The Raspberry Rabbits

Happy Friday - Winner!

2012-01-27T10:50:00.000-05:00

"Your attention please. We are ready to announce the winner of our 1000 followers and friends giveaway!"

"Oh boy! Who is it Hannah?"

"Congratulations to our friend Joy of Joy Patch! Joy lives in Australia and is a very talented quilt designer! In fact, mama has one of her bag patterns that she's had on her to do list for a while."

"Joy, please email us your address and Love Bunny will be on her way to you."

"I don't know about you Hannah, but I sure do feel loved with all of these followers and friends."
"Me too Harrington... me too."

Happy Friday!
xx, Harrington and Hannah

Work'in on it Wednesday

2012-01-25T08:15:00.000-05:00

Helloooooooo!

This week I have been at my drawing table for hours working on a new pattern. Since this year is all about wool and stitchery, I wanted a fun design for Spring that would allow you to make a folky wool penny style hanging or a folky stitchery hanging.

Here's a sneaky peeky.

Of course, yesterday afternoon I changed my mind on my floss colors and have decided I looooooove these together. So now it's time to get started making the samples. The pattern should be ready by the end of February if not sooner.

This is the fun hanger I chose! Isn't it sweet!?! It's only 6", so this will be a cute little project to welcome Spring. The hangers are available in my SHOP now.

Don't forget to register for our giveaway on the post below and don't forget about the Harrington and Hannah BOM (see the side bar picture).

So what are you work'in on this week?

xx, Michelle

1000 Followers and Friends Giveaway!

2012-01-23T09:41:00.000-05:00

Hellooooooooooo there! Happy first day of the Dragon Year! I would like to kick off this year with a giveaway to celebrate over 1000 Followers/Friends! When I started blogging in 2007, I never dreamed I would meet so many wonderful new friends! Woooooo hoooo!

I decided that I wanted to make my giveaway gift as you know I love handmade! My idea came from a little Dutch bunny. You see, when I was 6 years old, my parents took me, my brother and my sister to see some friends of theirs. When we arrived, there were lots of kids to play with. However, there was also a little black and white Dutch bunny. Her name was Love. While all the other kids went out to play, I stayed with Love the entire time. Thus began my "love" affair with bunnies.

So, I would like to introduce you to Love, the wool bunny folk art pillow! Love is my own design and my giveaway gift to you as you are so very loved by us!

To enter, just leave me a comment on this post. Of course, if you are signed up on the right as a Follower/Friend, you will get two chances! Harrington and Hannah will announce the winner Friday, January 27th in their weekly update. Please note...Blogger has been naughty on some sites and not allowing folks to leave a comment. If you encounter such a problem, please send me an email so I can enter you in the giveaway.

From the bottom of my heart, I thank you so very much for your friendship, encouragement and love!

xx, Michelle

Happy Friday with Harrington and Hannah

2012-01-20T10:38:00.000-05:00

Hello and Happy Friday!

Harrington and Hannah here with the notes from this week's company meeting!

First we're so happy that all of you are having fun with our Block of the Month! We sold out of wool kits and floss kits, but our new shipment will be in today if you want to order some!

Mama wanted you to note that if you purchased the wool kit from us, you have plenty of space to cut out all your Harrington's and Hannah's, but you need not be wasteful. Here's how her's looked on the piece of Sandstone wool. She said it's a good idea for you to go ahead and cut them all out ahead of time.

Now we would like to sent a big giant hug of thanks to Captain (mama's very close and dear friend, Michelle, who's a Captain in the US Navy. Mama calls her Captain cause she's so proud of her)!

She sent us this fun activity center! We have spent most of our week taking naps in it as mama can't see us being lazy in there!

Thanks so much Captain! We love it!

Next we want to show you what mama received from her dear friend, Jules of Adventures in Thread. Isn't this sooooooooo pretty?!? Jules' embroidery work is incredible as are all of her many, many talents. Thank you Jules!

Mama received this beautiful hexie mat and scissor fob from our dear friend Melody of The House on the Side of the Hill. Love them! The scissor fob is a locket and mama put our pictures in it!

Melody is also hosting a FREE BOM wool penny rug project! Hop over and check it out! Isn't this year so fun with all these wonderful wool projects!!

Finally, mama bought herself a new toy. She saved her pennies for quite a while to get it.

She said she needs to spend a lot of time this weekend reading this!!!

Please join us on Monday to celebrate the first day of the Dragon Year and our 1000 followers/friends Giveaway! Woo hoo!! We still can't believe all the friends we have made!

So have a fun weekend and we'll see you Monday!

Yep, see you Monday!

Happy Friday!
xx, Harrington and Hannah

Work'in on it Wednesday

2012-01-18T08:06:00.000-05:00

Hi there! How's your week going so far? Mine is super busy, but I'm having a great time! I'm soooooooo happy that you are loving the first block in the Harrington and Hannah BOM! Now I can't hardly wait to show you the February block! The bunnies and I send sincere and heartfelt thanks to all of you that have purchased floss, wool and fabric!

I'm starting again today with my Work'in on it Wednesday posts. Each Wednesday I'll show you something I'm work'in on and I hope to hear what you're work'in on too!

So this week, I want to show you my new Folk Art Fusion piece. It's called "Party Under the Pear Tree." The bunnies told me there will be lots of "hip hop" music. ;) hee,hee,hee.
I still have the stitching, quilting and binding to do, but I sure do love how this piece is looking so far. It's going to hang in my dining room.

As I mentioned a while back, I'm working on my first Folk Art Fusion book. I hope to have it ready in May. In it, I'll teach you how to do Folk Art Fusion. I know you will love it just as much as I do!

So, what are you work'in on this Wednesday?

xx, Michelle

The Adventures of Harrington and Hannah BOM

2012-01-15T00:00:00.002-05:00

Woo Hoo! I'm sooooooooooooo excited to have you joining me and the Bunnies on this creative adventure! Each month will be a different block featuring stitchery, wool applique and patchwork! The finished quilt will measure 46" x 58". Each block will have a folk art feel and will feature Harrington and Hannah doing something kind, giving, or in the spirit of friendship. The blocks will posted in our SHOP on the 15th of every month under free designs, and will remain there all year.

Let's get this party started! :)

This month, Harrington and Hannah gave a carrot to a new friend. They know that sharing with others warms the heart and spreads love around the world.

There are still some wool, fabric and floss kits available and we will be getting new shipments very soon.

We also want to thank you for following along with us on this blog. We see we are almost to 1000 friends! Hmmm....may have to have a giveaway on that one!

Hugs and Happy Stitching!
Michelle, Harrington and Hannah

Notes from Harrington and Hannah

2012-01-13T10:20:00.000-05:00

Hi there! Harrington and Hannah here. At our recent company meeting, Mama informed us that

in addition to keeping the employee break room clean, (ridiculous) we are now responsible for updating you with things going on here at The Raspberry Rabbits and with our friends.

So here's the updates for this week.

First, if you have not downloaded all your Free Stitchery Patterns for 12 of Hearts BOM, hop over and get them now. Mama is taking them down tomorrow evening and they will be gone, gone, gone.

Second, The Adventures of Harrington and Hannah FREE BOM will debut on Sunday! Pass the word. We're looking forward to having you stitch along with us! You can purchase the Wool Kit, the Floss Kit and the Fabric Kit in our SHOP. The patterns will be FREE!

Third, our good friends over at Heart of a Cowgirl would like you to visit and read about a fundraiser they are doing to support the Heartland Rabbit Rescue. There are lots of pretty things you can purchase and money will go to help lots of our bunny friends that are waiting for forever homes.

Is that all Harrington?

Yep Hannah, I think that's everything for this week.

Good, let's take a break.

Happy Friday!
Harrington and Hannah

Inspiration and coming full circle

2012-01-11T08:53:00.000-05:00

If you've been following my blog for awhile, you know I have changed my interior decor a bunch of times in the ten years I have lived in my home. The years I spent building new homes, added fuel to my decorating frenzy. I've had everything from Shabby Chic, to Victorian, to all white. What was always a conflict for me was the way I drew and designed my patterns and the way I decorated.

In November, I finally came full circle with all my decorating and soul searching. I found a dining room set that truly felt like me and was a perfect match to my quilts, stitchery and Folk Art Fusion. In my normal fashion, I sold my other dining set, saved some more pennies and purchased my new table. I decided to ignore trends, styles, friends opinions, HGTV and just go with what felt like home to me.

Here is my prior dining room set. Nice, but still a little frou frou.

Here is my new dining room set. It has a more warm, welcome and country feel. The ends slide out and I can fit 12 people around it. I love how my Folk Art Fusion "Peter and Peter the Pumkin Eaters" piece looks with it. I'm also proud to say it was made in America, not China.

I also found this old pie safe in an antique mall. I just knew it would be perfect in the corner and it is.

While visiting a friend before Christmas, I went into a country shop and found a bench. I knew it would be perfect for my mudroom.

Mudroom before.

Mudroom now.

My home and my design style are now a perfect compliment to each other and to me, a simple blue jeans and cowgirl boot kinda gal. I've been truly inspired to create and will have new patterns coming soon. I need a table runner, some pillows for the bench a new Folk Art Fusion piece, some stitcheries and mini quilts for the wall and a penny rug for the top of the pie safe. Of course, they will have bunnies. After all, I will always be the crazy bunny lady. hee,hee,hee.

So, I've come full circle with my decorating and returned to the warm, welcoming and relaxed style of Country decor. A perfect style for quilts, stitchery and wool projects to reside in. A perfect place for friends to feel at home. A perfect place for things made by hand.

I'm looking forward to sharing my new designs with you! Have a fun day!

xx, Michelle

BFF6 and New Valdani Color

2012-01-09T13:04:00.000-05:00

I think 2012 is going to be a year of designs using wool applique and stitching. I have lots of fun ideas on my drawing table. Now to make the samples and write the patterns so you can play too!

This is BFF6 (bundle of fun felt). I love these colors together. They have inspired a Spring design.

This is a new Valdani 3-Strand floss color I just got, M18 Iris Petals. Isn't it fabulous? Big ideas for this color so stay tuned.

The Harrington and Hannah kits have been flying off my shelf. I've sold over half already so if you want one, you may want to get it while the getting is good. I've ordered more supplies, but it will be a few weeks before they get to me and I can make up more kits. I'm soooooooooo thrilled that you are just as excited as me about this project! I did the happy bunny dance all weekend!

Hop over to the SHOP to check out the new BFF6, floss and the H and H kits.

Hugs and have a fun and creative day!
Michelle and the Bunnies

Harrington and Hannah BOM Kits

2012-01-06T00:00:00.000-05:00

"Hannah wake up! Mama wants us to talk about the kits for the Harrington and Hannah Block of the Month coming on January 15."

"She wants us to talk about it?"

"Yes. She wants us to say that each month will be a different block featuring you and me doing something kind, giving and in the spirit of friendship. There will be wool applique, stitching and patchwork. The designs will be FREE, but we have kits of

Valdani 3 Strand Floss

Wool Felt

and Cotton Fabric

available for purchase in our Shop now.

Here's a sneaky peeky of the first block before Mama did the stitching on it. Remember, it will be available on January 15th and then each new block will be released on the 15th of every month. Mama hopes we have lots of friends and followers stitching along with us. It's going to be a really fun quilt to make."

"Well Harrington, I think you did a great job explaining everything. Now that our work is done, let's just hang out here for the rest of the day."

xx, Harrington and Hannah

Gifts, Friends and a whole lotta fun!

2012-01-04T20:09:00.000-05:00

Well helloooooooooooo! How are ya? Happy New Year! Yeah, yeah, I said I would be back yesterday, but sometimes stuff get's in the way. Dag! I did have a total blast with my family. It was so wonderful to be together again after 9 years.

Lot's of you have emailed me asking when the Harrington and Hannah kits will go on sale. Well, they will be available in my SHOP this Friday! The first block will come out on the 15th, but the kits will be available Friday. I also have some shipping changes etc. that I'll tell you about on Friday. I want 2012 to be fabulous for all of us and I want us to have lots of fun! There is no signing up for the free patterns, but there will be a limited number of kits available.

Now, I would like to share a couple more gifties I received on Christmas Eve! Spoiled I am!

First is this incredible pillow from my friend Rebecca of Rebecca's Room. I have a little chair in my bedroom and this is now sitting there in a place of honor. I love it!!

Then this sweet little wallet came from my fellow designer friend, Cath of Willow Valley Store in Australia! (I'm going to Australia one day! I'm saving my pennies!!!)

It's soooooo perfect to hold all my necessities! I filled it up right away! Thanks Cath!

Then I received these from my dear friend Judy of Shade Tree Quilting!

They're cookie stamps!! Soooooooooo totally cool!

Of course, David now wants some cookies. I told him he ate too much naughty stuff over Christmas, so he will have to wait until Easter! hee,hee,hee.

Looooooooooooooove them all! Thank you so very much for making the end of 2011 so much fun!

See ya on Friday! Woo hoo!
xx, Michelle, Harrington and Hannah

Happy New Year!

2011-12-30T07:06:00.000-05:00

Wishing you a very happy and safe New Year!
My entire family is going to be together for the first time since 2002. So just wanted to let you know I'll be spending time with them. The bunnies and I will be back to visit with you on Tuesday.

Thanks so much for your friendship, kindness and hugs. We're looking forward to spending this new year with you and having lots of fun!

xx, Michelle, Harrington and Hannah

Report from Bunnyville

2011-12-27T20:25:00.000-05:00

"Hey Harrington, why's Mama working so hard?"

"Hannah, you know she's been getting ready for the Harrington and Hannah Block of the Month coming January 15th. She's been cutting fabrics, making kits, updating inventory and doing all that boring paperwork stuff she has to do. I'm just glad she's doing it and hasn't asked us to help."

"Well I'm not about to do any work. I have vacation time I'm using up."

"Me too. Hey, ya got anymore of those banana chips left over from the office Christmas party?"

Yes indeed, while the bunnies are busy using up their vacation time, I'm busy getting ready for the new year and all the fun we are going to have. I hope your Christmas was wonderful and I can hardly wait to show you the Harrington and Hannah BOM!!! I'm totally about to pop!!!

Hugs!
Michelle and the ~~slacker,~~ vacationing bunnies

My Wish for you.

2011-12-24T00:00:00.003-05:00

I found this on You Tube. This song by Rascal Flats, says everything I want to say to you. Merry Christmas and lots of Love!
Michelle and the Bunnies

Somebunny's been Spoiled!

2011-12-23T10:33:00.000-05:00

I believe somebunny has been very, very spoiled.

Yes, and it's not us Harrington!

Nope you two, it's me. Although you both have lots of goodies coming your way. But, I have been truly spoiled by friends with gifts and beautiful cards this year. I just have to show you!

First from on of my dearest bloggy friends, Donna of Brynwood Needleworks, came this fabulous, felted, fella! (try and say that 3 times fast, hee,hee,hee, I crack myself up)

Isn't he incredible?!? I love his sweet face! She had this bunny made for me by artist Linda Wonser. I looooooove him! He will sit on my desk in my office to remind me I better hop to it and don't dilly dalley!

Next, from my incredibly talented stitching assistant and friend, April in Alabama, came this! I decided to use it as an ornament on my tree and love it there! Thank you April!

Then, my friend Natasha, who is an incredible artist, painted this santa ornament and made a card featuring her horse. Natasha has lots of critters, including two bunnies!

My sweet friend, Gail, who makes the such sweet things, made these ornaments for me! Aren't they cute?!

My absolutely fun friend, Barb of Bejeweled Quilts by Barb, made this adorable Santa ornament and beautiful card. I hope I get to meet Barb in person soon!

Back in July, I was so excited to meet Susanne and her family, who were vacationing in the States from Denmark! They drove out of their way just to meet me and the bunnies! I was so honored and we had the best afternoon together! Susanne (no blog) sent me these wonderful gifts. The bunny is filled with cotton balls and you just pull them out and use them. Cute! Then she sent me some Christmas stamps from Denmark! I get so excited over mail from other countries!

This is a pin that was made for the stamp this year. Susanne told me that this is a special Danish Christmas elf (crawling pixie) who is made of cardboard and placed on bookshelves. The money raised from the sales of this stamp, help support children with weight problems. They go to a special home for 6-12 weeks and get help loosing the weight. Thanks so much Susanne! Hugs to you, the girls and Rune!

Then came a package from my dear friend Di and her cat (my niece) Miss Gracie. I was just telling David the other night that my hands were freezing as I worked on the computer and I wanted some of those hand warmer things. Well look what Di made! Hand warmers, a scarf and a hat! I put them on right away and was toasty warm working on the computer! Thanks Di! Perfect timing!

Di also gave me this beautiful piece. Made me cry as I thought of my sweet Sugar Bunny, who I lost in April and all the other bunny nieces and nephews that crossed over the bridge this year. I know they are safe and loved in the arms of angels.

Now I would like to share some of my most favorite cards I received.

This is my niece, Francesca whom we call, Frankie. She is as soft as a lamb and does the most hilarious things! She is always the center of attention everywhere she goes. Everyone loves her to pieces, including me!

This card came from my sweet bunny friend, Christina of Rabbit Tidbits. I've hung this on my vision board in Bunnyville to remind me of the person I strive to be.

This card came all the way from Scotland and was made by my poet friend, Juliet Wilson. Juliet is also an environmentalist and such an inspiration to me on ways to reduce, reuse and recycle. She made this card from old computer paper. I love it as it is a true reflection of Juliet.

My totally fun and funny friend, Jade of Zen of Bun, gave me the card above and the card below. The card below is my nephew, Mickey. He's such a handsome bun and I adore him as much as his mom! Jade has such an incredible sense of humor and sometimes I find it hard to leave comments on blogs after her as I'm laughing so hard!

This beautiful card was handmade by my friend Kristin Bonforte (no blog). I think it is absolutely gorgeous! My theme for this year is Peace on Earth, so this is so perfect.

And this card from my dear friend, Sharon of Corgis in my Garden, say's it all. It truly is the happiest season. A season filled with love, friendship, light and good wishes from everyone around the world. I am truly spoiled and incredibly blessed.

May you have a beautiful, happy and joyous Christmas, and may your day be filled with good food, long naps and lots of snuggles from those you love.

All our love,
Michelle, Harrington and Hannah

Hello Bunnies in my Tree

2011-12-21T00:00:00.001-05:00

I wanted to share some bunny ornaments with you. They make me smile and I hope they make you smile too.

These were handmade by my friend Annette.

These were handmade by my friend Natasha. They're paper!

My best friend, Beth, (no blog) and I swap ornaments every year. This is the one she gave me this year. Handmade from West Virginia.

This is one I bought at the show in November.

Finally, my tree topper. I've had this handmade bunny elf since 1993.

Hello bunnies on my tree! :)

Christmas Card Box Tutorial

2011-12-19T11:24:00.000-05:00

Helloooooooooo there! Did you have a good weekend? Are you ready for Christmas and all the fun festivities? I sure am!

For years I have been recycling some of the Christmas cards I've received into little gift boxes. When I worked in offices and the business received cards, I would make them into boxes for all my coworkers. I thought you might enjoy making some too so here we go!

First you need these supplies: Christmas cards (you can use other cards also), a ruler, a pencil, scissors, double stick tape and Starbucks.

Ok, so you really don't need a Starbucks Grande Breve Latte, but I'm totally addicted to them and they make me Merry! hee,hee,hee.

So back to the program. First you're going to cut your cards in half on the fold line.

Now, take your ruler and measure 1/2" in from the long edge of the card and draw a line. Repeat on the other edge.

Then on the short edge of the card, measure in 1 1/4" and draw a line. Repeat for the other side.

It will look like this.

Now take your scissors and cut this line just to the intersection.

Repeat for all four corners.

Next, apply a little piece of the double sided tape to the back of the flaps.

Fold the sides up using the pencil line as your fold line and tape the flaps to the inside of the short edge flap.

Then apply a little piece of tape between the two flaps.

Now fold the edge of the card down to cover the flaps. Repeat for the other side.

You'll repeat these steps for the other half of your card to make the top of the box.

Inserte the bottom of the box into the top and viola', you now have a Christmas card box! You can use them as decorations under little trees or add some ribbon or string and make them into a fun garland.

You can also use them as a pretty box for gift cards. When the recipient opens the box they can read the message inside. Fun!

Hope you enjoyed this little tutorial. This is a great craft project to do with the kiddo's too! They could add candy and give them as gifts to their friends. :)

They only took 10 years and Giveaway winner!

2011-12-16T08:49:00.000-05:00

David and I moved into our home December 4th 2001. It has only taken me ten years to make us some stockings for the mantel! Oye!

I'm pretty pleased with how they turned out. I even have a few surprises to put in David's! Sneaky, sneaky, sneaky! Shhhhh. ;)

And now a big congratulations to our friend, Sharon of Vrooman's Quilts! You are the winner of our final giveaway for 2011! Woo hoo! (I think I have your address Sharon, but send it to me anyway as I don't want your prize to get lost)

Don't forget to save the date for our next BOM "The Adventures of Harrington and Hannah!" It all starts January 15th!

If you like, you can take this image to share on your blog and pass the word to your friends. We're going to have so much fun I can hardly wait!

A tree filled with love and a wonderful gift

2011-12-14T00:00:00.000-05:00

I'll admit, I'm not one for traditions. I guess I'm more of a rule breaker and anything is possible, follow your heart, believe in your dreams, and oh just go for it kinda person. I get bored and like things to be different and new and fun! However, there is one thing that is a tradition for me...Christmas ornaments.

You see David and I have been together since 1989. Each year in September, we purchase a new ornament for our tree. An ornament to celebrate another year together. So to date, we have 22 ornaments. However this year, on September 21st, we celebrated our 20th wedding anniversay.

We always go to the store, purchase an ornament and then go out for dinner to celebrate. But this year, we got two ornaments!

First we got this Charlie Brown ornament. When you pull the string, the song "Christmas Time is Here" plays while the characters skate around. Fun! We both love that song and love Charlie Brown.

Then I spotted this ornament! Ok...yeah, yeah, the bunny got my attention, but then I saw "Love Grows" and it reminded me how love does grow over the years when you are married to your best friend. The love you knew when you dated and the love you know 22 years later is a love that has grown.

So then...I was hunting on ebay for ornaments for some friends and I found THIS!!
David and I were married in 1991 and this was the Hallmark keepsake ornament then! Hellooooooooo fabulous! Happy bunny dance! Isn't it perfect?!? I put a bid on it and won!

So yes, my tree is filled with lots of love and I'll share some more ornaments with you over the next week.

Finally, I want to show you a wonderful and thoughtful gift I received from my friend, Christine of Rabbit Tidbits. Christine is one of those people that I wish I lived close to. She too is a bunny mama and has had bunnies that have had special needs. She volunteers at a rabbit rescue and has a whole lot of love for these fuzzy creatures that touch our hearts.

Christine sent me this beautiful card and this fantabulous cookbook! This book was put together by the sweet folks at Heartland Rabbit Rescue to raise money for the bunnies that they help. It's all vegetarian recipes and hello...since I'm a vegetarian, it's perfect!

Thank you so much Christine! If you would like to give a gift of love this Christmas, you can always make a donation to folks that have lots of love in their hearts for fuzzy, little critters that can't speak for themselves. Click here to visit Heartland Rabbit Rescue. Tell them Christine sent you!

Stay tuned for more ornaments and don't forget to scroll down and register for our giveaway!

Many hugs and love to you! You bring joy to our world! (Thanks Madame Samm for the tag! She rocks!)

12 of Hearts the final block

2011-12-12T00:00:00.002-05:00

Woo hoo! We made it! I must say I have had a fun time with these little hearts! Did you?

Here's the final block in our project. Hop over to my SHOP and get the pattern.

Please note that all the patterns will be available until January 12th and then they will be gone, gone, gone for good! The Adventures of Harrington and Hannah will begin on January 15th.

This is what they all look like together!

I still have a few floss kits left if you would like to purchase one. You could print out all the patterns and put them with the floss kit as a nice gift for someone. If you're in the States and order before Friday, it will make it to you before Christmas!

Well onto our final giveaway for 2011. I decided I wanted to surprise you with this last giveaway and....

The giveaway my finished piece including the hanger!!! Now if you are laging behind and haven't started stitching you can have this finished piece. If you are up to date with stitching, you can give this piece away as a gift to someone. I won't even tell if you claim you made it yourself! hee,hee,hee. Oh that is so naughty! ha!

Anyway, to enter the giveaway, just leave me a comment on this post. As always, our fabulous friends and followers that we adore so much, will get two chances! So sign up on the right if you're not already signed up!

The bunnies and I will use the random number generator to pick the winner on Friday, December 16th. Good luck and thanks so much for stitching along with us this year! Oh and let me know if you decided to sash or not to sash your blocks. I would also love photos of your finished piece!

Hugs to you,
Michelle, Harrington and Hannah

A bunny video from our friends in England

2011-12-09T00:00:00.001-05:00

Thought you would enjoy some cuteness and fun. Happy Friday! :)

My Nephew Mickey and my new scarf

2011-12-05T06:02:00.000-05:00

Hellooooooooo! Hard to believe Monday is here already! Is it me or has the gas pedal mashed down to the floor these last two months of 2011? Good grief is time ever flying by!

Isn't this the cutest boy? This is my Nephew, Mickey. Don't ya just want to kiss his nose?!? I am truly blessed to have lots of nephews and nieces of the "fuzzy" type throughout blog land. Mick's mum is my dear friend Jade of Zen of Bun. Recently, in one of my moments of "I'm freezing and it's not even winter yet" I chatted with Jade about making me a scarf. Jade loves to crochet and since I love "handmade by friends", I knew she would be the perfect person to make it for me. I told her the colors I wanted and let her take it from there.

This is what she created! It's made from Alpaca wool! Fuzzy!!! It's soooooooooooooooo soft and sooooooooooo warm!

Isn't it gorgeous!?! David laughs at me because I'm always wearing it, like yesterday when I was wrapping presents in my office. I can't help it. It's warm and I'm always freezing!

I love it Jade and I know it will get a lot of use this winter! Thank you so very much!

Oh and one last thing. Mickey is a celebrity again this year. He is in the Rabbits 2012 calendar from Bun Space. I was lucky enough to win a copy on Jade's blog. I'm so proud of my nephew!

Have a fun week and I'll check back with ya soon!
xx, Michelle

Name that Goat Winner!

2011-12-04T00:00:00.000-05:00

First I must say thank you to each and every one of you that choose a name for my goat. I can't begin to tell you how much and how hard I laughed and how much fun I had reading your comments! Imagination is such a wonderful thing!

It was extremely hard to pick from all the wonderful suggestions. I decided I would ~~make~~ ask David to help me. I placed the goat on the table in front of him and made sure he was looking him in the eye as I read the names aloud.

David choose Zibbe! This was also one of the names I selected, so it was perfect!

Congratulations to Sheila of Sheila's Quilt World for this wonderful name which is Swiss for Goat.
Send me your mailing address and I'll get your prize posted right away.

The Rabbit Herder said she and Zibbe are looking forward to many adventures together.

Hugs to you and thanks so much for making this a really fun time!

Your friend,
Michelle

Part 2- Name that Goat contest!

2011-11-30T15:54:00.000-05:00

Well hi there! Glad you could come back for Part 2 of our story from Monday.

So I was at the wonderful show in Virginia Beach all excited about meeting Jeri and seeing my friend Sharon and....secretly on a mission for some gifts for myself! Yep! You see last year I found these wonderful folks at Augres Sheep Factory, who create all kinds of handmade critters from wool! The wool is from goats, sheep and alpacas. Oh how I fell in love with everything they had!

I saved my pennies all year so I could get myself and my friends some gifts. These are the ornaments I purchased.

Bunny! (uhhhh...ya knew that one was a given. hee,hee,hee)

Sheep! I love the little bell around his neck.

Squirrel! His tail is sooooo soft.

Aren't they just too cute!?!

But remember... I was also on a secret mission. You see last year I really, really, really wanted this!

A BIG GOAT! He is made from wool from a New Zealand goat, who's wool is better known as mohair. Isn't he fabulous!?!

While David went to the Bunnymobile to put away my purchases from Jeri, I hopped over to get my goat! hee,hee,hee.

I didn't get him last year as I just didn't have the money and David would have killed me, but this year I saved enough for him.

David just stood there shaking his head as I smiled really big and hugged my goat. He just didn't "get" it. Plus, he thought I was totally nuts when I said I was trying to figure out a name for him. Then David said, "you knew you were gonna get that thing before we left the house this morning didn't you?"
I replied, "I knew I was going to get him when we left the show last year without him!"
Again, he stood there shaking his head and laughing at me. Twenty years of marriage and he know's when I get my mind on something, I find a way to make it happen. :)

So now, this is where you come in! Since David won't help me pick a name for Goat, I'm having a Name that Goat contest! Ok...so yes, I am nuts, but it's fun in my little world! hee,hee,hee. Anyway, just leave a comment on this post as to what you would name him. I will look through all the entries and choose the winner this Sunday, December 4.

Of course the winner will receive a prize as you know I love prizes! The winner will receive this 2005 (brand new copy) of Country Marketplace magazine. This magazine is no longer in print, but I love to find older issues of my favortie magazines to collect. When I found this one, I was able to get an extra copy as a prize for you.

Goat is now residing in my office next to The Rabbit Herder (made by my friend Jules). They've been having many wonderful conversations. ;)

Well, what should we name him? I can't wait to see!

xx, Michelle and the Bunnies

Friendships and the Gifts we give Ourselves - Part 1

2011-11-28T10:59:00.000-05:00

Well hellooooooooo! How was your Thanksgiving? Yummy and good I hope! Mine? Well let me tell ya. It was FABULOUS!!!

While many people have lots of friends on Facebook, it just doesn't come close in comparison to the friends you meet through blogging. These friends are true kindred spirits. Needless to say, when I learned that a blogging friend, not to mention one of my most favorite artists was going to be at a show only 3 1/2 hours away, I knew I had to make the trip to meet her!

So on Saturday morning, David and I hopped into the Bunnymobile (what I call my Honda CRV) and made the trip to Virginia Beach. I could hardly wait to get there and meet...

Jeri Landers of Hopalong Hollow!!! OH...MY....GOSH!!!! Not only am I a huge fan of her art, but I simply adore her blog as well. Jeri is a critter lover and such a wonderful storyteller. She weaves her stories and her art together in the most charming way!

My first order of business, after I got done hugging her, was to purchase her book. There are certain gifts that I like to purchase for myself and, as many of you know, art is one of them.

This is the inside cover. Jeri creates the most incredible paper cuttings. She showed me how she starts out her sketch on parchment paper and then how she begins cutting out all the little tiny details. Beautiful!

Here Jeri is getting ready to sign my book while her wonderful husband, James, packs up all my other goodies. More on those in a minute.

You see the look on my face as she's signing my book? I'm totally about to burst with excitement. Meanwhile, David's thinking to himself, I hope she doesn't do the happy bunny dance in front of all these people and embarrass me! It was totally hard, but I maintained composure until I got to the car and then jumped around and did the bunny happy dance. hee,hee,hee.

Here's what she wrote.

Of course, there we lots of other goodies too! It was so hard to choose! I knew I wanted a few of her cards, so I selected these.

Then I just had to have this print! I'm going to get a frame for it today as I have the perfect spot to hang it.

Look at all the wonderful details!

Finally, I simply had to have one of her original paper cuttings! It was sooooooo hard to choose, but I decided that Tea Time would be mine. I love how the trees look and the quilt hanging on the line. Isn't the frame cool too? It's made from leaves!

Then, wouldn't ya know it, but the fire alarm went off and the entire building had to be evacuated!! Hundreds of people and not to mention over 400 artisans had to clear the building until the fire department said it was OK to go back in. All was fine and I hopped back in to do more shopping.

While we waited outside, I gathered to have a picture made with Jeri and another dear blogging friend, Sharon of Corgi's in my Garden. Sharon loves Jeri's work and blog and she too made a long drive just to meet her! I met Sharon in person this past Spring when she happened to be visiting my little town.

Sharon, Jeri and Me. Amazing that these are two people I would never have met if it weren't for blogging. I drove back home with a smile on my face and thought about friendships and the gifts we give ourselves. Oh how I love blog land!

So hop over and visit Jeri at the Hollow. Tell her the bunnies and I say hi! Then be sure and join me back here on Wednesday for Part 2 of this story and a fun little contest. Why yes, there will be a prize!

xx, Michelle and the Bunnies

Thankful

2011-11-24T08:58:00.000-05:00

We wish you a beautiful and bountiful Thanksgiving! We're Thankful for your friendship!

Love, Harrington and Hannah (oh and of course, Mama too)

Sneaky Peeky! I'm so Excited!!

2011-11-22T00:00:00.000-05:00

I just can't stand it! I'm so excited that I have to give you a little sneaky peeky of the first block in "The Adventures of Harrington and Hannah" BOM starting January 15th!

We have Harrington in wool...

We have Hannah in wool...

We have stitchery too! Woo hoo!

My Valdani 3 strand floss shipment arrived and I'll be working over Thanksgiving getting the kits put together. Aren't the colors pretty? There will be a matching wool kit too! Oh and a fabric kit for the stitchery! Oh and a fabric kit for the borders! Yippeee!!!

I'm so excited! Remember the 12 patterns will be FREE cause we love you! Pass the word to your friends!

xx, Michelle, Harrington and Hannah

The Dragon Year and Artist Joanne May

2011-11-21T10:19:00.000-05:00

This is a bit of a long post, but sometimes you just have to tell the story. :)

If you've been following my blog for a while, you know that I have a deep passion for handmade things and art with meaning. These pieces just don't "decorate" my home, they "make" my home. Things made by some faceless person on an assembly line in China, I can sell in a yard sale in two seconds flat, while things created by the hands of my friends I can never bare to part with. They are my treasures.

The story behind the art...

Back in January, just for fun, I had my Chinese Astrology Chart done by Narrye Caldwell. I've always been intrigued by the magic of it all and wondered what the stars had to say about me. Well little did I know how much of an impact and how much I would learn about myself from this experience. It wasn't some horoscope reading in the newspaper, it was truly fascinating and incredibly eye opening!

Some of what I learned is that I was born in the year of the monkey. I learned that I am most compatible with rats. Guess what David is? Yep, a rat. Explains why we have been happily married for 20 years. The person I hold most dear and I'm closest to in my family is my sister. She too is a rat. I also learned that I'm very compatible with dragons and that monkey's and rat's together thrive in dragon years. As Narrye said, "They are very auspicious years and filled with good things."

I decided to go back and begin looking at past dragon years and was surprised by what I found. In 1988, I got my associates degree. I grew up very poor and my childhood was terrible. I worked very hard and put myself through college. Even though it's only a 2 year degree, I was very proud as I'm the only one in my family that went to college. Then 2 weeks after I graduated, I got a job as a payroll clerk where a dear lady named, Margaret Schnell, became my mentor and helped to shape my future. I learned more from her than I ever had in school or home. I also moved into my first apartment and.... I met David. It was love at first site. Yes, a thriving year indeed. A dragon year.

Next, the year 2000. I was working at a horrible and stressful State government job. I'm just not cut out to work in a place where everyone gets paid the same whether they do their job or not and where hard work and good ideas are never rewarded. I was miserable and felt trapped. Out of the blue came a job opportunity. I was hired on the spot and became a project manager for a custom home builder (where I worked until I was laid off last April). I finally had some freedom and was rewarded for my ideas and hard work. Then, David and I purchased the land where our home now stands. We always talked about building our dream home one day and now we had the dirt on which to place it. We didn't know how we would afford it, but somehow we did it. Then in November, my first niece, Laura Michelle, (yes named after me) was born. It was love at first sight with her as well. My little dragon. :)

So now here comes 2012 knocking at my door. Another dragon year. Narrye told me that it is indeed going to be a good year. Into my head popped an image of a dragon with a monkey and a rat. The next thing to pop in my head was my friend and artist, Jo May. Jo's style of art was the perfect match for the image in my head. I have several pieces of jewelry from her that I simply adore and now I wanted to own an original painting from her.

I contacted Jo about making this piece for me. I simply told her I wanted a dragon a monkey and a rat. I explained a little about me being a monkey, David and rat and the whole significance of the dragon. I didn't give her anymore details than that as I wanted the painting to flow from her imagination. If I were to state colors, style, etc., then it would be from my imagination and in my opinion that takes away from the artist. I wanted art from Jo, not me and I trusted fully that she could do it. I wanted her to have creative freedom. She was a little nervous about painting a dragon and a monkey as she had never really done so, but I knew she could do it and I believed in her talent.

Jo started working on the piece in March. I told her I wanted it by this January. She would send me little sketch updates etc. and ask me my opinion. Each time I would simply say, "Go with your gut. I trust you." Well last month my painting arrived from England. I went to the post office to pick it up and then sat in my car and opened it. I was brought to tears. Thank goodness she had plastic on it to protect it! Jo placed gold rings around the necks of the monkey and the rat celebrate our happy years of marriage. How cool!

This is the beautiful piece that Jo painted for me. It's called, "Follow your Star in the Year of the Dragon." It couldn't be a more perfect title.

Thank you so very much dear Jo for making the imagine in my head more wonderful than I could have ever imagined. I knew you could do it! :)

xx, Michelle

My Office View

2011-11-18T08:32:00.000-05:00

I wouldn't trade this view for a corner office anywhere.

I love my job...

Happy Friday to you!
xx, Michelle, Harrington and Hannah

November 12 of Hearts Winner!

2011-11-16T09:41:00.000-05:00

Congratulations to our friend Jess of Scrappy N Happy in Australia! (yes, we ship world wide as we love all our friends around the world!)

Jess, I think I have your address, but send it to me again just in case.

I'm working on my Christmas card. I can't wait to show it to you!!! I decided to do something totally different this year. I love to make my own cards and I love to send them to friends! Normally, I send close to 100. Do you still send Christmas cards?

xx, Michelle

Rabbit Hunting

2011-11-14T10:31:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I went rabbit hunting.

"What!?! Have you lost your mind?!?

Oh don't worry Harrington, you know Mama's a vegetarian.

I went with my friend, Bridgette, to some antique and flea malls in Selma, NC. I like to shop in stores like that to find gifts for friends and things for my home as there are so many unique treasures waiting to be found. Plus I think it's cool to give old things a new home.

So, here's my loot! hee,hee,hee.

First I found this! Isn't it cool? I've never seen a crystal dish with a bunny head on it before. It's perfect for keeping my rings in at night. (I can't sleep with jewelry on.)

Next I found this. I do love Peter Rabbit and Benjamin Bunny! I'm going to put my colored pencils in this.

Then I found cute little dish.

It even has a carrot inside!

Then there was this sweet little ornament. She's just so cute in her bloomers!

This little fella was made in Russia! I liked his orange eyes and nose. He looks a little grumpy, but not mean. I don't buy rabbits with mean eyes.

How about a bunny paperweight?

I've seen lots of these bunnies that are blue, but this is the first green one I've seen.

And this fella is so cool! He's a Lefton. He was in a locked case with lots of dogs and cats. I betcha he as glad to get outta there! hee,hee,hee.

Isn't this such a fun pin? Love their tales! Bridgette found this for me.

Of course, I had to have this adorable ornament!

And finally, when I saw this piece, I just about passed out on the floor! I could hardly breathe! I kept saying, "oh my gosh...oh my gosh...oh my gosh!" This didn't come from the flea market though. I found this last Wednesday at Anthropologie. I was with my friend, Lyd, and she said I looked so funny when I was hugging it and walking around the store. It was pricey, but it's one of those pieces that I know I will have forever. It's a pretty big soup tureen, but I'm going to use it on my dining room table as a center piece instead of using it for soup. I luuuuuuuvvvvvvvvvv it!! Happy bunny dance!

I had the best time rabbit hunting. Which one is your favorite?

xx, Michelle and the Bunnies

12 of Hearts Block and a Giveaway!

2011-11-12T00:00:00.000-05:00

Happy November 12th! Have you been stitching lately? Are you up to date on this BOM?

Here's this month's block.

Here's what they all look like together so far. One more to go!
Hop over HERE and get the design. I only have a few floss kits left if you want to get one before they get gone for good.

Now onto our giveaway! I found this cute little tin bucket in a thrift store. I thought it would make a perfect gift for my bloggy friends. I'm also including five fat quarters of this fun folky fabric (say that 3 times fast! hee,hee,hee) I crack myself up!

To enter the giveaway, just leave a comment on this post. As always, those of you signed up as followers of our blog will receive two chances!

The winner will be chosen on Wednesday, November 16th. Good luck and happy stitching!

xx, Michelle and the Bunnies

Happy Friday and a Reminder!

2011-11-11T07:01:00.001-05:00

Helloooooooooooo! Hannah here.

Just a reminder that tomorrow is the next block in our 12 of of Hearts BOM. There will be a giveaway too!

Mama is busy getting ready for a neighborhood yard sale tomorrow. She said something about freezing her butt off and a large pot of coffee.

Have a fun and HAPPY FRIDAY!

xx, Hannah

Folk Art Fusion- The Royal Wedding

2011-11-09T00:00:00.000-05:00

Told ya I've been busy! Fun busy that is!!

Here is my Folk Art Fusion piece I named "The Royal Wedding." I designed this when Kate and Will got married. I so enjoyed watching the big event on TV. It inspired me to create this piece in my "folky" style.

Here's a close up of the bunnies.

Here's a close up of the flowers, vine and the patchwork border. The wool applique and patchwork border are all hand stitched with Valdani 3 strand floss. I'm so happy with the finished piece. And like I said on Monday, I carry Valdani and wool in my SHOP if you would like to play with some.

Is your week fun so far? Have you done anything creative???

xx, Michelle and the Bunnies

Finished! Folk Art Fusion

2011-11-07T00:00:00.000-05:00

I've been stitching and stitching and stiching all weekend and it's finally finished!

May I introduce my new Folk Art Fusion piece titled "Lady Hannah Goldenhare."

Yes Hannah, mama named it after you cause you're such a pretty bunny! (Don't I have the best models? hee,hee,hee)

Here's a close up of Hannah. In real life she would eat that flower collar in two seconds flat!

Here's a close up of the flowers. Have I told you how much I love wool? Remember, you can buy some in my Webshop if you want to play with some too.

The wool applique and patchwork borders are hand stitched with Valdani 3 strand floss. Love that stuff too!

I'm working on my Folk Art Fusion book. Gosh is this going to take a while to write, but it sure is fun. My goal is to have it done by April. I can't wait to share this technique with all of you!

Have a fun week and do something creative!
xx, Michelle and the Bunnies

Happy Friday!

2011-11-04T06:20:00.001-04:00

"Harrington, I thought Mama was going to be back in Bunnyville this week? Here it is Friday and she's been gone every day and will be gone all day today too."

"She's still helping out her former boss Hannah. There is also a really sweet couple, both retired teachers, who lost their home to a fire. It was completly destroyed, but thanks to their little doggie, Corkey, they made it out of the house safely. Mama is helping them with the interior design of their new home so they can have a cozy place to make new memories. Today she is going to help a friend pick out a kitchen table. You know she loves helping people make their homes special and all their own."

"I do Harrington, but I also know she loves working with us in Bunnyville and visiting our bloggy friends most of all. Hopefully she'll be back on schedule next week."

Happy Friday to you!
xx, Harrington and Hannah

Some Show and Tell!

2011-11-02T00:00:00.001-04:00

I truly get so excited when my customers and friends send me photos of the projects they've made from my designs! I smile big and feel like I just got a hug! It's one thing when I enjoy designing and making something, but it's a more wonderful thing when others enjoy it just as much!

My friend Sherry of Blessings from our Nest, made the Friendship Star table runner from my Free Tutorial. If you missed that post, CLICK HERE. I think her table runner turned out so pretty and I love the fabrics she chose!

Next, my friend Selina of Selina Quilts, enlarged my Elegant Pumpkins design to hang on her door as a welcome banner! How cool is that!

Hop over and visit with the gals and check out their posts on these projects. I invite you to share photos with me of the projects you make from my designs too! I would love feature you here! :)

xx, Michelle

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T00:00:00.000-04:00

As promised, these are the two "funkins" that David carved. I think he did a great job!
Funkins are foam pumpkins you can purchase at the craft store. They don't rot and last forever! You use the battery operted tea lights in them.

Frankenstein

and the Haunted House

I'm looking forward to next year's pumpkin too. David is going to carve a dragon as next year is the year of the dragon!

May all your candy collectors be as sweet as the candy. ;) David and I love to give candy to all the kiddo's and see their wonderful costumes. It's so fun!

Happy Halloween!
xx, shell

Where is she?

2011-10-28T09:17:00.000-04:00

"Hannah, where's Mama been all week?"

"She's been helping her former boss Harrington. Lots of folks had damage from the hurricane and Mama is helping out with all the paperwork."

"Maybe we can help her and put some fabrics together for her new designs. You know she's gonna work hard all weekend trying to catch up"

"Is there anything pretty in that basket?"

"I've dug through all of these Hannah. I just can't put colors together like Mama does."

"Oh well, we'll just have to sit here and look cute till she get's back to work in Bunnyville."

xx, Harrington and Hannah

So Excited!

2011-10-24T19:54:00.000-04:00

I'm thrilled that you are just as excited as me for the new BOM (bunnies of the month) "The Adventures of Harrington and Hannah" coming on January 15th! Thanks so much for all your feedback. We are going to have so much fun!

I spent the weekend and today working on the first pattern, putting wool colors together with floss colors and placing orders for everything so it will be here in time!

So yes! To answer your questions, I will have Valdani 3 strand floss kits, wool kits, fabric for the background, fusible web, needles, and of course, Bunny Scissors! Each block will contain, stitchery, wool applique and a patchwork border. Needless to say, I have a lot of work to do between now and then!

You can borrow this image or the one on my sidebar if you want to use it on your blog and help spread the word. Remember, the patterns will all be FREE!

Hugs to you and have a fun week!
Michelle, Harrington and Hannah

2012 Free BOM Theme

2011-10-21T00:00:00.000-04:00

"So let me see if I understand this Harrington. Mama is designing her 2012 Free BOM for all her bloggy friends and she's decided on a theme. The new BOM is going to stand for "Buns of the Month" and it's going to be "The Adventures of Harrington and Hannah."

"Yep, that's right Hannah. Mama is so excited about this new project. It's going to have stitching, wool applique and patchwork! She's working on the designs now and say's it's going to be lots of fun! It's going to be fashioned in Mama's folk art style with colors her friends will love! It's going to be something totally different for her."

"So...does this mean we get a raise?"

Shell here. I can't wait to show you the new project! I would like to know if you prefer the patterns to come out on the 1st of the month or the 15th? Which is better for your schedule?

Happy Friday and have a fun weekend!
xx, shell, harrington and hannah

A Birthday Basket

2011-10-19T00:00:00.000-04:00

This past weekend, I celebrated the birthday of my good friend, Marie. Her home was flooded during Hurricane Irene. She, her husband, and their two doggies have been living in a rental home while there house is being repaired. Marie loves to cook and I decided I wanted to put together a gift basket of goodies for her birthday.

First, I got this gorgeous linen tea towel from this really great shop called All-Tea-Towels. There were so many to choose from and the quality is fabulous! Hop over and visit them. I already have my eye on a few more for some friends.

Next I got a basket and lined it with the tea towel. I like to line baskets with things that are not only pretty, but can be used again.

I went to the store and got some yummy bread that she can bake at home and some fancy olive oil for dipping. Nothing like the smell of fresh baked bread to make you feel good.

Next I got her these fun heart shapped pasta cause I heart her. :) The colors were so pretty! I got a fancy sauce to go with the pasta.

Then, a bottle of my new favorite wine that my Marie adores too. Red blends are sooooooooo smooth.

I had some of these flowers laying around so I snipped them and added them to the basket for a little extra color. She can put them on the table while she and her husband enjoy their dinner. They're fake as ya know I can't grow stuff.

And viola'! One birthday basket for a special birthday girl. Happy Birthday Marie!

I got this tea towel too. Isn't it pretty? I'm keep'in this one for me since I have this thing for green right now. Fun!

xx, shell

Peter and Peter the Pumpkin Eaters

2011-10-18T00:00:00.000-04:00

Well, it's finally finished and hanging in my dining room! Woo Hoo!

Peter and Peter are Pumkin Eaters is my new Folk Art Fusion piece for Fall. It will be part of my trunk show that I take to teach workshops and give lectures on Folk Art Fusion. I knew I wanted to add the colorful border, but what I decided to do at the last minute was to hand stich the border with my Valdani Floss. I used the same colors for the hand stitching on the wool applique. The shelf was handmade in the USA by some sweet folks. I knew the minute I saw it that it was going to go in my dining room.

I really like how it flows with the Fall decorations in my living room. (ya know the decorator in me has to have things flow! hee,hee, hee).

David carved those pumpkins on the mantel. They are called "funkins" as they are made from foam and won't ever rot! Yippee!! I'll take photos of them lit up later on and post them so you can see how cool they are.

Well, now it's time to start designing my Winter piece. Hmmmm....bunnies and winter..bunnies and winter....I got it! :)

Hugs to you!
Shell

Almost finished and a Winner!

2011-10-17T09:11:00.000-04:00

Well, I thought I was done with this awhile back and then another idea hopped in my head and I added to it. Then there was more hand stitching to be done. Now all I have left to do is the binding. Can I just say that I looooooooove this piece!! Stay tuned, you might see a new blog header tomorrow. ;)

Now to the winner of our bunny scissors! Congratulations to Maria of The Knackful Knitter! These cute bunny scissors will be hopping across the country to live with you!

I still have plenty of Bunny Scissors available in my Shop. They really are a cute and and inexpensive gift ($10.50) for Christmas. You can make a little pin cushion to go with them! :)

Hope you have a very fun week. See ya soon!
xx,

Bunny Scissors

2011-10-13T12:09:00.001-04:00

Helloooooooo! hee,hee,hee.

I've had bunch of folks asking me where they can purchase the Bunny Scissors if they don't win the giveaway in the post below.

Well, it's kinda funny as I've had them advertised on my sidebar for almost a year! LOL! I carry them in my Shop along with lots of other stitching and quilting supplies. The Bunny Scissors are $10.50 and make a fun and inexpensive gift for somebunny special on your Christmas list. And don't forget that you're somebunny special too so get a pair for yourself! :)

Click HERE to go to my Shop and take a hop around.

Hugs!
Shell

12 of Hearts October Block and Giveaway!

2011-10-12T00:00:00.001-04:00

Hellooooooooo there! Are you having a fun week so far? How are all your stitching and quilting projects coming along?

Here's the October "12 of Hearts" Block. Can you believe we're almost done?

Here's a sneaky peeky of what all the blocks look like so far. I decided I would let you see how I chose to finish my wallhanging. Remember, you can sash your blocks if you want to. I decided I just wanted a 2" border and some buttons on mine. The directions are listed on the pattern page. Click HERE to hop over to my SHOP and get this month's block.
The patterns are listed under Free Designs to the left.

Ok, on to our giveaway!

This month I decided the prize would be a pair of Rabbit Embroidery Scissors. They're gold just like Lady Hannah Goldenhare! hee,hee,hee. I love these little things and use them all the time. I even use them to cut tiny shapes in wool for my Folk Art Fusion pieces.

To enter the giveaway, simply leave a comment on this post. As always, those of you who follow us on this blog and are signed up on the right as a follower, will get two chances! The winner will be chosen by the random number generator on Monday, October 17th.

Hope you are having a good time with this pattern!
xx,

Wishing you

2011-10-07T00:00:00.002-04:00

a weekend that's every bit as lazy and happy as Hannah. hee,hee,hee.

Thanks for your kind and caring comments yesterday. I love you.
xx, shell

Sometimes when I have self doubt...

2011-10-06T00:00:00.005-04:00

While I'm mostly a happy, positive person, sometimes self doubt and sadness get's a hold of me. I'm blaming it all on hormones and this whole pre-menopausal crap! hee,hee,hee.

Anyway, when I feel bad, sad and like I want to pull the covers over my head and give up, I usually seek out things that make me feel better. This was just such a thing.

Enjoy...
xx, shell

Friendship Stars Tutorial

2011-10-05T08:35:00.000-04:00

Friendship Stars is the tutorial I made for my guest post on Sew We Quilt. I decided to post it here on my blog too in case you missed it last month, because it's fun, and well, because I worked hard to write it. hee,hee,hee.

Enjoy!

Friendship Star tablerunner.

I believe everyone is a star with their own light to shine! The Friendship Star block reminds me that we are all brought together by a common love of quilting. In the twenty two years I have been a quilter, I have learned that together quilters light up the world with love, kindness, creativity and their light shines in every quilt they make.

Now thanks to the magic of the internet and blogging, we are are all brought even closer together like one giant quilting guild! Isn't that just the coolest? I decided to teach you not just one block, but to make a project with the Friendship Stars entwined!

So let's get hopp'in!

Ok, so first you will need some fabric! The three fabrics on the left are for my stars. The black is for my tiny inner border and binding and the two fabrics on the right are for my outer border. 1/8" yard of each is plenty. A fat quarter (18" x 22") for the back and a 13" x 21" piece of batting is perfect. The finished size of this project is 12" x 20".

Using your rotary cutter and mat, cut (6) 2 7/8" squares from your black fabric and (3) 2 1/2" squares. I normally cut a 2 7/8" strip first, cut my six squares and then just trim three squares down to 2 1/2".

Next, you will need (12) 2 7/8" squares from your green fabric.

And (6) 2 7/8" squares from your cream fabric.

Now using a ruler and a pencil, draw a diagonal line on the wrong side of all your green squares. You don't have to make it too dark, just so you can see it.

Next place a green square and a black 2 7/8" square right sides together.

Stitch the squares together 1/4" away from the pencil line. My machine has a 1/4" foot, so it's easy.

You will do the same thing with your 2 7/8" cream squares.

I like working in an assembly line, so I just keep feeding them through one behind the other.

Once you have finished stitching down one side of all your squares, turn them around and stitch 1/4" away from the pencil line on the other side. All seams will be 1/4" in this project.

When you are finished stitching, cut them apart on the pencil line. (yes, I use bunny scissors and I carry them in my shop. I'm a crazy bunny lady after all! hee,hee,hee) You have now easily created two half square triangle pieces. Sweet!

Press all your seams towards the green fabric. Trim all the bunny ears off the corners.

"Hey! Whatcha mean trim bunny ears?"
Ooops sorry Harrington and Hannah! Mama means the fabric ears, not the assistant's ears. Oye...

Lay the squares out like this to create the star block.

Now with right sides together and using 1/4" seam, stitch these squares together.

Next sew the remaining squares together. You will now have three rows.

Press the top row seams in.

Press the middle row seams out and the bottom row seams in.

Now sew your rows together matching up the seams. Voila', you now have a Friendship Star block! Yippee!

Make two more Friendship Star blocks and sew the three of them together. Note: you can also make all your blocks at the same time using the assembly line method. That's what I normally do.

Alrighty then. Let's add the inner border. Sew a 1 1/2" x 18 1/2" black strip to each side of the star set.

Then sew a 1 1/2" x 8 1/2" black strip to the top and bottom. Press all seams towards the black fabric.

Now from your border fabrics, cut a 2 1/2" strip (selvage edge to selvage edge) from each color.

With right sides together, stitch the strips down the long edge. Now cut this strip into (16) 2 1/2" segments. (Note, I don't press them open yet. I find it much easier to cut them into the segments first and then press.)

Next sew 5 segments together for the sides and 3 segments together for the top and bottom. Sew the sides on first. Note the color placement as you sew your borders on.

Well now, all you have left to do is layer your backing and batting with this top, quilt it as you like and apply the binding! Yippee! Happy Bunny Dance!

You now have a 12" x 20" Friendship Star tablerunner! I'm using mine on my coffee table and I'm making some as gifts for friends.

I hope you enjoyed this project. Remember, you are a Star so let your light Shine!

Hugs and Friends always,

So Happy it's Fall!

2011-10-03T13:28:00.000-04:00

Ahhhhhhhhh...the air smells so good! Ahhhhhhhhhhh I can walk outside without dripping with sweat! I just hung my Charlie Brown Great Pumpkin flag outside! Yippee!

Time to start stitching on some new projects I've designed and drink lots and lots of hot tea and coffee. Oh how I love this time of year. It's truly my favorite!

This is my Pumpkin Kisses pillow. I gave the original to a friend and I'm thinking I might just have to stitch up a new one for me! hee,hee,hee.

I also got the little star hangers back in stock. They're so cute! They're the one's I use with this pattern.

Birds on My Berry Trees.

Then I found these thimbles and I'm totally in love with them! No more bulky thimble that gives my finger a cramp! I have stitched four Folk Art Fusion pieces with the same thimble and it's still good to go!

I also found this glue stick and love using it too! No messy drips and perfect for a quick baste on many of my applique pieces.

All these things are available in my Shop along with some new Valdani floss colors!

So what are you working on this Fall?
xx,

Two Little Bunnies

2011-09-30T00:00:00.001-04:00

Two little bunnies as happy as can be.

Spoiled totally rotten and allowed to be free.

But alas, I'm afraid, no longer shall it be.

For one little bunny,

not He,

but She,

decided that the baseboards

were as

tasty as can be!

So now the two little bunnies, both She and He,

are forced to live their lives

in a pen-i-ten-tiary.

"We want to speak to our lawyer."

Work'in on it Wednesday and a new BFF!

2011-09-28T08:04:00.000-04:00

Hi there! How's your week going? It's been really busy here at Bunnyville.

This is a new Folk Art Fusion piece I'm working on, "Peter and Peter are Pumpkin Eaters."
I'm working on stitching the wool felt now. I have a fun idea for the border on this. It's a pretty big piece. I think the finished size will be around 22" x 42".

Many of you have expressed interest in my Folk Art Fusion so I've decided I to write a book on it. It's just to much info to put into a pattern. What do you think? I also plan to hold more workshops and give lectures on the technique. It's just so much fun to do and I want to teach everyone to do it!

My wool obsession continues with all the new Folk Art Fusion pieces I have spinning in my head. This weeks BFF (bundle of fun felts) is great for making some folky Christmas projects!

I also have some Pairings available with Valdani 3 Strand Floss.

You can find the BFF's and Pairings in my Shop. So what have you been work'in on?

xx,

Elegant Pumpkins

2011-09-26T07:22:00.000-04:00

Well hellooooooooo there! Hope your weekend was fun! My first weekend of Fall was all wet. It rained the entire time, but it was perfect for getting lots of stitching done!

Today I wanted to share with you my Elegant Pumpkins stitchery design I created last year.

My friend and customer, Selina of Selina Quilts (aka Tinks Mom) purchased this pattern from me and used it to create a mug rug and coozie for a swap!

Didn't she do a wonderful job? I love it!

The pattern is available in my SHOP if you would like to make one. It stitches up really fast. Enjoy your week!

xx,

Friendship Stars

2011-09-22T07:19:00.000-04:00

Please join me tomorrow over at Sew We Quilt with the lovely Madame Samm.

As part of the Wantobe Quilter's Campaign, I am a guest blogger and will be giving you a tutorial on how to make this Friendship Star tablerunner!

Don't forget, if you are a wantobe quilter, you can still send me your info and I'll sponsor you for all the wonderful prizes! Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow!

xx, shell

20 Years ago today

2011-09-21T00:00:00.001-04:00

I got in a cake fight with my best friend. hee,hee,hee.

Yes, we smashed cake in each other's faces at our wedding reception in 1991. This is my favorite picture from that day as it truly reflects how we really are. Simple, not formal.

We paid for our own wedding and the reception. David gave me the money for my wedding dress. It was used. I bought it from a lady for $600 and took it to a seamstress to have it modified for me. It had a high neckline that I hand changed into a sweetheart neckline and long sleeves that I turned into 3/4 sleeves. It had a long train that bustled into a flower on my butt. I just loved that flower. This is the only dress I have ever liked and I still have it. Ya know I don't do dresses! hee,hee,hee. We couldn't afford a limo, so we rented a trolley and driver from the City of Virginia Beach. Everyone in the wedding party rode with us from the church to the reception including family members.

We didn't go on a honeymoon. Instead we put a down payment on a brand new house. This house was our wedding gift to each other. Our kitchen table was found in a dumpster and I still have the blue, metal, folding chairs we used around it. I keep them as a reminder of how much we loved that house and how hard we worked for it.

I was 23 years old at that time. In a two week period, I got married, moved into a brand new house with a big mortgage and took over as an office manager for a commercial roofing contractor. The lady I took over for retired after 42 years and had been training me for the last 3. It's funny when I think about how young I was and all that I did then. It was a tremendous amount of responsibility and soooo much stress. The twenty three year olds I know now are quite different.

On our ten year anniversary, we gave each other Rosewood Cottage, where we currently live. I always tell people that I got dirt instead of diamonds for that anniversary. hee,hee,hee. Rosewood is our 4th house together. We designed it and had it built just for us. The day we moved in, we had around $160 left to our name. Talk about crazy, but that's how much we wanted this house. We've always worked hard and believed we could have anything we set our minds to. We still feel the same way.

Now here we are at our 20th anniversary. Time truly has flown by these last ten years. I'm ready to move again as I get bored being in one place too long. I'm just a person that likes change and likes new adventures. David just takes things as they come and is pretty much is willing to go along with whatever crazy idea I come up with. I'm the dreamer and he's stability.

I'm not sure where or when change will come or what new adventure we'll find. What I do know is that my best friend will be right there with me, always ready for a cake fight. ;)

Happy 20th anniversary honey bunny. I love you to the moon and back!
kisses,
shell

Winners!

2011-09-19T09:38:00.000-04:00

Hi there! Did you have a good weekend? Did it go as fast as mine? Geesh!

Well let's get on to our winners shall we?

First the winner of our 800 Followers Giveaway is our friend, Jo from Lilly Pilly !

This stitchery will be going to live with Jo in Australia! You can purchase the pattern in my SHOP if you want to make one for yourself.

Next, the winner of our monthly 12 of Hearts giveaway is Linda from Casa Boose In Stitches!

Linda chose the blue Folk Art Fusion piece. Send me your address Linda and I'll get your prize on it's way to you!

Congratulations girlfriends!

Thanks so very much for following along with me and the bunnies. We've got some fun stuff going on this week, so stay tuned!

xx and your friend,

Happy Friday and Reminders!

2011-09-16T00:00:00.002-04:00

"Come on Hannah. It's time to exercise."

Turn to the right and hold that stretch for the count of ten."

"I'm exhausted Harrington, let's have a sneaky snack."

While the bunnies ~~exercise~~ eat, I would like to remind you to register for both of our giveaways that will be picked by the Random Number Generator on Monday.

The first is our 800 follower Giveaway. Click Here to register.

The second is our 12 of Hearts Giveaway. Click Here to register.

Have a wonderful weekend!
xx, Shell and the lazy bunnies

"We heard that!"

I'm Feeling Good

2011-09-15T00:00:00.001-04:00

Worked in Bunnyville all day on new designs, workshop stuff, and Folk Art Fusion. I always listen to music. This was the song of the day!

xx, shell

Pressies, a new BFF and Pairing

2011-09-14T00:00:00.004-04:00

Well hi there! How's your week going so far? It's all good around these parts. :) In fact, I want to share a few pressies I recently received!

First is this sweet bunny! My stitching assistant, April in Alabama made this for me! She stitches for me as well as other designers like Brenda Gervais! In fact, this is Brenda's pattern! I looooooooove it! Thanks so much April. I still can't believe how much you get done and how gorgeous your work is. Have I told ya I love ya? :) :) :)

Next, is this handsome lad, Peter Rabbit. I purchased him from my friend, Wendy at Ravenwood Whimzies. I saw him on her blog a while back and just had to have him! Ya'll know how much I love handmade things. Well, my sister visited me a few weeks ago and spotted him on the chair in my bedroom. She snatched him up quicker than all get out and exclaimed "I loooooooooove him!" I had to keep checking her bags to make sure she didn't steal him! Naughty, naughty, naughty!

After she left, I contacted Wendy to see if I could get another one and well, here he is.

This Peter Rabbit is in brown. Perfect! He is a my sister's Christmas gift. You may be saying, "Shell, what if she see's this on your blog?" To that I say Ha! Let her see it! Now she has to suffer and wait until Christmas to get her sweet bunny! That's what she get's for trying to steal mine! Wuuuaahhhaaaaaaa. ;) hee,hee,hee. (she'll probably get him early as she knows I get excited over giving presents and can't help myself. I'm such a sucker!)

Wendy also included this adorable pumpkin that smells oh so wonderful. Not sure, but thinking I'm keeping it for me. ;)

Next, let's look at our BFF (bundle of fun felt) this week! Aren't these colors sweet!?! I just got them in the other day and sat there petting them for like an hour! I need 15 more of me to get all my projects done! Dag!

Then, I paired them with these floss colors. Ooooooooooo! Yep, lovin' that too! You can get some for yourself in my Shop. Let me know what you make with them! I would love to show your creations here on my blog! How cool would that be!

Well, have a wonderful day. Be good....ummm...nope be naughty... It's just way more fun! Oh and don't forget to sign up for all the giveaways! Scroll down to the post below!

xx your friend,

12 of Hearts and a Giveaway!

2011-09-12T00:00:00.001-04:00

Nine down and three to go on our 12 of Hearts BOM! Woo hoo!

Here is this month's block. Hop over to my SHOP and pick up your pattern under Free Designs.

Here is what they all look like so far. So did you decide about sashing? To sash or not to sash? Hmmm... Which block is your favorite so far?

If you are new to my blog, you can start this stitchery anytime. All the patterns are in my shop. I only have eight floss kits left though and I won't be ordering anymore. So if you want one, get it while the gett'in is good.

Now onto our giveaway! This month I decided our prize would be one of my Folk Art Fusion pieces with the hanger! These both measure 8" x 8". You get to choose which one you would like. Simply leave me a comment on this post and let me know if you want the pink or the blue. As always, if you are signed up as a follower, you get two chances!

Choose the pink or the blue.

Also, don't forget to register for my 800 follower giveaway! Click here and leave a comment on that post to register for that prize. The random number generator will choose the winners for both giveaways on Monday, September 19th.

Good luck and thanks so much for stitching along with me. From the votes on my survey, next year we will have another project and it will involve stitching and patchwork. I have the best idea! :)

xx,

God Bless America

2011-09-11T00:02:00.001-04:00

Land that I love...

For even when skies are grey, the light, love, and strength of this colorful nation shines through.

In memory of all that were lost ten years ago and of all those that have been lost since. I celebrate the beautiful people of this country.

xx, Shell

Happy Friday!

2011-09-09T00:00:00.000-04:00

Wishing you a weekend that's every bit as Sweet as the bunnies!

"We get her everytime with this pose."

xx,

Work'in on it Wednesday and a new BFF!

2011-09-07T12:33:00.000-04:00

I have been working like crazy getting ready for my Folk Art Fusion Workshop that I'll be teaching on September 24th for the Craven Arts Festival. It will be a full day workshop in which my students will learn my Folk Art Fusion technique and make an 8" x 8" project.

The students will receive all three of these patterns, but will choose one to make in class.

The Tree

The Star

The Heart

I'm really looking forward to teaching this and hope to travel around to quilt guilds to give lectures and teach more workshops. If you are one of my local friends, or if you are close to New Bern, NC, and would like to take my workshop, you can CLICK HERE to find out more and download the workshop registration. I would love to see you! Which design would you choose to make?

I have also been playing around with more felt and floss pairings. I must say it's rather addictive!

This is the BFF (bundle of fun felt) for this week!

Here is the BFF with the Valdani 3 strand floss Pairing. Yummy don't ya think?

Both are available in my SHOP if you want to get your creative little hands on them!

Don't forget to scroll down and register for my 800 follower giveaway! Woo hoo! Reading all your comments has been so much fun! Thanks a million!

Hugs to you!

Celebrate with Me and a Giveaway! Woo Hoo!

2011-09-05T00:00:00.002-04:00

Well hi there! Can we say wooo hoooo to power being restored? Boy oh boy does it seem like I've been gone forever! I sure have missed you! I will be around all this week to catch up and visit!

As many of you know, I'm a pretty simple, happy, positive person, that chooses to focus on the good things in life. We all get sad, we all have hard times, we all have issues, but if we can train ourselves to focus on all the simple things that bring us so much joy, I truly believe that the flood gates of happiness open and good things flow more easily into our lives.

With that being said, I have lots to Celebrate this month! Take a little hop with me.

First, I am celebrating all the men and women who worked round the clock for six days to bring our power back! The power supply to my house comes from a swampy, icky forest! Those folks have to treck into that mess with all the creepy bugs and snakes to fix the lines! So I celebrate them and the fact that the bunnies were soooooooo happy to return to Bunnyville! They ran around like lunatics for almost 20 minutes straight! Woo hooo!

Next I am celebrating that August 28th was Harrington's one year adoption day! He is 2 1/2 years old.

"Really Mama? A year already?
I'm soooo happy that this precious, little, fuzzy, boy, with the wonky ear, came into my life a year ago. He is just the sweetest thing! Love you Harrington! Umm...I mean Sir Walter Harrington. ;)

Next I am celebrating breakfast with my niece, Noelle, who loves bunnies as much as I do! Auntie loves you little sprite! Thanks for coming to visit me! (The fairies of Bunnyville Ivy said to tell you hello!)

I also want to celebrate Pops! Isn't he just the cutest fella? In this photo he is decorating a Valentine house with his family! Yes, a Valentine house! How fun! I could just squeeze the pudd'in right out of him! Pops is the dad of my good friend, Kris from Lavender Quilts. Pops is 94 years old and lives with Kris, who takes care of him. I too celebrate Kris for being such a loving, kind, daughter and all around good person in my book!

I simply adore older people. Two years ago, on August 26, my Cutie grammy became an angel. She was 92. I still celebrate her every day especially when I see something with sparkle or glitter. :) Love ya Cutie and miss ya very much. I know your light still shines in me.

Next I want to celebrate the baby geese that made it through all the hard times (see the Mother's day post) and grew up to be brave and strong. Here they are walking down the middle of my street like a biker gang! A few seconds after this photo, they all flew off straight down the street! It was fabulous!

I celebrate bugs that can turn leaves into lace. I know my neighbor didn't find it quite as cool as I did, but I was fascinated that they ate the leaves and left the flower. To me they created art! To my neighbor, they made a mess! hee,hee,hee.

Finally, I celebrate you! My friend and follower! I can't thank you enough for your friendship and for following along with me and the bunnies and all our little adventures. I celebrate you the customer that purchases my designs and makes me smile very big! Your support of my business is truly appreciated!

So, in celebration of 800 Followers!!! Woo hoo!! I'm giving away my Folk Heart Tree original stitchery! You will even get the hanger! To enter the giveaway, leave a comment on this post. If you are signed up as a follower of my blog (on the right) you get TWO chances! If you click on my Facebook link and become a Fan of my FB page, you get THREE chances! Just leave one comment and say you are following and are a fan on FB. The random number generator will choose the winner on September 19th! Pass the word on!

Hugs and celebrations to you! Happy Labor Day too!
Your friend,

We're ok

2011-09-01T13:52:00.000-04:00

"Harrington do you think the power will ever come back on?"

We made it through the storm, but we are still without power. Been 6 days now. Not fun, but at least our house is ok and we are safe. Many of our good friends are not so lucky and we have been helping them gather things from their homes and clean up yards. I'm borrowing internet from a business that has a connection. Hopefully, next week we will be back to normal. I have many things I will be celebrating. For one, I see we have almost 800 followers! Woo hoo!

Here is the pond in the back yard before the hurricane. Notice the fence.

Here is the pond during the hurricane. Notice the fence underwater!

I had to put Harrington and Hannah in the guest bathroom instead of the master bath as this bathroom is much cooler. On Sunday, it was over 100 degrees and humid as all get out! We have a generator that runs a few things including a fan to keep the bunnies cool.

Needless to say, they look at me through the bars of the playpen and tell me they're bored, hot, and these accommodations totally stink. Management has been informed. ;)

Hugs to you and thanks for all your concern and well wishes. Keeping our bunny ears crossed for power and internet to return! We sure do miss visiting with you!

xx, shell, harrington and hannah

Happy Friday!

2011-08-26T00:00:00.001-04:00

"Hellooooo food bowl...come closer.

Closer, come closer to me.

Come on food bowl. I command you to come closer!

It didn't work!

Harrington, I thought Mama said I had magical powers because of the star on my nose?"

"She said magical Hannah....not lazy."

"Well dag!"

Happy Friday! We're probably going to get hit by the hurricane and loose power, so I've got lots of stitching and designing to keep me busy. The bunnies will take up temporary residence in the master bath. Keeping fingers crossed that all goes by quickly and everyone is safe.

xx,

BFF's, Pairings and the Earthquake

2011-08-24T09:39:00.000-04:00

Wasn't that earthquake on the East Coast freaky yesterday!? Oh my gosh! I was in the middle of a pelvic ultrasound!! The nurse and I both looked at each other and said, "are the walls moving?" Then I started laughing and told her if something crazy was going to happen during an ultrasound of somebody's "hoo ha," it would happen to me! hee,hee,hee. Hope you were ok where you were!

Ok, so let's move on. The other night, I was sitting there thinking about how much I love pairing wine with food. I love a glass of wine with dinner. Then my friend, Deb, from Paxton Valley Folk Art, inquired about the BFF1 from last week and asked me if I could match some Valdani 3 Strand Floss to it. Well sure I can! How fun is that! Pairings!

So now I will be offering BFF's (Bundles of Fun Felts) alone or you can purchase them as a Pairing with Valdani 3 Strand Floss!

Here is the BFF from last week paired with the floss.

Here is this weeks BFF paired with the floss.

Or, here is the BFF by itself. I love these Fall colors.

They are all available in my SHOP. Oh one more thing. I'm taking a pole on the right sidebar about whether or not to do another Free BOM project next year. If you have a second, please vote. It takes a lot of time to design those and I want to see how many folks are interested before I spend the time designing something.

Have a fun day!
xx,

From my Design Desk- Inspired by Lettuce

2011-08-22T09:38:00.001-04:00

Harrington and Hannah simply adore baby romaine. While fix'in their breakfast last week, I fell in love with the colors of the lettuce. The warm, yellow, greens and the deep, rich, purples.

My eye then went over to this little fella, who sits on an antique, school chair in my kitchen. Again I saw those marvelous colors mixed together.

So this weekend, I hopped on down to the quilt shop and purchased some of those fabrics. I have three designs in my head right now that need to get on paper. They will look wonderful with these fabrics. Mr. and Mrs. Bunny told me are ready to harvest them. Hee,hee,hee.

Are ya'll lov'in them as much as I am?

xx,

Happy Friday!

2011-08-19T00:00:00.002-04:00

"Kiss, kiss on your cheek."

"Kiss kiss on your head."

"Kiss, kiss...uhhhh excuse me Mama! A little privacy please!"

We hope your weekend is full of lots of kisses and snuggles from the ones you love! We love having you visit here with us!

Happy Friday!
xx,

Work'in on it Wednesday, New BFF and a Winner!

2011-08-17T09:22:00.000-04:00

This is what I'm work'in on this Wednesday.

My newest Folk Art Fusion piece that I've named Thistle Bloom. Still have all the stitching to do on the wool felt. I've got a pile of things to be stitched now so I better get hop'in!

This weeks BFF (Bundle of Fun Fabrics) is actually some wool felt! I carry lots of colors in my Shop, but I decided to put together a little bundle. I use this felt in all my Folk Art Fusion pieces. I love how it's so easy to cut and doesn't fray and since it takes me forever to get to the stitching part, that's a good thing!

Finally, the winner of the August 12 of Hearts giveaway is Patty C of Hanging on by a Thread. Congratulations Patty! Send me your addy and I'll get these sweet bunnies posted to you right away.

Have a fun day everybun!
xx,

I'm a Guest over at Blooming Sisters

2011-08-16T11:30:00.000-04:00

Hi everybun! Hop over and visit my good friend, Karen Gass, at Blooming Sisters. I'm a guest today. She and several other gals are working on a website for artists to sell their handmade items. If you've ever thought about selling your work, this might be the perfect spot to get your paws wet! :)

There's even word from Karen about a contest to win a stack of Amy Butler Fat Quarters! Oooooooooo!!

Have fun and tell her the bunnies and I say hi!

xx,

Pets on Quilts Show!

2011-08-15T00:02:00.002-04:00

Welcome everybun! I'm delighted to be participating in this year's Pets on Quilts Show presented by the lovely Darlene, aka SewCalGal!

This will be a week long celebration of pets on quilts and pet themed quilts! Oh boy! Y'all know how much I love critters! I am also sponsoring a prize for this wonderful event, so be sure and hop over to visit SewCalGal and all the other participants!

"Hey Hannah, check out Mama's fabric bucket."

"Do you think she should use this gold piece?"

"Well Harrington, since my name is 'Lady Hannah Goldenhare,' I think it's fabulous! It even matches the spot on my the back of my neck."

Here the bunnies inspect my points on this quilt I made with batiks.

"I think they look pretty good Harrington. What do you think?"

"I concur. Mama did a fine job and no point police need to be notified."

"Hey Harrington! This one has lace on the edge!

Do you think Mama will let us eat it?"

"Fat chance on that one."

No eating the quilt you two! Bunnies...yep, the reason old quilts are on the floor. hee,hee,hee. ;)

I also design quilts and stitcheries featuring bunnies. After all, we are The Raspberry Rabbits. hee,hee,hee. Here are a few of my patterns. You can purchase them in my Shop.

Noelle's Bunnies (it's the head and the ears)

Fleur de Bunny (see the bunnies in the middle? Fun!)

Pumpkin Kisses (stitches up really fast in time for Halloween)

Well, now we are ready to hop off and visit with the other pets and look at critter quilts. We hope ya'll enjoyed your visit with us and will hop back again soon! Oh and don't forget to register for my giveaway on the post below!

xx,

August 12 of Hearts Block and a Giveaway!

2011-08-12T00:00:00.000-04:00

Helloooooooooo and Happy Friday!

Just as I mentioned last month, I'm ready for Summer to be over. It's been dreadfully hot this year and there have been so many forest fires around me. I've named this the "Summer of Smoke." In fact, as I write this, it is so smoky that I can hardly see my neighbor's house! Ick, gag, hack! Makes me so sad for all the wild critters. :(

Needless to say, I have been spending as much time inside as possible and what better way to spend my time than to get some stitching done! :)

Here is the August Block in our 12 of Hearts Series. Hop over to my SHOP and click on Free Designs to get yours.

Remember, you can start this project any time and I still have some floss kits available. The blocks are small so they stitch up very quickly! This month's Floss Color is Valdani P12, Brown Vintage Hues.

Here's how they all look so far! Remember you will decide if you want to sash your blocks or not. I will have instructions on how to finish them both ways in December.

Now onto our giveaway. As I promised on Wednesday, the giveaway this month would be bunny related. No, no, I'm not giving away Harrington and Hannah.

"Well that's certainly good to know!"

Our prize this month are these two adorable little white bunnies. They measure around 5". They would look cute in any kind of decor! To enter, just leave a comment on this post. As always, our followers and friends that are signed up on the right will get two chances for being so special to us. The winner will be chosen by the random generator on Wednesday, August 17th. The giveaway is open to all our friends worldwide!

Good luck, happy stitching and happy Friday!

xx,

Work'in on it Wednesday and BFF's!

2011-08-10T09:27:00.000-04:00

Hi everybun! Well, I've been one busy bunny getting ready for my Folk Art Fusion workshop I'm teaching next month.

Here is my latest Folk Art Fusion piece. Of course, I still have all the hand stitching to do, but I love how it looks so far!

Next, I want to share something new in my SHOP. After 10 years of helping people put color combinations together for their new homes, I guess I've been having a little bit of paint swatch withdrawal. hee,hee,hee. So I decided that since my job now consists of playing with fabric that I would channel my paint swatch addiction into that!

I am pleased to present you with my BFF's (Bundles of Fun Fabrics)! Each bundle will contain five fat quarters (18" x 22" each) of fabrics that I combine just for the fun of it! This is the perfect amount of fabric for a wall hanging, a pillow or as an addition to your stash! Plus, sometimes it's just a little package of something fun to make us smile big!

Many of you know from purchasing things from me, that I can't help myself when it comes to wrapping things up with ribbon. After all, fabric and threads and sewing items are gifts we buy ourselves. :)

I will be adding more BFF's each week. There will always be five fun fabrics in the bundle, but the number of bundles may vary depending on what I put together. If you are interested in this Bundle, just hop over and visit my Shop!

Also don't forget that Friday is the next block in 12 of Hearts! I do believe our giveaway will have something to do with bunnies this month! Oh Boy! ;)

Have a fun day!
xx,

Want to Be Quilter's Campaign

2011-08-09T08:45:00.000-04:00

If you haven't submitted your name for the Wanttobe Quilter Campaign yet - why not? If you're having problems figuring out what to do here's one way to do it:

GET a GOOGLE account
Google accounts are free and simply allow you to have a second e-mail address to use for contests if you don't want it to be your main account.

Don't be a No Reply Blogger
Comments on Stash Manicure automatically go into Madame Samm's e-mail inbox. But if your settings aren't correct she can't reply to you. Here's how to fix that - to make sure you aren't a No Reply Blogger:

Here is what you can do:
In blogger.com, click on Dashboard.
Select Edit Profile.
Check the box for "Show my Email Address."
Save changes.

Easy...right? :)

REGISTER IN this Campaign. Send an e-mail to directly to me at michelle@theraspberryrabbits.com with your name, e-mail address, and telephone number. This information will be sent to Madame Samm but it will be destroyed after the campaign.

Comment on the Appropriate Posts at Stash Manicure
Be sure and say that "Shell at The Raspberry Rabbits is my sponsor."

If you are a Wanttobe Quilter (have no tools or experience) or a quilter who does not have a blog you comment on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
If you are a quilter with a blog you can comment on Tuesday and Thursday.

Be sure you are a follower my blog and on Stash Manicure and that you also follow each of those who are posting on Stash Manicure. Some of you don't like to "follow" I know - you prefer bookmarking. But just for this campaign you will need to follow. You can always "unfollow" later. :) And when you win you will need to pay for the shipping but:

YES! YOU CAN WIN MORE THAN ONCE
and Madame Samm ships the lowest rate possible. Plus, the prize is FREE!
( may take longer but we have
everything insured)

There are lots of wonderful prizes to be had and lots of fantastic guest speakers and tutorials. So hop over to Stash Manicure and good luck!

From my Design Desk

2011-08-08T08:46:00.001-04:00

Helloooo! Hope you had a fun weekend! I spent most of mine catching up on mounds of paperwork. Ick, gag, puke! I did manage to get a new design in the works though.

Here's a sneaky peaky of what's on my design desk.

Don't forget all you Want to Be Quilters, click the link on my right sidebar to find out more! There are lots and lots of fabulous prizes!

Have a magical week everybun and hop back to visit with me. Lots of good stuff coming your way!

xx,

Happy Friday! - Art from my friend, Jules

2011-08-05T00:00:00.000-04:00

Helloooooooooo everybun! Happy Friday to you! I'm so excited to show you what I got in the mail this week!

A while back you may remember me showing you this incredible painting of Harrington, um I mean "Sir Walter Harrington," that I received from my dear friend in England, Jules of Adventures in Thread. I simply adore this painting and when Hannah, um I mean "Lady Hannah Goldenhare," came to live with us, I commissioned Jules to paint her as well. I had no criteria or specifications, I just wanted Jules to let her artistic mojo flow.

This is Jules at a doll exhibit she recently had in England. Jules is also the artist of my Rabbit Herder Doll. She is one multi talented lady for sure!

Well take a look at what Jules created for me!!! Hello!!! Happy Bunny Dance!! Check out her dress! I love all the detail! In true Jules fashion, she sent a story along with this beautiful piece. (please pardon the glass glare from the frames)

I ran out right away and bought matching frames for them. They now hang in Bunnyville on either side of my vision board. The Rabbit Herder sits on her thrown and keeps a careful eye on these two.

Of course, all this royalty has gone to Harrington and Hannah's heads and they want me to start addressing them as "Sir and My Lady." I've also been instructed to give them each an extra banana chip at bedtime or it's off with my head! (doesn't Hannah look like she's saying that?) hee,hee,hee, cracks me up!

Thanks sooooooooooo much Jules! I truly love all your beautiful art and will treasure them always!
Happy Friday everybun! Have a magical and fun weekend!

xx,
Sir Walter Harrington, Lady Hannah Goldenhare and humble servant, Shell

Work'in on it Wednesday - A new Design!

2011-08-03T00:00:00.009-04:00

Hellooooooo! Hope you're having a fun week so far! Mine's going great and I'm so excited because I finished a new design!

Remember a few weeks ago, I showed you this sneaky peaky from my design desk?

Well, I drew the design, colored it in, added a patchwork border and sent it off to my fabulous stitching assistant, April Taylor to help me with the stitching part. Thanks so much April!

Since the bunnies don't have thumbs, they don't make good stitching assistants. Plus they are incredibly lazy and think their only responsibility is to be cute.

Ok....they totally win on that one. I am such a sucker for cuteness!!! ;)

So anyway, now that it's finished, may I introduce "The Folk Heart Tree." It measures 12" x 16". According to my poll on the right sidebar, most of you enjoy doing a combination quilting and stitching project. That is great news for me as I have lots of new designs coming your way! This is an easy pattern and coloring it in is optional. It would look great either way.

This design uses the floss from my Folk Art Floss collection. As I promised when this floss came out, I would be using it in several new patterns. To date, this is the 3rd pattern.

The pattern, the floss, and other supplies are all available in my SHOP. The bunnies and I truly appreciate all of our wonderful customers and friends and thank you very much for your support of our business.

Happy stitching and quilting to all of you! We'll see ya'll on Friday!
xx,

Woooo hooo! Let's get this party started!

2011-08-01T09:52:00.000-04:00

Hi everybun! I'm sooooooooo excited about this event! If you've ever wanted to start quilting, now is your chance to win lots of fabulous prizes from some of the top folks in quilting!

In 1989 I took my first quilting class and have been hooked ever since! I've made hundreds of quilts, taught quilting for 10 years and made the most wonderful friends along the way! Now I'm truly blessed to own my pattern and design company and have my WEB SHOP. I also give lectures and workshops on my Folk Art Fusion. I love my job and I love sharing quilting!

Quilting brings so many people together with a common thread. There is something so wonderful about creating something with our own hands that's filled with love. I truly loved teaching Quilting 101 to my students. The smile on their faces and the joy in their hearts when they finished their first quilt is something I will cherish forever! It's just so much fun!

Sooooooooo, if you are NEW or a WANTOBE Quilter, send me an email with your name, email address and phone number. I will submit your name for prizes. You need to follow my blog and You must ALSO visit Stash Manicure on Monday's, Wednesdays and Fridays. Leave a comment there along with my name as your host blog to be entered into that drawing. Be a follower there too!

If you are already a quilter, you can win prizes on Tuesdays and Thursdays! Follow along with Madame Samm at Stash Manicure for all the information and wonderful prizes.

Pass this post along! There's lots of prizes to go around! Woo hoo!

Good luck everybun and Happy Quilting!
xx, shell

Calling all Want to be Quilters!

2011-07-28T19:31:00.000-04:00

"Helloooo friends and followers, I would love to welcome you

to a Wantobe Quilters Campaign over here at

There will be quilting supplies giveaways 5 x a week for 12 weeks! Hello! That's fantastic!

Have you always wanted to start quilting, but needed some encouragement, some supplies and some ideas to get you started? Well my friends, this is going to be the event to get you going!

Supplies that will have you quilting

before you know it...From sewing machines to irons, to die cutters,

to mats, to rotary cutters, sewing baskets, scissors, batting, needles,

rolled sewing machine bags, patterns, books, magazines...everything

you could imagine to assist you in being a NEW Quilter.

Even if you are already part of this community you can win

quilting stuff too...Tuesday and Thursday are days for us..

All you have to do is give me your name and phone number

and email sew I can submit this to the organizer, because if you win

anything I can win something too.

All you have to do is be my follower and a follower

over at Sew We Quilt @ Stash Manicure....

That is all! There are over 49 Sponsors involved! Woo hoo!

I am pretty excited to be part of this and sew should you!

I have been a quilter since 1989 and I love being a QUILTER! This is a wonderful opportunity to get you started! So send me an email containing your name, phone number and email and I'll register you! It's that simple!! Let the party begin!

Work'in on it Wednesday - Guest Blogger at Sew we Quilt!

2011-07-27T00:20:00.001-04:00

Helloooooooooo! I'm the Guest Blogger over here today!

Just click HERE and hop over to see what I'm work'in on. There's a giveaway too! Oh boy!
xx,

Pressies from my Aussie Girlfriends!

2011-07-25T00:00:00.001-04:00

Somebunny's been spoiled again! Me!!!! I got two wonderful pressies in the mail from dear friends in Australia!

The first came from Jo of Lilly Pilly. Brown paper packages tied up with strings, these are a few of my favorite things! (you'll be singing that song all day now!) Isn't the Koala a cutie!

Inside, Jo made me this wonderful sewing bag and needle keeper! I decided Mr. Koala would be most happy hanging out on the bag.

Here's the back of the bag. Gorgeous isn't it and all that work! On the bag it says, In my heart there lives a joyful song. The road to a friends house is never too long. Love it! Thanks soooooooo much Jo! I will treasure it always. It's already getting lots of good use!

Next is a pressie I won from Jess at Scrap-in-Happy. Jess had this giveaway on her blog a little while back and I was lucky enough to win! Yippeee!!! Perfect for my iced tea in this hot Summer we're having!

I borrowed these photos from Jess' blog so you could see the beautiful detail.

I must say that I was equally excited over the postcard! One day I will visit Australia and I hope to meet all my wonderful friends and customers there. Group hug for sure!

Thank you so very much my Aussie girlfriends! Once again I have been spoiled! :)
xx,