$4500 New Business Giveaway!

If you have always dreamed of starting a new business or if your current business is in need of some assistance DESIGNHER BRANDS and friends are offering $4,500 worth of prizes to ONE LUCKY WINNER to help you get there.
The winner gets EVERYTHING listed below. Link to enter is below.
Its FREE and EASY to enter and there's no purchase required.

A website design of your choice from Avalon Rose worth at least $400

• A SEO package from Designher Brands worth over $400
• A $100 gift certificate to Brave Girls Club
• Three life coaching sessions from Here to There
• $50 to spend at The Crystal Cottage Boutique
• A fine art print {mailed to your doorstep!} from Everyday is a Holiday
• A giant handmade cork board from For the Love of Junk {mailed to your doorstep!} in an antique frame
• $50 to spend at Lavender Fields
• A custom piece of altered art {mailed right to your doorstep!} from Upcycled Soul
• A FREE Gilded Girls Stash Society box from A Gilded Life {mailed right to your doorstep!}
• $60 to spend at AJ Bloom
• $75 to spend at Bella Rennie
• A FREE Goodie Box {mailed right to your door!} including: a red velvet flower brooch, pin with a jeweled center, a black ribbon rose necklace on a velvet cord accented with black feathers, a cluster of Caroline Alexander ribbon rose brooches (in lime, tobacco and putty), an upcycled ruffled denim flower pin, a black wristlet handbag with a sequined bracelet carry and a felted red rose pin from Caroline Alexander
• Six FREE exclusive Quilt patterns from For the Love Designs
• FREE professional stock images to use on your blog from Jennifer Wolsey
• $40 worth of customizable monogram notecards from JWD Boutique
• $50 to spend at Mary Not Martha
• $50 to spend at Pansy Cottage & Garden
• FREE Master Pattern Collection from Snazziedrawers-bunches of boutique kids patterns

FREE ADVERTISING:

• in Romantic Homes Magazine Pink Pages
• in Stampington & Company Artisan Avenue
• on Avalon Rose Market Square
• Sidebar at Jenny Doh's Crescendoh
• Sidebar at Adored Before
• in Belle Inspirationmagazine

AND

• SIX FREE MONTHS at Shabby Lane Shops online boutique shopping mall

Custom, handmade jewelry from

• An Eras Ambiance
• Bittersweet Ridge
• Calico Juno
• La Vie Charmante

• A FREE gift bag from Julee Ireland worth over $100
• A FREE custom designed crown from Blooming Hairlooms
• TWO FREE NY TIMES BESTSELLING BOOKS signed by authors Debbie Macomber, Christina Skye and Susan Mallery

RULES FOR ENTRY ARE HERE

G O O D   L U C K to all!

How Martha Stewart Does Christmas

 Okay.
I confess.


I am a huge nut for Christmas.  I love the smells, the sounds, the music, and the aura of good cheer that seems to touch even the coldest heart.   I love giving gifts that I have made with love and care.  I love seeing the smiles when the color or texture is just right.


Right now my Christmas planning is in full swing, filled with crafty projects for everyone on my list.


To fuel my inspiration, do I head to a store?  Pick up a trendy magazine?  Watch Project Runway?


No way. 
I comb Etsy.  I devour Ravelry.  I confer with my very crafty friends.


And then I turn to the queen of crafts Herself.  There is no arguing about this;  nobody does Christmas better than Martha Stewart.  These projects from her site make perfect do-it-yourself projects for all of you creative, crafty readers. 


So go find your yarn.  Get out your thread and glue guns.
Enjoy!


And stay tuned for my Top 10 holiday handmade gift list, complete with tutorials, prices and where to buy all the materials.  It's a great way to cut your holiday stress in half.


Coming next week!

Sweater Stockings

Pretty Paper Wreath

Gingerbread Cookie Cutter Gift Toppers

The Reviews Are Coming In!

I am excited to announce that I have a new book coming out this month! A Home by the Sea will be released on October 18th. I just received this first review of it and I am over the moon!  

Check out what Romance Junkies Reviewer: Michele Rioli had to say:

Life isn’t always fair, and Grace just found that out. Grace Lindstrom, a cute woman with an alluring sparkle, is slowly picking up the pieces of her life. She has a job she loves, where she researches food that takes her to exotic locales. She hasn’t seen her fiancé, friends or grandfather in a long while with her hectic life, and she misses them dearly. Life deals her a double whammy when her fiancé, a UN negotiator, is killed in a plane crash. Then later, she finds out from a couple different sources that he was a cheating scoundrel. Her heart is shattered into a million pieces. He is a rat, but she still mourns his death. Will she be able to trust a man again or even open her hurting heart to love?

Fate blows in a humdinger of a man, top-secret bomb disposal expert Noah McKay, who is a striking, mysterious man with a sincere heart and immense patience. It is a stroke of good luck one cold blustery night when Noah makes the acquaintance of Grace. He has yearned for a woman just like her to complete his life. Only one thing stops him from getting too close to a woman and that is his profession. He never completely divulges to anyone the details of his job, afraid of their reactions to it and since it is top security, he is not allowed to talk about it at all. Will this girl be the one to accept him for who he is and what he does?

Noah’s family worries about him all of the time. His brother who was in the same profession wasn’t so lucky. The whole family was devastated when he died, especially Noah’s mom. She is still trying to cope with the loss of her son, and it hasn’t been easy. Family means everything to Noah, and he loves his parents.

The winds of life blow in unexpected directions and unfortunately separate Noah and Grace. Grace’s grandfather has a serious accident that takes her back home to Oregon, the sleepy little town by the sea where she grew up. Grace looks forward to meeting her good friends from back home in addition to taking care of her grandpa. Unbeknownst to Grace, her friends from back home have many surprises in store for her, which include good company, good food and a hearty good laugh. In addition, Noah is working with his bomb disposal team on a dangerous assignment that is keeping him very busy for an extended period of time. Was the time that Noah and Grace spent together enough to make them realize how much they complete one another?

A HOME BY THE SEA is an achingly beautiful novel of deep emotions, secrets, close friendships and love. Destiny brings Noah and Grace together on a windy, winter night and then when fate unexpectedly tears them apart, their attraction and love for one another is tested. Christina Skye expertly delivers a true testament to friendship in the raw - the giving, laughing, listening, helping, caring and crying that real friends do together. If you are careful, you can hear your own laughter with your best friends echoing through the pages. I loved how the author takes the reader on a sweeping journey through betrayal, lost loves, deep family emotions, honest-to-goodness friendships and learning how to forgive and forget. Ms. Skye teaches that there are more blessings wrought from change than anyone realizes. One thing I love about Ms. Skye’s books is her beautiful endings, and this book did not disappoint. This novel delves deeply into friendship and family. I only touched the surface of all that happens in this epic love story so I recommend that you buy it! A HOME BY THE SEA delivers an emotional punch to the heart with its sharp plot and vivid romance. 

This book is hard to put-downable!

RELEASE DATE: 10-18-2011

CLICK HERE to BUY THE BOOK!

Right Now I'm...

Photo by Maren Vestol

Sharing. It's a nice thing to do.
Grabbed this fun idea from Melissa at Designher Brands. PASS IT ON!

Right now, I’m:

Wearing--
My favorite knit jeans, my oldest tee and a scarf I knit 5 years ago.
A bracelet with charms hand made by a great friend.
Bare feet. Comfort clothes of the best sort.


Drinking --
Earl Grey tea with a slice of Meyer lemon from my backyard tree


Listening To--
My cat meow, reminding me it's time to go out in the courtyard for grass. Reminding me I need to take a break in bare feet. Reminding me to breathe.


Wondering--
How many more rows until I finish my next knitted shawl


Wishing--
I could knit faster like Caroline!


Thinking--
I am soooo glad that summer 's heat is almost over


Feeling--
Glad, inspired, very thankful to have good yarn, good friends and stories to tell


Hoping--
That I can finish a chapter before I take my cat outside!


Planning on--
Kale and broccoli salad for dinner. Sesame tahini dressing. (recipe
coming!) Deviled eggs too. The kind my mother made better than anyone else could...


Aggravated by--
Not much, for once!
A very good day.


Most passionate about--
The next scene I am about to write.
LOVE these crazy characters. How do they make such a mess of their lives?
Hey, don't look at me!


Wanting--
Chocolate.
But not giving in. Not.
Giving.
In.
Yet....


Dreaming Of--
A song by the Gipsy Kings
Can't remember the title
But very lovely.


Wishing I was--
Eating macarons in Paris.
Sipping a cafe creme.
In a little shop overlooking Notre Dame, on my way to the Louvre....


Trying to--
Focus on now.
On the soft fur pressing against my feet.
On the pinkish gold afternoon light so beautiful I want to spin it into miles of yarn.
On the steam swirling gently from my tea cup.


Most thankful for--
All the above, including the little cat who almost died 6 months ago.
Who is now happy and soft, wanting to go out to play.


Giving up on--
"Should, must, need, can't"


Thinking--
All is well.
All is well.
All is well.


And now I'm almost able to hear the church bells chime over the old tiled roofs above
the Seine....

I'd love to see your answers.  Curl up with a cup of coffee and give them some thought. When you're through, post a link to your blog with your own answers to these fun questions!

Photo by Jennifer Wolsey

Paris Nights Wristlets

By Christina Skye

Copyright 2010

You never forget the first time you saw Paris…

You don’t forget the smell of baking bread or the restless pattern of the chestnut trees on the gravel in the Tuileries Gardens.

With the sun on your shoulder, you lean out over the weathered stones of the Point Neuf and watch the silver line of the Seine snaking past a thousand years of memories.

My gloves aren’t black or even French blue. The yarn didn’t come from Paris, but this sinfully soft muted merino makes me think of the night sky glowing over the Seine in the moments just before dawn when the air softens and the city is hushed with unspoken potential. You never forget that rich silver-gray light.  You never forget the dreams you had there.



These wristlets are soft and practical, guaranteed to make you feel elegant ~ even if you’ve been walking hand in hand for hours. 

And like Paris these have great lines.

Their color is effortlessly classic and always chic. Don’t ever expect it to go out of style! Enjoy them with a glass of champagne and a chocolate macaron or two. And remember the first time you saw the Seine at dawn…

Using worsted weight yarn and size 7 needles, cast on 33 stitches using the cast on of your choice. Leave a 12” tail for hemming later.

Row 1. (RS)

*(K3 ,P3)* across. End K3.

Row 2 and all odd rows.(WS)

*(P3, K3)* across. End P3.

Row 3.

*(K3, P3, Yo, K3tog, Yo, P3)* across. End K3

Row 4. Repeat row 1.

Lace rib pattern--repeat rows 1 to 4.

Continue in lace rib pattern for desired length. Suggested length in my sample is 7"  {fairly long, but mileage may vary! Make it your own.}

Bind off on right side in ribbing on a pattern row 2, leaving a 15-inch tail for sewing up the seam. Note: go up a needle size for a loose bind off.

Make 2.

Right and left hands are the same.

Yes, really.  Watch and see.

Sew up seam loosely so the rib is not pulled out of shape. How?  Turn wristlet with right sides out and fold vertically, matching the sides. Mark thumb hole on your hand using a hair clip or sewing pin. {Plastic, spring-loaded orchid clips work perfectly here. See the picture for how well they work.  Check your local garden or home supply store.  They come in all colors and sizes.  Really.  Who knew?}

But back to the seams.  With the right side facing you and the insides touching {not turned over, as in an interior seam} sew in a seam one stitch from the knitted edge, using matching yarn and a blunt darning needle.  Start at the bottom and stitch through both layers. {mattress stitch}. This makes a slightly raised rib, which nicely picks up the pattern.

Continue sewing until you reach the bottom of the thumb hole, which you marked with your orchid clip. Break yarn, leaving 8 inches to weave in. Sew the top of your seam in the same way above the thumb hole, leaving another 8 inches of yarn. Sew securely in place and then weave in all ends.

Wear with elan and enjoy your toasty hands.

And when you’re finished with your masterpiece ~ send me a picture for my wristlet gallery! Don't forget a link back to your shop! scarfaholic@gmail.com

For tutorials about various cast on styles and all common knitting stitches, see http://knittinghelp.com/videos/knitting-glossary  This is an excellent and immensely helpful site for all knitters!


This pattern is copyright 2010 by Christina Skye. Please feel free to use it for your own personal use and for gift-making. I must insist, however, that under penalty of law, this pattern not be resold in whole or in part and that it not, under any circumstances, to be used commercially. 

~Welcome~

Photo by Jennifer Wolsey