May Birthday Giveaway: Embroidery Companion

What?s going on here? My site started ten years ago this month and to celebrate I?m giving away something each weekday. Because I like you. Today I'm tickled to have a copy of Alicia Paulson's second book Embroidery Companion: Classic Designs for Modern Living [1] to give to one lucky winner. Alicia is one of those people I've known online for almost as long as I've had an internet connection, and whom I'm happy to say is just as awesome and warm in person, and I adore the love and care she puts into all her work. Her take on embroidery shows a fondness for the past but has a modern and cheerful way about it. She also has a delightful blog, Posie Gets Cozy [2] where she talks about food, dogs, gardening and the joys of hammocks. And she produces patterns for sewing, crochet and embroidery as well as offering the occasional carefully compiled craft kits which sell out crazy fast, her latest was the Daisychain ABC Sampler [3], and I love her felt Christmas ornaments [4]. You can find everything at her online shop Rosy Little Things [5]. If you'd like to win the copy of Embroidery Companion please leave a comment with this post and, if you'd like, answer this question: What is the first craft you remember doing? Though my mother has evidence of earlier creations the first thing I remember was using cut fruit as stamps to decorate t-shirts on a rainy afternoon during a vacation. Your turn, you've got until Friday, May 27th at 10 a.m. PST to enter, the fine print [6] applies. Good luck! Closed, thank you so much for entering! [1] http://aliciapaulson.com/books.html [2] http://rosylittlethings.typepad.com [3] http://rosylittlethings.typepad.com/posie_gets_cozy/2011/04/daisychain-abcs-c... [4] http://www.rosylittlethings.com/snowdaypattern.html [5] http://www.rosylittlethings.com/ [6] http://www.notmartha.org/the-fine-print/

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/notmartha/~3/ZN3gNmKcL18/

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Organizing with a 3-Tiered Stand

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Kendra from Traveling at the Speed of Life shares her newly-organized scrapbooking room. Among the many inspiring ideas in that post is this beautiful way to store buttons. (Actually, I could see a tiered stand housing all kinds of things - ribbon, small sewing supplies, paints, and on and on.)

As Kendra says,

"I bought the 3-tiered rack at a garage sale for $3. This is the best storage solution I've found for buttons. I get to keep them all separated by color and the jars are compactly stored away in a corner rather than taking up an entire table top."

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Source: http://blog.craftzine.com/archive/2011/06/organizing_with_a_3-tiered_sta.html

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thing I like: Slice packaging cutter

[1] This is a Slice [2] ceramic safety cutter meant for opening clamshell packaging. I manage to get papercuts from anything sharp and flat so last Christmas I grabbed one of these in the hopes of avoiding the frustration and the blood and the pain. Opening gifts should not be associated with pain. This has an incredibly tiny ceramic blade in the tip that is just big enough to cut through sturdy plastic packaging but too small to cut skin. I was really delighted when I found there is a small magnet inside so you can keep this on a fridge or a magnet board, so handy. It's photographed above hanging out with the spring clips and fortune cookie fortunes that I keep handy over my kitchen counter. We've even started using our little cutter to slice through tape to open boxes. It's turned out to be my favorite gadget. Slice makes a range of ceramic products for the office and kitchen and I have my eye on the Precision Cutter [3] as well. Both the Safety Cutter [4] and Precision Cutter [5] are also available at Amazon. Funny thing? The Safety Cutter comes in the very packaging it's designed to open more easily: [6] [1] http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002OOVC84/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=notma... [2] http://www.sliceproducts.com/product/safety-cutter-0 [3] http://www.sliceproducts.com/product/precision-cutter [4] http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002OOVC84/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=notma... [5] http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00286KNPG/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=notma... [6] http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002OOVC84/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=notma...

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/notmartha/~3/V2PVgFM1774/

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daily photo: Mar. 28th

This is my favorite inexpensive tea. It's hard to find in your (or at least my) average grocery store and I live in fear that it will be discontinued. The last time I found it in a grocery store on sale I bought a dozen boxes and the person ringing me up must have thought I was nuts. Then again, it is high time I embrace my role as The Crazy Lady. Does that mean I can start wearing sequins at unexpected times of day? Right on.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/notmartha/~3/Njx96FV8sTA/

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How-To: Turned And Stitched Seam Allowances

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Gertie of Gertie's New Blog For Better Sewing shares her tips on an option for finishing seams on a garment.

This method creates a really beautiful touch to a garment. I've been using it on taffeta and shantung lately and have found that it works especially well with these crisp silks.
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Source: http://blog.craftzine.com/archive/2011/06/how-to_turned_and_stitched_sea.html

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Periodic Table of Sewing Elements

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Carla of The Scientific Seamstress created this awesome periodic table of sewing elements to decorate her laboratory-themed sewing room. She's offered it as a download so you can print a poster-sized (or smaller, if you prefer) version for your own sewing space.

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Source: http://blog.craftzine.com/archive/2011/06/periodic_table_of_sewing_eleme.html

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