Blogtober 26 - The Homestretch & Giveaway!

One week from today, marks the beginning of the "Christmas Season", after which, all planning, shopping, baking, crafting and creating focuses on the end of the year holiday.

This week, though, we come down the homestretch of Halloween! And Blogtoberfest! And I have a banner photo!

This house was a few blocks away from us when we lived in Kansas. Every year the artists that lived there created dozens of carved pumpkins. Giant pumpkins! They began working on them in the week before Halloween and if the weather was cooperative, they would last part of a week beyond Halloween. A lot of work for such a short-lived (and ultimately messy), result!

The pumpkins lined the driveway, the front of the house and were strategically placed around the large corner yard. One year, there was an article in the paper that told the story of how they started with just a few from a friend's pumpkin patch, and it grew each year.

Elaborate Christmas displays are not uncommon, of course, but this is the only Halloween display that I have seen that so many people enjoyed. I don't know if they have kept it up since we have moved, but it will always be one of my best Halloween memories! (the banner photo is more pumpkins from the same yard, as I am sure you guessed...)

This week, Dearest Sister shared some of her historical costume history, as well as our practice of making sure we 'get our money's worth' from specialty garments.


Here is Ms. A (in the reenactor costume), as Jessie Benton Fremont, in a fifth or sixth grade 'Heroes' program. Ms Fremont was the daughter of Thomas Hart Benton and wife of John C. Fremont the explorer. Along with her husband she had many adventures in The West.

Luckily, Jessie lived in the 'Civil War Era' and DS lived in the 'Civil War Area', so the costume was perfect! Ms. A had to practice sitting, though, so as not to be embarrassed by the hoop popping up!

And the hoop was not just an undergarment ...
..it also serves nicely as a hiding place for small girls!

__________________________

By now, and especially after DS's buildup (did she say glory?), you are expecting a reveal of great importance and excitement, I am sure.

Well, I cannot lift the veil completely - but, as promised, DS and I have put together a little End of Blogtober Giveaway! (And more buildup and hinting at something more to come...)

Okay, here is the deal, or my part of the deal, anyway. To commemorate this co-blogging adventure, we are having a giveaway. I am giving away this little bundle of feedsack fabric. It is four 'fat eighths' (9"x18" pieces), one each of the four prints in the photo. She is giving away...something fabulous! Just leave a comment on this post to be entered in the drawing for the fabric. Leave a comment on her post, tomorrow, to be entered to win...something.

Comments close at midnight (cue eerie music) on Halloween! Winners 'and more' will be announced on November 1st.

Check in with DS tomorrow for more information! And Glory!

Winners! We have winners!

Selected impartially by my dear friend, the Random Integer Generator, the winners of the Blogaversary Giveaway are as follows:

Kate, you win the Stitch-it Kit. There are some great designs to get you started!

Allie, you win the stamped towel cross stitch kit, and Lynne, the Sesame Street kit is yours!

Thanks again to everyone for reading, commenting, and encouraging over the past 12 months and 140 posts!

And, don’t forget the fabulous, as yet undisclosed, giveaway at the end of Blogtober!

Blogtober 10 - Fabulous Blogtober-versary Giveaway!

(Not to be confused with the Super Special Tag-Team Marathon Blogtober Give-away at the end of the month! This is just a warm-up!)

I can't believe that it has been almost one year since I started this blog! (And day 10 of Blogtober!) I think my first motivation to blog was just to participate. I felt like I was looking in the window at a great party and I wanted to join the fun and the conversations. I have really enjoyed becoming a part of the community!

Over the months, I have met some wonderful people who have been very generous with their knowledge and encouragement, and I hope that I have been able to help someone along the way, as well.

I have learned so much and gotten so many ideas from other blogs. I have also sharpened skills that I already had by working on projects that have been inspired by what I have seen.

I wanted to commemorate the milestone appropriately and have given it much thought over the past weeks - (especially since I intended to mark my 100th post and didn't get it done!)
I think that I have come up with some things that you will enjoy!

To be entered in the 'drawing' just leave a comment on this post between now and October 15th (the one year mark!) I love discovering new blogs that inspire me, so in your comment, tell me one or two blogs that inspire you.

If you want to.

If you don't want to, you don't have to. You can still be entered to win!

I will draw names to select three winners.

The first winner will receive a fabulous Stitch-it Kit by Jenny Hart of Sublime Stitching. I discovered Jenny's designs while shopping with Ms A at a tiny shop in Kansas City called "Spool" many years ago. Those designs were the impetus for me to pick up a needle and hoop after a break of about 20 years!


This kit has everything you need to get started doing embroidery. If you are an experienced stitcher, you will enjoy the 35 original Jenny Hart design transfers that are included, along with 7 skeins of floss and two tea towels to embroider. The tea towels are a smooth weave, sort of like percale, so they would also be great as a dresser scarf or small table topper.

There is also an adjustable hoop and a book of instructions. There is even a needle included in the kit! If you already have all these things you can re-gift it to someone else!

The second winner will receive a pair of stamped tea towels with green border stripes with floss to embroider cookies and milk for Santa. If you don't have little ones, or don't celebrate Christmas, you can wash out the stamping and use the towels for any design.

Or none - just use them as towels or wash the car with them!

The third winner will receive a vintage Vogart Sesame Street sampler kit from 1980. Featuring the Muppets in costumes from the Renaissance!

The design suggests birth announcement statistics, but the banner is blank, so any occasion could be recognized, or just add a name! I will include 12 skeins of floss from my stash in the colors listed on the package, as well.

So, again, you can stitch the sampler, or use the floss for whatever you want!

Leave a comment on this post to be a contenda'. (I challenge you to de-lurk, if you have never commented - you have a pretty good chance at winning, you know!) I will announce the winners on Friday, the 16th! - Because the 16th is an even number Blogtober day!

I really appreciate your comments and encouragement and I thank you for your love and friendship!

And thank you, Dearest Sister, for mentoring me in this adventure! (And for sharing all your mad skilz with me!)

Everybody wins! Yeah!

Do you remember going to the carnival and the barkers at the games promising "everybody wins"? Well in this case, it is true!

The winners are:

Lynne gets the gray apron with the Mexican couple.

Allie is the winner of the mustard and grey print.

Iron Needles will receive the atomic print.

Martha gets the brown gingham.

V wins the red print with the center point.

Thanks everyone for playing along with me! I can't wait to send these aprons off to their new homes!

(Please send me your address at: jan (dot) durham (at) gmail(dot) com)

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Helping Me Help Myself!

Thanks to everyone who has left a comment about the aprons! It is not too late to get in on the giveaway, so if you haven't already, de-lurk and tell me which one you would like. I will post the winners tomorrow evening. My enthusiasm for passing things along is building, so who knows? Maybe everyone will be a winner!!

Here is another one up for grabs if you are interested!

Hearts and Flowers

I am not sure if this one is a child's apron, or a 60's apron to cover a mini-skirt! It is small-ish, but the ties are long, so maybe it was for someone like Twiggy!

“Free to good home” Apron Giveaway!

Well, now that I have ‘outed’ myself as a hoarder (not in the worst possible way, but still...) I really must begin the process of shedding some ‘stuff’!

Mustard yellow with grey flowers.

So, I am having a giveaway!

Yellow and red bias cut with black detail on pocket and waistband.

Go here to see more aprons, freshly ironed (but not necessarily impeccably ironed…I am kind of a slap-dash iron-er).

Pick an apron from this post (or the Flickr set ) that you would like to have. Leave a comment before Friday (5pm Pacific) and tell me which one you would enjoy winning.

I will draw a name Friday evening and send the winner their choice.

Hostess apron - sheer black with purple and white print fabric and silver rick rack. It has some breaks in the black fabric, but the purple is good.

Go ahead and list first and second choices and I will pick two winners. Who knows, if you list three, I might give three away - that should start me down the road of de-cluttering!

White with evergreen and berries.

This apron is very soft and drapes really nicely. The design is painted faux embroidery, but nicely done!

One thing I have learned about myself in this process is that the thing that appeals to me about aprons is the fabric. I don’t think I could cut one up, though. I have a hard enough time cutting into new fabric, purchased for a project! (If you want to cut it up and make it into something else, I have no problem with that - it's a personal issue with me, not a moral position!)

Red with center point layers.

Very vintage-y!

Bright circles with bound hem and waist - '60's apron. Very bright and the fabric is like new!

And, I learned that all my aprons look good with a yellow dress!