Busy Bees invade L*K!

I've been a bit obsessed with BEE motifs lately, so why not design a chart dedicated to my buzzy friends? We're calling it Busy Bee (#165).

I had so much fun designing and stitching all of these BEE models. They're all packaged together as a chartpak, and come with 2 antique gold charms...little crown (on top of hive in left design) and golden bee (on round box). We put a gorgeous pic of some flowers on the cover background, so the bees would feel right at home.

Another new design coming soon uses a winning saying in our recent Inspiration Contest. We are using the 3 winning sayings in upcoming Inspiration Boxers, and this is the first! Don't Cry Because It's Over B48.

It was so much fun to create and stitch a design using the saying chosen on the Blog Contest. This is a great saying from Dr. Seuss and I think it's a winner, too!

Like the other Inspiration kits, this comes with 30 ct. natural linen, and a bonus design. We also included a bee charm (more bee obsession!) and some tiny beads to use on the bonus project.

If you need more BEES and a more "inspiration" in your life, contact your favorite needlework shop and add these to your stash.

Meanwhile, the busy worker bees at Lizzie*Kate with be buzzing with activity as we prepare all the goodies for their debut!

One more thing...here's a closeup pic of the covers on the new Tingles Double Flips. They are so pretty and funky, and even a little psychedelic! We're busy attaching little button packs inside each one, ready for their date with the USMail. Get ready for some Halloween fun!

Mothers and midwifes!

I'm hooked...absolutely loving the PBS Masterpiece Theater series Call the Midwife!

This wonderful series has it all...life, death, humor, sadness, resourceful midwives, compassionate nuns and babies...lots and lots of babies!

If you haven't caught this series on PBS Masterpiece Theater yet, here's a brief summary. It's a period drama set in the 1950s (love the costumes, hair, etc.) in the poor east end of London.  It's based on the memoirs of a real midwife.A group of awesome midwives are BUSY attending to the women of the poverty-ridden neighborhood. There's definitely no shortage of pregnant bellies in this series! 

The midwives are based in the local nunnery...many midwifes are nuns, but some are laypersons and they share the same space and calling to serve other women.  What makes this show special are the relationships between the ladies...the nuns and other midwives, the midwives and birthing moms, the moms and babies...it's all there! There's a lot of joy in here, but it's not overly sentimental. Life and death go hand in hand in this drama. 

Bonus: The midwives travel by trusty bicycle, strapping their birthing kits on the back as they bump down the road! It's hard to believe this was the 1950s!

Which brings me to the REAL purpose of this blog post. I have a new Mothers design coming out! It's called Mothers (what else?), #164.

This saying has been on my "list" for years, but it finally made it to the top. It's a little late for Mother's Day stitching this year, but aren't Moms important every day of the year?

I stitched the model on some pretty overdyed linen from Picture This Plus called Legacy - how appropriate!

I'm premiering my new collaboration with the gals at Just Another Button Company with this design. They asked me to design some L*K inspired buttons for their collection. After brainstorming lots of interesting button themes, I decided on...well, a button that looks like a BUTTON!

This unique button has 4 drilled holes (new thing for JABCO) so you can attach it using an X or anyway you prefer. The outside color on the button is darker than the middle, so it looks dimensional. We'll offer these buttons in lots of other colors soon. If you don't want to use the button, I offer a stitched alternative on the graph.

I also had some fun designing a couple of pointy hearts...use them for pin pillows, sachets, or just sit and admire them. They're quick one evening projects and super sweet. I stitched them on a rosy tinted neutral linen called Earthen (also from Picture This Plus).

This chartpak is still at the printer, but we're planning to ship to needlework shops on May 12. Yikes! That's the day after Mother's Day and I can see where this is going....a weekend packing orders.

Have a great week, everyone!

TINGLES!!!

What are TINGLES? They're our newest Double Flip series, and we're positively shivering to get these spooky designs ready for you!

Here's some advanced scoop on the Tingles Double Flip series:

* There are 12 designs, and we'll present them in groups of 2 as Double Flips.

* Each Tingles Double Flip will have an embellishment pack with 2 tiny black buttons and one hand-dyed olive button.

* Each Tingles design is a different size and shape and there's a different fun finish on each one. We'll have blog finishing instructions available.

* We stitched the whole series on muddy Milk Chocolate 28 ct. linen. It really makes those Halloween colors pop!

* All 12 designs fit together into a nice, big Halloween-y piece. Stitch count for the big piece is 81W x 333H.

* As always, we'll post a set of FREE instructions for combining the whole series on our website. We'll have thread list, design template and extra stitched areas to fit everything together.

* Finally, there's a secret "hidden message" in the series. It's subtle...we'll see who finds the spooky greeting first!

Sure, we've done other Halloween series before...but the Tingles are a bit different. I was aiming for a more vintage look in my designs, but still keeping the fun L*K style. Don't want to brag, (guess I must!), but I absolutely loved designing and stitching the models for this series! 

Different shapes...different sizes...different finishes...same FUN!

We'll be releasing the first 3 Tingles Double Flips in early May. These are 4 of the 6 designs coming to your favorite needlework shop SOON!

Need some TINGLES in your life (and stitching stash)?  Let your needlework shop know now and they'll be glad to pre-order for you. 

We're still waiting on the printer on these, so we're busy prepping the little embellishment packs on their Glu Dots. As soon as the Tingles deliver, we'll attach all the little 1" x 1" sacks. 

Let the TINGLES fun begin!

Open windows, open doors, what's coming soon!

OH MY! Those are the TRUE signs that spring has finally arrived.

Open doors and windows in my sunny office...

and open doors in the house for great sleeping. Nothing like waking up to a chorus of a zillion assorted birdie friends.

Our yard has miraculously turned GREEN in the past week and the blooming bushes and flowers are fabulous.

I have a couple fat forsythia bushes next to the office which I enjoy on the daily commute to and fro.

The daffodil patch in my front yard is starting to want, but their tulip neighbors are just starting to open.

What to do on such a gorgeous weekend? We're celebrating Fiesta Friday (our own holiday) with a bunch of friends, dining outdoors at a fave Mexi restaurant with a great (sheltered) patio. Sheltered is the operative word here, because Kansas winds and outdoor dining don't always mix!

Tomorrow we hope to take our mountain bikes out for some rails to trails riding just west of Wichita. Can't wait!

Meanwhile, still in the L*K office today working busily on a pile of designs. I have SO many projects in the works right now, it's mind/desk boggling! 

Here's what I'm working on now...

* Next Flip-it series  - the Tingles - is a group of 12 Halloween designs, similar to Jingles Christmas series.

* New chartpak with "Mother" theme has a big design and 2 sweet heart shaped pin pillows/cushions.

* Bee themed grouping of 3 designs - loving the BEEs this year - except for the ones that keep invading my office and Alan relocates them outdoors. We'll include some fun embellishments with this chartpak

* Kitty and Doggy String Snippets are coming soon and they're perfect for all you pet lovers!

* New Inspiration Boxers with the 3 winning sayings from our recent blog contest.

I'm just finishing up stitching the models for the 3 Boxers - just need to finish designing/stitching the 3 Bonus designs. It's always fun to do the little bonus projects! 

Here's a sneak peek pic of the 3 new Inspiration boxers with the winning sayings!

Enjoy your weekend!

More newbies!

We already told you about our new kit "A Little Beach" in the last post. Evidently, a lot of you are in the mood for A Little Beach because they're floating outta here! My awesome part-time helper, Carmen, is making them every time she comes in.

Here are the rest of the new goodies we shipped to needlework shops last week. As always, if your favorite shop doesn't have these in stock, please ask them to order for you.

#163 Be Who You Are 

This is a super saying from our friend, Dr. Seuss. It's a pretty large piece, but a really quick stitch. I stitched the model in a couple evenings...and that's with some taking stitches out/returning to computer to change design/redoing sections. And that's why I stitch all of my own original models...designing still occurs during the stitching process!

F140 Autumn, F141 Winter 4 Seasons Flip-it

The Autumn and Winter parts of the 4 Seasons Flip-it series are now available, so that completes the 4 part group. These designs are unusually large for Flip-its, so they're a good value with lots of fun motifs and colorful stitching for each season.

A cool option is to stitch all 4 Seasons together. Just visit our website to get the template, FREE border and complete instructions for combining all 4 parts...super easy and a great year-round project.

http://www.lizziekate.com/2014-4Seasons4uphollow-Instructions.pdf

B47 If We Pray Inspiration Boxer

The final newbie is another Inspiration Boxer with a wonderful saying from Mother Theresa. I have done several of her sayings in this series, and they continue to inspire me. Boxer includes 30 ct. natural line, bonus project "Sow kindness" and embellishments for both projects.

Here's a little Friday bonus...just to see if anyone is still reading! We're building a house...very SLOWLY...but after 3+ months of looking at dirt and a porta potty, we now have some lower level walls and floor.

Pretty exciting stuff! We've never built a house before, so I guess now's the time to learn. We're working with a wonderful, flexible builder and so far, so good. Will keep you posted in pics as we progress. If anyone of you have home-building wisdom to share with us, we'll gladly take it.

Happy Weekend, everyone!

When do you need "A Little Beach"

When? Maybe NOW.... after a long, cold, dreary winter like this one!

OK...so we can't magically transport you to a sandy, warm beach (sure wish we could!) But we can offer some cozy beach-y images in stitches - swim suits optional!

We just shipped some new goodies to shops last week, and this kit is already getting lots of re-orders. Even here in land-locked Kansas, the very idea of a beach warms my heart...and my toes.

A Little Beach kit includes 30 ct. natural (sandy-lookin') linen, chart, antique gold starfish charm and some really pretty "Bahama blue" aqua beads.

This kit is a companion to the other Little kits...A Little Love, A Little Easter (still time for this one before the bunny arrives), A Little Liberty, A Little Christmas and A Little Snow. Check them all out at www.lizziekate.com.

Since I don't have easy access to a nearby beach, I'm trying to remember some beaches I have visited, and maybe choose a favorite. I've been to beaches in the US and outside the US, but probably my favorite beach-y experience was visiting the Greek islands of Santorini and Mykonos. Stunning!

And while I'm thinking of Mykonos (hey, my mind is wandering), I recall one of my favorite beach-y scenes in the Bourne Identity movie. My husband and I love the Bourne trilogy of movies, so I gave him the set a couple years ago.

For you Jason Bourne fans...is it Matt Damon, or just the non-stop adventure that makes us watch these again and again? Do you remember the final scene in the Bourne Identity...when Matt miraculously survives his numerous adventures and he returns to surprise his girlfriend Marie at a beach bike shop? Yup, that scene was shot in Mykonos, in the Little Venice area pictured above. 

It's a great romantic end to the movie, and that's how I like my movies to end. Never mind that Marie is shot by an assassin early in the 2nd Bourne movie. OOPS - spoiler!

Want to share your favorite beach/beachy experience? Leave a comment below!

Or maybe you share my affection for Matt Damon and those adrenaline-packed Bourne movies. Leave a comment below!

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!