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Blue Ribbon Designs Newsletter
Volume 8, Issue 2 |
February 2012 |
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Greetings friends, fellow needleworkers, and new subscribers ~ it's time for the February newsletter!
Can you believe we are starting the second month of 2012 already??! As I write this, we are in the midst of a few days of fabulous spring-like weather - it is unseasonably warm for Iowa this time of year...and I am not going to lie, I am having a hard time concentrating on my work with the sun shining so brightly!
January kept me extremely busy, preparing three new releases for the Nashville Needlework Market (an industry trade show for manufacturers, designers, and needlework shops) taking place later this month...and working on details for upcoming teaching events and several magazine pieces...we'll talk more about each of these in a moment...
If you visited my blog in January, you were the first to see a sneak peek of an upcoming design...you were able to see some of my Valentine ideas and sewing projects (including a fun needlebook pincushion tutorial)...and currently, I have a "You Are Loved" giveaway in progress. To see what I am doing during the month and be eligible for my future giveaways and contests, visit: http://blueribbondesigns.blogspot.com/.
I am having a wonderful time meeting many of you on Facebook... please stop by the BRD Facebook fan page and introduce yourself! This month I had a very fun "LIKE" giveaway, where Pam T. won three Blue Ribbon Designs charts. This is a great venue to share photos of your BRD projects and WIPS...and to meet fellow needleworkers...stop by and join in the fun and conversation...I would love to hear from you!
http://www.facebook.com/BlueRibbonDesigns
I continue to enjoy keeping up with with many of you on Twitter...I try to send at least one tweet a day to keep you current with all the Blue Ribbon happenings. To read what I have been posting, visit:
http://www.twitter.com/BlueRibbonXS
...and for those of you on (the highly addictive) Pinterest, you can follow my boards by visiting: http://pinterest.com/brdgirl/.
Lastly, I recently joined the Google+ pandemonium - I would love to add you to my circles, so please stop by my page and add me to your circle (right now, I am rather lonely!).
Okay, let's get started with the news for February - there is a TON of news to share this month...so, sit back, relax, and enjoy...
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What's New?!....
There are three new designs being released at the end of the month at the TNNA Nashville Needlework Market (February 25-26). Details, additional photos, and supply lists will be posted on my website soon - please be patient...keep an eye on the "Future" page for these updates...
"Beauty In Simplicity" (BRD-104)
A Shaker-inspired design featuring a framed sampler, an oval Shaker box design, and three coordinating needlework smalls (scissor fob, pinkeep, needlebook) - finishing instructions included.
 
"Friendship Blooms" (BRD-105)
A friendship sampler with needlework smalls.
Stitch the entire sampler or pull out your favorite blocks to make ornaments/fobs/hook hangers/magnets/pinkeeps. Finishing instructions included for three styles of ornaments/fobs. This piece is perfect for "Round Robin" stitching! *Note: the verse is stitched over-one on the model - alternative charting of the verse and a coordinating alphabet/numbers in back stitch are provided for those who shy away from over-one needlework.
 
"Redwork Garden" (BRD-106)
A second sampler design in the "Quilted Garden" series - with two needlework smalls (biscornu and scissor fob). Finishing instructions included. This sampler incorporates a couple of my favorite hobbies (after needlework, of course) - quilting and gardening! *Note: the verse and initials/year are stitched over-one on the models - alternative charting of the verse and a coordinating alphabet/numbers in back stitch are provided for those who shy away from over-one needlework.
 
You can view all the current designs in my catalog by visiting the
"Designs" page on the Blue Ribbon Designs website (these upcoming releases will be added soon!). |
On the Blue Ribbon Designs Drawing Board:
On the horizon: a faraway friendship sampler (title TBD), "Berries, Birds, and Blooms" with a set of needlework smalls, "Sunflower Serenade" (a Kansas-inspired sampler with needlework smalls), and several summertime ideas! I have so many exciting ideas on my drawing board that I look forward to expanding on...plus I have a couple new teaching pieces in the works (and one of them is a very unique Halloween design)...and a few magazine pieces....so many ideas and definitely not enough stitching time...
Stay tuned to the "Future" page of the website for details as they become available... |
Noteworthy News
TEACHING EVENTS:
I am excited to start announcing my teaching dates for 2012...it is going to be another wonderful year of traveling and visiting with those of you who share my passion of needlework...
October 12-14, 2012
Ocean City Stitcher's Jamboree
Salty Yarns - Ocean City, MD
Project TBD - designed especially for this event.
Additional information: http://www.saltyyarns.com/
October 19 - 22, 2012
New England Stitcher's Retreat
Enfield Shaker Museum - Enfield, NH
Project TBD - Halloween project designed especially for this event.
Additional information: http://www.stitchingretreat.com
I have several other teaching events scheduled (including 2012 and 2013 dates) and will keep you posted as the coordinators release information!
MAGAZINES:
Just CrossStitch Magazine:
I am super excited to announce I have been invited to work on three new pieces for Just CrossStitch Magazine! Later this year, you will be able to find one of my ornament designs in the Christmas Ornament Preview Issue and one in the Christmas Ornament Issue...along with a framed Halloween design in a special publication. More details will be posted when they become available...
Visit the "Magazines" link on my website for more details... |
Gallery
Be sure to check out the Blue Ribbon Designs Gallery this month where there is a plethora of creative inspiration from fellow needleworkers...like the FABULOUS rag pillow pictured below: "Leprechaun Lodge" (a complimentary design) stitched by Cyndi G. in Lone Oak, KY; this is the first time I have seen a "rag pillow" and I thought it was quite adorable and inspiring! The gallery features photos from needleworkers all over the world that have stitched their favorite Blue Ribbon Designs. You will see creative and fun finishing ideas...color changes...fabulous framing...and some beautiful stitching! PLEASE send me your photos when you complete a Blue Ribbon Designs project - I always enjoy hearing from fellow needleworkers and I would love to "show off" your work in the website "Gallery"...and who knows, you just may end up featured in the monthly newsletter...
http://www.blueribbondesigns.com/Blue_Ribbon_Designs_Gallery.htm
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 *NEW* Complimentary Design
(and a favorite you just may have missed)
To show my appreciation to all my wonderful/creative/unique needlework fans, followers, and friends, I recently posted a complimentary chart on my website!
This ornament design (shown right) may look familiar to some of you - it is called "Cardinals For A Cure" and was designed in 2010 for Attic Needlework (Mesa, AZ) for use in the fundraiser cookbook "Recipes For A Cure" with net proceeds being donated to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. To those of you who supported this fabulous cause and made a donation for the cookbook, you are appreciated!...and I believe there are still copies available, should you want to add this lovely cookbook to your collection - contact Attic Needlework for details and/or to make a donation!
To obtain a copy of this new complimentary design chart, simply visit: http://www.blueribbondesigns.com/
and click on "Freebie" in the left-hand menu - you will see a photo of this new design at the top of the webpage - click on the statement "CLICK HERE FOR CHART" (directly under the photo) - a new window will open containing the design in PDF form (you will need Adobe Reader to view/print the chart). *Note*: This is a large quality file and will take a moment to load. If you are receiving an error message when trying to open the chart, most likely, you are using an older version of Adobe Reader - you will need to update to the newest version to open the file. Still having difficulty? - Make sure your virus protection software recognizes blueribbondesigns.com as a "safe site".
Please remember, this design (as are all of my designs) is protected by copyright law - thank you for respecting my copyright.
I hope you enjoy this special design - my gift to you for your continued support, friendship, and encouragement...and if you haven't stitched any of my designs before, I hope this chart will entice you to purchase some of the larger designs in my catalog from your favorite needlework shop...
....and just in case you missed it - "Leprechaun Lodge" is still available on the "Freebie" page for your St. Patrick's Day stitching! This design was created for use with the Stitch Starter Sleeve designs, but is perfect for an ornament, pinkeep, or needlebook...even a small framed design!
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In closing, I would like to take a moment and thank everyone who sends me encouraging and supportive notes and e-mails; I am so thrilled you like my designs - you are a HUGE reason I LOVE my job! I truly enjoy hearing from you.
You are now up-to-date on all the latest news - keep your eye on my website for the latest information and details for the upcoming new releases. Until the March newsletter ~ may you be blessed with the love of friends and family, may you find the beauty in each day (even the cold, snowy ones), and may you obtain your personal goals.
Take a little time to count your blessings...and a little time to stitch...
Happy Valentine's Day!
Belinda
As you know, I value your comments, ideas, and creativity ~ please feel free to send them to me by replying to this message.
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