Goodbye For Now (and a Giveaway!)

Hello friends!

It's been quite some time since Angel and I have posted regularly on this blog. I wanted to give you all a little update.

Angel has been busy this past year, working with Kaleidoscope, a "community center for the arts" in Nashville. She's been doing a phenomenal job and enjoying her time making art with children.

On my end, I have been focused on my Etsy shop, as well as designing projects and patterns. I worked on a few projects with publisher Lark Crafts and have 2 designs included in the brand new book Never Been Stitched.

Never Been Stitched is edited by the wonderful Amanda Carestio and just released this February. It features 45 no-sew or low-sew projects to make with fabric. So fun! You can find a free sample project from the book on the Lark Crafts blog. And please check out my blog for a review and giveaway!




For the foreseeable future, Stumbles & Stitches will remain dormant. We are not taking the blog offline, since there is a bevy of useful tutorials and project posts on here. We hope you'll continue to visit and browse! We still receive notifications from comments, so don't hesitate to say hello or ask questions.

In the meantime, I will be posting tutorials and craft projects on my own blog, Jenny Bartoy Handmade. I hope you'll come visit me there. You can also follow me on Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter.

Thank you for your support all these years, and goodbye for now.

~ Jenny

Giveaway: a bundle of craft books!

Hello friends!

Today is Giveaway Day on Sew Mama Sew, kicking off a week of fabulous giveaways all around blogland. And here on Stumbles & Stitches, we're offering up a bundle of 5 craft books -- your choice from the pile pictured and listed below! (Read on to find out the details.)




If you're visiting from Sew Mama Sew, WELCOME! Stumbles & Stitches is a conversation between 2 friends, Jenny and Angel. For the past 4 years, we've been sharing our craft projects (successes and failures both), as well as tutorials, spotlights on favorite artists, giveaways and book reviews.

Things have slowed down a bit over the past year, since Angel helped launch Kaleidoscope in Nashville and Jenny has been busy in Seattle with her Etsy shop and writing projects for upcoming sewing books. We still come by the blog, here and there, to share the latest, and we have a ton of great archives, so please stick around and browse a bit.

Back to the Giveaway: a bundle of craft books!

The winner of this giveaway will get to choose 5 books from a bunch of recent publications by Lark Crafts, photographed and listed below. ($75 estimated value. U.S. residents only, apologies to our international friends!) Lark Crafts graciously and regularly sends us books to review, and we're excited to share!




Available books:

Stitched Blooms: 300 Floral, Leaf & Border Motifs to Embroider by Carina Envoldsen-Harris
Print Collective: Screenprinting Techniques and Projects by Jenny Doh
Doodle Stitching: Embroidery and Beyond by Aimee Ray
Paper Blooms: 25 Extraordinary Flowers to Make for Weddings, Celebrations & More by Jeffery Rudell
Stamp It! DIY Printing With Handmade Stamps by Jenny Doh
Book Play: Creative Adventures in Handmade Books by Margaret Cogswell
Adventures in Pompom Land by Myko Diann Bocek
Sweet and Simple Jewelry by Aimee Ray
Wee Felt Worlds by Amanda Carestio
Paper Pups by Hiroshi Hayakawa
Creative Lettering: Techniques & Tips From Top Artists by Jenny Doh
Stuffed Animals: From Concept to Construction by Abigail Glassenberg
Flip Dolls & Other Toys That Zip, Stack, Hide, Grab & Go by Laura Wilson
Printing on Fabric: Techniques With Screens, Stencils, Inks & Dyes by Jen Swearington
Journal Your Way: Designing and Using Handmade Books by Gwen Diehn


** How to enter the giveaway **

• Please leave a comment on this blog post. (One entry per person, please.) If you'd like, tell us which titles on this list look most appealing to you.
• Make sure to include an email address if it's not included in your Blogger profile.
• This giveaway is open until December 13 at 5 p.m. PST, at which point we will choose a random winner and will contact them by email.
• This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only, apologies to our international friends.
• Void where prohibited.

This giveaway is now closed. Thank you to everyone who entered! Congratulations to our winner, wobblybobbin!

Thanks for visiting Stumbles & Stitches! You can also find us on Facebook.

And before you leave, I'd like to plug a brand new book that will be released in February 2014. Shameless promotion! I am excited to have 2 projects featured in this book, including one on the cover! It's called Never Been Stitched: 45 No-Sew & Low-Sew Projects, edited by the lovely and talented Amanda Carestio for Lark Crafts. And you can pre-order it now!


Don't forget to swing by Sew Mama Sew to check out all the amazing giveaways happening this week!

New Year's Giveaway!

Happy New Year!!

I hope you're all well on this first day of the year. I'm so excited to get back to the blog with a huge giveaway!!

My entire family has been sick since the beginning of Christmas break, so our holidays have been extremely low-key. This means, however, that I had time to clean up, organize and purge. I went through my entire fabric stash a few days ago and decided to be ruthless. I filled an entire garbage bag with miscellaneous fabrics I hadn't used or thought of using in over a year. The bag is going to my teenage neighbor who is currently learning how to sew!




When purging, I also took out several cuts of designer fabrics, and decided to give them away! See above, these are all gorgeous prints and I hope they will go to someone who loves them as much as I do!! Since I was planning a big giveaway, I also decided to throw in some books! Lark Crafts generously sends us books to review on a regular basis and I have so many, it's time to share!

Artful Halloween: Book Review and Giveaway

Hello there!

It's already October 10, how is that even possible? I thought I was getting started early on Halloween costumes this year, but I have a feeling I'll be scrambling once again, ha! I'll be sharing our costume progress so far tomorrow. In the meantime, I wanted to tell you about a new Halloween book that Lark Crafts sent me for review.




Artful Halloween: 31 Frightfully Elegant Projects by Susan Wasinger is pretty awesome as far as holiday craft books go. Lark Crafts has proven to do an excellent job in the holiday category, with gems like Fa La La La Felt and Pretty in Patchwork: Holidays. Fresh off the presses, Artful Halloween belongs in the same basket, featuring a beautiful layout and a solid offering of craft projects that are creative, aesthetic and more importantly, not cheesy (which matters a lot to me, when holiday decorating is concerned!).




I already loved Susan Wasinger's work in her books Eco-Craft and Sewn By Hand (also published by Lark). Artful Halloween will surely become my go-to craft resource for October in years to come. Wasinger offers a variety of spooky projects to decorate outside as well as inside the home, along with ten pumpkin-decorating ideas! Some projects are very quick, some are a bit more involved, and most use craft supplies you already have on-hand or can easily find at your local craft store. Love that!

But instead of gushing on and on, let me show you a few examples of why I think this Halloween book kicks butt. And keep scrolling down to see a project I made from the book as well as a giveaway!!

Christmas in July: Fat Quarter Shop Giveaway!

Well, it's officially August, but we have one last and awesome Christmas in July giveaway for you all!

This week, our sponsor Fat Quarter Shop is giving away a layer cake of Christmas fabric to a lucky Stumbles & Stitches reader. The winner will get to choose one layer cake from the following collections: Dear Mr. Claus by Cosmo Cricket, Joy by Kate Spain, or Blitzen by BasicGrey! (Value: $39)








You can find yardage and pre-cuts from all these beautiful collections and much, much more in Fat Quarter Shop's holiday store: the Christmas Cloth Store! Sewing up something Christmas-y? You'll find all the fabric you could possibly need there. The amount and variety of fabric in stock is amazing!


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In addition, our friends at Lark Crafts are giving away TWO holiday books to the same lucky winner: the new publication Pretty in Patchwork: Holidays by John Q. Adams and the adorable Heart-Felt Holidays by Kathy Sheldon and Amanda Carestio. (Value: $34.90)




These are two wonderful books, filled with a multitude of projects and patterns for Christmas, Thanksgiving and other holidays. Tons of inspiration!

Thank you so much to Fat Quarter Shop and Lark Crafts for sponsoring our Christmas in July series with this wonderful giveaway.


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How To Enter:

For a chance to win, simply leave a comment on this post! If you'd like, tell us which layer cake you would choose and what you'd make with it.

Please make sure to include a link or email address in your comment so we can contact you if you win. This giveaway is open until Sunday, August 5 at midnight CST. Everyone is welcome to enter.

We will draw the winner randomly on Monday, August 6. We'll announce the winner here and contact them via email. One entry per person, please! (Total giveaway value: $73.90 USD, void where prohibited.)

Good luck!

This giveaway is now closed. Thank you to everyone who participated. Congratulations to Deb, our very last commenter, who is the randomly drawn winner!


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You can find Fat Quarter Shop online here: shop / Christmas Cloth Store / blog / Facebook / Pinterest.

You can find Lark Crafts online here: website / bookstore / Facebook / Twitter.

If you're new to Stumbles & Stitches, welcome! We hope you'll stick around, browse and subscribe. You can find all our social media links in the sidebar to the right!

We have a few things left to share to close out our Christmas in July series, so stick around. You can also check out the tutorials, free downloads and inspiration that have been posted so far by clicking the image below.

Christmas in July: Giveaway from Felt On The Fly!

Hello everyone! I hope you've had a great week. Not sure how my oldest starts school in exactly ONE WEEK, but there you go. This summer has flown by!

I have an exciting Christmas in July giveaway to announce: our brand new sponsor Felt on the Fly is giving away one of their fabulous holiday color stories to one lucky winner! That is 5 sheets of luxurious wool felt in a beautiful combination of colors.

The winner can choose between Holiday Brights (left) and Blossom (right). Each set includes 5 sheets of 8 by 10 inch, 100% merino wool felt, 1mm thick (1/16").



This lucky winner will also receive a copy of the wonderful holiday book Fa La La La Felt by Amanda Carestio, courtesy of Lark Crafts! This book is a favorite around Stumbles & Stitches, and full of perfect projects to craft with the beautiful wool felt from Felt on the Fly.



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How To Enter:

For a chance to win, simply leave a comment on this post! If you'd like, tell us which Felt on the Fly color story you would pick and what you'd make with it.

Please make sure to include a link or email address in your comment so we can contact you if you win. This giveaway is open until Sunday, July 29 at midnight CST. Giveaway is open to all our readers!

We will draw the winner randomly on Monday, July 30. We'll announce the winner here and contact them via email. One entry per person, please! (Giveaway value: $29.95. Void where prohibited.)

Good luck!

This giveaway is now closed. Thank you to everyone who participated! Congratulations to our lucky winner JoyceLM, check your email!


* * *
You can find Felt on the Fly online here: shop / blog / Facebook / Pinterest.

You can find Lark Crafts online here: website / bookstore / Facebook / Twitter.

If you're new to Stumbles & Stitches, welcome! We hope you'll stick around, browse and subscribe. You can find all our social media links in the sidebar to the right!

We have much more in store for Christmas in July: tutorials, inspiration and another big giveaway! We hope you'll come visit.

Christmas in July: Alewives Fabric Giveaway!

Hello everyone! Are you ready for our first giveaway for Christmas in July 2012?

Alewives Fabrics has done it again. Rhea and her team always come up with gorgeous giveaway bundles. This is the second year in a row that they've offered a custom holiday fat quarter bundle to our readers during Christmas in July!


 
Ardeth's Christmas Fat Quarter Bundle

This is from Rhea, I love the description she wrote:

Alewives Fabrics is pleased to be giving away to one lucky Stumbles & Stitches reader one of our brand new "Ardeth's Christmas" fat quarter bundles. Named after my step-grandmother who had THE most spectacular collection of vintage 50's and 60's Christmas ornaments I have ever seen, this bundle of 10 different fat quarters (all in quilting weight cotton) features sweet prints of deer, snowmen, holiday text and more. The colors are delightfully kitschy, yet modern at the same time! Happy tones of red, green, turquoise, ivory and just a touch of brown. Ardeth (also a fabulous quilter) would definitely have approved!

This lovely bundle has a retail value of $29.95. Thank you so much to Rhea and Alewives Fabrics for this awesome holiday giveaway!

(And if you can't wait for the giveaway draw to own one of these fat quarter bundles yourself, Rhea made up extra bundles just for you! They're listed in the Alewives shop right here. They're also expecting Aneela Hooey's adorable Christmas collection any day now!)

* * *
How To Enter:

For a chance to win, simply leave a comment on this post! If you'd like, tell us what you would make with Ardeth's Christmas bundle.

Please make sure to include a link or email address in your comment so we can contact you if you win. This giveaway is open until Sunday, July 22 at midnight CST. U.S. residents only please, apologies to our international friends! This giveaway is now open to everyone! International entries welcome.

We will draw the winner randomly on Monday, July 23. We'll announce the winner here and contact them via email. One entry per person, please! (Void where prohibited.)

Good luck!

This giveaway is now closed. Thank you to everyone who participated. Congratulations to our lucky winner cherylj (#43)! Check your email inbox...


* * *
You can find Alewives Fabrics online here: shop / blog / Facebook / Twitter.

If you're new to Stumbles & Stitches, welcome! We hope you'll stick around, browse and subscribe. You can find all our social media links in the sidebar to the right!

We have much more in store for Christmas in July: free downloads, tutorials, inspiration and giveaways! We hope you'll come visit.

Mod Podge Rocks! Giveaway: 12 more hours!

If you didn't get a chance to enter the awesome giveaway for the Mod Podge Rocks! book and prize package, there's still time! We're extending the deadline to 12:00 Midnight CST, tonight (July 16, 2012)! Go enter the giveaway here.

And for all of you that got your name in before now, thank you! Here's a little free download (PDF) from the book Mod Podge Rocks! by Amy Anderson to kick off our Christmas in July series. Thank you to Lark Crafts for sharing this project with us!

Cheery Recycled Gift Tags PDF

Check back here though the end of July for more projects, free downloads, links and fantastic giveaways, all focused on gift giving and holiday decorating!

Mod Podge Rocks: Giveaway!!

Hello friends! Today we're hosting a super giveaway courtesy of Lark Crafts and Plaid!

As you may have seen around the blogosphere, Amy Anderson, the crafty lady behind the popular blog Mod Podge Rocks, has just authored a brand new book.




Mod Podge Rocks!: Decoupage Your World is a collection of 40 simple and inexpensive decoupage projects designed by Amy as well as other well-known folks in the crafting world. There are accessories, wearables, jewelry and even holiday projects. Some are shabby chic, some are modern, there are a lot of styles and inspiration, as well as instructions and techniques for using Mod Podge on various surfaces for fabulous results.




(Did you know Mod Podge has been around for 45 years?! We didn't!)

Here are some of our favorite projects in the book:












I love that step-stool!

Angel and I were lucky to receive some Mod Podge along with our review copies of the book (thank you Lark Crafts!) and we've been playing around with some projects. We can't wait to show you and hope you come back tomorrow to see...

In the meantime, check out what's up for grabs in this fabulous Mod Podge Rocks giveaway!

Giveaway

One lucky winner will receive a copy of the Mod Podge Rocks! book along with an array of Mod Podge supplies including t-shirt, tote bag, collage paper, and an awesome variety of Mod Podge glues and products to try out all sorts of decoupage projects! (See photo below for all items included. There's stuff in the tote bag too!)




A second winner will receive a copy of the book!

How To Enter

For a chance to win either prize, simply leave a comment on this post! If you'd like, tell us the first thing you've ever Mod Podged -- or thought of Mod Podge-ing.

Please make sure and include a link or email address in your comment so we can contact you if you win. This giveaway is open until Sunday July 15, at midnight PST. U.S. residents only please, apologies to our international friends!

We will draw the two winners randomly on Monday July 16. We'll announce them here and contact them via email. One entry per person, please. (Void where prohibited)

Good luck everyone! And huge thanks to Lark Crafts for sharing all these goodies!

This giveaway is now closed. Thank you to everyone who participated! Congratulations to our winners Aubrey (#10) and Promise (#74). Check your email for a note from us!

You can find Mod Podge Rocks online here: blog / Facebook / Twitter / Pinterest.

If you're new to Stumbles & Stitches, welcome! We hope you'll stick around, browse and subscribe. You can find all our social media links in the sidebar to the right!

Giveaway Day: Stash Happy Trio and more!

Happy Monday!

It's Giveaway Day on Sew Mama Sew! and Stumbles & Stitches is participating by giving away books, fabric and felt to one very lucky winner!!




First, our friends at Lark Crafts are being super generous and giving away the whole Stash Happy collection! That is a trio of lovely books, perfect for using up your stash and creating super fun projects.




The winner will receive the following 3 books courtesy of Lark Crafts:

• Stash Happy: Applique by Cynthia Shaffer (Check out our review coming up soon!)
• Stash Happy: Patchwork by Cynthia Shaffer
• Stash Happy: Felt by Amanda Carestio

And to sweeten the pot (and your stash!), we're throwing in some fabric and felt!

The winner will receive an assortment of large fabric scraps, ranging from roughly 5 x 10 inches to a few full fat quarters, lovingly cut from our stash! They are perfect to make many of the Stash Happy projects and include prints from the Echo collection by Lotta Landsdotter, Quilt Blocks by Ellen Luckett Baker, some Botanika, some Denyse Schmidt and more (also 2 small scraps of Kokka linen robots -- too cute not to include!).






The winner will also receive 7 pieces of wool-blend felt (30% wool, 70% rayon) in a range of colors.




See the details below for a chance to win this fabulous Stash Happy package!

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How to enter: 

For a chance to win this prize, simply write us a comment. If you'd like, tell us about a successful project you made with scraps or your favorite way(s) to use up your stash.

This giveaway is open to everyone. If you're a no-reply blogger, please make sure and leave an email address in your comment so we can contact you if you win.

We'll keep comments open until Friday, May 25 at 5 p.m. PST. We'll choose a random winner, will announce the name here, and will email this lucky person by Sunday, May 27. (Total value $75. Void where prohibited.)

Comments are now closed, thank you to everyone who participated!

Our lucky winner is Jeannette. Congratulations! We'll be emailing you shortly.

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A huge thank you to Lark Crafts for this awesome giveaway, and to Sew Mama Sew for organizing Giveaway Day! Make sure and go check out all the lovely people giving away supplies and handmade goodness all over the blogosphere.

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If you're new to Stumbles & Stitches, a very warm welcome to you! We are so glad you're here! We hope you'll stick around, subscribe and connect with us:

Facebook  ~  Twitter  ~  Flickr  ~  Pinterest [Angel/Jenny]  ~  Etsy [Angel/Jenny]

Good luck to everyone entering the giveaway!

Pretty in Patchwork Doll Quilts: Book Review and Giveaway

Dear readers, today I'm excited to share my thoughts on the book Pretty in Patchwork: Doll Quilts which Lark Crafts sent me for review a couple of months ago. Lark Crafts is generously giving away a copy of the book to a lucky reader, and Angel and I are throwing in some fabric to make your own patchwork projects, so read on!


Pretty in Patchwork is a new series by Lark Crafts. In this book, Cathy Gaubert leads a group of 20 top designers who contribute an array of patterns for doll quilts featuring applique, piecing, embroidery and more. Doll quilts are the perfect size to try out new techniques and quilt designs without the commitment of a full size quilt. The quilts featured in this book would look great as works of art on a wall.

Hooray for 1000! (A Celebratory Giveaway, for YOU!)

Dear readers, Stumbles & Stitches reached a lofty goal this past weekend: we surpassed 1000 fans on our Facebook page. What a perfect excuse to have a giveaway! Seems like it's been a while since we've thanked all of you for your support, inspiration, collaboration and friendship.

Jenny and I have cooked up a nice little giveaway thanks to wonderful friends and sponsors. One lucky winner will receive 5 awesome prizes.

Sponsor Giveaway: Fat Quarter Shop

It's giveaway day on Sew Mama Sew and we are participating with a very generous giveaway by our sponsor Fat Quarter Shop: a $50 gift certificate! That's right! That is $50 to spend on beautiful fabrics, patterns and more.


How to enter: For a chance to win this fabulous prize, simply write us a comment. If you'd like, tell us about the best handmade gift you've ever received or your favorite handmade item to have ever given. One entry per person, please.

Please make sure and leave an email address so we can contact you if you win. We'll keep comments open until Friday, December 16 at 5 p.m. PST. We'll choose a random winner, will announce the name here, and will email this lucky person. (Void where prohibited.)

This giveaway is now closed. Thank you to everyone who participated! The lucky winner is Maya of redzshadow. Congratulations, Maya! We've sent you an email.

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If you're new to Stumbles & Stitches, a very warm welcome! We are so glad you're here! We hope you'll stick around, browse a little and subscribe. You can also find us on Facebook and Twitter. And let's not forget Flickr and Pinterest.

A huge thank you to Fat Quarter Shop for this awesome giveaway, and to Sew Mama Sew for organizing giveaway day! Make sure and go check out all the lovely people giving away supplies and handmade goodness all over the blogosphere.



Pssst... For giveaway day, I'm also having my first giveaway of a Jenny Bartoy original! Go check out the details and enter the giveaway here for a chance to win one of my Wonky Stripe Christmas Table Runner, or a custom Wonky Stripe Table Runner -- your choice!

100 Pretty Little Projects: Book Review and Giveaway

How is it Thursday already? AAH! Slow down the countdown to Christmas puh-lease! Anyone else freaking out that it's less than 3 weeks until the big day? I did complete a Christmas gift yesterday, but more on that in a second.

A couple of months ago, our friends at Lark Crafts sent us the book 100 Pretty Little Projects to check out. I am excited to share my review with you guys today and show you the fun project I made from it. If you'd like a copy of 100 Pretty Little Projects for yourself, make sure and enter the giveaway at the end of this post for a chance to win one!



100 Pretty Little Projects
Pincushions, Potholders, Purses, Pillows & More

100 Pretty Little Projects is a compilation of favorite projects from the popular Pretty Little series. It features cute and practical projects from fabulous designers and crafty bloggers including adorable pincushions, coasters, patchwork potholders, doll quilts, pretty pillows, trendy clutches and much, much more. The book is organized in four loose categories: Enjoy, Use, Hold and Give.