"A Little Mystery" Sampler is coming SOON!

It's TRUE...we're doing another SUMMER MYSTERY SAMPLER!

It's called "A Little Mystery" and it's perfect for all of our busy summer schedules...because it's a "little" mystery!!!

I found this saying I loved for a mystery sampler, and the design just seemed to flow onto my sketch pad and the computer. It's a lovely mishmash of sampler motifs, cheerful florals and colors, and the perfect "mystery" saying. This project is so happy and fun, I just couldn't wait until fall to share it with all of you!

Everything about "A Little Mystery" is a "little" smaller than previous mystery samplers...except the fun and mystery, of course! The overall project is "littler", it's packaged in "littler" bags, and the PRICE is "littler"!!!

However, "A Little Mystery" is BIG on value! We wanted this summer mystery to be jam-packed with goodies, so we're including a BONUS design with each of 3 parts. They're all super sweet, quick little projects. You can follow along with the mystery, but still have fun for summer activities...and other stitching, of course!

Because this is a "Little Mystery", we made some changes from previous mystery samplers. Honestly, we really wanted to do this sampler now, but knew this summer was going to be crazy at our house/L*K business. We are moving for the next few weeks, and I'm having knee replacement surgery at the end of June. It's gonna be quite a summer at L*K and the relocated Ebright household. Sarah "Lizzie" and Alison "Kate" will be coming to town to help me after my surgery. I'm looking forward to their companionship...and their yummy cooking.

Life at our house/biz right now looks like pic below...boxes, boxes, boxes!

Read on for all the mystery details!

* "A Little Mystery" Sampler will be revealed in 3 monthly parts, shipping in mid July, August and September.

* Each part will contain a BONUS "Little" design, along with a portion of "A Little Mystery". We've created a darling set of stitching goodies...2-sided scissor fob, sweet pin pillow (or whatever you want to make it) and a "Mini Mystery" sampler. These 3 pieces all coordinate with the big piece, using the same threads.

* We stitched "A Little Mystery" on lovely 30 ct. tea-dyed Sandstone linen. We also stitched all 3 bonus projects on the same fabric. We will NOT be providing fabric precuts as on previous mystery samplers. You can use the fabric we used, or personalize "A Little Mystery" just for you with your fabric selection. Check out thread list below,  so you can play with fabric colors and counts. We stitched on linen, but you can choose Aida or whatever makes you happy. Maybe even something from your stash?

* "A Little Mystery" stitch count is 65W x 161H.

* BONUS project stitch counts are:
   2-sided scissor fob - 35W x 39H on each side
   Pin pillow - 49W x 50H
   Mini Mystery sampler - 46W x 79H

* We WILL be doing a fantastic embellishment pack that includes goodies for "A Little Mystery" and all 3 BONUS projects. We've rounded up some fun goodies that we're anxious to share!  Embellishment pack includes 2 JABC hand-made buttons (including exclusive coral ladybug),  hand-dyed button, tiny buttons, mother-of-pearl flower button, "Made with Love" silver-tone charm, and 2 colors of beads.

* We will NOT be providing a thread pre-pack, as on previous mystery samplers. Your favorite needlework shop will have these threads available. You can also use from your stash, but you'll need a full skein of most colors to complete all the projects. Depending on your fabric choices, you may need more threads.

* "A Little Mystery" thread list:
Gentle Art Sampler threads avocado, holly berry.
Weeks Dye Works carrot, chickpea, grits, oscar, purple haze, terrapin, verdigris
DMC light gold 437, lilac 3042, light pink 3354, pale teal 3768

We'll be revealing more sneak peek photos soon, so stay tuned to the L*K blog and L*K Facebook page for updates.

We hope you can join us on our "little" summer of stitching mystery!  Contact your favorite needlework supplier to pre-order "A Little Mystery" sampler. They're taking orders NOW!

Let's have a "little" fun together!  It's gonna be a great "little" summer 2015...new knee, new house, sad goodbye to old house,  and all.

Mysteriously yours,

Linda
Lizzie*Kate

June Sneak Peeks!

We're readying to ship new designs next week...which should be interesting, because we're also MOVING to our new home next week. Funny how after waiting 18+ months for our new home to be completed (original move-in date was fall 2014!) it should finish just in time for a new product release.  Gotta love it!

So while I have a minute in front of the computer (when I should be packing boxes), I'll share the photos of our new goodies with you. Fun stuff coming your way NEXT WEEK!

#171 Seasons chartpak
This idea began as a Snippet series of 4 seasonal designs, then I decided to pack them all in one chartpak for a good value.Each design is full of sampler inspiration and L*K charm. You can rotate them as the seasons change, or enjoy them year-round. I absolutely loved stitching the models on these little goodies - sure hope you like them, too!

S119 Do Small Things with Great Love Flora McSample Snippet
Sweet, sweet, sweet! This little project will make you smile...it worked for me!  It's quick, but long on charm with lovely soft colors and cheery motifs. I used a great little frame, but you can have fun with lots of finishing options on this one.

S120 Nevermore Snippet

This little Halloween project is a snap to stitch because it's all in one color...black, of course! I took a little raven motif from the main Snippet, and put it in a little watch fob for a second stitching idea. You can have fun choosing all kinds of fun fabrics and finishing. for this. It's the first time I've ever put a black cover on a Snippet, but it's so perfect for Halloween and this design. Quoth the Raven "Nevermore" (Edgar Allan Poe).

F153 Dreaming is Free - 3 Little Words Flip-it

F154 Embrace the Journey - 3 Little Words Flip-it

These are the final 2 designs in our 3 Little Words Flip-it series. Don't forget to use the FREE template on L*K website to combine all the designs into one stitchery. Or pick and choose your favorites to create your own inspiration statement. We've really enjoyed bringing you the entire 3 Little Words Flip-it series!

***Don't forget there's also a FREE design in this series. Find it on the L*K website, or scroll back to previous blog post. FYI...this FREE post was the most popular L*K blog post ever. It was viewed on Facebook by over 46,000 people...OH MY!

And now...back to packing boxes!

3 Little Words FREEBIE is ready!

Sweet Summer Limited Edition kits are out the L*K door and ready to greet the "official" beginning of summer with the Memorial Day holiday. If you pre-ordered from your fave needlework supplier, or just want/need a Sweet Summer kit, now's the time to nab one.

Sweet Summer kits will be available until Labor Day 2015. After that, they're retired and outta here! Kit includes 25 ct. cream linen (easy to see when you're on the go!), sparkly fiber for drink glass and sunglasses, aqua beads and sweet little seashell trim.

We've also included complete finishing instructions. You can make your Sweet Summer look just like ours, or dream up something fun using the trim and share it on the I Love Stitching Lizzie Kate Designs Facebook page! (this is a great place to share all of your L*K projects and fun finishes).

Now that the initial Sweet Summer shipment is done, I had time to design the FREE chart from our recent 3 Little Words inspiration sayings contest. The 2 winning sayings were "believe in yourself" and "follow your heart". These 2 winners fit so nicely together, it was fun designing!

Here's the link for the FREE chart posted on the L*K website

Three Little Words Freebie

You can stitch this FREE design alone, or mix and match it with other 3 Little Words Flip-its to create your own inspiration statement.

Stay tuned for details coming next week on our Summer 2015 Mystery Sampler!

Happy Memorial Holiday, everyone!

SWEET SUMMER Limited Edition Kit!

Summer is just around the corner, and we're celebrating with a super summer-y kit. It's also super quick, super bright and super fun...just like SUMMER!

SWEET SUMMER Kit will be available from Memorial Day until Labor Day 2015. Then it will retire, just like your white shoes. Unlike your favorite white flip flops (and capris), this sunny kit will NOT return next year.

Sweet Summer Kit includes 25 ct. Cream Dublin linen (easy to see for on-the-go stitching), watery turquoise beads, iridescent fiber (to stitch drink glass and sunglass lenses), and the coolest trim with darling little seashells. 

We're also including complete finishing instructions, courtesy of Mona, our finishing guru. You supply fibers from your stash, the summer drink of your choice, and summer FUN!

Above is the darling trim we're including. My kitchen table is awash in tiny seashells - not a normal occurrence in Kansas! These little shells are the perfect finishing touch to this summer project - even if you're not near a beach (like me!).

We're busy cutting and folding fabric as we await delivery of the colorful kit cover from the printer. Today I delivered the inside pattern and instructions to Debbie, my loyal proofer at my LNS. We hope to begin assembling kits this weekend.

Meanwhile, now's the time for you to pre-ORDER from your favorite needlework supplier. We'll be shipping to shops everywhere on Friday, May 15. Expect this kit to wash ashore at your favorite shop the following week.

We have a historic summer ahead of us at the Ebright household and Lizzie*Kate. We'll be moving to our new home sometime in early June. Once we're settled and able to catch our breath, I'm having knee replacement surgery at the end of June. I hope to spend July recuperating with, you guessed it, a summer drink, some needlework in my hand, and my knee elevated!

Just like summer 2015, our Sweet Summer Kit will be gone before we know it! Wishing all of you a summer full of stitches, fun and summer-y memories! 

What's on your summer 2015 schedule?

3 Little Words Contest WINNERS!

and the winners are........

Believe in Yourself
Follow Your Heart

Thanks to SO MANY of you for submitting sayings in our 3 Little Words Inspiration contest, and for voting. We were overwhelmed with all of the lovely and thoughtful sayings. You all are the best!

These winning sayings were submitted many times. The winners are the ladies who submitted them first.

You've helped me out with great sayings, now it's my turn to graph these 2 winning sayings. I'll let you know when I have posted the FREE chart with these 2 sayings to the Lizzie*Kate website. I hope all of you have FUN with the FREE chart that you helped create!

Meanwhile, here are the 2 remaining 3 Little Words Flip-its that will be coming you way in June.

Happy May!

TIME TO VOTE, (...again after some initial technical difficulties)

OH MY!

We've been wading through the hundreds of entries you submitted in our 3 Little Words Inspiration Sayings contest. What a pile of lovely, inspiring and unique choices! Alan even made a spread sheet with all the entries so we could ponder them, share with friends for their input, and generally be completed overwhelmed by all the 3 word choices.

SPECIAL THANKS to all of you for taking time to submit your favorite 3 Little Word sayings. We know these little words are special to you for personal reasons, and we appreciate you sharing them with us.

It wasn't easy, but we finally narrowed the list to 10 sayings. We looked for sayings that didn't express the same sentiments as our original 14 sayings. That was tricky, but we didn't want to repeat ourselves on the upcoming FREE graph, and many of the sayings expressed similar sentiments to our original 14 sayings.

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 2 choices.

Voting has expired.  Stay tuned for the results. Thanks for your participation!!



Voting will begin today and conclude on Friday, May 1 at 11:59 PM Central Time. Please, one vote per email address only. Winners will be announced on Monday, May 4 on this blog. Two winners will receive $75 in L*K merchandise of their choice.

Thanks for submitting cool sayings, following our blog, and VOTING!  May the (two) best 3 Little Words win!

5 NEW designs and A LOT of distractions!

We shipped new designs to shops everywhere last week. Scroll back 2 posts to see all the newbie pictures. Thanks for supporting your favorite needlework shop!

Sometimes I think it's a miracle that the designs keep coming, because I have SO many distractions this spring! I want to tell you all about it, but first, important announcement below!

Our 3 Little Words Contest - Part One - is now OVER!  Thanks to hundreds of you for submitting thousands of lovely inspiration sayings...in only 3 Little Words!

We're busy sorting through them and I must admit...we're overwhelmed with all the lovely 3 word possibilities. We'll work up a list of our Top 10 - with a little help from our friends - and post it soon. Then the voting period will commence.

After that, the two winning 3 Little Words inspiration sayings will be graphed and posted for FREE on the L*K website and blog.

About those DISTRACTIONS...you know what I'm talking about. You have some really important stuff to do - like a JOB - but other things keep getting in the way. It's the old "urgent vs. important" discussion, and for me it's hard to sort these out.

Distraction #1 - We're building a new house !!! (and have been for the past 16 months). We were supposed to move in last fall...then Christmas...then March...and now we are hoping (fingers crossed and checkbook handy) to move in early June. Everyone keeps asking us "when will your house be finished?". Our answer is a) 2015 or b) we don't even ask that irrelevant question anymore. The builder will finish when he finishes."

The exterior is pretty well done, minus some cement work and lawn. But last week a quirky storm blew through with 80+ miles an hour winds and rearranged our roof tiles. They're not supposed to be sticking up ODDLY like pic above, but now they're moved back in place. Unfortunately, our next door neighbor had major roof damage and lots of their roof tiles ended up broken in our back yard (and now they have a nice blue tarp on their roof)!

Alas, our almost completed house was missing an essential element - a KITCHEN - until last week. Last Monday morning we met the semi truck driver (who had patiently backed down our contractor/crowded cul-de-sac) and unloaded our kitchen...in a zillion well wrapped boxes. Now the pre-made kitchen is being assembled and it's like a puzzle to watch my pretty kitchen emerge. Not a day too soon...it was downright weird having most of house finished and the kitchen was MIA.

We make multiple trips to the new house every day - answering inquiries from contractors - and making decisions...SO MANY decisions. Not to mention the trips to pick out mind-numbingly boring things (to me) like door knobs and roofing materials! Our record is 4 trips to the house during one work day - thankfully it's not too far from the L*K office.

Distraction #2 - Selling the house we're in!!!  We've lived here almost 20 years, which makes it the longest we've ever lived anywhere. The kids are gone, we moved the office out in January (former L*K office next to house pictured above), but SO much remains!

We're doing some major sorting, donating, garage-selling, etc. of ANY non-essential item. My mantra is to be "ruthless" in my decision making about what goes to the new house and what goes away! PS - car is in driveway because full-out garage sale prep is in progress. We are desperate for rain, so I figure scheduling a garage sale may help that happen. Just my little gift to the community, along with all of my excess stuff!

Distraction #3 - I know many of you can relate to this one...I spend an increasing amount of time caring for my aging mother. Every time I get together with my friends our conversations goes like this..."How's your mom doing?" or "How's your Dad adjusting to assisted living?" or "Is your Mom still in rehab after her fall?" and on and on. This "sandwich generation" thing just couldn't be truer.

Thankfully I have an awesome brother and superb sis-in-law who also live in Wichita and the responsibility is wonderfully shared. But when things get crazy...like my Mom's recent traumatic fall...and you spend days in the ER/hospital and weeks afterwards visiting in rehab, and then the cautious re-entry to her senior apartment...sometimes the days just disappear. And all that L*K work I had on my to-do list? It's still all there waiting for me. But at the end of a long day, I just want to stitch (L*K models, of course!).

Gratefully, Mom is weak but slowly improving. Meanwhile, you can catch me many weekdays lunching with the "oldsters" at her senior living place. I'm there so much, the minute I walk in the door the hello's and greetings begin with all the lovely oldsters who are now my friends, as well as my mom's pals.

And, BONUS, I've rekindled a fondness for some of the foods I disliked as a child. Wednesday is ham and beans and cornbread day (my brother and I HATED this food as kids) and now I plan my week around this classic fare. And don't get me started on the egg salad and the daily fres-baked cookies on the menu!

All in all, SO thankful for a wonderful job that allows me to do creative, fun things for the needlework community...while embracing the really important things in life...family and friends. Thanks for reading along with my random thoughts - if you can relate, send me a comment!