Alice Enchanted Winner!

Ack!  Sorry for the delay....I intended to draw the winning name on Friday, but this cold I have has had me out of sorts!

I tossed all comment's names into the randomizer and the winner is......

Congratulations to Lija!    Check out her blog ...Stitching in Crosses and More to see some beautiful stitching!   Can't wait to see you start Alice! :)



Thanks to everyone for entering!!  

(it's TUSAL time too, isn't it?   late late late! :)  )



-lesli

Marilyn Leavitt-Imblum Giveaway Winners

Hope everyone has had a wonderful week and weekend!

A huge thank you to everyone that entered my recent giveaway for some Marilyn Leavitt-Imblum charts!

Here is a breakdown of the names entered for each chart and the winner chosen for each one (by Random Number Generator). 

Oddly enough, the number 3 came up twice in a row.....I suppose the odds of that happening were pretty high as the total number for it to generate from was low.  

Congratulations to the Lynda, Jennilynn and Socialsue!!!   I'll be sending you an email shortly to get your mailing address.



-lesli

August IHSW and TUSAL...and Giveaway Reminder

What a fantastic weekend I had!   Ran some errands and went shopping most of Saturday, but spent a good amount of my Sunday doing nothing but STITCHING!



For my August IHSW (International Hermit and Stitch Weekend) I was able to finish page 1 of Tamlin:

Before:

And After:

I printed a color copy of the artwork for comparison's sake.  



I'm also a bit late on my TUSAL for August, so I guess it is better late than never!

My TUSAL jar is pretty empty this month.......I'll have to make up for it this month!   This is a picture next to the Olympic Torch my daughter Kella made in her daycare class  :)



Also..just a reminder to everyone that I'm having a giveaway of 3 different Marilyn Leavitt-Imblum charts.....which ends this Sunday (August 26) at noon EST.   Enter enter enter! :)


I can't believe Fall is just around the corner!  Yippee!  My favorite season and time of the year!


-lesli

A Giveaway in honor of Marilyn Leavitt-Imblum

As I'm sure many of you are already aware, Marilyn Leavitt-Imblum passed on August 14th.

Many of you will recognize her work from the Butternut Road and Lavender and Lace product lines. 


My first stitching piece that wasn't a "pre-kit" was her Angel of Freedom....back in 1989.....and  I can still remember the joy I had in buying all my new skeins of floss, sorting them out and getting everything ready. 


In honor of her beautiful work, I'm giving away some of her charts from my stash (I love them all but I know I'll never be able to get to all of them!)




Here are the charts I've chosen:


#1 - Angel of the Sea




#2 - The Second Angel of Freedom



#3 - Earth Angel

Giveaway Logistics:

• I will have 3 drawings, one for each chart.
• I will draw names using Random Number Generator
• Giveaway ends at 1pm EST on Sunday, August 26th

How to enter:

• Please be a follower of my blog
• Post a reply that includes your name, email address and chart choice
• If a chart choice isn't included, I'll add your name to the chart with the lowest # of names

-lesli

MyMemories Winner!

I've used Mr. Random Number Generator to choose my winner of the MyMemories software.

Lucky for those that entered, the list of names was short, so you all had a 25% chance of winning! :)


Here's the list:

And the chosen number is:

The winner is..... (yes, I used their software to make this picture!)

I'm really loving their software, there is so much you can do with it!  I plan to make a digital photo book of each of my children for my husband....for father's day!


Hope everyone is having a great weekend and getting some stitchy time in!


-lesli

Memorial Day Giveaway WINNER!

Before I announce my winner I just want to say ...WOW!  Thank you to everyone that dropped in to enter!


Here is a full list of those names in the drawing:

And.....Mr. Random Generator.....do your thing.......

The winner is.....MELINDA!!   

Melinda has a beatiful blog that I've been following for some time now.
 
Drop on over and check it out:  Family Business 
She has a gorgeous piece she is working on, Fancy Dancing....and a good amount of HAED WIPS going as well!  (and now you'll have another to add to the mix!)


Congratulations, Melinda!   And thank you again to everyone that entered....I found some great new blogs to follow! :)


-lesli

A Gift and a MyMemories Giveaway

Yesterday I was blessed with a beautiful gift in my mailbox!!   Nia from Caixinha de Pirlimpimpim spoiled me with a beautiful hand stitched card and a souvenir from her home, Portugal!

Look at how cute this card is!   And he's holding my favorite flowers...tulips!!!   She also included her adorable business cards....that look just like her blog, isn't that little girl the cutest?

My Portugal souvenir is this handpainted Rooster of Barcelos.  He is a legend/symbol in Portugal and there are many different versions of the history and story of him, one of which you can find here.  

This gift just brightened up my day...my week!  We've had nothing but rain and thunderstorms all week, the tail end of the tropical storm I suppose...and this little rooster and card brought sunshine to my eyes.   Isn't Nia just a doll!?  

 

So let's see...it seems I'm doing more giving away than I am stitching...hahahaha...which is fine by me because it is FUN!!

The folks at My Memories, a digital scrapbook software company offered me a download of their software along with a download to give away to one of you!! 

Now I'm sure you're thinking...what the heck do you do with a digital scrapbook?

If any of you are like me...you have folders and folders of pictures saved somewhere on your laptop, your smart phone...maybe even still on your camera!!   Believe me, I LOVE the art of scrapbooking itself...but I just don't find I have the time to get any of it done (I blame my stitching!)...so this is a fantabulous alternative!

The beauty of this software is that you can create lovely scrapbook pages, even books....quickly and easily!   You can save them for yourself, use individual images to load elsewhere or create scrapbooks to send to others (my parents live out of town, so this was perfect to make a quick book of pictures to share with them of the kiddos!)

When I say quick...here's a sample that I put together in about 10 minutes (my first try, so now that I have the hang of it, it goes quicker!)

They offer pre-created layouts, but also allow you to create your own!   I picked out all the cut outs, the paper colors/textures and just popped the images in (you can zoom in/out and crop them with their software too!)

They have nine...NINE pages of free themed kits you can download once you have their main software loaded!   A themed kit means you can download templates for holidays, occasions, moods...you name it! 

So.....now for the giving away part!  :)

I'll be giving away a free download of their software (once you have it loaded, you can get all those free kits too!) to one of you...here's how you enter:

• Be a follower of my blog
• Visit their MyMemories site and post a comment that includes the name of one of their kits and tell me why you like that kit
• Include your email address so I can contact you

Easy Peasy!!

Giveaway ends at midnight EST on Friday, June 8th....and I'll use Mr. Random Generator to pick out a winner!

Also, they've offered all of you a $10 off code for purchases....in case you want to buy before I draw a name, or if your name isn't drawn

Just enter this code when you check out:   STMMMS17078

You'll receive $10 off the software, and the purchase will also come with a $10 coupon to buy kits!

-lesli

Bracelet Winner!

We survived Tropical Storm Beryl!   Luckily, we were only hit with heavy rainfall and gusts of wind.  Had many friends and family members that lost power, but ours remained on through it all. 


Thanks to everyone who checked out my bracelet giveaway and entered to win!  I hope you found some cute stuff at Mel's Etsy shop, like I did  :)


And now to announce a winner........


Here's a list of those that entered:

And....drumroll......Mr. Random Generator chose:

Congratulations, Gizzimomo (Thea)!!!  

She chose the Kumihimo Silk Fibre Bracelet in Grey, Blue & Purple (beautiful choice!)

Check out my current giveaway of a Heaven and Earth Designs chart, with fabric and floss here!



-lesli

Memorial Day Giveaway

"True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic.

It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost,

but the urge to serve others at whatever cost.”  

 -Arthur Ashe

I had planned to do a giveaway tomorrow, in honor of Memorial Day....but since there is a tropical storm heading for me, I thought it be best to post it today (in case I have no power or internet tomorrow!)

I'm giving away a beautiful Heaven and Earth Designs (HAED) chart along with the fabric and floss needed to finish it.

I sifted through all the fantabulous (I think that's my favorite non-real word!) charts they have and I finally decided on this one:



QS Yesterday's Gone; artwork by Molly Harrison



I chose this one for a few reasons -

• This is one of my favorites....I love all the watercolor looking background colors and the colors in her wings. 
• I also chose it for it's name "Yesterday's Gone"....which I felt kept in-line with the idea/meaning of this holiday. 
• I decided on the "quick stitch (QS)" version of this chart, as I know many of my blog followers have not stitched a HAED before and I didn't want anyone to run away (like I did the first time I saw them!)

The chart's stitches are 175 W x 161 H, so it isn't nearly as large as the "regular" charts!

Along with the chart, I will send the winner all the floss necessary to complete.  I'll be sending full skeins of DMC floss, as I'm lazy and can't bring myself to measure, cut and wind them all!  (this way you can also use whatever floss is leftover for other projects!). 

Aren't the colors puuuuurty!

The chart calls for 032...some stitchers choose to use a Krenik braid, but I've substituded with DMC Metallic floss.  If this isn't your preference, I apologize!  Krenik braid isn't so easy to get my hands on around here!

I will also include fabric for this chart in the following choices
(I don't have any 14 count left in my stash....but if you REALLY want 14 count, let me know and I'll get some!) :

28 Count Cream Linen
28 Count Cream Evenweave
25 Count Cream Evenweave
22 Count White Hardanger
18 Count White Aida
16 Count White Aida

The fabric will be cut to allow for a minimum of 3 inches on each side for a border (in some cases it may be bigger...again...because I'm lazy and don't want to cut the fabric!)

 

How do you enter?

• Be a follower of my blog
• Enter a comment on this thread
• Include your email address
• Let me know which fabric you prefer.

That's it!! 

This giveaway will end at midnight EST, Friday, June 1st.  The winner will be chosen using Mr. Random Generator and will be announced Saturday, June 2nd. 

P.S.: The chart will be in the form of a PDF file.  It will be sent to you via the Heaven and Earth Designs "RAK (Random Acts of Kindness)" program, which means you will receive an email from HAED which will contain a weblink created just for you.  When you click on the link it will take you to their site and a download button for you to download and save the chart.  If you have any issues getting through this process, just let me know and we'll walk through it together!!

 

-lesli

Epic Stitching Giveaway!

Mel, from Epic Stitching is a complete sweetheart and sent me one of her beautiful bracelets!!  (She posted about them on her blog and I asked her some questions about what they are made of...and *poof*...just like that, she sends me one!)

I am SO IN LOVE with it!!

Some pictures:

Close up...look at the purty colors!

those veins in my hand look weird, don't they?

My daughter Kella asks me everyday, "Mommmmm, where is mine!?"

And if you're wondering..... "Where is yours!?"  ..... you can check out Mel's Etsy shop and pick one, or two or three out!   (I've already chosen another one for me and of course, the one for Kella)

Here's a sneak peek of some of the pretties she sells:

While I was checking out her shop, I thought to myself., "Why not give one away too!"


So without further ado...adieu?.... anyway.... let's give one away!


How to enter:
Post a response with the following info:

• The name of the bracelet you'd like from her Etsy Shop
• Your wrist size (inches or cm)
• Your email address (so I can contact you if you win!)

I'll draw a winner sometime on Monday, May 28th....and they'll win whichever bracelet they named!


p.s. - If you haven't already, check out her stitching blog Epic Sitching!  She won the HAED contest in December where she gets a free chart each month...I LOVE checking out what she's chosen!


-lesli

Floss Winners!

I'm about an hour late on my schedule today (I'm never ever early!)......so here we go!

The list of names entered:

I used the ever so handy "Random Generator" online.......

Winner #1:

#12 = Shanda at StitchCrazy (I so completely love that she has a girl cave!)



Winner #2:

#22 = Lesley at Lesley's Stitching Diary 2012  (She just finished the most beautiful rose stitching with a very sweet poem)




And I figured, what the heck, I'll draw a third winner! 

So...Winner #3:

#4 = Nia at Caixinha de Pirlimpimpim  (Scroll down on her site and you can see the most adorable little girl's sewing machine ever!  I want one!)


Congratulations to the three winners and thanks to everyone that entered! 

This was fun for me....it was a short and sweet giveaway!   I'll have to have another one (anything to give me a reason to go buy more floss!)


Have a wonderful stitchy weekend everyone!


-lesli

Fabulous Friday Floss Giveaway

If you read my last post, you know....I'm a floss-hoarder!

I vowed to make one last run to the craft store to purchase the last bits of floss I need to complete the kitting up of 5 HAED charts.

Since I'll be there picking out floss anyway....I thought.....

Why not give some away!?

I'll be drawing for two winners!  I'll send each winner 20 skeins of DMC Cotton floss in the colors of their choice (please read the info below to ensure you get your colors!)

This will be a VERY SHORT giveaway, since I'm going shopping tomorrow!   I'll draw the winning names at 10:00 am EST on 04/14/2012 and will announce the winners shortly thereafter.

To Enter.....Just post a comment!  

You will need to include the following information:
          ~ An email address for me to contact you
          ~A list of the 20 colors that you'd like 
                If you don't list any choices, I'll pick some out for you!

*all color choices need to be the regular cotton floss...I wish I could afford buying 20 skeins of the specialty stuff!

This is open to anyone anywhere, as long as you can receive mail!




-lesli

I've Been Spoiled by Ewa!

As I had shared in a previous post, I was one of the lucky names drawn for Ewa's recent giveaway!!

Imagine my giddiness when a package arrived in my mailbox this afternoon!  I think I even ran back inside just to get to open it quicker  :)

Look at all the beautiful items I received:

She baked home-made biscotti!  I put them in a pretty green bowl as if I'm going to serve them, but we all know I'll gobble them up by the end of the day! They are soooo yummy.  I just made a fresh pot of coffee to go with them.

She also included the prettiest card and personal sentiment....so sweet :)

The most incredible part of the gift was her stitching and beadwork!  Here's a close up:

My shadowy picture definitely does not do it justice!  Her work is sitting on top of some divine Architex fabric which she also included.  It matches her stitching perfectly!  Now.....my mind is spinning ideas on what I want to do with them!


I'll have a grin on my face for weeks after this, it's like Christmas in March!..... Thank you Ewa!!


For anyone who hasn't visited her blog....wander on over and check out her great plan to finish one of her current HAED projects before Christmas....I know she can do it, so let's all cheer her on!


-lesli

March TUSAL~Giveaway Winners~Rotation Plan

Even though the title makes my post sound like its going to be long...I'll make it all as short as possible!

First off we have....my March TUSAL picture!

I finally found something to move my ORTs to, from my jelly jar.  I found this vase under my sink, from a beauiful bouquet of tulips my hubby gave me a bit ago.   The vase is HUGE, but that just entices me to stitch more so I can try to get it at least half full by the end of this year!   I'll keep using my jelly jar monthly and transfer them over.

Next up... my LHN giveaway winners!!   Here is a shot of the full list of participants (sorry for the bad picture, I used Paint in a hurry!)

I chose two winners (via random generator) to win the following charts (in this order):

LHN - Strawberry House

LHN Tall Pines

And....the WINNERS are........ (those dots are my drumroll!).......

YAY!   So Strawberry House will be making its way to Joysze at Random Ramblings and Tall Pines will find a home with Carrie at Carrie's Cross Stitch 

(Please email me your mailing addresses!  leslidaniels@gmail.com)  I have a few surprise items to throw into the packages as well!  :)


And finally.....My Rotation Plan!

Thank you to everyone that responded to my last post about how you rotate your work!  I LOVED all the great ideas!!  I thought about it long and hard ...and I decided to be a "deadline rotationer"  (is rotationer even a word?).   I have this "thing" about not putting a piece down until I finshed the page or the section or whatever.....so deadlines seems to be the way to go with me!

Here's the schedule I've come up with so far.  I don't have timelines/dates to each deadline, once I finish the first one on the list, I'll move to the next one.  I did give myself an overall goal date for this list, and if I meet it, I'll make a new list!

1. Page 4 and 7 of Coral (page 7 is just under page 4 with only 3 rows of work, so it made sense to work together)
2. Page 1 of Wings
3. Page 5 and 8 of Coral
4. Page 2 of Cathedral
5. Page 6 and 9 of Coral (FINISHED!)
6. Page 1 of Nature's Beauty
7. Page 1 of Blue Moon
8. Page 1 of Lanterns (new start)
9. Page 1 Moonlight (new start)
10. Page 3 of Cathedral
11. Page 2 of Wings
12. Page 2 of Nature's Beauty (FINISHED!)

My target date to finish this list is July 1st

This gives me around 14 weeks (so about 1 week per line item).  This is a stretch goal and I'll be happy if I get even a little close!


Thanks again for everyone's rotation input and congratulations to the giveaway winners!


Happy Spring!


-lesli

I can wear it! (and a giveaway)

I finished my knitting adventure project....and I can actually wear it!  :)

Here's how it looked when I got started:

and after about 3 days of working on it.....messed up some of the "yarn overs"...but sort of fixed them

My finished product!  Not too shabby!

And lookie here....I can actually wear it!!  (pardon my photography skills...taking my own picture proved to be more difficult than I would have thought it would be!)

And now for the good stuff :)  

Had a wonderful "girl's day" this past weekend and dropped by a cute little stitching shop in town.  I didn't get much stitching done (too much girl chat to catch up on!) but I did pick up 2 LHN charts to give away!   Here they are:

Strawberry House (the strawberries have little beads for seeds!)

Tall Pines

This will be a short giveaway..... Everyone that posts a comment is entered!  There will be two winners (one for each chart) and I'll draw the names the morning of March 22nd (in time for the TUSAL update for anyone who takes part in that!).  

Happy Hump Day!

-lesli

Drumroll please!! ...... and the Winners are..........

Now before I go announcing the winners.......it looks like I hit 95 followers sometime yesterday!!    If I hit it after midnight, oh well...I'm counting it!    :)   
(sidenote:  something is up with my follower gadget, it only shows me 9 followers!!  but my google account tells me 95, so I'm going by that!  darn follower gadget!!)

So before I announce the winners, here's a full list of the prizes (including the additional item for hitting 95 followers):

Drawing #1

Lavender & Lace; Angelica pattern

1 of my favorite floss threaders, from Dovestitch.com

Wichelt-Permin 16 ct Aida

Anchor #8 Perle Cotton floss in Nutmeg and Spice colors

Lizzie Kate Flip-it: Caring

Weeks Dye Works hand over dyed floss in Peach and Lagoon

Betty Friess Baumer chart - Williamsburg Garden Dance

Cute holiday card, in time for the holiday!

3 skeins DMC cotton floss- winners choice of colors!

Lovely Santa chart from Stoney Creek

And the new item is:

Package of Mill Hill assorted glass seed beads

Drawing #2:

Lavender & Lace, Fairy Dreams

22 count fabric in rust - 12"x12"

Celestial Chart by Janlynn

DMC Cotton Perle floss - colors 3041 and 762 (a med purple and a silvery color)

And the new item is:

Package of Mill Hill assorted glass seed beads

Now for the winners!!

I had a total of 93 entries.....and I used Mr. Random Number Generator........

Winner for Drawing #1

24 Lesleyanne at http://lesleyanneslifeinstitches.blogspot.com/


And the Winner for Drawing #2 is:

86 Mel at http://epicstitching.blogspot.com/



I'm SO excited for all the new friends I've made through this giveaway!   I'm looking forward to putting another one together soon!.  But for now.....my time is going to some stitching!!


THANK YOU to everyone that participated!!


-lesli