Well, hello! I’m doing a rare Thursday pop-in to let you know I’m running a little sale in my shop to clear out some old items and make room for new. (Hopefully it will keep me motivated to make some new things, too!)

Starting today and going through May 31, everything in the shop is 15% off. Just enter the code MIDMAY in the “message to seller” box when you check out, and you’ll receive a refund (for 15% of the item’s original price, not including shipping) via Paypal. (If you really prefer a discounted price up front, just contact me to make arrangements.)

There are some good things left in there, folks. Better jump on them before I decide to keep them for myself!

The long-knit baby blanket finally materialized and was sent on its way just in time for a pair of new parents.

This is one of my favorite blanket patterns. It’s from Knitting to Go. I love the vintage look and all the texture on both sides. It takes longer to make than my quick go-to blanket, but it’s so worth it.

I also made some new decorative sewing pins, this time with some pretty wooden beads. (I just realized this photo was taken before I cleaned up the excess glue sticking to the beads. Just don’t look at a larger size of this photo and you can pretend they’re perfect!)

Right now I’m working on a few more sets of pins in hopes of doing a teensy shop update. (Speaking of shops, my poor little shop has been neglected for quite some time now, and I’ve got all sorts of ideas flowing, including a little sale, so stay tuned!)

I also did some reattaching of fallen-off iron-ons to T-shirts and a general reordering and putting away, which was overdue amidst all the other finishing that was taking place. That process made me realize I’ve never written about my move to a new creative space, one that’s even better than the very awesome space I had before, so mental note to take photos when I get my camera back. In the meantime, here’s a little sneak preview via camera phone:

There are more creative things to show you, oodles more, but I’ll spare you an epic-length post and write about those another time. If you’re hungry for more, though, there are ever so many creative spaces to be found at kootoyoo, so pop on over! (Oh, and there are a few more photos of the blanket and pins at my flickr page if you feel so inclined!)

I’ve got four sets of pretty sewing pins and a new redwork embroidery to list, along with some 5×7″ prints of my sewing pin photos. How’s that for productive? (For me, at least!) I’ll be headed over to Etsy to start making listings as soon as I click “publish” on this post.

For more creative spaces, visit Kirsty at kootoyoo.

(Oh, and for those of you who asked, I will be selling sets of postcards with the pin photos as well. Just have to wait for them to be printed and sent to me!)

Click!

So here I am, popping in late on a Tuesday night with a new post and an early shop update, because this week’s items are a bit timely in nature!

I’m not terribly effusive about celebrating Valentine’s Day, by which I mean that I don’t typically decorate or go crazy with heart-themed foods or anything of the like. But for some reason over the weekend I got the itch to stitch a few sweetheart items for the shop.

I started with the basic idea of an outline of a heart and experimented with different ways of filling it in. I was so pleased with the outcome of the first one that I got really excited and started stitching hearts left and right! I would’ve done more, but I had to reign myself in in the interest of perhaps getting around to the various household projects crying for my attention. I think I might try this technique again, though, in the future.

I turned the finished pieces into little lavender-scented pillows and flax seed sachets with linen and coordinating cotton prints. They’d be great as a gift for a Valentine, but they’ll work just as well at any time “just because.”

And now, it’s to bed for me, to store up energy for all the to-dos I’ve procrastinated all weekend long. ‘Night!

May I present Eva? She is number 4 in the “She Wore Buttons for Pearls” series. She is stitched with black perle cotton on a sand-colored linen and laced onto foam board.

Eva is a bit of a daredevil, and she plays a mean game of croquet. She is equally comfortable racing down the beach on the back of a horse and playing parlor games on a quiet evening. She may wear jodhpurs on a normal day, but watch out when she gets dolled up for a glam evening out!

And this is the lovely Marie. Number 5 in the series, she is stitched with white perle cotton on the same sand-colored linen and laced onto foam board.

Marie is part tomboy, part girlie girl. She lives on a ranch, where she rides horses, feeds chickens, and mucks stalls—and she loves every minute of it! In her downtime, she can be found writing poetry, shopping boutiques in the next town over, or kicking up her heels at the local honky tonk. She’s the softest, prettiest-smelling cowgal ya’ ever met!

I think these two might be my favorite yet. They’re both available in the shop right now.

*****

Now, before I go, I have a quick question. These pieces can be framed, or they can be hung as-is with a little loop I’ve added to the back. (Thanks to Glenda for helping me realize a loop might be nice!)

Would that be sufficient for you, or would you rather see a more decorative ribbon loop that extends up from the top of the piece? It could still be tucked behind the piece for someone who didn’t want to use it, but would you want that option if you were buying these pieces?

Thanks for your input, and Happy Weekend!

I was in a serious brooch-making mode for a while, so you’ll see quite a few little hand embroidered felt pins for sale. I’ve also added some embroidered greeting cards—chicken scratch, snowflake, and flower designs—that would make special notes or could be framed for display. And if you’re looking for more “button ladies,” there are a couple to be added in the next day or two.

There are way too many photos for me to share them all here, but you can pop over to my shop or my flickr page to see them all. In the meantime, here’s a little preview:

Thanks a million to everyone who supported the shop or participated in the blog happenings here during the Grand Opening Week. I enjoyed reading your responses to my “market research” questions throughout the week and am brimming over with ideas for new things to put in the shop. If only I had more time for it all! (Maybe that’s what I can put on my Christmas list?)

I’m also very excited to be able to announce the winners of the first two giveaways, chosen with help from Random.org. So without further ado …

The winner of the Eiffel Tower pincushion and sewing goodies is the lovely Alex of Lola Nova. If you aren’t familiar with her blog, be sure to check it out. Alex has a new Etsy shop as well, and it’s full of beautiful things!

The winner of the hand-embroidered greeting cards is Alison of Tweed Delights. Alison makes beautiful pieces using her local Harris Tweed. You can find her at several shops, including one for home decor and one for plushies. Go check her out!

Congratulations to the winners! I love giving away treats, and I hope you enjoy them as much as I did making them!

On Wednesday I’ll be announcing the winner of the third giveaway along with my usual Creative Space post. (And I will be updating the shop as I’m able, although I don’t think I can hope to be on any sort of regular schedule until after the holidays.)

I have to admit, as exciting as last week was, I’m a little relieved to get back to a more “relaxed” pace! (Ha!)

And now. It’s time for the last giveaway, so I’ll get right to the point. Today I’m giving away a free copy of a brand new pattern set. A recent discussion for a private swap got me started on a design for an embroidered Matryoshka doll, and I thought, Hey, why not expand it a little and make it into a pattern? These Russian nesting dolls are hot right now, so I hope someone out there will enjoy this.

I’ve actually got two different patterns. One includes three different dolls in three sizes each, so you can stitch them alone or together, however you like. (Sorry, the images are blurred and watermarked for protection. The actual patterns are completely clear.)

The other pattern also has three dolls, in “nested” sizes and in a cute little pose.

I’m going to give the winner both of these patterns. (They’re also available in the shop for purchase.)

The winner will receive (by e-mail) an electronic file in PDF format. Each file consists of the pattern and a page of printing, transfer, and stitching tips. The second pattern also includes a reverse image for additional transfer options. (The first pattern doesn’t need to be reversed because the design is symmetrical.)

To enter to win, leave a comment answering the following question. What are you most likely to purchase and why: a handmade product that you really like or the pattern/supplies necessary to make a product yourself? That comment will give you one entry into a random drawing for the giveaway prize.

If you Twitter about this giveaway, come back and leave another comment letting me know you’ve done so, and you’ll get a second entry. If you link to this giveaway on your blog, leave yet another comment for a third entry. That’s all there is to it.

Comments for the giveaway will be closed on Tuesday, November 24, at 10 p.m. EST. I will use a random number generator to determine a winner, and the winner will be announced on Wednesday, November 25. I’ll be in touch with the winner at that time to send the files.

Thanks again, all of you, for the kind words, support, and encouragement. It’s the best thing in the world to be doing something you love, and I’m glad I get to share that with you!

As part of my celebration, and as a “thank you” to you, I’m back to offer you my second freebie. (You can find the first one here.) Today it is a pattern based on a piece I filled with birdhouses.

Remember this?

I’ve taken part of that pattern and modified it into something stitchable just for you! Click on the image below to download the PDF.

I hope you’ll show me what you made with the pattern by posting photos to my flickr group. And, if you’re interested in purchasing the full pattern, head on over to the shop and check it out!

Well, friends, we’re nearing the end of the Grand Opening Week, but there’s still a little fun left to be had. There’s still time for you to get in on Wednesday’s giveaway, and tomorrow there will be one more. Hope to see you there!

Yesterday I took a bag full of packages to the Post Office.

And today my creative space is all about the shop. (More spaces at kootoyoo.) I’m stamping little note papers to send with packages and otherwise prepping my “shipping area,” something I wasn’t able to do as much as I wanted prior to the shop’s opening. My goal is to have lots of tags and cards and wrappings and everything all set up to make the shipping process more efficient next time ’round.

But, of course, the big deal for today is the next giveaway. It’s some more original june at noon embroidery. I’ve taken four blank cards and beautified them with some hand stitching. (They come with envelopes, too.)

You might recognize them from projects I’ve posted about before. Some were items I replicated because I like them so much, others were pieces I’d stitched up as samples or for practice and have had sitting around with no purpose for the last year. Inspiration struck, and now they have a reason to be!

I let the raw edges of the fabric remain as-is, so some fraying might occur, but I think that fits right in with the slightly wonky (organic?) nature of the design. At first the perfectionist in me wasn’t so sure about edges that weren’t perfectly straight, but the more I look at them, the more I like them just as they are.

To enter the giveaway, leave a comment here telling me something you’d like to see in my shop in the future. Feel free to browse this website and my flickr page for ideas. That comment will get you one entry. (And feel free to enter even if you entered Monday’s giveaway too. If I get a repeat winner, I’ll redraw so everyone gets a turn!)

If you Twitter about this giveaway, come back and leave another comment letting me know you’ve done so, and you’ll get a second entry. If you link to this giveaway on your blog, leave yet another comment for a third entry. That’s all there is to it. International participants are welcome and encouraged!

Comments for the giveaway will be closed on Sunday, November 22, at 10 p.m. EST. I will use a random number generator to determine a winner, and the winner will be announced on Monday, November 23. I’ll be in touch with the winner at that time to get contact details. (If I don’t hear back from the winner within a reasonable time, I’ll randomly choose another winner.)

And that’s it for today. There’s still time to enter Monday’s giveaway, and check back tomorrow for another freebie. My creative space is a busy space today, and there is the matter of small children running around wanting my attention for some reason (!), so I suppose I’d best get back to it all!