MORE newbies coming next week!

F177 Flora McSample's 2016 Treats

Our sampler girl, Flora, is back with her annual collection of holiday goodies with a vintage look. Flora designed 3 little projects - bowl fillers, pin pillows, whatever you want to call them/however you want to finish them little gems. Flora uses the same color palette every year, so they are compatible with her previous years' stockings and other little projects. 

Check the tiny text on these...they're all favorite Christmas carol lyrics. Chartpak includes embellishments for all 3 projects. I love Flora's sweet "treats" for 2016!

K92 A Little Thankful Kit 

You've been requesting a Thanksgiving "Little" kit, so here it is. No turkey here, but we did include those famous "3 ships" that discovered American and the New World with our pal, "Chris"Columbus on board. Kit includes beautiful Amber linen, antique gold acorn charm and golden beads.

B54 Come Let Us Adore Him Inspiration Boxer

Boxers are back, but they're UNBOXED! Check out our recent blog post for all the details. The short story...we've replaced the plastic case with a plastic sack. No more breakage and much lighter/cheaper for shipping. The good news is, same great Boxer kits wait for you inside the Boxer bag. We're pleased to introduce our first Christmas Inspiration Boxer with the lyric from a favorite carol. Kit includes 30 ct. Natural linen, 3 cream snowflake buttons and BONUS project. 

Need MORE Lizzie*Kate in your life???

Contact your fave needlework supplier and ask for these newbies. We will be shipping these designs - and new designs in previous blog post - on Friday, October 7 to needlework shops around the world. Arriving in your town SOON!

COMING SOON to your favorite needlework shop!

We have been BUSY!!! So many new things coming out next week, so get ready for some fun holiday stitching ahead!

F163 November December Calendar Double Flip

Our 2016 Calendar Flip-it series is finally complete! And here's the good thing...we have the same 12 months every year, so these never go out of style. If you didn't jump on the calendar craze this year, think about it for 2017. Go "Calendar Crazy" and stitch the entire year as one big calendar, or choose your favorite months and enjoy. Complete instructions on our website for combining the year on one stitchery. November/December comes with antique gold squirrel and Christmas heart charms.

S128 Peppermint Sleds Snippet

S129 Snowy Sleds Snippet

MORE SLEDS!!!
These little sleds are so fun to design and stitch, we got carried away and designed 2 sets this year. They're so quick and easy, it's downright addictive. Stitched on perforated paper (or fabric, if you choose), these little guys stitch and finish up in a wink. Each Snippet includes embellishments for all 3 sleds, with an assortment of beads and buttons. We use the same color palette every year, so these sleds "match" the sleds from previous years.

S130 Wise Men Still Seek Him Snippet

Perfect for the true spirit of the season. This timeless design stitches up quickly, but you'll enjoy it for years to come. We framed our model, but it would make a great little Christmas pillow, or your favorite soft finish.

And that's not all, folks! Check back later this week for the remaining 3 new releases shipping NEXT WEEK!

Boxers losing their boxes!

What are Boxers? They're a set of kits we introduced in 2002. They've been around for a while...and around the world...literally.

Back in 2002, we were looking for a unique way to package our new kit product line. Something not too bulky, or hard to pack, but practical. It had to hold a pattern, fabric and embellishment. Alan suggested plastic cases, we researched a source, and Boxers were born.That led to the name - Boxers - and the fun little Boxer logo.

And do you remember our famous/infamous Boxer boxer shorts? I admit to still having 2 pair in my closet, and I wear them regularly around the house. We sold tons of these comfy shorts back in the day. I still remember working with our local supplier to get these flannel classics made, and having shelves of these plaid shorts

in the L*K office.

We began the Boxer kit series with several seasonal series. Then we did all sorts of stuff, including our Sweet Tooth series and a bunch of Giggle Boxers (silly sayings). You can view the entire Boxer line on our website at www.lizziekate.com. Just click on Chronological listings.

In 2011 I was looking for a new direction for the Boxer kit series. I decided to try some "inspirational" sayings, and Inspiration Boxers began. This has been my favorite group of Boxers yet, and they're still going strong. So many wonderful, inspiration sayings to share...in stitches!

Several years ago, we had a Boxer contest for you to submit, and later vote, on your favorite Inspirational sayings. We were OVERWHELMED with entrees on this one. I still have the list of entrees in my file, and refer to it for ideas. The 3 winning sayings became the Boxers below, the winners got some L*K goodies for their stash, and all of you helped choose some fantastic sayings.

B48 Don't Cry Because It's Over Inspiration Boxer

B49 I Cannot Count My Day Complete Inspiration Boxer

B50 No Act of Kindness Inspiration Boxer

But back to those Un-Boxed Boxers...
Alan began asking me a couple years ago to consider un-boxing the Boxer kits. He does the shipping, and shipping costs have risen dramatically - as I'm sure you know if you shop online for anything. He proposed losing the boxes to make the kits lighter, as well as unbreakable. We have a small amount of breakage on these plastic boxes. Most of it occurs when the boxes are originally shipped to us, and we throw away several in every case.

Boxer inventory at L*K warehouse

So now we are in the process of un-boxing the Boxer kits. We ran out of our plastic box inventory, and as we replenish stores of existing Boxer inventory and publish new Boxers, they are getting spiffy new custom-sized sacks. These sacks are unbreakable and lighter to ship...but the same Boxer kit waits for you inside!

Boxed - Unboxed!!!

And...the real reason for this post...we have a NEW BOXER COMING SOON! Here's a sneak peek photo - it's our first Christmas Inspiration Boxer.

B54 Come Let Us Adore Him Inspiration Boxer

Check back soon for previews of all of our new goodies for October.

***We're delaying the promised "Winnie the Pooh" saying contest til mid-October. Pooh fans...don't despair. We'll get back to Pooh Corner soon!

DIY Linen Pumpkins

I recently spent a fun Saturday afternoon crafting some pumpkins. It seems, strangely, that most of my besties are not into crafts or DIY home projects. I know...I guess opposites attract! But I knew you blog readers would appreciate some fun little pumpkins made from scrap fabric...so here's the pumpkin-y scoop!

I had been seeing these little pumpkins all over Pinterest. Isn't that always the case? They were made from velvet, drop cloths, burlap, all sorts of textural fabrics. And the instructions looked so EASY...as they always do on Pinterest. Crafter beware...very few DIY projects are as easy and mistake-proof as advertised on the big P. But I still wanted to try. And here's what happened on a messy Saturday afternoon!

My pumpkins "gathered" for a group photo. Disclaimer - I bought the bottom right pumpkin on Etsy for "market research"

After debating what kind of fabric to purchase, I realized I had a stash in my supply closet. Bits of leftover linens from kits and other projects came to my rescue! 

I tried 2 different methods of pumpkin construction. Again, using instructions online. Google it or look on Pinterest and you'll find a plethora of DIY posts. You can either start with a rectangle and gather top and bottom, stuff, close. Or begin with a circle and you only have to gather once! I experimented with both, and liked the look of the circle method better. They're super fat and there are lots of pretty fabric folds everywhere.

Solitary pumpkin on my coffee table - kinda a little sculpture!

Here are a couple things I learned on my afternoon pumpkin adventure:

* The trickiest part - as I suspected, but NO ONE mentioned in their instructions - is gathering the pumpkin top. I used 6 strand floss because you have to pull really hard to close the top. Then it's tricky to stuff those gathers inside the pumpkin and hide them. They kept wanting to pop up outside the pumpkins. That's where the pumpkin stump/stem comes in! 

I didn't have any tree sticks handy (or any trees in my new yard ready for pruning!), so I used a couple things for stumps...driftwood pieces (bought these for other crafting) and wine corks (you know where these came from!). Some posts recommended using real pumpkin stems. They either saved dried stems from previous year's pumpkins or (horrors) snapped them off unsuspecting pumpkins at the pumpkin stand. ***I do think I will try to "harvest" my stems this year when I actually purchase some real pumpkins. It's 95 degrees here today, so pumpkins are not yet welcome on my porch.

*You have to pull your gathers tightly, yet leave enough room for the stump. And somehow make a tight knot to secure your gathers. I had trouble with this - it seemed I needed another set of fingers, but I did OK. So far, no pumpkins have exploded with fiberfill showering my house. 

Then the trusty glue gun does it's magic. I put a circle of glue all around the driftwood or wine cork, then stuffed in down in the pumpkin, pressing fabric to stem to hide the gathers. 

A trio of pumpkins on my drink station in my kitchen. Seemed an appropriate place for the wine cork stems.

* Embellish!!! If top isn't perfect, hide it with some embellishments. I decorated my pumpkins with some old buttons, bits of ribbon, shells, etc. In addition to looking good, these hid little bits of gathering and not quite perfect spots. I also could have added some leaves to my pumpkins. Didn't have any handy, but silk leaves would be perfect. I also saw burlap leaves on Pinterest. 

A little vignette on my long rustic kitchen table with my favorite blue glass. I decorated this bunch with shells since I think I live on the coast. I actually live on a sand-pit lake in the middle of Kansas!

* I found that bigger is not better. It may just be me, but I liked the smaller pumpkins better. I used a large dinner plate to cut out fabric circle for a lovely sized pumpkin. When I tried bigger pieces, my pumpkins were a little lumpy/funky.

A couple new pumpkins join some old pumpkins in entry hall. The creamy recycled sweater pumpkins were my DIY project last year. So easy - check Pinterest!

* Have FUN! I got pretty excited - perhaps unrealistically excited - every time I pulled the gathers shut (successfully),shoved a glue-laden stem in, and a little pumpkin was born. These little buggers are CUTE!!!

I think I may need more...

Find some fabric you like, gather some embellishments from your stash, heat up the glue gun, and make some pumpkins!!! It may not feel like fall here, but the calendar says it's "pumpkin time"!

***Any fun fall crafts happening at your house? Leave a COMMENT and tell us all about it!

CHECK BACK NEXT WEEK...we have a blog contest coming! We're inviting our friend, Winnie T. Pooh, to join our cross stitch fun...details soon!

Tiny Tidings XXI gets the woolies!

What are the "woolies"? I'm referring to the adorable new wool finishing packs from Weeks Dye Works for our newest set of Tiny Tidings XXI.

#176 Tiny Tidings XXI and it's cast of 5 little holiday characters was released a few weeks ago. Since then, these little guys have gained a lot of popularity. They're quick little stitches and so darn CUTE. I had a blast designing and stitching the tiny gang.

But after I finished stitching, then came a dilemma...how should I finish them? When in doubt, I mail my finished stitcheries to my pal, Mona, so she can work her "magic". It really is "magic" when the mailman delivers beautifully finished projects back to my door. Hence the name, Magic by Mona!

When I visited the gang at Weeks Dye Works this spring during my prep for the SPOOKED! Mystery Sampler, I was impressed with their inventory of gorgeous overdyed wools. Row after row, shelf after shelf, of beautiful colored wools!

And here are the men of L*K (Alan) and WDW (John) admiring their woolies.

Back to Tiny Tidings...Mona and I decided to finish the little gems with beautiful WDW wool. She chose 2 colors for each project. This was tricky, as all the Christmas colors are beautiful. 

On her finishing blog, Magic by Mona, there are helpful pictures and complete instructions for how to do this finish yourself!

http://magicbymona.blogspot.com/2016/09/tiny-tidingsthe-woolies.html

One step at a time, Mona walks you though the "woolie" finishing process.

Santa is saying "Aack...get this peppermint  ribbon off my face!"

And before you know, some "magic" has happened at your house, and the whole Tiny gang is ready for your tree, gifting or whatever you decide.

Here's what you'll find inside the Tiny Tidings XXI wool pack - 10 precut pieces of assorted holiday colored wools.

Everything is packaged in a plastic bag with this label on the one side...

and this label on the other side - those friendly elves at WDW are so organized.

Need some woolies at your house? Just contact your favorite needlework shop and ask them to order - not from Lizzie*Kate, but direct from Weeks Dye Works. We're not selling these, but we're thrilled to be partnering with them on Tiny Tidings XXI.

Happy Finishing!