Hi guys! Yes, here I am with another giveaway! This time it's courtesy of Rebecca Ringquist who was kind enough to ask if our readers might enjoy a 3 month subscription to her new Sampler series. Um, yeah!
Stuck in a rut with the same old stitches? Can't seem to figure out which one to use next?
Each month, I'll mail you a brand new sampler, available only to subscribers, highlighting a family of embroidery stitches. Each five inch sampler fits perfectly into a five inch hoop, and can easily be completed in a month's time- just in time for the next one to arrive! These small samplers are a perfect on the go project, and if you complete the whole year, you'll have an excellent guide to most of the embroidery stitch lexicon!
An initial card will be sent immediately following your order *, and samplers will ship on the 15th of each month (Starting Janurary 2013). The designs are available only to subscribers (they cannot be purchased individually)
The design size is 5" round, and the fabric they are printed on is 7" square. 100% Cotton.
I recommend using six strand embroidery floss or size 8 perle cotton with a size 5 embroidery needle to complete these samplers. Read more on Rebecca's blog
These look like a wonderful way to practice your stitches and break out of a stitching rut!
Now, I usually choose random comments, as you know, but this time I thought I'd try something different, in time for the holidays because I'm feeling the stress a bit more than the warm fuzzies this year...
To win, share with us your favorite Holiday memory, ever. Leave a comment here by Dec. 10, 9 PM, US CST. I'll go through the comments and select the one that makes me feel the fuzziest. :) This contest is open to everyone, including our international readers.
How utterly beautiful!
ReplyDeleteWell I guess my cherished holiday memory is from 2008. I had been with my partner for 3 years and money was very very tight. We were both so worried and Christmas was a really stressful time what with presents. To make matters worse, I had been very unwell (the start of a 6 year illness so far) and emotions were close to the surface.
When it came time to open my present, I admit I was very hesitant - what if he had gone and bought me something we really couldn't afford?! What if he hadn't and my present was quite awful and I'd have to spend the day smiling and pretending I liked it? I was soo worried! I see it's silly now, in retrospect - as if it REALLY mattered, but we'd had such a hard year and I wasn't really thinking straight.
It turned out that he had hand-made me a huge photoalbum, compiling all of the photos of our time together, with written memories. The beautiful, handwritten "Merry Christmas Zara, 2008" cover was just so beautiful and encapsulated all the effort he had gone to for this beautiful gift. I cried and cried, it was the most thoughtful, beautiful present I could have received.
I learnt that money really ISN'T everything; the meaning of Christmas is really and simply just one thing - Love.
I'm sorry to be mushy! But anyway, we've now been together almost 7 years and every year we have our special Christmas traditions. Christmas is a time we both take the time to remember our shared past and our deep love for each other, and forget our troubles.
Two popped into my mind- one from childhood when our huge Labrador (Dotty) would run circles around the house through the mountains of wrapping paper and the paper would fly into the air, and the second one from last Christmas, when we all read How Kenny Loggins Ruined Christmas (from the blog Hyperbole and a Half) while drunkenly attempting to play Monopoly. Good times!
ReplyDeletemy dad is the best santa ever. so I don't have 1 best holiday memory, I have lots. not expensive, but well thought out... The best part of xmas has always been the stocking, which comes loaded with activities and candy and Klutz books. It's something I'm trying to keep going with my own 3 kiddos, but I'm not as good at planning it all out as my dad....
ReplyDeleteThose are lovely samplers. It would be fun to turn all of them into a quilt after you finished each one. My favorite Christmas memory is when I got my first 10-speed bicycle. I think I was maybe 9 or 10 years old. I came downstairs and there is was - all sparkly and new sitting in front of the tree. I was so excited!! But being Indiana in December, I had to wait to ride it until Spring.
ReplyDeleteSanta always brought me everything "Barbie" and to this day, I buy myself a "Barbie" item for my collection. I rescued these 2 dolls this year from an antique store and will be stitching holiday outfits.
ReplyDeleteLots of great holiday memories but my most memorable is when my husband asked me to marry him at 3am, Boxing Day morning after me and his mum had been having a drunken conversation that it would never happen. I think his exact words were, ok lets do it this year! (who said romance was dead lol)
ReplyDeleteMy favorite memory is actually completely the opposite of fuzzy. It's funny. My grandma, who passed this year, used to host a Christmas eve dinner that consisted of chili and oyster stew. Well, one year the sewer started backing up during our dinner, and we didn't know that was happening. My uncle ate a lot of chili, and claimed the mysterious smell as his own. He was pretty deflated later when we found out that it was the sewer backing up.
ReplyDeleteMine is hearing the sleigh bells outside my window one night as I lay in bed. Seriously.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite holiday memory is the first year my husband and I made a gingerbread house with my brother, niece, and nephew. We had so much fun! They enjoyed every moment of it and still talked about it.
ReplyDeleteMy best ever Christmas memory was the year my grandmother gave me and my two brothers a bike. Mine was blue and they each got a red one. Our independence was born that Christmas.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite holiday memory took place on Christmas Day 1993 when I finally got to hold our first child, a daughter, who had been delivered by emergency C-section just 2 days earlier. Something had MAJORLY gone wrong 5 weeks before delivery, but the doctors didn't know what the problem was so they had to deliver her immediately right after midnite on 12/23. She actually died a couple of times once delivered, but was revived both times. I got to see her briefly at 6am that day before they had to transfer her to a NICU in a nearby hospital and I didn't get to hold her until around 7pm on Christmas Day, all 5 lbs of her tiny little self. I can't believe she will be turning 19 in two weeks! She is my miracle and has decided to become a doctor so that she, too, can save lives. Every Christmas with her is a special celebration and I will never forget the first time I got to hold her!
ReplyDeleteI am a beginner is the embroidery world, I have been looking for good samplers...this is awesome times ten!
ReplyDeleteMy fave......when we didn't have any stockings to fill and the woke up the next morning with red/white stripe socks all filled up! Mom told us Santa took off his own socks just for us! Didn't even dawn on us that Santa did not have three feet. LOL
what a wonderful giveaway! When I was a little girl I bought my mom a gaudy/glitzy Christmas tree pin. I remember her pinning it to her Christmas nighty. She still wears that pin today (40 some years later). When my son was about 5 I told him that story. That Christmas I received from him not one, but TWO Christmas tree pins, a gold one and a silver one. He said he just couldn't choose! Every Christmas since I have received a Christmas tree pin from him. I now have a collection of nearly 20 pins and I wear one every day during the holiday season.
ReplyDeleteHi, I`m a reader from Sweden and I really liked those samples.
ReplyDeleteMy memory is from when I was about seven or eight and the year before I had seen my mum beeing the santa, so I didn´t belive in santa any more, but!
This year santa came climbing through our balkony and I couldn´t figure it out, who was it?? It was amazing and made me confused for several years until I finally figured it out. It was my unkle that had climbed through a window and on to the balkony.
I can still feel amazed over it and I know it made me wonder about santa again, was he for real??
I hope I got the spelling right...
CeciliaB
I remember when I was about 3 or 4 on Christmas Eve leaving for Grandma's house asking what if Santa comes and I'm not home. He did come and as soon as I walked in the door when we got home very late that night there was a stuffed squirrel in my stocking. My other was 10 years ago and 7 years ago when my boys got to experience this except when the got home very late from Gmas on Christmas Eve they each had a puppy waiting for them each of them when they were in 1st grade.
ReplyDeleteMy best holiday ever happened when I was 7 years old. My dad had to work Christmas Day and I was not looking forward to him not being there Christmas morning. On Christmas Eve night my mom, my dad and I got into the car to drive around the neighborhood to look at the Christmas lights and see if we could see Rudolph's nose in the sky. We had just piled in the car when my dad had to go inside to use the bathroom. He came back out, we drove around and my mom pointed out Rudolph's nose and mentioned how close it was to the house. She told me we had to hurry back so I could go to sleep because Santa was coming soon. When I walked through the front door I was so happy because Santa had come when we were away. My favorite gift that year was a pink bunny pufflelump, named fluffy, that I still have. Every time I look at her I think about how magical that night seemed and how much my parents love me. Thanks for the chance to win and the opportunity to share one of my favorite stories.
ReplyDeleteMy best holiday memory is the Christmas that I met the family (6 kids and 5 grandkids) of the man who was to become my husband within that year. They were all so welcoming to me, and that clinched the deal for my saying 'Yes.' Now I can look back on 20 Christmases and count my lucky stars for becoming part of that family.
ReplyDeleteMy best holiday memory is the year my grown daughter an I bought each other American Girl Bitty babies and had them sent to the same neighbor who was sure she was going to mix them up or give the surprise away. My daughter and I both love dolls and still play with them from time to time.
ReplyDeleteAs a little girl, I worried about Santa Claus. First I didn't understand how I could get presents if our house had no fireplace; some dude was just going to come in through the door? But the door was locked at night--you're supposed to leave the door unlocked? Who knows who else could come wandering in. Besides, we had a Doberman. How was I going to persuade our dog (who on his best days menaced everything from firetrucks passing, to the refrigerator clicking on or off, to my mom looking at him the wrong way) to give Santa a pass? I put a lot of time in being practically perfect in every way and I wasn't going to lose out for the sake of someone or something else's problems.
ReplyDeleteThen Christmas morning came and Santa really did come to the back door and my dad let him in. Red suit, red hat, a beard, black boots, all of that. Zorro didn't make any attempt to eviscerate the intruder. Santa put his bag down and asked me if I would sit on his knee. He told me how he'd heard what a good girl I'd been and so I had a bunch of really nice presents coming my way, and as he reached down to take one out of the bag, I saw on his wrist an outlaw biker tattoo identical to the one my dad's best friend carries. So that explains it. Larry is Santa Claus.
I grew up on a very picturesque tree-lined street Everyone on the street would save their gallon milk jugs all year long to make luminaries. On Christmas Eve the entire street would be lined with them. It was incredibly magical.
ReplyDeleteI think my favorite would be the first Christmas Eve I ever spent with my partner. I'd been single most of the time throughout my life, and I didn't meet him until I was 38. That Christmas Eve, we got all dressed up, just for the two of us, made a nice dinner and drank some wine. It was such fun giving each other our gifts. They were so thoughtful and sweet. It was all so magical ... to be so happy and so sure. 14 years later I still feel so happy and fortunate to be with this good man. We keep to a low budget for gift giving, so Christmas has remained thoughtful and romantic. I love it.
ReplyDeleteMy favourite Christmas memory is actual when I was an adult. My mum, sister and myself had the day together, just us. We sat around the Christmas tree with Mum's favourite Chrissy CD in the background, with fresh coffee and the cat playing with the growing pile of wrapping paper. After all that excitement (and a nap) we had lunch, Mum and sis had a whole crab to themselves and I had some really yummy ham and we drank heartily of the sparkling wine and chocolate. A few hours of just laughing and talking and laughing some more. There was very likely another nap followed by dinner of chocolate and good company.
ReplyDeleteThough I have had some really lovely family Christmases, this is my favourite memory.
My favorite Christmas memory is from '99, when my husband proposed to me - there hadn't been a better one until we had kids, I love seeing how excited they get each Christmas morning.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was 14 we moved to a completely new area in England, a time when I missed friends and felt rather lonely. All my life I had loved horses and since I was 3 years old I had saved all my money into a savings account so that one day I could buy my own pony! When we moved we lived in the countryside and started to look for a pony! I had almost enough to buy this beautiful dappled grey pony, my parents helped me with the little extra. Christmas day came and there Bonny was cosy in her stable with a ribbon around her neck and a card, all our love, Mum & Dad! Now that my Mum has sadly passed away it is moments like these I treasure every christmas. Catherine (www.bumpkinbears.blogspot.com)
ReplyDeleteOne thing that I have always done since I was little, was to sit in a dark room watching the Christmas tree lites twinkle. Something so peaceful about it, even to this day its one of my favorite things to do daily. My best friend also loved the lights, but she was crazy about driving around to see all the houses decorated. We would drive thru different subdivions weekly picking out our favorite houses. Unfortunately she is no longer with us, but I still drive around with my son enjoying the houses all lite up, in memory of my dearest friend. Thanks for making me smile.
ReplyDeleteSuch a lovely giveaway! One of my favourite Christmas's was at the end of 2007. My partner & had planned a holiday staying at my Grandmother's house (she had been moved to a nursing home) with our then two kids which involved an eight hour drive. I packed our car up whilst he was at work and then we took off later that afternoon. We arrived at out destination at midnight with a very excited 4 year old and 11 month old. My mother and Auntie had set up the Christmas tree and decorated it beautifully. We then stayed up until 2am wrapping gifts and were woken at 5:30am by the children. So with 3 and half hours sleep we still managed to have the most beautiful day celebrating with my cousins and Grandmother who at 97 loved being with 3 generations of family. She died 18 months later and I was so grateful for having that Christmas memory with her.
ReplyDeleteReally lovely samplers!
ReplyDeleteOne holiday after dinner and everyone
was feeling tired my boyfriend asked me to go for a walk with him ~ I
said 'but it's snowing' ~ he said 'it'll be fun!'. About half way
through the walk he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him!
Everyone back at the house knew about it (how they kept it a secret, I
don't know) and when we got back there was champagne and chocolate cake
(my favorite). It was a really magical day.
Oh ~ I said 'yes' ~ of course!
Thanks for the giveaway ~ really very generous!
My favorite holiday memory was my son's first visit home at Christmas after being in Iraq. It's cliche, I know, but it was so great having him sleeping under the same roof for the first time in three years.
ReplyDeleteMy cousins brought their dog to Christmas one year. When dinner was half over, we hear a crash in the kitchen. When we ran in to see what happened, the dog was standing on the kitchen table with a half of a pot roast in his mouth. My grandma chased the dog around the house trying to get him to let go of the pot roast. It was an uproar.
ReplyDeleteThere's a lot to choose from, but I'd say the year my sisters got dollhouses for Christmas, which my dad had spent months building in our basement. Just the look of surprise on their faces, that's one of my favorite Christmas moments, ever. Thanks for the opportunity - those samplers are awesome.
ReplyDeleteWhen my daughter was 6 or 7 She really put her heart and soul into baking and decorating Christmas cookies. Flour and sprinkles Every where. That still makes me smile.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was a junior in college my parents decided to sell the house I grew up in. A little sad, but they needed a change and as an adult, I can understand that. The kicker was that they had to be out by the first of Dec, but they couldn't move into the new house until after the first of the year. So they put most of the stuff (including most of the Christmas decor) into storage and moved into my grandparents basement for a month. That's right, at 50 some years old, my parents were moving in with their parents. It was really weird coming home from college and there being no tree or cookies or any of our usual traditions. Granted, my grandparents had all their stuff upstairs, but it isn't quite the same. However, has my brother, my parents, and grandparents and I all celebrated and shared the time together it really hit me that we didn't need all that stuff. We had a wonderful holiday just being together. It really put things in perspective.
ReplyDeleteI had to recall that Christmas several years down the road when I spent my first Christmas with my in-laws. I was missing my own family and feeling sorry for myself, when I realized, that my in-laws are my family too. & Christmas is Christmas as long as you spend it those you love :)
When I was little, Atari was the hottest thing out there! My sister and I wanted a game set so bad! Dad packed us all into the station wagon for the first part of our Christmas gift-- Disney World!! In the back of the car, was a big wrapped box, just the right size for an atari game set!! The whole trip, from Louisiana to Florida, my sister and I stared at that box, imagining the fun we'd have with it!! Well, after a day of fun at Disney on Christmas day, Mom and Dad let us finally open the box in the hotel room. We tore into the paper to discover... a typewriter. Total letdown! But you know, of all the Christmases, that's the one I remember the most! And I still have the typewriter!!
ReplyDeleteI grew up on a farm in Norway. Our equivalent to Santa Claus was "fjøsnissen". He lived in our barn, and to keep him from doing mischief we had to give him food every Christmas Eve. We made traditional rice porridge for lunch, and always made a large bowl for fjøsnissen too. Then we went to the barn, and left it there for him to eat. It was always very exciting to go to the barn the next morning and see that he had been very hungry and had eaten all the porridge we had given him!
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately I do not live on the farm I grew up any longer, but the years I celebrate Christmas there I always make porridge that my kids bring out to fjøsnissen. It is such a fond memory for me. :)
You can read more about our nisse folklore here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomte
When I was 10, I got up Christmas morning at about 4 and opened up all my presents. Of course I had only the light of the Christmas tree to go by as I didn't want to turn on any lights and wake my mother. I unwrapped and very carefully rewrapped every single gift with my name on it. When my mother got up and we started opening, I had to pretend to be surprised by everything. I'm probably not the greatest actor, she likely knew just what I'd done, but never let on. Even now, many years later, I'm afraid to tell her!
ReplyDeleteMy brother was born five days before Christmas, 22 years ago. I'll not soon forget that.
ReplyDeleteI think my favorite memory of Christmas is to see it through the eyes of a child. Linda Gerig
ReplyDelete