Guess what starts tomorrow?

ARE YOU EXCITED YET!!!

Get those keyboards ready for some comment loving and fun shop browsing.

Project 320*

This year would you consider doing something bigger then yourself. Something that could change the lives of many people? Right now, almost a billion people on the planet don't have access to safe, clean drinking water. That's one in eight of us.

Some of our friends in the blogging community have put together this chance for you to change lives this holiday season. What is project 3:20?

Now glory be to God! By His mighty power at work within us, He is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope.
Ephesians 3:20

Julie, along with some other fellow bloggers are collecting 100 donated gifts from various shops and business's. All the prizes will be divided into bundles. Then raffled off. Each donation to charity water is $10.00 and you can choose the bundle you want to bid on.

10 bundles
It will only take 50 comments a bundle
To equal $5,000.

$5,000 fully funds a well.
A well that can save 500 lives.
Change an entire village.
Forever.

The giveaway week is scheduled to run December 14th-18th with the winners announced on the 21st. To follow the blog set up to run this wonderful event please click here. This will be the year that everyone remembers as the day our blogging community came together to accomplish something bigger then themselves, and made a HUGE difference in the world, we saved lives.......Spread the word to everyone and let the water flow.

Christmas is about Giving.

BLACK FRIDAY SALE

THE SHOP HAS RE-OPENED FOR A BIT LONGER

It was brought to my attention that I never let anyone know that my new product from months ago had been added to the shop. The most talked about sketcher wallet did make it to the shop about 2 months ago, and I was waiting to have it stocked in enough quantity to write a post about it. Well since the shop has stayed so busy and most likely any new prints will not be added until after Christmas, I have decided to let you all know anyway.

BLACK FRIDAY SALE in the shop Friday November 27th Free shipping to US and CANADA as well as a slight discount for some things on International shipping charges.
If you are a blog reader add this code to your purchase BLACKFRIDAY for an extra 10% off your order.
There are some sketcher wallets in there but if you want another fabric just let me know.

HAPPY SHOPPING EVERYONE!!

Giving Thanks

As I wake up this morning to my fresh brewed cup of Peet's Holiday blend, I find myself thinking about how fast this year has gone by. How fast my family has grown, and how quickly my daughter has aged into a young girl. I think about all the blessings in my life that I could never have imagined before.

Not very many people know about how I grew up, I don't really share it you know. I am sure many of you have stories that are not so wonderful as well. I feel that all the bad things I endured made me the person I am today.
I grew up in a great church most of my youth, surrounded by family and friends. I absolutely loved this group of people. Almost 10 years of my life was spent with them. Until one day a single person destroyed it with deception. The pastor of our church announced his infidelity to all of us and his wife in a sermon. The church was closed and turned into a gym. It took me a long time to go back to church.

Although my faith has always been there somewhere. I always never really let it shine as much as when I was a young girl. I tried more buildings of faith, other religions even, and one after another my trust was dwindled.

Now I only tell you this to share, maybe you have all been through something similar. Something you have always believed in, now soured by the people around you. I do not really vocalize my faith because for whatever reason I seemed to be ashamed of it. Not for any good reason either. God has a way of reeling you back in. For months now I have felt something in my life much stronger than I did before. I knew it was there but maybe it was because I was ready to hear it again that it came so loud.

I want my daughter to have the same chance I had a a child, maybe she will be dealt a tough road as well, but if I do not give her the chance to experience it then how will I know. Today I am thankful for God showing me that I really do need him in my life, as well as my families life. My holiday season will be spent giving back this year, to thank him for the wealth he has given me.

I wanted to take a minute and thank a few ladies for their unknowing support to help me get to this post and have the courage to accept the love that was right there for me all along.

They don't know how much impact they have truly made upon me.

Thank you Julie and Chrissie

Useful tricks and tips :: Caring for your self healing mat

Yesterday, me and the girls ( Christina , Sarah, & Liz ) went to the sewing festival over at our local fairgrounds. Although quite a small vendor get together, there were a few useful bits of information I thought you all might find handy.

If your like me, your self healing mat gets used quite a bit, especially around the holiday time of year. I am finding myself buying a new mat much to frequently. So here is some easy home remedies to make your self healing mat, as well as your blades last much longer. (This info is directly from an olfa dealer).

Directions :: Fill you bathtub with room temperature water (not hot, not warm, and not cold) In the water add 1/4 cup of white vinegar and a squirt of dove dish soap for a good lather. Use a mushroom brush (soft bristle brush) and scrub the mat gently getting a good lather with the soap. Then rinse your self healing mat with cool water getting all residue off the mat. You can dry it with a cotton towel, or air dry. It does not matter how you choose to dry it. (Do not dry it in direct sunlight or it could damage the mat)

The reason for this method is the materials that make your self healing mat absorb the water and make the mat supple again. Not only does this make your mat last longer, but it keeps your blades from dulling so quickly because you are cutting into a softer surface. Makes sense right?

I could have hugged the guy that took the time to teach me this yesterday. Another tip I asked about the new machine that is on the market called the rotary blade sharpener. Olfa says its a hoax. Do not waste your money on it. Each rotary blade is made on a C and C machine. The same kind of machine that makes things like granite counter tops and tile. This will not save your blades in fact it could make them worse by adding grooves to the blade affecting the cut on your fabric. This information is from the company as well, however some people say they do work pretty well, depending on what sharpener you have.

If you want a great deal to save you some money on olfa products check out this site:: http://www.olfadeals.com/ . I just got this circle cutter for $18.95 plus a free 2 pack of replacement blades. The craft store was asking almost 40.00 for the same package. (I'm just saying). I hope this information is useful to someone out there in blog land, I know it was to me.

12 Days Of Christmas GIVEAWAY

The BIG event is almost here, I am SEW excited... aren't you to?

Starting December 1st we will put up on this blog one giveaway everyday through December 12. Mr. Random generator will pick 12 winners on December 15th. So tell all your friends you will get extra entries for sharing like usual.

The emails have been sent to those of you who are wanting to participate. There is a deadline for me to receive that information back so please do not delay. I am more then willing to take on a few more alternates if anyone is interested please email me as soon as possible.

Although all 12 spots are filled right now, if I do not receive their information on time another person will be picked from the alternates. Alternates will also be sent the email with the required info so that it's handy in case of an application not returning on time. You will be sent a confirmation email that I have received your information as well as any additional info that might me needed. This is a great chance to get FREE exposure.

So everyone Excited yet?? I sure am!

Hugging my coffee :: GIVEAWAY WINNER!

So, what's new bloggin buddies. I SEW missed you all, and I am afraid you might not hear from me much until the 12 days of Christmas giveaway That will start on December 1st. I will contact all the vendors this week for details. If you still want to participate please email me that way if someone backs out last minute I have some back ups. Plus it's free advertising for your blog or Etsy shop.

Me and my Coffee have been best friends this last few days. I am sad to say that I have closed the shop for now. I am hoping to re-open by Christmas but that is not likely. ( Please email me if you need something though, I will try my best to squeeze you in). I have been swamped not only on Etsy, but my wholesale vendors are selling them in their boutiques faster then my little fingers can sew them. I think my sewing machine needs a rest! Ha!

And for the Hawthorn Threads Giveaway I had over 800 entries for the Studio e half yard set and you will never guess who won......

November 4, 2009 6:08 AM

Mary Grace McNamara said...
Hi Terri, thanks so much for the pointer to this great new site! What wonderful fabric selection they have! My favorite feature is the bundles since I have a hard time finding fabrics that 'go' together when shopping online.

What a great giveaway too! Thanks for the chance to win!

MGM

CONGRATULATIONS Mary Grace, you lucky girl you.

Thank you to Everyone for participating in the opening of Charlie and Lindsay's new shop. Don't forget the more you buy from them the best price you get. Who could ask for more. (P.S.) They have a special treat for us again during the 12 days of Christmas giveaway so stay tuned!!!

HAPPY HOLIDAY SHOPPING!

I smell Christmas

Just a little show and tell for you all. The UPS man dropped off Sophia's Christmas dress today. I knew as soon as I saw it, that it fit her personality perfectly. I was so scared that if I waited to long they would all be gone. Well I was right two days later they were on sale and clearance out and you guess it.... gone!

I put it on her and felt a little tear in my eye. She is growing up so fast. She looks taller, more girl like instead of baby. She has a personality all her own with Independence that shines brighter everyday. All I can think is , she is all mine. God blessed our family big time when she came into our unorganized mixed up world. I love every second I get to spend with her. Isn't she just beautiful.

For those of you wondering we got the dress here.

When Christmas comes around, I look forward to the smallest of things. The glimmer in children's eyes with the thought of Santa coming to their house with something special. The smell of the Cinnamon pine cones when I stop by my local craft shop. The enormous amount of creativity that people spend all year on just for the beautiful reveal during the holidays.

Wishing all of you a perfect Holiday season.

My Messy Space - shop closing

Well sorry to everyone for all the non-blogging I have been doing this last week. The shop has been so busy, I have rarely seen my computer, or had time to write more then a simple email. I have a little bad news, but some good news to go along with it.

First of all some good news, there is still a few days to enter the GIVEAWAY. Hawthorn Threads has come by and read all of your lovely comments, and even went the step further and made a few changes upon the requests that all of you had said you wanted to see. (they are amazing like that) If you signed up for the newsletter at their shop then you got a heads up on what they brought to the shop this week. I am SEW excited!!!

My other news is that Unfortunately I will not be launching the new stuff until 2010, I have way to much on my plate right now and I would rather it be done correctly rather then quickly. For those of you who were looking forward to it. I apologize, but I promise it will be worth the wait.
HEADS UP THE SHOP WILL BE CLOSING DECEMBER 15th FOR THE HOLIDAY SEASON!!

I also have a few tutorials I want to share with you all as well. As you can see from the picture above, my sewing space is quite a mess, but I love it when I am sitting there creating things. So I better get back to my beautiful SEW -Fantastic Mess. Until next time.

P.S. Welcome to all you new followers, I do see you and promise to come say hello soon. Thanks for sticking around through my busy time everyone.

NEW {dot} com Site Launch :: Hawthorn Threads - GIVEAWAY

Super News my fellow fabric junkies. I am sure you have all heard me rant and rave about how much I loved Charlie and Lindsay over at Fabric supplies on Etsy. The customer service those two give is absolutely phenomenal. After much success on etsy, they have outgrown the small little shop you all know as Fabric Supplies. But wait... There is Great news

Charlie and Lindsay launched a new website Hawthorn Threads late last month, with a more user friendly environment. Now they are offering more beautiful fabrics, tiered pricing for loyal customers, photo uploads for your projects made with there fabrics as well as including the link to your Etsy shop (how cool is that). You can now view what is in stock and how many yards are available. You can shop by color, designer, theme, collection, etc. The site Hawthorn Threads is truly genius. Extremely fun to shop on, I admit I have already made a few purchases because it's so much fun, and the fabrics are just beautiful. (shhh, don't tell my husband) ;)

I could seriously blog about this shop all day, but I will let you have some time though to go check it out for yourself. Hawthorn Threads is providing a generous offer to all of you as well. In celebration of the new site launch, they are giving away a 1/2 yard set of Holiday Magic; 6 prints, 3 yards total by Studio E . Yummy Christmassy goodness huh!

So Go ahead... Click over to visit them. Then come back here and leave a comment on what your favorite feature, or fabric was about the site, or maybe something you would like to see them offer. Do this and we will enter you in this wonderful giveaway from Charlie and Lindsay over at Hawthorn Threads to win a 6 half yard fabric bundle by Studio E.

Want more chances to WIN ???

1 More Entry for following our blog publicly here at Sew - Fantastic

3 More Entries for Spreading the word and posting about this Giveaway

5 Entries for Signing up to receive Hawthorn Threads Newsletters (click create an account at the top right of the home page, or click here)

5 Entries For adding this button to your blog
(Copy the code in the box below then add to your sidebar)

<center><a href="http://www.hawthornethreads.com/home"><img border="0" src="http://www.hawthornethreads.com/ads/sew_fantastic/button.jpg" /></a></center>
5 Entries for any purchase made from now until Saturday November 14thPlease don't forget to come back and let me know what you did to earn your entries so that they can be logged in to win.

And....If that wasn't enough for you, there is a fat quarter set being given away as well on their site click here to view and enter.

That's it! Now go go GO... Have fun browsing and shopping, and playing. Don't forget Christmas is right around the corner and you need to make something special for someone I am sure. I myself am trying for a handmade Christmas 2009. Let do this!

INTERNATIONAL COMMENTERS ARE ALSO WELCOMED TO ENTER



COMMENTS ARE NOW CLOSED

BIG News :: You do not want to miss this

Just a few quick things for all of you to get excited about.

1:: For those asking, limited edition items should be in the shop by the end of the month.

2:: Sew Fantastic opened a new Destash shop here. For those of you that love my scrap bags, you will want to heart this shop for the future, I have some things posted but there is much more to come.

3:: A Fabric Store that I have talked about quite a bit had a huge Dot Com Site launch this last week and they have contacted me with a very generous giveaway for all of you. Should be posted tomorrow. So come back an visit.

4:: There is a Giveaway posted for my shop if you would like to win $20.00 for Christmas money to spend at sew-fantastic. Click here for details. There is also a 20% discount code for all you shoppers.

That's it ! I hope everyone is having a great week.