January Giveaway! And a YIPPEE at the end!

I know it's late in the month, but I waited on purpose, because it's Bloggy Carnival time again! I LOVE these carnivals!

Here is what you can win!

Three "quilted" Valentine cards, complete with envelopes, and 6 matching lavender sachets! Keep the sachets for yourself, and send the cards to your Valentines...or give as matched sets!

To enter, just comment on this post! Be sure to leave a way to contact you if your information isn't available through your Blogger account. YES, I will happily ship internationally!

This giveaway is open until midnight (GMT) Sunday, February 1, 2009. I'll use the random-number-picker-thing to determine the winner on Monday, February 2.

Good luck!

And now to the YIPPEE part!

Regular readers know that Jeff and I have 3 grown boys, ages 26, 24 and 22. Regular readers also know that every now and then I comment how I am patiently waiting for grandbabies.

Well, we found out last night that we are going to be grandparents!!! Once the initial shock wore off (I was TOTALLY NOT expecting James to tell me that Jackelyn was expecting!!!), I couldn't wipe the smile off of my face!

A new chapter in my life is beginning, and I couldn't be happier!

Pre-Occupied...

...just a little. Well, no...A LOT!

I've been trying to learn my digitizing software. It was now or never, and I have really committed myself to it! Last summer, I digitized logos for Jeff and Brent, but haven't done much else with it until now. Now, I am SERIOUS! :-)

I have a long way to go - digitizing is not an easy task! But I am learning a little something every day, with the hopes that I may actually get really good at it!

You all know I love "cute". So, you can expect most of my designs to be along the "cute and adorable" lines. Here are screenshots of my first two cuties! I still have some perfecting to do before they are completely finished, but when they are, I'll show you the actual stitch-outs.

I hope to have them ready for another test stitching later today.

This is so fun...and addicting!

What's In Store For 2009?

I'm a bit late, but Happy New Year! Hope it's going well, so far!

The day after Christmas, we went to Albuquerque to shoot a friend's son's wedding. It was FREEZING! I was so glad to come back home to a little warmer weather!

The following week, while Jeff was busy editing photos, I cleaned my sewing room, which was trashed from all the sewing I did before Christmas. That took me 2 days! I also cleaned the extra closet in our bedroom that we use for storage. It was overflowing! A trip to Costco for bins, and a couple hours of re-organizing the closet did wonders. I can close the doors now!

I've also been doing a lot of thinking - so much that I've given myself a headache a few times. Many of you probably have heard of the new CSPIA laws, concerning products for children ages 12 and under. If you haven't heard about it, here are some results from a Google search.

In short, starting February 10, all items intended for children will need to be tested for lead if this law remains as it is currently written. This includes anything you can think of, from clothing and toys, to books, furniture and decor. NOTHING is exempt, including second-hand items! This also includes anything handmade! It could be devastating to many work-at-home parents.

So, my plan at this point is to set the children's items aside on February 9, and wait it out. In the meantime, I'll work on things meant for adults. I'll probably get all my notebooks out, and write up more of my crochet patterns. I'll get busy learning my digitizing software.

And, I'll make things for myself! I never do that - I always end up giving things away, or selling them.

This is a little embroidered insert (bought the file at SWAK), that I am going to turn into a quilted wall-hanging. I haven't quite decided how I want to quilt it though. I'll sew the buttons on after it is quilted, and add tabs to hang on a dowel.

I've also started a queen sized afghan with a bunch of my yarn scraps. I've been working on it each evening, and I'll get a picture of what I've done so far for my next post!

Have a GREAT day! Now, I need to go finish putting all my Christmas stuff away!