Giveaway Winner!

Though my little partridge has been quite happy sitting on my mantle, it is time he goes home for the holidays. I am so happy to be sending him along to Eve of Lee Hill Primitives. She sounded in her e-mail so thrilled to have won. It truly made my day to know that I had brightened someone else's. Take a minute and visit her blog. Her work is so lovely I know this little guy will feel perfectly at home with her. Her work is so beautiful I'm actually afraid he may feel a bit like the poor cousin. Earlier this month Eve had a giveaway herself (I'm so sorry I missed it) and her Santa is breathtaking!


The partridge and pear are all packed and awaiting tomorrow's post and however happy I am he's to grace Eve's home this holiday season his parting has left a bare spot on my mantle. I'm considering filling it with this prim tree. Can you believe it's just a styrofoam cone and some torn muslin? I'm wondering if I should spray some tea stain on it and perhaps sprinkle some cinnamon. It'll stay on the mantle for now, at least until I'm done fussing with it. Though, to be honest, no holiday decoration in my home stays in the same place for more than a few days. I'm creating and arranging (and rearranging) right up until Christmas Eve. It's just too much fun!

In case you must have a partridge of your own the pattern I used can be found at Our Pioneer Homestead. The original design was intended as a dove, but once I added the top feather it made a perfect partridge. The top feather was fashioned out of rusty wire looped with a small bell attached at the end. The base is an unfinished table leg (maybe a leg for a footstool or ottoman given it's height). It's just what they sell at any home improvement store. You can finish it however you like. Mine, of course, is painted and stained and all grunged up. The pear was something I've used to decorate my home in the past but Pamela has a tutorial for that as well. The only difference is I tend to paint mine white rather than black and I use spray paint instead. I've also spiced apples without painting them at all. The little bit of red showing through is very festive. If you're not a follower of Pamela's blog you should be! She sells lovely finished goodes as well as shares patterns and tutuorials. I'm sure you'll get more than a few ideas for holiday decorating.

The rest of the week is full of holiday concerts and hopefully some holiday shopping (hooray!) but I'm sure they'll be time for stitching (even if there isn't I'll make time) and more patterns to share. I'm also looking forward to seeing finishes of the Winterberries free pattern. It certainly has been my most popular free pattern to date and I hope all of you enjoy stitching it. Again, thank you, everyone, for entering my giveaway, following my blog, and being such wonderful friends!

xoxo

Jennie Lynn

Winterberries Free Pattern

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

I thought that if any of you could find time between shopping and finishing off the left over pumpkin pie you might enjoy stitching my Winterberries free pattern. It's the start of the holiday season and though I don't feel festive just yet I intend on starting some holiday decorating today to hopefully foster the holiday spirit.

This pattern was stitched on a scrap of 30ct R & R linen using all Gentle Arts threads and it measures about 4 inches square. I plan to sew it into an ornament and have the fabric and ribbon all picked out but am waiting until the kids go back to school on Monday. I was anxious to share it, though, and try out my new idea. I would like to try something a little different with my free patterns. Winterberries will be my test run and hopefully some of you are willing to be my lab mice :)

On the Free Patterns page, below the photo of Winterberries, there is a link (a little bird to be precise). Click on the link and a PDF of the pattern should open in a separate window. From there you can either print the pattern or download the file onto your computer. I've tried this on all three computers in the house and it's worked each time. Of course, that's no indication it will work for everyone else. If you have any difficulties downloading the pattern e-mail me and I will send you the PDF file as an attachment. Provided everything works out as planned, though, I think this will be a much better way to share my patterns with all of you. The PDF file is just a simpler version of my PDF patterns for purchase and should give everyone a much clearer chart to stitch from. If there are too many issues or if all of you just prefer it I'll go back to the way I did it before. I do hope it works, though. I have plans to convert all of my older free patterns to this format as well, so fingers crossed.

Be sure to let me know what you think!

Also, don't forget to enter my giveaway. My little partridge still needs a home for the holidays.

xoxo

Jennie Lynn

Happy Thanksgiving!

Wishing everyone many things to be thankful for this day.

Euphemia Myles Finishes

Dora was kind enough to send me a photo of her finish of Euphemia Myles Sampler. She stitched it on 36ct R & R Creme Brulee using all of the suggested threads. Instead of the embroidery on the bottom she added some motifs from my June Blooms free pattern using Gentle Arts Woodrose. Isn't her finish exquisite? I adore the hand stitched quilt binding and am now anxious to try it for myself.

Her timing was impeccable since I have just finished framing my Euphemia Myles Sampler. The frame has been sitting for weeks in my craft room; I just couldn't seem to find the time. I'm not sure where to hang it, which might explain my procrastination. For now it is sitting on our entertainment cabinet, right behind the X-Box console. With four children and a husband who loves all the latest technology my house is an interesting blend of both old and new. I would love a truly prim house but between the building blocks, sippy cups and endless electrical cables my home is more of a hodge podge. I can't complain though. I have a wonderful family and I can't help but smile when I see my son's latest Lego creation perched proudly on the mantle right next to my antique iron stone.

I haven't picked up needle and thread since finishing Cora Lipton's Marking Sampler. My hands have been happily busy but they are aching to stitch again. Josephyn Sayer has been sitting for over a month now almost completed. I had hoped to have her finished and released by Thanksgiving. I suppose I still can but I hate working under a deadline. So much of my life is scheduled, right down to the minute, or at least it seems. I even wait to use the bathroom until it seems my daughter is least likely to get into trouble while I do (any mother of small children will know of what I speak). For me stitching has to remain the one thing I do when my heart tells me to, not the clock or calendar. I realize I have yet to post a photo of my stitching on Josephyn Sayer. When I take it out to stitch next (very soon) I will snap a photo of it first.

Until then I wish you all the best.

xoxo

Jennie Lynn

A Patridge & A Pear Giveaway

In honor of my one year blog anniversary I am hosting a giveaway for a sweet little partridge make-do and one of my prim pears. This is my creation from the other day and just so you know there is still cinnamon stuck under my fingernails :)

The partridge is heavily painted and stained with wool wings stitched to his body and a rusty top feather made of wire and a little bell. He is firmly stuffed with cotton and tied with string to a painted and aged wooden base. The pear is painted and then dusted with cinnamon and coffee grinds and smells wonderful! The make-do measures about 9 inches tall including the base and the partridge measures about 7 inches from tail to beak.

The rules to enter are simple. You must be a follower of my blog (new followers welcome) and leave a comment on this post. That's it! (My apologies but I can only ship within the US). Though it's not a requirement to enter feel free to post about my giveaway on your blog or post my link on your sidebar. I will draw the winner on November 30th, the anniversary of my first post.

Everyone says it but I can't believe it's been a year since I started my blog. It started entirely on a whim, bored sitting at my computer one evening. It's grown a bit since then; I'm nearing my 100th posting and have over 150 followers. I would never have guessed I would have had that much to share or that so many people would be interested in it. I am so thankful for all of my followers and for all the friends I have made in the past year. I can't say how much I appreciate all of you. Reading your comments and seeing your finishes of my patterns always brightens my day. This blog has become such a part of my life I can't imagine ever stopping but it wouldn't be any fun at all without all of you.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart <3

xoxo

Jennie Lynn

Getting dirty . . .

I'll keep what I'm working on a secret for now but here are just a few of my supplies. Please tell me I'm not the only one with a collection of rusty treasures? I would rather work with them than I would the shiniest gold.

How about a steaming jar of coffee stain? I personally prefer that to actual coffee. I'm a tea drinker myself.

Today the stitching stayed in its' basket. There was still handwork to be done,though. The best thing about today? I got good and dirty! My fingers are stained with rust and there's cinnamon stuck under my fingernails. I'll have to take a scrub brush to my hands tonight but boy was it fun :)

Fall Back

I've heard people complain about it getting darker out sooner, protest the long nights, the lack of sunshine. Personally, I love it :) Maybe we run fewer errands and do a little less cleaning. No more yard work and less light to clean the trash out of the van. Instead there are long dinners that last well beyond the food. Lengthy conversations over empty plates as the sun goes down instead of running out the door to the grocery store. No more evening walks and playing at the park. Instead there are dance parties in the living room, my husband playing the guitar and making up silly songs with the boys. For every season there is a purpose . . . but this one is my favorite!

Even if you don't agree, really, who couldn't use a little more time? What do you plan on doing with your "extra" hour?