Annnnnd.....The Winner Is...

Hello!

Thank you very much to all of you who took part in my Christmas Card giveaway. I was really overwhelmed by your response, and would like to say thanks for taking the time to write such lovely things - and for helping me reach my FB target of 1000 in super quick time, I didn't expect that at all!!


Anyway, without further delay - onto the important bit!  Using the online Random Number Generator, I am pleased to tell you that the winner of the giveaway is....

...number 66, which is Made By Lolly!!!  If you would like to get in touch with your address details, which you can do by filling in the Contact Form here, I will be able to send you your prize which is a special set of five of my newest Christmas Cards; 'Christmas Kiss' - each card is hand titled and signed, and they are all wrapped in some brightly festive red paper ribbon and finished off with a tag (as you can see on the photograph at the top of the post)!

There's also another Special Little Something which will be included in the package of the edible variety.  I do so hope you will be pleased with your prize!

I wish I could have sent all of you some goodies, I really do - but thanks again to all who took part!  I'll be back again a bit later this week, with some hooky updates! 


Sending heaps of love, Julia x x x




** ps: for those of you who have spotted that there were 82 comments, and only 81 entered in the RNG, one of the comments had been deleted so wasn't counted. x

Giveaway Time!!

            

'Christmas Kiss'

Hello to you!

I know, I know...it's only October but I couldn't wait to share my newly completed Christmas Card design with you all.  Please feel free to leave now if you can't bear All Things Christmas this early (I totally understand)...or prepare to hang about and read on if you'd like to hear about a little giveaway I'm proposing!!

I thought it would be fun to celebrate getting 1000 likers on my Facebook Page - and I'm almost there, currently at 960 as I write this.  It never ceases to amaze me that people are both curious and supportive about what I do, and I thought it would be a nice gesture to have a little giveaway to say Thank You for that.

  

One of the reasons I'm hosting the giveaway here is that it also gives me an opportunity to thank all of you lovely souls who come via my blog to visit and keep in touch with me.  It's wonderful that you take the time to read and leave your comments, and if you're a silent visitor who reads and leaves quietly, I value you just as much as the ones who comment.  I want to say 'Thank You' because through FB and Blogging I have got to know some great people.  I know that online friendships are a bit Woo-Woo to some, but the fact I may not have met you in 'real life' doesn't matter ~ your presence on the internet is a fabulous thing and my life is brighter because of it.  

So how to take part!  

All you have to do is hop over to FB (find the link in the right side bar there) and 'Like' my art page - the quicker the number goes up, the quicker we'll have a winner!  Feel free to share about my giveaway on your blogs and FB pages too, as the more who take part the merrier.  TO BE INCLUDED IN THE DRAW (that's the super important bit) you need to leave me a comment below this post!

So what's in the giveaway?

Right, well that's the special bit.  As yet unreleased (I'm currently working on building my Sparkly Christmas Emporium for you), I will be gifting a pack of my brand new Christmas Cards 'Christmas Kiss' to the winner (as shown above), along with a secret treat that I know you will enjoy.

The cards are all created by hand here in my little riverside house.  They're printed using fine, light-fast inks onto archival matte art card, which is in turn mounted onto a white greetings card.  Each card will be hand titled and signed, and the pack wrapped in a cheerful red raffia ribbon with a tag.  It's a lovely gift to win and I hope you'll join in the fun and take part.

Sending you oodles of gratitude and love ~ good luck!

Julia x x x  

Embroider Me Happy

 

Hello!

Apologies for my absence in Blogland of late - it's been a while hasn't it?  I'm afraid I had a little disagreement with a hand blender (aka an Awful Accident) at the beginning of last week and ended up with a huge bandage which made it very difficult to type.  It took me an age to type an e-newsletter for the Being Creative Group and I just didn't have the juice to write a post!  You might be wondering what on earth happened, but I certainly don't want to upset those of you who might be reading this with a nice piece of cake and a cuppa...i'll just say I was Very Lucky I didn't lose an important finger whilst cooking something and leave the rest to your imaginations.  It's all healing nicely and yes, I also felt awfully silly for being so absent minded. 

Moving swiftly on.... 

Being one handed meant an abrupt end to crocheting.  This realisation made my heart sink as I was intent on finishing my Rainbow Bliss Scarf.  But if crocheting was impossible, then so was doing the dishes and I didn't mind about that part!!  Itching to create something though, I had a flash of an idea to set about making some Christmas gifts...and decided the sewing stuff could come out for a play.

A little jaunt to the haberdashery was had, and I came home with some lovely vintagey coloured embroidery threads.  My idea was to make some Lavender Pillows, and you can see my first effort at the top there.

I haven't done any embroidery work since...ooh, let me think...forever!! No, I did it as a young girl and used to spend hours working on cross stitch pieces too.  It proved to be a lovely distraction (as I stroked yarn and missed it dreadfully) and also very relaxing.  I could easily hold the embroidery hoop in my poorly hand and stitch with my right - oh yes, I was very lucky in that I didn't damage my Painting Hand!! Can you imagine if I'd done that??!  

My first design has been stolen by my daughter - she slept with it inside her pillowcase last night and went out like a light!  I ordered a little bag of French Lavender which has the most beautiful fresh and heavenly scent (my garden supplies were harvested but ended up looking rather magnificent in an ancient stone marmalade jar and it was unanimous that they should stay there, so they have - they're in my kitchen looking gloriously summery).

I'm looking forward to making some more of these, with plans for some seedhead designs and a request for a Peppa Pig one...I hope the recipients will be pleased with them!

Although we are still only in September, and it feels awfully early to be chattering away about Christmas gifts and the like, I'm afraid I have to get ahead of myself even though I don't naturally start to feel Christmassy until the very end of November.  There is so much to achieve it seems, and I have already begun work on one of this years card designs...want a peek?

I managed to sneak an hour of painting in this morning, despite it feeling very wrong to be painting Rudolph and snow as the sun cracks the pavements and we waft about in our summer clothes that we'd just packed away.  An Indian Summer is a lovely gift though isn't it?  A last taste of warmth; lazy golden days that give way to cool evenings and peach melba sunsets.  In a few weeks we will be trudging up to school in horizontal rain and tornado style winds that rush down the valley from the Pennines, so we are making the most of it whilst it lasts.

It's time for me to pick my little bean up from nursery now, so I will bid you farewell!  Thanks for dropping in to see me, I'm looking forward to properly catching up with you now that all my digits are back in working order!

Sending love
Julia x x x

ps - note to the Being Creative Project people ~ Gallery will be posted on 1st October, not 30th September as mentioned in the e-letter!

The Winner Is...

Hello Everyone!

My goodness - Before I announce the winner of my Gorgeous Christmassy Giveaway, I just want to say how wonderful all of your responses were - I was blown away by how many of you shared your Christmas moments here, and I enjoyed reading each and every one of them.

I noticed that the majority of us love lots of similar things about this time of year ~ twinkling tree lights, gathering with family and friends, remembering those no longer with us, carols and church services, and one that touched me especially was the comment from Nicole who had premature twins that were not expected to survive...they will be having their very first Christmas this year!  Stories like that bring home what it's all about, so thank you to each and every one of you for making this giveaway so very special.

Anyway...without any further rambling ~ I've just had a little visit to the Random Number Generator and typed in 106 - yes, 106 of you dropped in to take part - pressed the button...and the number that popped out was...

Number 4

Rachael, from Made With Love, you are my winner (big happy smiles!)

Will you drop me a line to tell me which print you would like ~ remember, you can choose from any of the ones on my Fine Art Prints page up to the value of £14.00.  I do hope you see something that you like!

For the rest of you who entered, thank you so much!

This week has seen the arrival of heaps of snow, the heaviest of which fell last night.  I reckon we have about 30cm or so, not to mention the knee high drifts!!  Needless to say, the Small One hasn't been to her school up the village - two reasons:  we couldn't make it, and she has a nasty chest infection complete with barking cough.  To keep her busy, we got to work doing Important Letter Writing...

We're working on the Good Girl part, as apparently nasty coughs create a new level of crabbiness not encountered before!!  

For some reason (it's probably to do with the snow and all your seasonal comments), Christmas spirit is creeping in quicker than usual.  At the weekend, we drove out to Castleton to show the Little One the Christmas trees.  It was bitterly cold, but you couldn't help be inspired by the beauty of Mam Tor covered with a gauze of fine snow, and the bright cheery lights of the trees.  We have visited this village since we were children, and it's a lovely thing to be able to share it with my own wee one...

...just starting to turn on the lights...

...the Three Roofs cafe, and Peveril Castle up on the hill...I love the silhouettes of those skeletal trees against the white sky, and the welcome twinkle of the warm white lights.

Just before I go, I want to tell you about a little offer I have especially for my Facebook Likers and my Blog Followers/Subscribers...you can choose a personalised, hand stamped message for free, when you purchase one of my A5 individual, signed Christmas cards.  Up to 30 letters, any wording you like!!  The stamp is a vintage typewriter style which I think looks lovely - I hope you agree!

You can click here to find out more.

I'm currently busy putting packs of cards together to mail out, so not much time to paint right now. However, I'm delighted at the responses I've had to them - these will continue to be available to order until the 15th December (for UK customers) and for overseas, today is the last date for orders (so I can meet my international post date of the 6th which should get them to you in plenty of time).

Well - if you're still reading, thank you!  Thank you also for stopping by, your visit here is very much appreciated.  I do hope you will drop by and say 'Hello' again soon, it's always a pleasure to see you here!

Sending huge scoops of love your way,

Keep warm

Julia x x x