HELLO my name is Heather

  • Giveaway Day 31 – I Aim to Tease

    ByHeather Bailey

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    What
    a month! And what a marathon of frenzied fun. I'm exhilirated to have
    made it to the finish line. Today is the last day of my month of giveaways—every
    day this August. I had an impulse to shower you all with presents as a
    big Thank You Party for your love and support. And I ran with it.

    I'm honored that so many great companies and good friends contributed
    prizes. I was especially touched to read all of the sweet comments made
    by Mary Engelbreit's fans on Day 24.
    I hope that twenty or thirty years from now I will have maintained as
    meaningful of a relationship with my fans as Mary has. That was
    inspiring. Thank you for that.

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    There is one more proper August prize to hand out. But, truthfully, I have more prizes to give away than I have days in August.
    In fact, there are some gorgeous prizes associated with my new fabric
    collection that will be offered up next week when I officially introduce
    the line.

    So, though we've completed this month of daily giveaways, the giveaways will keep on coming
    at a steady pace, mixed together with new designs, inspiration and
    behind-the-scenes peeks at artwork and new products in development.

    I know you are all anxious to see the new fabric collection—only a
    couple more days to go! As such, I've decided to tease you with my Day
    31 prize. The image above is proof positive that a new line awaits, but
    it sure doesn't reveal much of the artwork or even the color palette
    involved—considering that you're only glimpsing a portion of the line.
    Here is an appetizer. I am wildly excited to share more.

    Today's winner will receive a thirty-piece design roll from my new Lottie Da fabric collection—to
    be revealed this coming week. Each piece is 2.5" x the full width of
    the fabric. Great for a variety of projects—and for project-planning.
    Comment to
    enter. One entry per household. Be sure to include your email
    address
    in the comment form so we can contact you if you win.

    Giveaway closes at 11:59pm PST on Monday 9/2/13. Watch for the winner to
    be announced within the week at the bottom
    of the post. For more info on my August giveaway party, click here.

    Watch for more exciting giveaways next week.

    Good luck!

    xo—Heather

    Read More “Giveaway Day 31 – I Aim to Tease”

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    Giveaway Day 30

    ByHeather Bailey

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    StationWagon_300ShortToday, I had the privilege of flipping through an early copy of Kerry Goulder's new book, Sewing Tales to Stitch and Love. The release is set for mid- October, but I got my hands on one of the only two copies Kerry has seen herself.

    That's right, Kerry (aka Kid Giddy) sent me one of her only two copies so I could share the book with you as part of my August HELLO Giveaways celebration. So exciting! Thank you, Kerry.

    My first peek at this charming project book was earlier this year
    when Kerry asked me to write the book's foreword. Over the course of
    several emails back and forth and a couple of phonecalls, I got to know
    Kerry and her concept. Each project in the book is tied to a story and
    centered on four themes, taking us "from a fairy woodland, to the
    coastal waters, to the arctic, and back."

    Pinchy_300ShortKerry
    lives in Maine with the ocean as her neighbor. One of my favorite
    projects in the book is her Pinchy the Lobster character. Coming from
    the land of paisley turtles and floral elephants, there's something about a calico lobster that certainly works for me.

    I also love her station wagon and hipster-camping-trailer pattern
    above. Not only does it wax nostalgic, but here's one car toy that won't
    split your eyebrow open when your toddler attacks. That's a true bonus.
    I've had more than one request from my family to design some soft
    boy-toys suitable for snuggling. Our Evan likes a big reaction. This often translates into experimental hammering on his siblings and parents—especially at bedtime.

    Beyond these great projects, Kerry has also included a dolphin
    pattern, an orca whale, a row boat, a hot air balloon, a teddy bear, and
    an igloo—to name just a few. A wide variety of projects for one book.

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    Join me in congratulating Kerry and KP Craft on their lovely new book. Watch for Sewing Tales to Stitch and Love: 18 Toy Patterns for the Storytelling Sewist to reach your local bookstore or fabric shop this fall and go get yourself a copy. Also, keep up with Kerry on her Kid Giddy blog (she's just beginning to post reveals of her gorgeous new sewing studio), and on facebook, twitter, pinterest, and flickr while you're at it.

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    Today's giveaway winner will receive this early copy of the book—signed by the author and me. Invaluable 🙂 Comment to
    enter. One entry per household. Be sure to include your email
    address
    in the comment form so we can contact you if you win.

    Giveaway closes at 11:59pm PST on Sunday 9/1/13. It's
    a holiday weekend and the final stretch of my giveaway marathon. As
    such, I'm giving you through the weekend to enter so everyone can have a
    decent shot—even those who have found time away from the computer with
    their families! Watch for the winner to
    be announced within the week at the bottom
    of the post.

    For more info on my August giveaway party, click here. Please
    share the word. See you again tomorrow. And Happy Labor Day weekend, everyone.

    Good luck!

    xo—Heather

    Read More “Giveaway Day 30”

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    Giveaway Day 29

    ByHeather Bailey

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    I take a sketchbook with me everywhere I go, even if I'm just heading
    to the gas station to refill the tank. I had lovely thoughts to share
    about keeping a sketchbook and how pivotal this is for anyone with
    artistic ambitions or creative hobbies.

    But then, my husband went outside to change the brakes on our car,
    leaving me to write out my lovely thoughts in the midst of a storm of
    children, which storm has blown my concentration right out the door. The
    teenager is writing a physics paper and packing for an overnight field
    trip tomorrow. The middle child is sick and needs medicine and love. The
    baby has torn his diaper off so many times, that I am now letting him
    sit naked on my lap and watch Jay Jay the Jet Plane while I type.

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    I may not retrieve those lovely sketchbook thoughts till
    another day. Just know that the thoughts are there. I am passionate about
    sketchbooks    . You must, must, must have a sketchbook—so I went and got one for you, along
    with a big pack of pretty, colored pencils.

    It doesn't matter if you can draw. You need a place to capture your
    creative brainstorms. Write it down, draw it out, or risk losing it. I
    also picked up a colored pencil blender pen for you, a solvent-based marker meant for blending wax-based
    colored pencil pigments. This is something I have never tried before, so
    I got one for me too. We'll find out together.

    Sketchbook_250If
    I'm preaching to the choir, and you're already amply equipped with
    sketchbooks and colored pencils of your own, take a shot at this
    giveaway anyhow. If you win, then you can gift the prize to a creative friend who
    needs to hear the gospel truth about sketchbooks.

    As you know, I have some big introductions to make this week. I
    tidied up my sewing area this morning to make way for a full weekend of
    projects—assuming the baby keeps his diaper on and no unexpected
    strike-offs     arrive at the door.

    Just going with the flow. I'm grateful to have that flexibility.
    Speaking of flow… I better go put a diaper on this kid. I'm testing my
    luck at this point.

    Read More “Giveaway Day 29”

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    Giveaway Day 28 — There Will Be Fabric

    ByHeather Bailey

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    There are strike-offs everywhere at the studio today, looking better
    than ever. They tend to show up with only a moment's notice and require a
    fast turn around. Reviewing fabric samples takes daylight though—and
    therefore a reshuffling of the day's top projects. If it can be done in
    the dark, it gets bumped.

    Over my years designing fabric, I've learned that the sooner I hand in
    my color notes, the sooner I get finished fabric in hand. When
    strike-offs arrive, our little ant hill stirs into a frenzy to get the
    job done and set the world straight again.

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    All stirred up and settled back down again. Daylight has faded, but
    the job is done. Even better, we don't have to wait till this collection
    is ready for production before… there… will… be… fabric.

    In fact, we don't have to wait long at all. There is a tower of boxes a
    few feet behind me—just delivered today—that house a brand-new fabric
    collection. The only thing holding me back from tearing into the
    shipment is getting today's giveaway posted while it's still the 28th!

    ZZ-GFT03_050-2_300So,
    let's hop to it. You enter the giveaway, I'll open the boxes. And as
    soon as daylight rolls back in, we'll take some pictures, sew up a few
    little ditties and set the pretties before you within the week.

    With a new fabric collection close at hand, I figure a $50 gift certificate to the HeatherBaileyStore.com would make someone's day.

    Comment to enter. One entry per household. Be sure to include your email
    address
    in the comment form so we can contact you if you win.

    Today's giveaway will close at 11:59pm PST on Thursday 8/29/13. Watch for the winner to
    be announced within the week at the bottom
    of the post. For more info on my August giveaway party, click here. Please
    share the word. Check back every day.

    Good luck!

    xo—Heather 

    Read More “Giveaway Day 28 — There Will Be Fabric”

  • Giveaway Day 27

    ByHeather Bailey

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    Who is ready for more retail therapy?

    Today's prize is a $50 gift certificate to ShopRuche.com, a gorgeous and varied online retailer, carrying everything from women's apparel, shoes and accessories to children's clothing, home decor and books. Ruche even has a bridal section. And you can shop a selection of stylish 'curvy plus' items as well. Explore their online store for luscious photos and fantastic finds.

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    Founded in 2008 by husband and wife team, Mai and Josh Olivo,
    Ruche is a vintage-inspired boutique with a modern perspective. In
    short, they describe Ruche's aesthetic as "feminine, flirty, clever and
    cute, yet subtly sophisticated "

    Like any happening company these days, Ruche can be found all over the social media world. Follow Ruche on facebook, twitter, tumblr, pinterest and instagram. And don't miss their gorgeous videos on you tube.

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    Comment to enter today's giveaway. One entry per household. Be sure to include your email
    address
    so we can contact you if you win. You don't have to type your email
    address into the body of the comment if you entered it in the email-address
    field on the comment form.

    ShopRucheImage300LToday's
    giveaway will close at 11:59pm PST on Weds 8/28/13    —which means it
    will overlap with Day 26's giveaway
    which ends tonight and Day 28's giveaway which will go up tomorrow, so
    don't miss those. We want you to have plenty of time to enter. Watch for
    the winner to
    be announced within the week at the bottom
    of the post. For more info on my August giveaway party, click here. Please
    share the word. Check back every day.

    Good luck!

    xo—Heather


    Read More “Giveaway Day 27”

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    It’s Official

    ByHeather Bailey

    As I hinted last week, I'll be heading to Utah in three weeks to give the keynote address at The Sewing Summit 2013. The announcement was made yesterday on The Sewing Summit blog and throughout their social media outlets. Click on the image below to read the full article.

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    SewingSummitWWhat
    is The Sewing Summit? As they put it, "We’re a cross between a
    traditional sewing retreat and a social
    media and blogging conference… With hands-on workshops, networking
    events, inspiring speakers,
    informative lecture sessions and enough down-time to connect with
    friends new and old—Sewing Summit is the only event of its kind. Join us
    for a weekend of skill-building, networking, laughing and
    reconnecting!"

    I'm excited to meet everyone and share. The event has been sold out for a while. However! They have added a handful of spaces this week. If you are interested in attending, jump on it. Just have a look at these great classes and teachers.
    I hear the sewing labs will be open till 2am or so. You can sew in your
    pjs with friends. Doesn't that sound dreamy? Of course, I'm a serious
    night owl.

    So then, whether you're attending or not, what would you like to hear
    from me at an event like this? The conference covers such diverse
    topics: fashion, quilting, blogging, photography, business and more. I want to do a bang-up job for you all.

  • |

    Giveaway Day 26

    ByHeather Bailey

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    I'm am all about art supplies. I love nothing more than to sit at my
    drafting table with a fiesta of colorful paints, markers and tools
    within reach. It's also handy to have a few supplies that are easy to
    pack up and take with me for long family functions, for travel, or even
    for a trip to the park with the kids.

    Day26_WatercolorA_300bOne of my all-time-favorite, easy-to-pack art supplies is my compact set of Winsor Newton watercolor
    half-pans (the official name for these little dried cubes of paint). I
    love to work with pan paints on the go. And each half-pan can be replaced
    as it is used—without having to get a whole new set of colors. In fact,
    you can swap the colors around, add new ones, remove a few, and make
    your own custom palette to paint with.

    The teensy-tiny box opens up to reveal plenty of palette surface for mixing colors. There is even a little water tray for plein-air
    painting. (I don't use the water tray myself. I'm happy to bring a
    larger cup along.) Also included is a small, round paintbrush which is
    stored inside the compact.

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    These pan paints don't offer the same pigment depth as top-of-the-line
    tube paint, but they are a good quality for a traveling set. And this
    little box of watercolors has remained one of my favorite art supplies
    over many years. You might recall my March of the Tools post on these from a few years back.

    WinsorNewtonWatercolorSetTraveller300Today's lucky winner will receive a new Winsor Newton compact watercolor set to call her own, the same traveling kit that I use. A $38 value.

    Comment to enter today's giveaway. One entry per household. Be sure to include your email
    address
    so we can contact you if you win. You don't have to type your email
    address into the body of the comment if you entered it in the email-address
    field on the comment form.

    Today's giveaway will close at 11:59pm PST on Tuesday 8/27/13—which means it will overlap with Day 25's giveaway and Day 27th's giveaway, so don't miss those. Watch for the winner to
    be announced within the week at the bottom
    of the post. For more info on my August giveaway party, click here. Please
    share the word. Check back every day.

    Good luck!

    xo—Heather

    Read More “Giveaway Day 26”

  • Giveaway Day 25

    ByHeather Bailey

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    In honor of Evan's birthday on the 25th, our Day 25 HELLO Giveaway is one of our favorite children's toys, Theo the cat, an 18" knit doll. A $56 value. Theo is chartreuse for heaven's sake. It doesn't get better than chartreuse.

    A brand-new Theo made his way to our studio from LaylaGrayce.com, an incredibly diverse and inspirational online store, carrying everything from chandeliers and designer sofas to apparel, gifts and toys.
    I urge you to go take a look. Their taste is impeccable. Whether you're
    redecorating or just picking out a few gifts here and there, you will
    find so many great options on their site.

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    Thank you, LaylaGrayce.com for generously donating today's prize and for offering such a wide variety of these adorable Blabla Kids knit dolls,
    including raccoons, foxes, bunnies, bears, wolves, mermaids, monkeys
    and elephants, to name a few. They are soft and squishy and alltogether
    cool.

    Look at how many of these dolls work for boys as well as girls. I love that.

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    For decorating inspiration and first news on new products, follow Layla Grayce on twitter, facebook, instagram, pinterest, and on their inspirational blog.

    Read More “Giveaway Day 25”

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    Babies Don’t Keep

    ByHeather Bailey

    My giveaway plans were derailed today by a very important little person and his very own 2nd birthday. Little Evan
    is two years old today! When I giddily plucked him from his crib this
    morning, we snuggled up on Charlotte's bed while I sang him a Happy
    Birthday song. At the end of every phrase, Evan chimed in with "cake!" 

    Happy Birthday to you…cake!…Happy Birthday to you…cake!… Happy Birthday dear Evan…cake!…Happy Birthday to you…cake!

    He knows what's important.

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    It took us till eveningtime to finally make good on the promise of
    cake with a small family birthday party. Boisterous cousins followed
    Evan about, patting his head and picking him up in turn. By the time
    cake was served, Evan couldn't care less about the stir of children
    throughout our home. Cake, at last—what a birthday is all about.

    I wanted to write Evan a little love note today to enumerate his
    sweet particularities at this age, count the many ways in which I love
    him. But, Sundays are my busiest days—even without a birthday to
    celebrate. As such, the love note didn't happen. And today's giveaway
    post didn't happen either. When it came down to it, I had to choose
    between photographing and writing a giveaway post and giving my little
    son his birthday dues—time, attention and cake. I chose the baby.

    I could prep and post today's giveaway
    now, but it's getting too late in the night to do our awesome Day 25
    prize justice. Instead, I'm going to go for a double header tomorrow and
    put up two separate giveaways in two separate posts. Hang tight and
    watch for those tomorrow. I'll make sure the deadlines are generous so
    you won't miss your chance.

    Happy, Happy Birthday to my darling boy. From our early morning
    cake-song to my late-night blog update, today, I'm reminded of this
    lovely poem by Ruth Hulbert Hamilton—though it could use a new stanza about the internet, the computer and the smart phone:

    Song for a Fifth Child

    Mother, oh Mother, come shake out your cloth,
    Empty the dustpan, poison the moth,
    Hang out the washing and butter the bread,
    Sew on a button and make up a bed.
    Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
    She’s up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.

    Oh, I’ve grown shiftless as Little Boy Blue
    (Lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).
    Dishes are waiting and bills are past due
    (Pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo).
    The shopping’s not done and there’s nothing for stew
    And out in the yard there’s a hullabaloo
    But I’m playing Kanga and this is my Roo.
    Look! Aren’t her eyes the most wonderful hue?
    (Lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).

    The cleaning and scrubbing will wait till tomorrow,
    For children grow up, as I’ve learned to my sorrow.
    So quiet down, cobwebs. Dust go to sleep.
    I’m rocking my baby and babies don’t keep.

  • Giveaway Day 24 — Mary!

    ByHeather Bailey

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    I have been a long-time fan of Mary Engelbreit.
    When I was a kid, there was a sticker and stationery store at the
    nearby mall. It was my favorite stop. The one day I was allowed to
    choose any sticker from the sticker wall, I went home with a 2.5" circle
    sticker designed by Mary. It featured a girl in a wide straw hat with
    glasses and bobbed hair, the classic Mary character. It was signed "ME"
    at the bottom.

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    I didn't know who "ME" was at the time. But as I discovered "ME" on
    more and more products, I connected the dots, asked around, and learned
    that "ME" was the delightful, talented and prolific Mary Engelbreit.

    MaryEngelbreitPortrait300jpgHer perspective and aesthetic have withstood the test of time. For decades now,
    Mary's
    artwork has adorned millions of greeting cards and everything from
    calendars and best-selling children's books to gifts, crafts and home
    accents.

    About six years ago, I had the privilege to work with Mary's team at Mary Engelbreit's Home Companion magazine on the cover-story for the April/May 2008 issue. Such a great magazine.

    In fact, Mary unknowingly connected me with one of my good friends.
    When I put a general call out for help on the Home Companion photoshoot,
    Jona
    volunteered. This is how we first met. I later learned that she was an
    uber Mary-Engelbreit fan and had counted her lucky stars for the
    opportunity to come to the shoot. She had collected every single issue
    of Mary's magazine, except for the first issue.

    MaryatQuiltMarketThrough
    the magazine's editors, Barbara and Kathy, I was able to set Jona up
    with a signed copy of that first issue—to complete her collection.

    I have yet to meet Mary in person. She was at Quilt Market a year or so
    ago, but I couldn't get free to wait in the enormous line of fans eager
    to shake her hand. This woman is popular! I have been delighted to get to know her through Instagram though, of all places. And I look forward meeting her one day.

    Though I am sure she has weathered every storm and sunny day an
    art-licensing business brings with it, Mary has maintained a joyful and
    engaging point of view—a sweet, humorous and uplifting spirit that
    continues to win fans worldwide.

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    I'm honored to announce that Mary herself is offering today's giveaway prize—a big box of Mary Engelbreit calendars for 2014. Calendars of every shape and size. A $90 value. 

    Keep up with Mary on her EngelBlog—and on facebook, instagram and pinterest as well. Shop her amazing variety of products online at MaryEngelbreit.com or at retailers virtually everywhere.

    Read More “Giveaway Day 24 — Mary!”