One more visit with Brown Bear!!

Brown Bear and I had a great time offering up gifties for my One Year Blog Anniversary. This guy has been around almost as long as my husband!! My folks got Brown Bear for Collette (our daughter) when she was little and he resides with me now because he reminds me of when my kids were young. Brown Bear always seemed like a boy bear and so I dressed him in one of the sunsuits I made for our son Devlin. Brown Bear is also featured in a children's story that I wrote and if I am lucky, one day I'll get it published. Anyway, he borrowed my birthday tiara because there are still birthdays to celebrate in our house. They all come packed into about two months out of the year and the bulk of them come in June! Today, Flag day was my dad's birthday. I'll be posting a bit about him later on today. Tomorrow is my son-in-law's birthday, then right after that is my husband's birthday, then my son's girlfriend's birthday and then the first part of July is Devlin's (our son) birthday!! Wow! That's a lot of birthday cakes and celebrating! Unfortunately, we don't all manage to get together on all of our birthdays but the one time of the year we do get together is Christmas!!! That was my dad's favorite holiday and he could hardly keep a secret so on more than one occasion, we knew what Santa was bringing. :-) I am planning to get a head start on some Christmas projects in July and you know the stores will be having Christmas in July sales, too!! So, here's what Brown Bear and I have cooked up for you.............

See that pile of fabrics? Well, there are about a hundred different Christmas prints there (from my personal stash) and I am going to be cutting them into piles of 5-inch charm squares. I'll make one pile for me and one pile for you! All you have to do is leave a comment on this post. There is only one rule...........to enter this drawing you must have left a comment at least once during my Eight Days of Prizes for my Blog Anniversary. So, if you left a comment during that time, add your name now to this post and here's a bonus................the drawing will be on Independence Day, July 4th and if you are so inclined, you may leave your name once every day between now and that day (and only at this post) for lots of extra chances to have your name drawn. My husband likes his duty as the number drawing man, so go ahead and give him lots of names to dig into and maybe you can be the lucky name he draws. Any questions, just pop me an e-mail and I'll answer promptly.

Time for lunch......

Sandi

Announcing the lucky winners for my Blog Anniversary Giveaways!!

And they are........drum roll..........strike up the band.......

Winner of Day 1 prize - Redwork*Delight - is Winona
Winner of Day 2 prize - Flannel*Fun - Ida
Winner of Day 3 prize - Katmandu*Fabrics - Janice
Winner of Day 4 prize - Crazy*Quilting*Bag - Janelle
Winner of Day 5 prize - Friends*OldAndNew! - Dayna
Winner of Day 6 prize - Vintage*Fabric*Basket - Annalein
Winner of Day 7 prize - Heart-Felt*Gifts - Happy Cottage Quilter
Winner of Day 8 prize - Tea*And*Cake - Denny

I will be sending off e-mails to you all in just a few minutes. To claim your prize, you must post a response at this post and then e-mail me your snail mail address. You have until Monday, June 15 at Midnight CST to claim your prize! My husband drew 2nd and 3rd numbers for all prizes in the event that any prizes are not claimed.
And just as soon as I send off those e-mails, I will post a new photo of Brown Bear with one last great gift!!
Back soon.
Sandi

Tea and Cake and Birthday Fun!!

Here it is, the final prize in my One Year Blog Anniversary Celebration. And the time has come to party because today is also my birthday! I've named this prize "Tea and Cake". Actually, there is no tea in it and also no cake. I didn’t include any tea for we all have our favorite cup of tea or coffee, but I did include a little book “Tea and Friendship” that you can read while relaxing with that favorite cup of tea or coffee. Instead of cake, I bought this little cookbook at Michael’s and there are some yummy treats to make or bake in that little book. Speaking of books, of course, there’s a notebook for keeping track of your favorite recipes and friends, plus some cupcake notecards so that you can keep in touch with those friends. Oh, and Mary E post-it notes to remind you to buy more fabric. Speaking of fabric.........I found the two fabric panels at our nearby Deuber’s Variety Store but the strip of tea cups is from a Dutch line of fabric that I bought several years ago. That's it for the final prize!

Before I give you the comment question, I'll share the story of the conversation that occurred at my daughter's daycare facility last Friday. It gave us all quite a chuckle!............. It went like this……….
My daughter, Collette, was giving me a tour of newly painted and rearranged classrooms and then introduced me to the 3 and 4 year olds. She tells them “this is MY mommy”. To which one cute little guy quickly pops up and says to me “you're old, how old are you?” I reply “How old do you think I am?” and he promptly answers “45!” And I start laughing to me!! So I tell him, “well, that’s close but I am going to be 60” to which he replies “no, you’re 49!” And we all laughed and I am thinking........I really like this little guy!! So, you heard it here, he said it’s so…….I am 49. That’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it!”
Now it's time for you to comment and all you have to do is tell me what was your favorite birthday gift. I'm going to tell you what mine is later tonight. :-)
Have a good day!
Sandi

Sending "Heart-felt" thanks for all your support!!

Gee, can you guess what this giveaway might involve? That's right - a little woolfelt and some patterns and threads and, of course, a notebook for keeping track of projects and friends!!

And THANK GOODNESS for FRIENDS!! And I mean, those I see regularly, some I see only occasionally, and some I have never met but feel like I have because we chat on-line! Only today, Kathy, who is in my Wooly Buddies group, sent me an e-mail that she had received the Sock Swap that I sent her. She apologized for being late in acknowledging that she had received it and said "Life just got in the way". I agreed wholeheartedly with her. Although, it's not really that life "gets in the way" so much as that "life just happens". And family and home are the things that take precedence and the blogging and quilting have to follow along. So it was for me today. Not this morning, nor this afternoon, nor this evening, did this day go as I thought it would. There were little glitches here and there but I'm finally here and so, get ready to start commenting..........only one more prize after this one!! And the question for this one is...... What is the type of stitching that relaxes you the most? For me, it's working with wool and/or woolfelt. There's something about it that makes me just want to keep stitching and I lose all my troubles in no time if I get really involved in stitching. I already noted that I love handquilting and embroidery but they require a little more careful concentration and woolwork just seems to come easy for me.
See you soon with the last prize of this anniversary celebration!!

Sandi

My One Year Blog Anniversary - Day 6

Had a busy day today. I actually got up early and went to church because choir was singing one last time before summer break. Services have moved to 8:30 a.m. for summer and I really like the 10:00 time that goes from Sept. to May a lot better. Sorry, but I am just not a morning person. I even find it hard to sing in the morning but boy! am I warmed up by 9:00 at night. :-)
So, what else happened today. Well, I cut all the strips for that Old Red Barn Quilt-Along project and then was at the computer when the doorbell rang. It was a surprise as it was my friend, Barb. Actually, I knew the doorbell was going to ring as I heard a motorcycle in the driveway and knew someone was here but it was still a surprise to see her. And then she handed me this...........

for my birthday!! It's a book about tea and I'll tell you more about it when it's time for tea on Wednesday. I've peeked at it and then put the bow back on as it looks so pretty with the tulle and that flower tucked in the bow. Thanks, Barb!!
Barb is not a quilting friend. No, Barb, and I are just long-time friends. I guess that makes her an antique friend!! We met when we were both working at an elementary school as Title I Aides (helping kids with reading and math skills). Plus her girls and my son were all in school together and involved in band so we had the "kids in common" and "work in common" friendship but we have stuck together for the "we enjoy each other's company a lot" friendship. I told you I have really great friends. :-)

With the skies darkening with a threat of rain, Barb and husband, Tom, decided they better get on the road. Nobody wants to make a good motorcycle ride in the rain!! Interestingly they left at about 4:00 p.m. and it took til almost 9:00 tonight before we ever got the rain that we need so much.

But alas, you don't care if we got rain but I'll bet you want to know what's in store for today's giveaway. And it's not these vintage feedsacks, although they were in the drawer with the fabrics I pulled for the giveaway so thought I would take a photo.

These are the only two vintage feedsacks that I own. I bought them in a gift basket of vintage sewing items at the Chaska Quilter's Penny Auction. There were three bags in the basket but one was unstitched and these two are still sewn together as bags. I was so surprised at the Hawaiin print. I love the white bows on the turgoise and one day, I may cut that one apart and use it in a project. The Hawaiin print one will stay "as is".

I chose to do a "vintage theme" today as here in the states this day is when Memorial Day began although it was originally called Decoration Day (for decorating the headstones at the cemetary). This day made me think of my Grandma as I remember going along with her to place flowers on her parents graves and then there would be the wreath ceremony at the river bridge. Thoughts of Grandma and the church ladies and my parents in the 1950's put me in a vintage mood. And so, here is what I gathered together for one lucky winner.............

Brown Bear is ably assisting and even has buttons in his pockets in order to keep all these things together for you to see. First, there is the tiny little "laundry-type" basket (it would make a great little pincushion!) that is filled with vintage fabrics. There are nine fabric pieces of varying sizes and then at each basket handle there are two 1-1/2 yard pieces of red and blue cotton rick rack. I added three spools of thread, five cards of vintage buttons, and then draped over Brown Bear's knee is a one yard piece of a favorite red and white cotton fabric that isn't vintage but it makes me think it's vintage. :-) And just like in all the other anniversary giveaways, there is a Mary E notebook where you can tally your quilts and projects and keep track of your friends. I like the saying on the front of this notebook....."A Friend is someone who knows all about you but loves you anyway." And that would be Barb. I have been friends with Barb longer than any of my quilty, crafty friends so I think we are stuck together as friends for life. :-)

Time for you to add a comment if you'd like to win this prize. I'm going to give you a choice on this one..........You can leave a comment and tell me about a good friend .....or.......tell me what type of fabrics you like (vintage, Civil War prints, 30's prints, Amy Butler, etc. etc. etc. ). And remember to be sure to leave your e-mail address if there is no link back to your blog.

Have a good night!!

Sandi

P.S. Next on the agenda is posting of the Seasons blocks and the Snowman blocks for June. They will both be posted by tomorrow morning.

My One Year Blog Anniversary - Day 5

Here I am right on time!! It's summer and it's Saturday so I hope you are all out enjoying the day with some fun activity. Maybe you are gardening or perhaps working on a quilt. Whatever it is, enjoy!!
One of my favorite words is JOY. It's a small word but it packs a lot of punch!! JOY comes in all shapes and sizes from new babies to kids graduating from high school, from a new bike to a new car, a new dress, good news, a new home, seeing your kids grow up and do well, good friends, visiting family, more good friends, kind words in tough times, lots of good friends!! That's where much of my joy comes from..........friends. Recently, my good friend Sue commented that there was something special about her friendships now because they were no longer friendships that were connected by children but instead were friendships connected by similar interests and the JOY of stitching together!! We all agreed with her!!! So, it's in the spirit of quilting friendships that I offer up today's gifties in celebration of my blogging anniversary. And here they are.......

Brown Bear has his arms full this time with a package of Mary E notecards that say "The Art of Friendship" to a purse pattern, then fabric and, of course, a notebook so you can keep track of your projects and/or your friends. :-) The fabrics are a little charm pack by Moda called Clementine that I picked up at FireflyQuiltShop yesterday afternoon. I had picked up the little purse pattern by Sherri Falls (she's a Minnesota designer and you can find her at her website ThisAndThatPatterns). I bought this pattern a month ago for me and thought it would be a great gift here for my giveaway so I bought another one! I was in search of a charm pack of fabrics that I could include with it when Janice (owner of Firefly) asked if I'd seen the new ones she had just stocked. Somehow I had missed them but the minute I saw this charm pack, I could see it as the purse, and then also as a baby quilt for my son's friend's new baby. I bought three of them, so in the picture, you can see the one you that will receive and then I took my charm pack and fanned it out so you can see the fabrics in it. They just say summer, don't they? Or in that baby quilt they will just say "girlie" which is what the new baby is!

All you have to do is leave a comment for a chance to win the gifties that fill Brown Bear's arms. Of course, there is a question you must answer in the comment you leave and here it is..........tell me a favorite quilting memory you have made with a friend or friends. It has brought me great JOY to read the comments/answers you all post and hope you all are enjoying them to!!

One last thought...............in yesterday's post there was the Mary E quote "the best antiques are old friends". Today's quote is an old one and I have no idea where it originated........."Make new friends but keep the old, one is silver, the other gold." I am so fortunate to have old, new, antique, silver, and gold friends!!!

I'll see you late Sunday afternoon with another post for Celebration Day #6. Til then, have a good afternoon and a great Sunday!

Sandi

My One Year Blog Anniversary - Day 4

I had a very busy day and because of that I am very late posting about Day 4 of my One Year Blog Anniversary. And since it's late and I am tired, I will quickly tell you why I'm late and then show you the gifties that you could win for Day 4 of this Eight Days of Prizes! :-)
First, I couldn't sleep last night for some reason. I got up an hour later than I wanted to and I couldn't get moving. I headed out to go grocery shopping with a stop first at Little Star's Early Learning Center which is the daycare facility my daughter owns and operates. :-) They had done some major classroom painting and rearranging and gave me a little tour. When my birthday rolls around next week, I will tell you the funny thing one of the little boys said to me during my tour. Too cute! I had fabric errands to run after that as I have baby quilts to make and so more on that when I get to them. I grabbed lunch but should have skipped it as the sandwich from Great Steak was not so great. Sorry, I have to be honest. I needed to eat, though, as one should never go to the grocery store hungry. A quick stop at the Dollar Store for dishtowels and some birthday things for my niece, then off to the grocery store. Now, I love cruising the aisles of the grocery store. I've shared this before.....it comes from enjoying trips to the store with my Grandma and I guess that's why I enjoy it. :-)
So, when I reached home with all the groceries and stuff, then got it all put away, I had 30 minutes before I was heading downtown for "Music on Main". This meant there was no time to post a giveaway. I was not going to miss this evenings musical guest, Amy Korteum and her Celtic Band. That's Amy on the harp. She is a very gifted harpist and has a lilting, lovely voice. if you want to hear a bit of her talent just go here and you'll be at her website. She also has a blog where she shares her sense of humor. Her sense of humor is evident between songs and she has the most delightful laugh! You can see it in her smile in this picture.

Now you may also notice in the photo above that the drummer is not playing and looks like his mind is elsewhere, and the fiddle player is also silent. That's because some tunes are solos or duets and others are done by all the members. And all the members are..........
Sam the drummer (playing the bodhran), Martha on recorders and whistles, Amy on the harp (and vocals) and Marti Ryan on violin. They shared many lovely ballads and a few jigs (sadly no one danced) and it was a lovely way to spend a Friday evening on the patio outside Toody's Sweets. "Music on Main" is a six week series sponsored by the businesses in Henderson and if you want to come and hear the music next week just click here for more info.
If you don't live nearby, though, you are probably not looking for more info on anything in Henderson except what's in the Day 4 giveaway bag. And so...............here.........it.........is.........

Brown Bear is "up to his chin" in a bag filled with fabrics for Crazy Quilting. I picked up the bag at the Dollar Tree and bought one for a lucky winner and one for me. You can see what it looks like in the bag that has been closed. That one is mine. Your winning bag is filled with satins, velvets, laces, trims, buttons, etc. that can all be used for a great crazy quilting project. And just like in the other drawings, there's a notebook where you can keep track of projects or all your quilting friends. I think that saying on the notebook is kinda cute....."The best antiques are old friends". I am fortunate to have a lot of antique friends. :-) That doesn't sound right because they aren't necessarily "Old"........they are "long-time" friends. Anyway, you get the picture.

My love of crazy quilting has connected me with a truly fine group of stitchers and we have more fun together than is believable sometimes!!!

So, this time, the question you must answer in your comment is...............What style of quilting do you like the most? I couldn't answer that with one style if I had to because some days I like crazy quilting best and other days all I want to do is stitch with wool and other days I want new fabric, then vintage..........you get the picture!

Tomorrow is a new day so I'll see you in the early afternoon with Giveaway #5 of my Blogiversary celebration!

Night all!

Sandi

My One Year Blog Anniversary - Day 3!

So, if two is company and three's a crowd but eight is enough, then I think I have the right number of prizes to celebrate my One Year Blog Anniversary!! LOL! It's Day 3 and time to show you what you can win by commenting on this post. Brown Bear cried out "wow, those are bright colors, not your usual choice, Sandi!" And that's sorta true, but we all need to "color outside the line, dream outside the box" occasionally, right? I know Mark Lipinski would agree and those are his fat-eighths from his fabric line "Katmandu" that Brown Bear is displaying in the photo below.

There are 23 fat-eighths for you along with a Mary E journal and bookmark. Once again, I've included this so that you can keep track of your projects. There's a message going on here. :-)

So, anyway, when I first saw these fabrics in 2007, they really caught my eye. I immediately saw the possibility for a crazy quilt in the fabrics. The designs on the fabric can be embellished with stitches and beading. Perfect! I searched for a shop in the Twin Cities that might carry the fabrics but no luck. I had joined Mark's Pickle Road Yahoo group and member Ruth, suggested that I try Toby's "Kindred Quilts" in New Jersey. With help from my grandson, Jacob, we chose the ones we liked from the fabric line and Toby and her staff filled the order. The fabrics arrived and when Jacob came to visit, he chose the ones for the first block that you see in the photo below. Then my mother got sick and my dad was in the care center and life just happened. The project went into a box. Yep, that box in the picture. I knew that I didn't need all the fabrics that I had ordered for the quilt that I can see in my mind, so I thought "let's cut them in half and give half as a prize on my blog anniversary". And so I did! :-) I keep half and you can win the other half! The blocks when finished will be a small wallquilt that I have named "23 Skidoo". I have to finish it by September for Henderson's Heritage Days which has a 1920's them this year. I'll make it, just know I will. :-)

Since I am reviewing how I got into this blogging thing, I had to mention Mark and his group. As noted in yesterday's giveaway, I was in One Stitch at a Time Yahoo group and enjoyed a challenge to make a quilt and that's how my flannel scraps finally got put to use. There were lots of talented stitcher's in that group. In Mark's group, again, there were so many people and everyone was so much more talented at quilting than I was, that at first, I didn't post or reply. But as time passed, I started "chiming in". I even got to know a member, Donna, and we met when she came to sit with me when my mother was in the hospital. I learned a ton of stuff in Mark's group from quilting to how to find the best iron to politics and more. And I read blogs and websites of members of the group and I knew I wanted to have a blog, too. I began to study the blogs in a different way, not just to read them but to think about what I could share if I had my own blog. More on the rest of the story tomorrow! ;-)
You're probably tired of reading (or skimming this post). You want to know what you have to do for a chance to win these fabrics, right? Well, you have to leave a comment on this post and you have to tell me ......................... how many projects do you have in your "waiting to be finished stack"? I think I have at least 2 to 3 dozen that are started. I can't begin to count the one's I bought fabric for and are still waiting to be cut!!! SO, leave your comments now. Comments close on June 10th and the drawing will be June 14th for all the prizes!
Sandi

My One Year Blog Anniversary - Day 2!

Well, it's Day 2 and time to let you know what the next prize is in my blog anniversary celebration. First I have to say "Thank you" for all the comments and thoughts you shared in the Day 1 celebration post. I enjoyed reading every one of them!!
Once again Brown Bear is assisting and he is really liking this giveaway. There are 56 flannel rectangles (6 1/2" x 9 1/2") that you can use for a comfy lap quilt to keep you warm come winter. Now I realize that for most of us, it's summer but if you put these squares in your "to do" pile and then maybe get to them in a couple of months.......well, you might finish the quilt just in time for cold weather! :-) Brown Bear is thinking this would make a great quilt for winter hibernation!!

Along with the quilt squares, there's a little Mary E journal where you can keep track of projects on your "to do" list. So, why send you flannel squares at this time of year? Well, as noted, sometimes fabric has to come and live with us while we work on other projects. I just want you to be ready for winter when it comes. :-)

I love the feel of good quality flannel and love to snuggle down in flannel sheets. Not everybody loves the feel of flannel sheets but for me, it goes back to when I was a young girl and there were yellow flannel sheets on our twin beds. My sister and I shared a room and we had these twin beds that were black wrought iron, very 1950's. :-) My sister's bed was in the corner of the room opposite the door and my bed was tucked by the closet and under the window. The window faced out to the backyard and I could see up the hill behind our house. There was a street light up there along the paved road that came into Lehigh (Iowa where I grew up) from the east. It was just about where the "Castle" is located, a beautiful old brick home and my parents lived in the apartment on the third floor when I was just a tiny baby. I always went to bed comforted by the "nightlight" that the streetlight provided when I snuggled down on those yellow flannel sheets. It's one of those good memories that can make me happy when I am sad. So with happy thoughts in mind, I took some favorite flannel fabrics and made a quilt (yes, I know it's not really a quilt but calling it a blanket just doesn't sound right). I was in a Yahoo group called "One Stitch at a Time" and they were having this challenge thing to make a project or something like that. There are so many quilters out there who make these fantastic quilts but with all the health issues for my parents and our move into our new house, I didn't have time to cut and piece anything intricate. I was happy just to sew the rectangles together into a quilt top and then I backed it with fleece and added a binding of fleece, too. That's what I am doing in the picture. I was in a hurry to finish the quilt because we had this "cold-air" issue in my sewing room and I needed the warmth to sew or be at the computer. That problem has since been solved but I use this quilt all the time. It is super comfortable and it's plenty long enough to cover me from head to toe!!!

The 56 rectangles in this prize are cut from some really pretty fall flannels that I purchased at local quilt shops. They are all washed and ready for you to stitch into your own comfy quilt. All you have to do is leave a comment and this time, tell me about a favorite quilt memory. I have many favorite quilt memories and I'm sure you do, too, so I'll bet you can share at least one.

You can add comments on this post through June 10th and winner will be announced on June 14th.

Have a good night and I'll see you tomorrow with another prize!

Sandi

It's my One Year Blog Anniversary!!

Let the party begin!! If you follow my blog regularly, you already know that I really enjoy blogging. I like to write, love to draw designs, enjoy sharing what I do and the things I make and collect. I decided to take a look back and figure out how I stumbled into this blogging thing that I have come to enjoy so much. Five years ago, I had no clue what a blog was. I had only just begun to really use e-mail and I was still trying to figure out the "ins-and-outs" of that technical challenge. Friends at church, Dan and Nancy, were in the process of adopting a child and Nancy told me she had started to blog about the experience. I checked it out and found it interesting to think one would journal for all the world to see. It looked like something I would enjoy.

After I visited Nancy's blog, I began checking out other sites. I love to embroider and so I looked for sites that had embroidery designs. I found one that I repeatedly went back to.....Cinderberry*Stitches by Natalie Lymer of Australia. I loved her blog because the photography of her designs and embroidery were like "stitchery eye-candy" to me. Her blog had links to other blogs with embroidery and quilting projects and it was like taking a trip without leaving the chair at my computer!! In one of my searches for embroidery, a site came up for a Yahoo Redwork group, so I clicked and joined the group. I was mostly a "lurker" in this group. I had trouble figuring out how to reply to messages, how to "chat" and so I just "observed". Now I look back and wonder, how could I make something so easy, so difficult.

In the Redwork group, I "met" Anna and she is one of those people who always have a lead on a great site or pattern. She was an introduction into the friendly world of blogging, yahoo groups and sharing on the internet. Thanks, Anna! And thanks to my mother who taught me how to embroider!

SO, with those stitching thoughts in mind, I present the first of eight prizes that I'll offer in my One Year Blog Anniversary Celebration........


And here is my buddy, Brown Bear, displaying what you could win

.......

Two vintage Aunt Martha embroidery transfer patterns

Four skeins of my favorite floss for Redwork -

#'s 498 and variegated 115

Eighteen - 8 1/2" square red cotton prints by Mary Englebreit

and a package of Mary E post-its so that you can keep track of projects!

Now here is what you have to do for a chance to win:

1. Leave a comment on this post for this prize (there will be a prize each day for the next seven days and you can leave your name each day for each prize).

2. In your comment, please tell me who taught you to sew/quilt/embroider (whichever applies).

3. Be sure to leave your e-mail address or a link back to your blog. Comments will be deleted if there is no way to contact you.

4. This celebration is open to all bloggers everywhere. :-) I have chosen prizes that will fit in an envelope and will be less costly to mail, so I am happy to mail international.

5. You may begin leaving comments now! Last day to comment will be June 10th. I will tally comments and e-mail/post winners on June 14th.

So, start leaving those comments! Thanks to all of you that have followed my blog so regularly. I really, really appreciate it!!

Sandi

At the end of the day...........

I am recalling that it was just a year ago today, in the evening, when I first began to blog. If you go here you can read that first post. Blogging is one of the best things I have ever done. It was good for my soul because I needed to write after the passing of my dad and just to collect my thoughts. My mother had also been very sick just months before he passed away and for my brother, sister and me there were just lots of things to deal with. Blogging helped.
It opened doors, too, and by reading other blogs, I could peek into their world and see the creativity that abounds in this ring of quilty, crafty bloggers!! I have made such good "friends" and although, I've never actually "met" some of you, I have talked to a couple of you on the phone. It's just been a really great thing to blog and I just want to say "THANK YOU" to Blogger because it's user friendly and it's free. :-)
So, as noted above, it's the end of the day and if it's one year since I started blogging, shouldn't I be celebrating? Well, of course!! And who could I ask to help me make this a celebration?


Why, Brown Bear because he always does what I tell him to do! LOL! He is ready to help me get rolling on my One Year Blog Anniversary Giveaway and because I have had so much fun blogging and meeting so many of you, I am going to really have a great giveaway!! You can see that there are eight green gift bags with pretty orange bows. They just say "summer", don't they? The minute that I saw them on clearance at Michael's I knew I had my idea for my giveaway. I started blogging in 2008 and so there will be eight gifts. The first gift bag and it's contents will be posted on Tuesday evening, May 26, the actual date of my blogging anniversary. Each day through June 2nd, I will post another gift bag and contents. You will need to leave a comment on each post in order to be entered in each drawing. That means you can have a chance to win eight prizes! Once all eight items are posted, I will take comments through June 8th. Comments will close then and it will take me a day or so to tally it all up and notify winners. I'll have more details available when the first gift bag and prizes are posted.

Before I close, I thought I would share a couple more photos of vintage linens. I am curious about the pair in this photo...........

What do you think? Were they hand towels for the bathroom or tea towels for the kitchen? The embroidery is lovely and even the addition of the red and black cotton at the hem is done very well.

Then there is this cutie that my mother gave me the last time I visited her. I know someone who will be abuzz when she sees this. I'm thinking it's cute enough to frame.

This last one is pretty worn but I love that message "cool as a cucumber". I can recall having to be "cool as a cucumber" on several occasions in my life. LOL!! This one, too, could be framed. I'll have some more vintage towels to share in my next post.

Night all,

Sandi