. I mean HAD to have it. The drawn thread work on the piece was amazing. They've just had another event, so the webstore is a bit low.. but check it out periodically. You won't be sorry. Click HERE to be transported to her heirloom emporium.

Regrettably, I have no clue from whom this design is. Is it a Jenny Haskins design? Is it a Zundt? We've been in this house now 18 months and the embroidery designs are still in a box. I think I'll have to remedy that PDQ!!!

I used a heavy weight iron away stabilizer. The kind that is milky white and almost clear. I like to use this because there is no residue on the back. Wherever the iron touches, the stabilizer is removed. Where the iron doesn't touch it (ie. within the design itself) the stabilizer stays.

I always test the embroidery on the same fabric or one that is similar with the stabilizer and threads I intend to use. This gives a realistic piece on which to assess the finished piece. Is it too stiff - then lower the stitch density of your design (software or a machine with design editing capabilities required). Is the coverage adequate - once again adjust the stitch density. Are the fibers on the blank pulled - re-evaluate your stabilizer, it's probably not heavy enough to hold the weight of the stitches. Can you see needle holes, don't use the largest needle on the market. I prefer Organ needles because they have a needle eye one size larger than the size indicated thus providing less strain on your thread. I prefer rayon embroidery threads for delicate items because it is a natural fiber and the shine is amazing. I tend to gravitate towards Madeira threads.

I always print out or use the supplied design template for placement. I mark the north on the template and then trim the template directly outside the motif. I then place the motif on the fabric and mark the center and horizontal and vertical centers so that I can properly hoop both the stabilizer and the fabric.

Always iron your finished product wrong side up with the embroidered motif on a towel. This will leave the stitches raised. When you press on the right side, do not iron over the motif. Come up to it and then maneuver around the design.

I also do not put my linens away starched and ironed. It keeps the bugs away and with no starch in the fibers, the bends are kinder on the fabric. Ironing tip: place the damp piece in a plastic bag in the refrigerator overnight. This ensures that you will be ironing on icy cold fabric the next day. Use a hot iron and you probably won't need any starch!

Thanks for dropping by. Your visits delight me, your comments are my blessings.

QuicKutz Club - September

 

Supplies:

Basic Grey paper as shown

Quickutz Espresso font

Quickutz Santa's Workshop

Chestnut Roan cat's eye ink

9 brads

basic scrapbooking supplies