Verna(l) Equinox

Hey! Remember when i showed you these?

Look at them now!!

"In the spring I have counted one hundred and thirty-six different kinds of weather inside of four and twenty hours."~Mark Twain

Despite not knowing whether to wear a sweater or a t-shirt, i really love this time of year. It's clear that we have finally turned a corner from the bleak all-shades-of-grey winter and are beginning to make a colorful transition toward spring. Actually, Spring's "official" arrival is this Saturday, the Vernal Equinox.

Did someone say Verna? No better way to celebrate Spring's arrival than with a giveaway! How would you like one of these to pop-up in your garden?

(it's a rolled layer cake, and don't worry it won't come with dirt)

To win this, all you have to do is balance an egg on-end, take a picture and send it to me. Just kidding! (whew, right? wish i could've seen your expression when you read that though) But did you know you can actually balance an uncooked egg on-end any day of the year, not just on the equinox?? I've tried, unsuccessfully...but this person actually did it. I liked that they cracked the egg open at the end (no trick eggs for them)!

For this giveaway, please let me know what your favorite flower is. Much easier, right? Oh and if you link to my blog, follow me on Twitter (even though i'm a lame tweeter), or blog about this giveaway, let me know and your name will be entered once for each thing you do to spread the word! I'll be saving some trees this time by using random.org's number generator.

For the second name picked, i'll send some of these cutie cute cherry blossom takeout containers i designed for
The Gift Wrap Company

(and a gift bag or two, too)Names will be drawn this Saturday March 20th at 1:32 PM EST. Happy Spring!

And the Winners Are...

Wow! What a fun week! So many thanks to each of you for sharing these inspiring and meaningful quotes with me and with each other. What a joy it's been to read and ponder these colorful reflections and observations that lift our spirits and shed light on our common hopes for something better. I will surely print out all my favorites (there are many!) and keep them close by to read from time-to-time as wise reminders. Here are a few more quotes I wanted to share with you:

At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.

~Albert Schweitzer

As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.

~John F. Kennedy

Wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving.

~Kahlil Gibran

Ok, and now...the winners. So sorry I didn't get around to posting this last night. I actually did do the drawing before the stroke of midnight, so technically it was on Tuesday. But I experienced some technical difficulties that had me looking for a quote about patience! Without further ado, here are all your names before heading into the bag:

And here is the bag!
This was sent to me from the wonderful and talented Sherri and I simply adore it. You can even make one yourself, thanks to Rachel's tutorial! And it occurred to me that aside from being so cute, it's also perfect for picking names out of! Here are all your names in the bag:
Do you think I can drag this out any longer? Ok, so the winner of the designer bundle (aka: rolled layer cake) is:
Congratulations! Sheila's quote was from the Dalai Lama:

I believe that the very purpose of life is to be happy. From the very core of our being, we desire contentment. In my own limited experience I have found that the more we care for the happiness of others, the greater is our own sense of well-being.

What a beautiful and universal thought! Thank you, Sheila.

And the winner of the charm pack is:
Congratulations, Kaye! She shared two quotes with us. (I love them both!):

Always do right. This will gratify some and astonish the rest.

~Mark Twain

If you can dream it, you can do it. Always remember that this whole thing was started with a dream and a mouse.
~Walt Disney

Please email me with your mailing addresses and I'll send your prizes off!!

Monday Miscellany

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I don't know about you, but I can't possibly eat one. more. bite. of. turkey. So let's move along to...Christmas stuff and other miscellaneous morsels!

First off, Cardstore.com has created a new product. It's a stylish boxed stationery set with 12 custom notecards. You can choose from over 50 designs, then personalize them using a font/color of your choice. They're reasonably priced and make nice gifts for family, friends, co-workers, or you! And...three of my cards that are included in the mix use one of the patterns from Verna (top row first three cards)! Cardstore is also offering free shipping and 10% off every order. Enter discount code: WINTERSALE at checkout (you can still enter code: MERRY15 to receive 15% off your order, but for this one, you'll have to pick up the tab for shipping).

Nextly, Vickie of Spun Sugar Quilts posted a picture on her blog of a cute fabric wreath she made using Verna. I love it! She followed this Moda Bake Shop tutorial that Rachel of p.s. i quilt put together. Thanks for the post, Vickie!

Nextly nextly, umm...anyone notice anything familiar in this photo? One hint: It's red and has a scalloped edge.Definitely an upgrade for my pincushion. And what could all those pins be doing in there? I wonder...

Lastly (for now) I've been so interested to read all of your helpful tips/pointers for the giveaway! I'll surely put them to good use and thank you so much for helping me start off on the right foot (couldn't resist a little sewing humor). What's been really great is to see that there are a bunch of other new quilters who have also been able to benefit from the many helpful tips. Nice to know we're in the same boat! So, if you haven't already left a comment here to enter the giveaway, please do. The drawing will be this Thursday and the winner will be posted on Friday. Can't wait!

ThanksGIVE-ing Giveaway!

It seems it's always at this time of year when my thoughts start to sift through the many happenings of the year with quiet reflection on all that I've moved through, successes and challenges alike. The perspective I get from this helps me to see how much I've grown but with a deeper understanding of what is possible (with lots of hard work, determination..oh, and pizza). Though I try to keep gratitude in the forefront of each day (sometimes easier than others), it's often around Thanksgiving that I really stop to focus on the many things I have to be thankful for — too many to list!

So, in the spirit of thanks and giving, I thought I'd giveaway a Verna designer bundle (a layer cake that's been rolled and tied).

Since I'm a beginner quilter, I'm hoping to learn from all you experts out there! So please leave me a comment with a helpful pointer/tip that you might pass on to someone who is new to quilting. Please make sure not to repeat tips (yes, I need as many as I can get!). Your name will be entered in a random drawing to be held on Thursday December 3rd. The winner will be announced on Friday the 4th. Good luck!