CONTEST WINNERS!

A week and almost a thousand votes later, we have our winners in the first ever Lizzie*Kate Inspiration Sayings contest!

First, many thanks to all of you for submitting your favorite sayings...then, taking time to read and vote for your favorites from the Top 10. We appreciate you all!

Truly, I wouldn't have guessed correctly which sayings would be the most popular in this group, so it was great to have some help. In fact, some of my favorites were at the bottom of the pack (not that there's anything wrong with that!). Time for me to get to work on the Inspiration designs!

THE WINNERS!

* Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened. Dr. Seuss

Submitted first by Khristine

* I cannot count my day complete 'til needle, thread and fabric meet. Anonymous

Submitted first by Missy

* No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted. Aesop's Fables

Submitted first by Carolyn

We have notified the winners by email. We'll mail prizes to these winners, as well as the other Top 10 (whoever submitted them first) as outlined in the earlier contest blog post. 

It's been fun to have your input, and so great to have a LONG list of sayings that inspire you all. They may pop up on future L*K projects.

One saying that was submitted was already on a new (finished) project on my desk, and it will be released in May - great minds think alike! Now it's time for me to work on designs for these winning phrases.

Here's the newest Inspiration Boxer that we shipped to shops earlier this week. This is a lovely saying from Mother Theresa, and I think it really embodies her life and ministry...and a challenge to the rest of us!

Have a great Inspirational weekend!

BLOG CONTEST - Time to Vote!

OH MY GOODNESS!

We were completely overwhelmed by the amazing sayings you all submitted for future Inspiration Boxers! There were so many good and inspiring choices, it was REALLY hard to choose some favorites. Alan and I read submissions over and over until our eyes blurred, so we asked a few friends for help. We combined our fave lists, and their lists, and more lists, and looked at how many times sayings were submitted, and finally narrowed the list to ten.

We already have files of sayings on lots of different topics. It was encouraging to see many sayings that were already on our "future" list. Some of the submitted ideas already appear on L*K Inspiration Boxers and other designs, so that's affirming, too.  It's hard to keep track of all L*K designs, even for us!

MANY THANKS to all of you for submitting your own favorite sayings! We know many of these sayings are special to you for personal reasons, and we appreciate you sharing them with us.

Just because your sayings may not have been selected for the final doesn't mean 1) that we don't love them! 2) that they aren't awesome, special sayings and finally, 3) they may appear on future L*K designs, just not this group of 3 Inspiration Boxers. As we said, many of the sayings were already on our "future" idea list.

With further ado...here's the list! BTW...the first person who submitted a particular saying will receive the prize.

To vote, just click on the survey below. You can vote for your top 3 choices.

Voting will begin today and conclude on Wednesday, March 26 at 11:59PM Central Time. Please, one vote per email address only. Winners will be announced on Friday, March 28 on this blog.

Thanks for helping (and submitting cool sayings!) and voting!

Part 1 Inspiration Contest is CLOSED!

Part 1 is DONE!  The deadline for submission was midnight yesterday, so this portion of the contest is finished. No more saying submissions will be accepted.

Now the real fun/work begins! We'll spend a few days sorting through the HUNDREDS of wonderful suggestions you all sent us. Decisions, decisions...this is going to be tough!

As soon as we select our Top 10 favorites, we'll post them and the voting period will begin. Stay tuned!!!

Meanwhile, back at L*K headquarters, wanted to share with you the lovely SPRING that is happening inside!  

A couple weeks ago I received a mysterious BIG package in the mail. After lots of unwrapping, bubble wrap and styrofoam popcorn, I uncovered a wooden bowl full of potted flower bulbs. Included were instructions on how to water the box and get things growing.

I have a really sunny office window (translation: sometimes cooks unsuspecting plants) so I watered and waited. The growing process was much faster than I anticipated, and a couple weeks later my office looks and smells like springtime!

Many thanks to my thoughtful friend, Judy Whitman, from JBW Designs. She sent me this lovely arrangement as thanks for helping in her booth at the recent Nashville Needlework Market. Judy was unable to attend because of a recent hip replacement, so several designers (and her good friend, Connie) pitched in to help.  

Judy is recovering nicely in sunny Florida now (she escaped from snowy Michigan...smart lady!). I think these spring flowers are the perfect gift. And maybe they have some magical powers, because the high today in Wichita is supposed to be 75 degrees...believe it!  

Have a great week and stay tuned for Part 2 of our Inspiration Saying contest coming soon!

BLOG CONTEST!

YIKES! It's been too long since our last blog contest when you helped us name the Snow Belles Flip-it series. I just reread those posts, and was blown away by all the fun, creative names you submitted. What a tough decision...thank you all for making that decision with your votes!

We've been doing Inspiration Boxers for a couple years, and they are the most popular Boxer series we've ever done. Linda is getting ready to design the group of 3, and would like to know what sayings YOU are looking for!

Several of the existing Inspiration Boxers already use sayings that you have submitted, like the ones above. Many of you have sent us ideas via email, and sadly, much of our saved email was lost in a recent computer glitch. Bummer!

If you're not familiar with the Inspiration Boxer series, here's a link so you can view the ones we already have done. Not all of the designs on this page are Boxers...just look for the inventory numbers that begin with "B" for Boxer.

http://lizziekate.com/inspirational.html

Ready? Here's how it works!
We're looking for sayings for the next group of 3 Inspiration Boxers. Submit your ideas until March 9. Multiple sayings may be submitted. We'll choose our 10 favorites (with a little help from our friends) and post them on the L*K blog.

Then for the next week or so, you can VOTE for your favorite inspirational sayings. We'll give prizes to everyone who makes the "Top 10" list and more goodies to the 3 big winners. The Top 10 list will all receive new Inspiration Boxers (and other goodies) and the 3 "big" winners will receive Inspiration Boxers and an additional $50 of Lizzie*Kate designs of their choice.

HOW TO ENTER:
Leave a comment on this page with your favorite saying. If it is attributed to someone, please leave the source. We recommend that your saying be 20 words or less. It's hard to work longer sayings into the Inspiration Boxer format - the fabric has to fit in the Boxer box! Most of our Inspiration sayings are only 12-15 words long...so we can make them look pretty.

NOTE: Our blog comments are moderated, so there will be a gap between the time you write a comment and it actually appears. No need to resend!  We are just editing out SPAM and junk so only valid comments appear.

REQUIRED:
You MUST include your email address in the comment form. We'll need it to contact you if you should win.

DEADLINE TO SUBMIT NAMES:
Sunday, March 9 at 11:59 Central Time (Gee, that sounds official!)

FINE PRINT:
No purchase necessary to enter. All entries received after the giveaway closing day and time will not be considered. Winners will be notified via email and will have 48 hours to confirm receipt of the email. Giveaways will be mailed to the winners' homes.

Thanks for your help! We really look forward to hearing from you and reading your favorite inspirational sayings. Let the inspirational sharing begin!!!

The Miracle of the Cheesecakes!

Yes, it happens every year...but it never ceases to amaze "me of little faith".

I experience a Valentine's Day miracle every February, with about 50 of my closest friends. Many years ago, the men in our Sunday School Class began cooking the ladies (single, married, whatever) a Valentine's Dinner. It all began with some grills in the church parking lot, and has slowly escalated into a gourmet delight.

And the best part is...they do all the planning, cooking, serving and CLEANING UP (not kidding)!

This year we celebrated a week late, which worked out great for us, because we were at Nashville Market on Valentine's Day. We gobbled down a pizza in our room before we opened our door for the Friday night Early Bird Shopping event...not a great celebration.

Friday night a small group of dedicated men gather to bake the cheesecakes (they discovered you have to do this a day ahead). The rest of the menu varies from year to year, but we look forward to a cheesecake dessert smorgasbord every year!

While the men chow down on take-out pizza, the wives disappear to eat girly food at a selected restaurant. Then the guys get to work with 2 mixers, one food processor, two ovens, 5 recipes, 5 spring-form pans and a kitchen full of ingredients! Special thanks to Doug for gathering recipes and all the ingredients. There's a grocery store nearby for the forgotten ingredients...another yearly event.

When the gals return several hours later, there are already a few cheesecakes cooling. WHAT? They were chowing on pizza when we left and now the house smells heavenly and there are beautiful cheesecakes in the kitchen?! Above is the famous white chocolate raspberry in the coveted heart-shaped pan. 

While the ladies adjourn to the basement to watch a chick flick, the guys complete 5 cheesecakes. Every year they vary the flavor a bit.  Here was this year's cheesy lineup:

* Caramel macchiato

* Nutella

* White chocolate raspberry

* Classic New York with fresh strawberries

* Chocolate mocha

And here are the proud cheesecake bakers beaming behind the lovely dessert table. Sadly, after 50+ attendees sampled their favorites, there were no leftovers....darn! 

But our tummies and our hearts were full and happy and GRATEFUL for the fabulous men of Pneuma Sunday School Class, First United Methodist Church, Wichita!

WHITE CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY CHEESECAKE

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/white-chocolate-raspberry-cheesecake/

Blogger's Note: We've also discovered that it's possible to bake these cheesecakes at other times of the year. Yes, the miracle still works! Now that Alan has acquired this skill, his white chocolate raspberry cheesecake is often requested for special events. Sounds good right now....

Limited Edition Kits = great (crazed) market

We just drove through 5 states in one day (count 'em...Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri and Kansas) to get home to the Land of Oz. Our annual needlework market in Nashville was super fun, but...in the immortal words of our girl Dorothy..."there's no place like home"!

Quick background...our annual cash and carry market is held in the Franklin Embassy Suites (a suburb of Nashville). We invade the hotel, occupy several floors, and transform the suites into cross stitch showrooms. We use the front room for our models and inventory, then turn the bedroom into check out area. Yes, Alan does a rendezvous with the needlework ladies in the bedroom!

After months of planning and prep, we were thrilled to finally reveal our 2 special Limited Edition kits. We tried to think of something unique to offer this year, and decided to try some all-inclusive kits. We haven't done this for a few years (remember the O'Hare series bunny series?). 

Linda shopped for cool finishing fabrics and embellishments, and then got to work designing. We pulled everything together in the next few months...cut fabrics (including one trip to the ER with a rotary cutter mishap), made embellishment packs, cut rick rack and lace, assembled thread packs (what were we thinking?) and coordinated the graphic design and printing (the fun part!). Then we had some marathon assembly sessions (cue the Friday Night Lights DVDs and Downtown Abbey), and here are the results!

Song of Spring Limited Edition Kit

Includes pillow design, 32 ct. Lambswool linen, polka dot finishing fabric, antique ivory lace, 3 hand-dyed buttons (love these colors!), antique gold heart charm, dark red beads, Weeks Dye Works overdyed thread pack and needle.

There's also a bonus bunny fob design included, with rick rack trim, mother-of-pearl button and beads. We've included complete finishing instructions for both projects. You supply the scrap of fabric for the bonus project from your stash. It's two projects with the materials and instructions to finish them both JUST like the picture!

Do Your Best Limited Edition Kit

 Taken from a longer sampler verse, we love the simple phrase "Do Your Best." I remember my Mom telling me this, and me (repeating my Mom!) giving my daughters this timeless advice. So simple, yet so meaningful and appropriate.

We were inspired by this darling finishing fabric, with a great antique alphabet motif. There are 4 lovely colors of this fabric, so kits will vary. After looking at the beautiful ivory, avocado, aqua and muted red fabric bolts for months (yes, it takes us months to develop these kits), I can honestly say they're all great on this kit (OK, maybe the red is my personal fave).

Kit includes 30 ct. natural linen for main project, alphabet finishing fabric for front and back (assorted colors), Weeks Dye Works overdyed thread pack, 2 sizes of ivory rick rack, hand-dyed flower button, antique gold stork scissor charm, and needle.

The bonus design is a sweet, skinny strawberry fob. We've included 2 pieces of WDW hand-dyed wool (herringbone and check green) for the berry leaves, rusty red beads and even rustic twine to finish off your berry. There are complete finishing instructions for both projects. You will supply the fabric for the bonus berry project.

We've done this show for 18 years, so I almost forgot to take pics of our room. It's a little deja vu everytime we enter Room 611 and start moving the furniture to set up displays. Warning: if you move furniture in a hotel room, you may uncover mysterious items. Just saying...we've had some interesting finds over the years!

Here's Alan contemplating all the boxes we need to unload. How did the boxes get there? We filled our car, our local needlework shop owner's car and another friend who was coming agreed to schlep boxes for us. Thankfully, the load is much smaller and our car is sufficient on the way home.

Above is our display (in the front window of the suite) of our 2 new Limited Edition kits. The table underneath is the "dining table", with a drop cloth over it. The table stacked on the left is an end table. The right side table is a little folding riser I brought. The models are right at eye level, and inventory is stacked below them. It's self-service in the L*K showroom!

Finally, both of the beds were totally covered with sacks after the Friday night early-bird sales. Shops are always in a rush to grab the newest stuff (and get on to the next urgent room), so we allow them to fill bags, add a label, and return later to pay. Then when they return on Saturday or Sunday, we have a chance to chat and catch up when we're not so busy. 

Need to buy a new kit for your stash? Contact your local needlework shop, or contact L*K for a referral. We have lots of shops listed on the L*K website. Shops all over the US and outside the US have these kits NOW...but when they're gone...they're gone! Sorry...the fun finishing fabrics are discontinued

No rest in L*K ville...time to get to work on the next project!

Cookies for my friend, Judy!

The last few days before we leave for annual needlework market are CRAZY at our house/office. No matter how early we begin preparations, we're always busy until the exact moment we hop in the car and head down the road...Beverly Hillbillies style, that is! (car overflowing with booth props, inventory, luggage and us!).

In order to avoid high shipping costs, we're actually packing 3 cars this year. Every year my wonderful local needlework shop owner, Debbie, agrees to let me fill her car. She needs the space on the way home to haul her purchases, but on the way it's full of L*K inventory. 

We had to make an emergency trip to Tulsa a couple weeks ago to repair our virus-infected computer. The only good part about that was the opportunity to detour over to The Silver Needle, and leave them more inventory to schlep to Nashville. Miraculously, we already had some boxes packed...

and we've got more boxes waiting for their journey. The office is so full, these boxes are hanging out in my piano room!

One reason the office is nearly impassable is my "mock market" setup. Before we pack everything, I set up a fake little market display, trying to anticipate everything I'll need for display and inventory. I promise it will look much nicer and neater in my Nashville showroom! No matter how well I prepare, there are always a few lists and emergency trips to Walgreens, Home Depot, etc. for forgotten items when we're setting up. Instead of going next door for a cup of sugar, I pop down the hall to borrow T-pins and tape!

My long-time (never old) friend in the needle biz is Judy Whitman from JBW Designs. Judy and I met many years ago in the lonely exercise room of the Embassy Suites. Let's just agree that the exercise room is much less busy in the mornings than the complimentary breakfast buffet!  Judy and I got acquainted on the elliptical trainers and we've been good friends ever since. Judy even made the trip to KC several years ago for our daughter Sarah's wedding. 

Pic below from left to right: Judy, Connie (Judy's friend and market helper), Jeff and Sarah, my mother-in-law Georgia May.

Judy and I usually attempt to have our rooms next to each other, and run back and forth during the weekend. We've also enjoyed shopping in historic Franklin, exploring lots of yummy Franklin/Nashville restaurants and taking long walks before busy market days.  

One reason Judy's room is so popular with shoppers (and Alan and I!) is her cookie buffet. Yes, multi-talented Judy puts out a delicious smorgasbord of home-baked cookies in her room every year. She even publishes a darling little yearly cookbook with all the recipes. It's quite the collector's item every year!

Sadly, Judy had an accident last week and is now sporting a new hip. She's home recuperating in snowy Michigan, and her faithful friend, Connie, is coming to Nashville to run the popular JBW showroom. For the first time, they won't have cookies in their room...so I decided to pick up the slack (or is that the sugar?).

My freezer is filling with several of our favorite cookies...

and Alan is working on a batch of his famous chocolate chip cookies...a real classic. I still remember the first time he decided to make a batch of cookies "all by himself". When he got to the "shortening" part of the recipe he came to me to ask..."what is shortening?". Thankfully, he bakes unassisted now. The real trick will be getting these sugary treats to market uneaten! Sorry, no cute L*K cookbook.

And while we're talking food...I snapped this pic for my church scrapbook a couple days ago in our beloved church basement kitchen. Alan and I gathered with a few friends (the rare ones who are available on a Friday morning) to cook for the homeless day shelter across the street from our church. We prepared our famous tater tot casserole (think hamburger, onions, mushroom soup, corn, cheese and tater tots), green beans, salad, and peach cobbler for 120. 

Pic below: Jim, Stuart, me, Linda M, and Eddie (dubbed the "top tot")

We experienced a "biblical moment" when the shelter was unusually busy that day, due to our nasty weather. The line just kept coming, and we just kept dishing food (and praying) and we managed to feed 150+ grateful souls that day. It wasn't loaves and fishes, but that magical tater tot casserole seemed to multiply and was sure a hit!

Here's to you, Judy!  We'll miss you at Nashville and promise to eat a cookie (or two or three) and think of you!