Wicked Stitches

A return to blogging

2012-01-27T11:23:00.002-05:00

Blogging isn't easy for us. We spend most of our time working and caring for our families. As I'm sure most of you do as well. But, for the life of me I can't figure out why we shy away from this. God knows I love to talk! However, talking and writing are two very different things.

So, my New Year Resolution was to get better at reaching out to the internet community and talk to customers, fellow entrepreneurs or anyone else with common interests.

Since we're talking about New Year's, this year is special to me. The Chinese Zodiac is the Dragon this year, and guess what? I'm a Dragon. So I'm feeling especially lucky. So to start the year off right, I had a close friend over for dinner last Saturday and we had Chinese food. We made spring rolls, ribs, pepper steak and chicken with broccoli. My favorite part was the homemade fortune cookies. Surprisingly - It was EASY! Really fun and everyone got such a big kick out of them. Here's the recipe I used:

Fortune Cookies I

Rated:

Submitted By: Aleta

Photo By: ShrinkingViolette

Servings: 6

"Write your own fortunes and place them in cookies. Great for parties."

Ingredients:

1 egg white

1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 pinch salt

1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1/4 cup white sugar

Directions:

1.	Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Butter a cookie sheet. Write fortunes on strips of paper about 4 inches long and 1/2 inch wide. Generously grease 2 cookie sheets.
2.	Mix the egg white and vanilla until foamy but not stiff. Sift the flour, salt, and sugar and blend into the egg white mixture.
3.	Place teaspoonfuls of the batter at least 4 inches apart on one of the prepared cookie sheets. Tilt the sheet to move the batter into round shapes about 3 inches in diameter. Be careful to make batter as round and even as possible. Do not make too many, because the cookie have to be really hot to form them and once they cool it is too late. Start with 2 or 3 to a sheet and see how many you can do.
4.	Bake for 5 minutes or until cookie has turned a golden color 1/2 inch wide around the outer edge of the circle. The center will remain pale. While one sheet is baking, prepare the other.
5.	Remove from oven and quickly move cookie with a wide spatula and place upside down on a wooden board. Quickly place the fortune on the cookie, close to the middle and fold the cookie in half. Place the folded edge across the rim of a measuring cup and pull the pointed edges down, one on the inside of the cup and one on the outside. Place folded cookies into the cups of a muffin tin or egg carton to hold their shape until firm.

Printed from Allrecipes.com 1/27/2012

I found this on Allrecipes.com and it couldn't have been easier.

I wish everyone a wonderful 2012 filled with love, family and plenty of homemade fortune cookies!

Mothers Day - Hat Cake

2011-04-24T09:43:00.004-04:00

One Year for Mothers Day, I invited my Mother and Mother-in-Law over for brunch and made this simple Hat Cake. I started with a fruit salad in a carved grapefruit shell, made a few quiches and banana nut muffins, my cobb salad made a great addition, mimosa here and coffee there and wa-la....a fancy brunch! Then I made this "hat cake" and put it on a pink glass cake stand. It was so cute, both Mom's LOVED it! Very simple, and it's really fun to do! Try it for your Mom - for all she does.....it's a little treat that she will really appreciate! I know mine did.
Follow this link to a video instruction....
http://howc.st/g62JVk

Happy Mothers Day to all of us out there!

Finds on Twitter

2011-02-20T09:19:00.004-05:00

As I'm sure for many small businesses working on the internet, we too are interested in social media. Used as a way to find people and let people find us. So, it goes that we started using twitter. Our twitter name is "stitchedright". It's an unusual way to talk to people. You only use a small amount of characters, or so I thought. Then I realized that people are linking "bitlys" to their small comments. These "bitlys" are URL shortners (I'm not sure that's a word) that take you to a blog post or a magazine article. Funny how things work. So, now it's sort of like reading the newspaper. If you see a title to the article that is interesting then you click the link and read the rest.

However, I have found some really interesting people and places. Always on the hunt for great gifts and gift giving ideas, I came across this blog post that the "craftgossip" page posted. BTW, they have wonderful ideas and posts! This one is especially adorable, and a wonderful gift for Mothers Day! Check it out and if you get a minute spend some time on Twitter. It's a weird little world but worth the visit.

Here's that post: http://whiffofjoy.blogspot.com/2011/02/circle-album-card-by-jane-johnson.html

Happy crafting!
Best, Nancy

Adventures of a small sewing shop

2011-01-21T09:32:00.003-05:00

Well I guess the word adventures may be a bit overstated. I tend to exaggerate, makes things more interesting - don't you think? Anyway, the adventures I'm referring to is our experiments with design. We have been experimenting with t-shirts. New designs, new colors. Very cool stuff. When we're not sewing orders....our time is spent with arranging colors and putting together applique ideas. We hope to show some new things for spring.

Color is an amazing thing....use the right combination and the design is beautiful. Use the wrong combination and the same exact design is just awful! We spent last Tuesday walking around the Fashion district in NYC looking for just the right combination for shirt embellishments. So, stay tuned for some new stuff...and let's hope we get the colors right!

Love to hear your ideas! Find us on Facebook (Wicked Stitches Embroidery)....and twitter (Stitchedright). Have a wonderful weekend. Stay warm!

Valentines Garland in a gift shop

2011-01-10T08:16:00.005-05:00

Woke up this morning to my husband giving me the weather report. He told me that on Tuesday we may be expecting 6 - 12 inches of snow. I think, great the kids will be off from school. My day will be turned into getting snow stuff together, putting it on them. Watching them outside in the snow, shoveling snow, then taking wet snow stuff off. Drying snow stuff, making hot chocolate and numerous other food items. Of course all while "enjoying them". But I digress.

So for now, I'm drinking a cup of HOT coffee, and blogging. This may be my only chance this week. I've got to get to work in my little garage shop. I'm working on some ideas for early spring items. I just love the "garland" idea and am working on getting my Valentine and Shamrock garland into some gift shops. I think it may be a hard item to sell on the internet. It's one of those things that has to be seen. The time has come for us to try to expand our sales horizons. It's a wonderful thing to be able to do what you love, but it's even better if you can eek a living out of it!

So here's to making a living on what we love. One garland at a time!

Holiday thoughts

2011-01-02T21:21:00.004-05:00

Boy, that went fast! It was all in a blink of an eye and it's gone! It's been almost a month since I last blogged. So hard to believe.

This year, as usual, I was preoccupied in my embroidery work, and then I couldn't decide on what to get who, all while trying to "get together" with all my friends.

So, in the end I think I gave the right gifts to all the gift givees, I got together with all the right friends, and finished all my work just in the nick of time. All in all a very successful Holiday! But, when I reflect on this I always say.... next year I'll start earlier, I'll be more organized....blah, blah, blah.

For those who know me, know that's never going to happen. I'm really a perfectionist / dreamer if there is such a personality. I'm always thinking about doing the most fun family holiday excursion, or how to spend my time more wisely so I can do more fun family Holiday things. If I'm not thinking about how to make the family thing better, I'm thinking about how to make my embroidery better and more appealing. Or thinking about how can I talk to more people on the internet so they can get to know my embroidery.

Now, I'm starting to think that it's really not the Holiday rush that's so annoying, but the everyday life stuff that gets in the way of the Holidays!

Sometimes, it's really just your point of view. Ok, so now that I've solved that problem....NEXT?

Gingerbread and the Holidays!

2010-12-08T21:28:00.002-05:00

One of my favorite parts of Christmas is the Gingerbread houses that we make at home. The kids love decorating the houses, and who doesn't like the SMELL! This year I noticed that King Arthur Flour is selling candy especially for Gingerbread houses. What a great idea. For some reason, they always look more festive when there is an odd collection of candy and not just Christmas candy. Just thought I'd pass that along. Sometimes, it's the little things that make all the difference.

Happy Baking,
Nancy
Wicked Stitches

Holiday Favorites

2010-11-15T20:23:00.009-05:00

Seems that everyone is working hard to get the holiday shopping done. Personally, I'm a last minute shopper. But, even I can see the benefit of shopping early. We here at Wicked Stitches hope that our customers do too! We are offering FREESHIP on any order thru December 10th. So for all you organized Holiday shoppers - here are our Favorite Holiday Gifts:

For the Hostess: Candy Cane Monogram Holiday Napkin set of 4, or a pair of hand towels....$25.60 (on sale) FUN and FESTIVE!

For those who have everything: Monogrammed towel set: set of 6 towels (2 bath, 2hand, 2 wash).....$60.00 Always Elegant.

For Mom or Grandma: Our "Make your own" tote: we will put your favorite art work onto a canvas tote....$75.00 Completely original and unique.

For a special little girl: Personalized Princess Pillow shams: Pink and precious personalized for your little princess....$24.00 Adorable.

For your dance teacher: Peace Love Dance beach towel: (pss...we can do this on a tote too) kind of says it all.....$25.00 Very Hip.

For that special guy: Neighbor Hood U - looks like a university but it's really your hometown... $36.00 Great conversation starter!

So there you have it, our top picks of all our great gifts. We want to help keep your Holidays - HAPPY. So visit our website and order today!

Warmest regards for a happy and healthy Holiday Season!
Nancy & Carolyn
Wicked Stitches Embroidery

Keeping the Holidays - well HAPPY!

2010-11-14T09:59:00.004-05:00

I've been too focused on my sewing that I've forgotten my blogging! We are working hard this year to create a Holiday List to keep our customers Holidays - HAPPY! Keep watching - we'll be posting our Holiday Favorites over the next day or two. Have a favorite Wicked Stitches Gift? Let us know! We love to hear from all of you!

Warm regards, Nancy

What's your ultimate fall weekend?

2010-10-10T10:24:00.003-04:00

Usually we spent at least one Sunday or Saturday picking apples or pumpkins during Fall. For us we have to get in the car and travel a bit to do it. We live in one of the five boroughs of NYC, we usually travel upstate for the day. The kids come kicking and screaming, wondering what they are missing by not being home. I'm always thinking, what I could have done in the house or at work....but it's my husband who demands our annual fall fest day, as I so sarcastically call it. A beautiful thought, and I am grateful for his insistence that we do this together. So today, we're off to pick a pumpkin and hopefully see some foliage.

We spent the day yesterday celebrating my Great Niece's First Birthday (no, I'm really not that old!), then we spent the evening with great frinds at our annual "Autumn dinner party." Today, is a beautiful day, the sun is shining, the Yankees won the first round of playoffs, and we have off tomorrow...this just may be my Ultimate Fall Weekend!

Tattoo Designs

2010-10-06T09:49:00.005-04:00

Funny sometimes where you can get inspiration from. I would have thought that Tattoo designs would be the last place to look for inspiration. But, have to say that old saying; "don't judge a book by it's cover" can be applied here too. We created this particular heart design from a tattoo design we saw. We think it makes a really nice applique. It works on the back of thermal shirts that I made for my tween daughter and it works on a little girl knit hat.

Who Knew?

Tags for stuff

2010-10-03T12:48:00.001-04:00

As a person who embroiders stuff for other people. One thing I've learned is that personalized items can be very helpful! To differentiate your items, or to make an ordinary thing more appealing.

One item that we love to make are vinyl tags. Tags for stuff, all sorts of stuff! It would be wonderful if everyone ordered tags from us and we could just design tags to match backpacks and lunch bags and music bags....etc....well you get the picture.

But, just because we have the tools to make these beautiful tags doesn't mean you can't do the same. It can be a fun thing to do with the kids. Felt is a great, durable fabric that can stand up to some abuse. It's also great to work with because you can glue it. You can cut out shapes with different color felt and glue them onto a larger base, place a ribbon behind the base piece and glue on a back. WaLa...a tag for your stuff! Start with a simple shape and add a cut out initial.

Here are some popular tags that we make.

Happy crafting,
Nancy

Back to school breakfast blues

2010-09-15T08:08:00.002-04:00

The muffins were a success! The kids loved the Coffee Cake muffins hot out of the oven! The best part is that I froze the leftovers and heated them up this morning. Now I just have to figure out how to eliminate the white sugar and white flour and keep the taste.

Any tips?

Back to school breakfast blues

2010-09-12T11:28:00.002-04:00

What does back to school mean to you? I think for most of us it's bittersweet. No more leisure time with the kids, back to the grind! Of course it's good and bad, as so many experiences are with kids. But, I digress. What I really wanted to share was my bright idea. I'm sure there are so many of you out there that will say; "is she kidding, I've been doing that for years"...but for you Johnny come latelies - here goes!

My kids are the worst breakfast eaters, but they love muffins and other time consuming baked goods. I really am trying my best to avoid processed food. So, I'm thinking I'll just make homemade muffins - yeah OK. Then I read Great Coffee Cakes, Sticky Buns, Muffins & More by Carole Walter. It does seem weird, but I actually read a lot of cookbooks. Anyway, she says that you can make the muffin batter and put it in the muffin pan overnight in the refrigerator. She said that for some muffins it helps to create that crown you see on the professional baked goods.

Today is Sunday, I'm going to prepare my muffin mix right now and put it in the fridge, I'll let you know how it goes!

Bride Gifts and Pre-Wedding Wear

2010-08-03T18:04:00.004-04:00

For those of you who know, Wicked Stitches has been doing custom Bridal gifts for some time. Recently we got into the Bridal Sweatsuits and created a new website dedicated to these items. Check it out at www.InStyleBeforeTheAisle.com. We like to call it our beautiful sister site.

With the recent trend in sweatsuits for the bride and her wedding party, we decided to add our custom touch. We thought it would be nice to have two jackets with the pant instead of the usual jacket / pant set. Our jackets can be used before the aisle and after! One says "Soon to Be Mrs....." and the other states "Just Married" across the back! Always on white and written in Bridal Blue - of course.

We like to say Package, Package, Package and love to make things just so..... We place these beautiful Bride track suits inside a Bridal Blue suitcase with a personalized luggage tag. But that's not all, inside the suitcase is a card to be filled out by the bride which states her story. The suitcase becomes an heirloom for her wedding treasures......AWWWH.

We're nothing if not thoughtful gift makers!

Beach towel birthday gift

2010-06-10T22:20:00.006-04:00

Has it really been two months since I posted to the blog? I seem to be better at Facebook these days. Boy do the last few weeks of school get nutty! Between softball, baseball, soccer, school plays oh yeah and schoolwork there isn't much time left for blogging!

Anyway, when I'm not attending to the kids/house/family stuff - I am working. I've been doing so many beach towels lately and some are just too cute....

Love these towels that we are doing now, appliqued names. I match fabrics that I have to the brightly colored towels and WaLa....perfect birthday gift. Wrapped and ready and just $25.00! Add a matching tote ... it's a bargain at just $46.00. Visit us today!

Affordable, adorable, awesome gift....get one today!

Birthday Gifts

2010-04-13T08:43:00.000-04:00

April in my Family means Birthdays! First it's Moms, then my twin nieces, then my younger sister. This happens all in the course of two weeks. So, last week I spent time making my Mom a "family tree" runner. I made a little face for each grandchild she has....of course it was very cute and Mom loved it. I'll post a picture of it just as soon as I can download it from my camera. Hopefully, that will be sooner rather than later! Not as technical as I am crafty!

Three more birthdays to go.....

Easter Hostess Gift Part III

2010-03-29T16:06:00.002-04:00

OK, is it just me or did Easter pop up on you too? We were sewing fast and furious Green, Green, Green for St. Pat's and before you knew it --- Blues, Lavenders and Bunnies! We just made and sold several of these garlands. While it may be a bit late for sending more of these out....I thought I could share it anyway. Better late than never - I always say!

Again, a nice little hostess gift. It's adorable, not over the top and affordable too (just $25). The garland is about 6 ft long and is done on a baby blue felt with lavender, green, white and purple fabric applique. It's very bright and happy, just like spring!

Happy Easter to you!

Easter Hostess Gift Part II

2010-03-28T15:29:00.003-04:00

Well, I did make my sister Easter Table Decorations but when I started sewing Bunnies, I realized that my sister LOVES PEEPS! Then I thought, I'll make peeps. I plan to give her these yellow felt peeps atop a box of real yellow peeps wrapped up with a yellow polka dot ribbon. I think she'll get a kick out of that.

Sometimes, the best ideas are the simplest. I think this may be one of my best ideas today.

Easter Hostess Gift

2010-03-28T10:37:00.004-04:00

Of all the gifts we give, Hostess Gifts are my favorite. I know that I talk a lot about them, but to be honest when someone invites you into their home for a meal or just for a cup of coffee, it's special. I think it's a true skill to be a good host and to enjoy your company. When someone goes to the trouble of having me and my family over, I like to acknowledge that with a gift!

To me it's always kind of a challenge to find just the right thing to bring someone. Today, is Palm Sunday and I'll be working on some Welcome Spring Garlands. Later today, I'll have dinner at my sisters house and plan to bring her some Bunny Table Decorations. She always cooks Easter Dinner for my entire family. I'm not usually with my family on Easter but with my In-Laws instead. I know that this is the perfect gift for my sister, she happily hosts Easter every year and this year is special because she has a new granddaughter. That's one more bunny for her table!

Be it Bunny Table Decorations, a beautiful tulip plant, a great bottle of wine or just your sincere gratitude be sure to bring your host a gift! It will be appreciated and best of all - you might just get invited back!

Great Gift Tags

2010-03-23T12:52:00.002-04:00

I just made two gift tags for my kids. This may be my new favorite thing!!!

Just go to wordle.net and create these funky word art combination's. Great Stuff. I found that you need to put the name of the person or the word you want most prominent several times. You can play around with styles. But, make sure you save your words - because when you go back to the "create" page to change them they aren't there. It's one of those great finds that you have to SHARE!

The possibilities are endless. This could make a wonderful gift, print it out on nice paper and frame them. Make a truly personal gift tag. Attach it to a bottle of wine! Scrapbookers' will love this site!

So have some fun and Wordle! Let us know how you use yours.

Best,
Nancy

Simple gifts for Easter Morning

2010-03-22T08:11:00.007-04:00

As spring arrives, so does Easter. Everyone has Easter Basket Traditions; our are a mixed bag between my husband and myself. Usually, the kids always look for the eggs hidden by the Easter Bunny first thing and then they tear into the Baskets.

However, last year the kids woke up to a crazy Easter Basket treasure hunt. The Easter Bunny took yarn and weaved his way from their beds to their baskets. Each of them followed the color yarn that was attached to their bed. It was quite funny to see the kids follow the yarn to their baskets! Up and over, under and thru just about every piece of furniture and doorway we have. Finally, their baskets were attached on the other end. One was in a kitchen cabinet and the other behind the basement door. It's one Easter Morning they won't forget! Of course, when they got to the baskets - it's pure sugar and chocolate for breakfast .

Our gift was listening to the giggles and watching them smile along the way!

Happy Spring,
Nancy

Special Gifts

2010-03-17T08:24:00.006-04:00

Another simple gift idea in honor of National Craft Month. This simple cardboard hatbox has been transformed into a truly special gift. My daughter received this gift from my Mom. It is a collection of pictures of my daughter from the time she was a baby with all the members of my family. It's a gift that my daughter holds dear and still uses to keep her most treasured items. It's simply one of the best gifts my girl has ever received!

And so simple, here's how it's done:
You'll need a cardboard hat box. Usually you can find these in any craft store, we have an AC Moore and a Michaels near us and both have them. A jar of Decoupage, copies of your favorite pictures and some themed scrap booking paper. Keep in mind that you can use newspaper articles or magazine clippings too. You can virtually decoupage anything! Even fabric works!

Simply lay out your design of pictures and words and decoupage. Apply decoupage to the back of each item to paste it on, then decoupage the outside once everything is set. Also, decoupage comes in matte or glossy. A few coats of glossy on top can really give it a finished look. Of course, it will take a day or two to dry.... but wa-la - best gift ever!!!!

Make this special gift for someone special...Mothers day is just around the corner! What Mom or Grandma wouldn't love one of these to keep her special memories in?

Keep Crafting....we'll keep bloggin'! We love gifts; making them, giving them and sharing them!

Best,
Nancy

Simple St. Patricks Day Celebration

2010-03-16T09:08:00.003-04:00

Well, St. Patrick's Day is upon us! We have been working hard to meet the demand of sewing Shamrock gift items for some Lucky Irish families. Now, we need to get ourselves ready.

I wrote my grocery list last night and need to get that done today. The meal is the simple part, it's the decorating that I love! I plan to set my table with a white table cloth, green shamrock table decorations, candles, and my fine china. My daughter plans to make rainbow cupcakes, and I plan to make Irish Soda Bread as a gift to my guests.

The Soda Bread recipe I have makes one huge loaf. But, on these occasions I like to split that into four small loaves. After the bread has cooled, I wrap each one in brown paper and tie it with cord. Then I make a paper shamrock as a tag. Very simple, very cute, appropriate and always appreciated!

While we're not your typical Irish family, we do enjoy a good St. Pat's dinner.
Slainte!

St. Patricks' Sweatshirt

2010-03-11T19:25:00.002-05:00

March Madness continues. We created this sweatshirt for a Lucky little one who is attending her first St. Patrick's Day Parade in NYC this year. Of course, I can't tell what March will bring, but I'm guessing that a sweatshirt is always handy on 5th Avenue. I can almost hear the marching bands and bagpipe players walking past St. Patricks Cathedral. The sites and sounds of NYC never get old! Wishing a very happy outing for this Lucky Little Leprechaun!

Bib for the wee one

2010-03-08T22:25:00.004-05:00

How can you make a baby more kissable? Put an "Irish" kiss me, kiss me, kiss me bib on them!
Great gift for any baby, Irish or otherwise!
This bib was done as a custom order, we would love to have the opportunity to make something special for you....come in and browse. We are all about the best personalized gifts!

St. Patrick Hostess Gift

2010-03-05T12:48:00.004-05:00

Hostess Gifts, the most fun of all! As you might have guessed by now, I love making and giving gifts! We started our business based on great affordable gifts.

We call these tablecloth decorations, and they are used to decorate a festive table setting for a holiday. Here I made personalized shamrocks for a friend who is gracious enough to host a St. Pat's Parade party. Our neighborhood hosts an annual St. Patrick's Day Parade, and as you might imagine; it's a BIG party! My friend is a wonderful host, and it's always a great day to be with friends!

Slainte!

St. Patrick's dessert

2010-03-04T16:56:00.006-05:00

Awesome St. Patrick's Day dessert!!!!
A fruit rainbow - Each fruit is cut up and placed in a row arched like a rainbow, one on top of the other.
Each color of the rainbow is a different fruit, start with red and work down to purple. Red: strawberries, orange: cantaloupe or oranges, yellow: pineapple, green: grapes, blue: blueberries, and indigo (or purple): purple pears, or deep red grapes. On one end of the rainbow put mini marshmallows and on the other end put a fruit dip in a "pot" and tint it yellow for gold. My favorite fruit dip is a small container of strawberry cream cheese mixed together with a small jar of fluff. Just stir together in a bowl, it does take a few minutes to combine...but it's worth it!

Welcome Friends

2010-03-02T16:02:00.004-05:00

After a long winter, it's time to welcome friends one thousand times.

Welcome sign Irish Style!

Order yours at SewMuchToSay.com

Irish words of wisdom

2010-03-02T15:31:00.003-05:00

March Madness continues....
A favorite Irish Proverb to ponder:"put silk on a goat, and it's still a goat".
A Favorite Irish Poem: "May flowers always line your path and sunshine light your day. May songbirds serenade you every step along the way. May a rainbow run beside you in a sky that's always blue. And may happiness fill your heart each day your whole life through.”
Gotta love the Irish! Slainte! (cheers!)

St. Patrick Day Give Away

2010-02-15T20:29:00.009-05:00

Join in our March Madness Giveaway!

We are giving a set of four napkins to one lucky facebook fan. To enter the giveaway simply become a fan at Wicked Stitches Embroidery (facebook) . Then guess how many stitches it took to sew the fabulous shamrock design on one napkin. Just post your guess on our fan page. The person who comes closest to the total stitches wins the napkins. Contest ends at midnight on Thursday March 4^th

Tell your friends! Join the Madness, it’s fun and easy.

See you there!

Slán agus beannacht leat

(that's Gaelic for "Goodbye and blessings with you)

St. Patricks Day!

2010-02-15T20:24:00.011-05:00

Our thoughts are turning from Red to Green!
St. Pat's Day is just one month away. But, we're on it - our Signature Shamrock Garland is proudly hung in Boomerang Toys on Forest Avenue, Staten Island (a few doors down from Duffy's)...and just in time for Staten Island's legendary Parade (Sunday March 7, 2010). Check it out.

Valentines Day Gift Ideas

2010-01-22T19:50:00.011-05:00

Valentines Day is Fast Approaching! How do we show our love .... Let me count the ways:

Our Favorite Hostess gift :-)...

Our Favorite mini garland - perfect to decorate the refrigerator, or interior door ....

Our favorite Tween Gift .... My 12 year old will be getting this sugar free valentine!

And last but not LEAST .... table decorations for our Valentine Dinner!

What sweet treat can we make for You?

Hugs and Kisses, Wicked Stitches!

New Year's resolution

2010-01-06T13:54:00.002-05:00

New Year...New thoughts!
We have committed to make Wicked Stitches the best Gift Shop on the Web!
Stay tuned .... our top gifts for Valentines are on the way!

Unique Table Decorations for Every Celebration!

2009-11-19T14:55:00.011-05:00

Take your table from Drab to Fab with our new Tablecloth & Place Card Set! The felt place cards can be personalized to be placed on a plate or left plain as a decoration! Show your guests that you thought enough to make a special space just for them! Very festive, very unique, very COOL! Check them out; we show our Thanksgiving leaves, Christmas trees and Spooky Bats! Collect them all.

Makes a great hostess gift! Add a matching garland to complete your decorating.
Get different fabric place cards for every celebration!

SPOOKY!

Thoughts for Thursday

2009-10-22T11:15:00.003-04:00

When you give a little, you get a lot! It's really OK to get involved and react when called upon. Try it! It really makes your heart happy!

A few weeks ago I received information from a blog I follow. This Mom/Blogger/Shop owner put out a plan to help a sick girl. She asked for donations of personalized items. All donations were used to warm up her hospital room. Of course, we donated our favorite Heart of my Heart Garland. All of our prayers and thoughts are with Emily today!

Check it out at The PolkaDot Mom. People coming together, now that's something great!
Best,
Nancy

Garland Winner!

2009-10-12T10:18:00.003-04:00

According to Random.org Comment #17 won our garland giveaway! Jacquie won! Thanks so much to all who entered. Jacquie, please let us know which garland you would like. Leave us a comment how to reach you, e-mail us at customerservice@sewmuchtosay.com or let me know on facebook.

Remember our garland can be purchased at sewmuchtosay.com - check it out!

Thanks again, and Happy Halloween.

Nancy

Favorite Halloween thing

2009-10-11T16:09:00.008-04:00

We were just talking Halloween and with just 20 days left we thought it might be fun to collect favorite Halloween ideas from everyone. SO, What's your favorite Halloween thing? Mine is old fashioned treat bags and those retro cut outs for windows and doors. You know the ones - the black cat and the witch face. Ka likes the Jack-o-Lantern that vomits pumpkin seeds and the trick-or-treaters love it!

What's your favorite Halloween thing?

Nancy

Halloween party theme

2009-10-08T11:31:00.003-04:00

Halloween Event Planner 101. I'v been drafted to organize the Halloween Party at my son's school. Thinking of doing a Haunted House theme. I just ordered cool paper candelabras online yesterday. I plan to place them on black tablecloths covered with spider webs.

Alongside my candelabras I want to place glass jars filled with different items in colored water. I plan to use labels to identify the items: Newts eyes, bat guts, witch fingers - well you get the picture. I'm not operating with a great budget so ideas are what I need. Got ideas? Let me know.

I'll keep you posted and up to date on my progress as I go along.

Best,
Nancy

Halloween Garland Giveaway!

2009-09-29T15:30:00.015-04:00

In celebration of our newly designed Halloween Garland, we're having a giveaway! One lucky winner will be chosen at random to win the Halloween garland of their choice.
It's easy to enter...just follow the instructions below.

BEWARE! (click to enlarge)

PUMPKIN FACE! (click to enlarge)

All entries must be posted on our blog.
(If you are reading this on Facebook...please click here to go to our blog and enter.)

HOW TO ENTER: Visit Wicked Stitches and then comment here about your favorite Wicked Stitches product. Don't forget to leave your e-mail address so we can contact you if you win. Your comment is your entry.

You can get additional entries if you:
1. Become/are a facebook fan (leave a comment)
2. Become/are a Follower of this blog (leave a comment)

Be sure to leave a separate comment for each entry (that's a max of 3 comments/entries)
So that's 3 chances win!!
Good Luck!

CONTEST ENDS: October 11,2009

Autumn Decorations you'll fall in love with!

2009-09-22T23:53:00.011-04:00

Embrace the change of season with our new Autumn Decorations. Check out our Orange, Yellow and Red Autumn Garland! Our hand made garland captures the spirit of the season with felt leaves appliqued and embroidered with all the colors of autumn. This beautiful banner can be reused year after year. Place it on a mantle, a window, a banister or on your front door. Welcome the harvest with a cozy, warm feeling! This garland is approximately 4 feet wide, and we sell it directly on our website: http://www.sewmuchtosay.com. Remember ...always free shipping! We also have Halloween Decorations to offer. Keep checking back!
Happy Harvest,
Nancy
Wicked Stitches

Backpacks, bag labels, school bags

2009-09-04T07:40:00.014-04:00

(click on photo to enlarge)
School is cool!

(click on photo to enlarge)

Add a tag to your lunchbox. We'll make one to match!

(click on photo to enlarge)
Tag your guitar case!

(click on photo to enlarge)
Don't forget Dancing School - pack your shoes in style!

Summer sure goes quickly, it's back to school already. Personally, I have mixed feelings; I'm almost sad for the kids but I'm looking forward to a new routine. The endless days of summer fun are killing me! Nothing says routine more than School! We came up with some fun back to school items. Our "Kindergarten is Cool" cinch sack is perfect for the little ones - everybody wants to be cool, even if you're 5. We also do a lot of "tags" so be sure to label your child's lunchbag, backpack or coat. Check out these and all our back to school items on our website at http://www.sewmuchtosay.com

Wishing all of you a seamless back to school experience!

Nancy
Wicked Stitches

How to personalize soldier carepackage

2009-08-24T09:16:00.005-04:00

This just might be the best idea I've heard today! We received a request to personalize pillowcases for a soldier serving in Iraq. This caring individual would like to place "I Love You" and "Come Home Soon" on a set of pillowcases. I wish I thought of this!

Special thoughts for a special soldier! Have you thought of your soldier today?

Nancy

Wicked Stitches

How to give the perfect hostess gift

2009-07-26T12:27:00.007-04:00

As a special thank you to a friend of mine, I made a personalized Hostess gift for her summer home. Since she has a lake house, I thought it would be nice to make a "row boat" garland to hang on a wall or window or where ever there is space.

I must admit this was one of my favorite garlands to date, and if you know anything about me - it's that I love garland. Then to make the garlard personalized - boy, that's a double treat for me!

Happy rowing Boyles!

Nancy
Wicked Stitches

How to create unique Sweet 16 party favors

2009-07-23T08:02:00.003-04:00

Wicked Stitches was asked to recreate Broadway show titles for the favors at a recent Sweet 16 Birthday Party. The young lady wanted to have a Broadway theme. She chose several popular plays and each one was a theme for a different table. She asked us to put the Show name on tank tops as a favor for the girls who attended. The party favors were a big hit. We wrapped them up in bags and made a Playbill tag with the young ladies name and date of the big day.

We loved the final product so much, we wanted to share this great idea!

Nancy
Wicked Stitches

Kids Aprons

2009-07-21T09:15:00.007-04:00

This year my daughter participated in a cooking camp. She was so excited to put on her Cooking Camp apron every morning. It was a really nice experience, the instructor planned the recipes from the High School Musical Cook Book. She did one smoothie, one savory and one sweet recipe every day for one week. I wanted to share the Banana Crunchy Smoothie recipe with you.

Banana Crunchy Smoothie:
1 cup skim milk
1 banana (sliced)
2 tbsp honey
1/2 cup granola
3/4 cup ice

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. ENJOY!

Needless to say we are eating better this week as my daughter practices her new found skills on us!

Luckily for the kids, Wicked Stitches did the aprons! Check them out.

Nancy
Wicked Stitches

Family Beach Vacations

2009-07-14T08:18:00.008-04:00

There is nothing better than hanging at the beach with your cousins, aunts and uncles. That's what my kids always say!

Sometimes, during the school year life gets too busy to see each other. Summer is a great time to get together. This year, my family will join my sisters and brothers at Ocean City MD for a few days. I plan to take along some of our Wicked Stitches "just beachy" towels to mark the occasion!
They are bright and colorful....and so useful.

One customer is doing the same! They are four families headed to the Outer Banks, NC. A towel for each of the kids is a great way to start the trip. Boy, those personalized embroidered towels are just beautiful!

Bring your sunscreen
...and your beach towel!

My Ironman

2009-07-07T07:55:00.007-04:00

My husband Will is competing in the upcoming Ironman USA triathlon for the second year in a row. After being inspired by my brother Joseph at the Ironman in the summer 2006 to become a triathlete, he set out to accomplish an extremely difficult task, to compete and hopefully finish the 140.6 mile race himself. The Ironman triathlon consists of a 2.4 mile swim followed by a 112 mile bike and a 26.2 mile run. He trained hard for 2 years, swimming, biking, and running almost every day and maintaining a healthy diet. In the summer of 2008, all of his hard work and dedication paid off when he finished the triathlon in 14 hours and 53 minutes.

While triathletes are a one man team, Will did not just compete in the race for himself. He gave back to others by raising over $7000 for The Children's Brain Tumor Foundation. This year, in only a few more weeks, he will attempt to complete the race faster than he did last year. As with the previous 2 years, he has been training rigorously to prepare himself for the Ironman, even driving 6 hours to and from Lake Placid every weekend to get used to the course. It is well known that hard work pays off, and it surely will for Will. We wish him the best of luck and know that he will make us proud come race day.
Make a donation to The Children's Brain Tumor Foundation

-Carolyn

Happy 4th of July!

2009-07-02T18:35:00.005-04:00

As we continue to be "garland" crazy - we are making our customers very happy indeed!

We made this red,white and blue garland for one of our favorite customers to give as a hostess gift. It was especially wonderful for this hostess since it was a July 4th B-B-Q but also because she has a red, white and blue themed summer house. This welcome garland was the perfect idea, it was made to fit an empty space above the couch. No worries, the little ones won't get hurt should it wall from the wall onto their heads and it looks fabulous!

Making the gift personal to the person receiving it really says you thought about them, and who could ask for more?

Happy 4th and Welcome Summer!

What's New?

2009-06-02T21:51:00.004-04:00

Here are some of our latest creations...

Fun with Applique

2009-06-02T16:42:00.002-04:00

I'm thinking of adding items to my retail wall at my friends Music Store. I want to create family members doing their personal thing and put them on a tote bag to carry all that stuff around. I have seen these types of stick figures on car windows and I really like the idea. I thought that a family tote is always useful and can be quite fun!

Check back for a photo!

Creative ways to market your product

2009-05-17T16:55:00.004-04:00

A friend of mine invited me to show my products on her music studio wall. At first I was really excited to have someone place my items in a retail shop, as I sell my products exclusively over the internet. Then, I started to think about how I could work out a deal with her and what her expectation of payment may be. Then I began to become anxious about it and thought that maybe I wouldn't be able to sell anything.

As soon as I stepped into her shop I just was completely thankful that she asked me to be involved with her space. It's really a great environment and she is so open to my ideas as well. I plan to display me work on her wall with information for people to contact me. We haven't worked out the details yet, but we're both going to try it and see! Sometimes, when you have an open mind anything can happen!

Sometimes old sayings are exactly what is needed: "try it and see".

The music school is Staten Island Family Music located at 358 Forest Avenue in Staten Island. It's a great place to nurture your child's natural enthusiasm for music and movement. They will sing, dance, chant, and play instruments in an informal setting that will enrich their musical environment and guide them towards a lifetime of music making enjoyment.

Best Gift ever!

2009-04-30T20:50:00.003-04:00

A friend of mine is taking her daughter to see the Jonas Brothers in the Bahamas. It's double fun; her daughter gets to see the Jonas Brothers and she get to go to the Bahamas! So we made her a "Mrs. Jonas" beach towel and matching tote bag. It is just too cute! My friends daughter got a big kick out of it and can't wait to see the Jonas Brothers in concert, sporting her beach towel that is! My friend can't wait to get to the Bahamas!

Butterfly Perennial Garden

2009-04-07T17:11:00.001-04:00

Lately with all this talk and spring garland sewing, I find that I can't stop looking in the flower catalogs that I get everyday. I can't help but wonder, why my garden never looks like them. This year I plan to take a new and different approach. I'm just going to focus on one section at a time. This spring I plan to build a perennial garden in the back. I want to make a garden that will attract butterflies and birds.

I have been collecting bird houses over the last few years, and I plan to put them at different heights in the garden. I think I'll need a bird bath too. I would love to do something a bit unexpected. Maybe I'll put in a giant toad stool. I saw that once in a magazine. On a wooden log, a metal bowl is nailed in and the bowl is painted red with white dots. Let's see what comes of it.

WELCOME SPRING

2009-03-31T17:38:00.002-04:00

I potted some Hyacinth bulbs in two containers last October. I placed them inside my garage for the winter. About a month ago they started to come up, so I put them on my front step. Now they are so beautiful and they smell so wonderful that it makes me smile every time I go to my front door. It took no time at all and turned out so great - I think I'll do it every year! What a great way to welcome spring!

Love to Garland!

2009-03-24T22:43:00.005-04:00

I realize that sounds silly, but it's true! We started making holiday garland for Valentines Day and we can't stop! It's really become a wonderful way to use creative energy. They look great on my front door and mantle too! I wanted to share these because they could easily be re-created at home with the kids. But if that fails - just go shopping at Wicked Stitches! We'd love to make one for you too!

Welcome Spring!

Attention!

2009-03-19T15:35:00.006-04:00

We have been getting some attention on the web lately!

One of our favorite sites...The Little Window Shoppe published a very nice review of Wicked Stitches. You will also find craft projects, recipes, sweet shops and fun family ideas on this site.

Over at The Funky Monkey...you can enter giveaways to win interesting and fun items.
We are sponsoring a giveaway of our 'Work of Art' tote bag. There is a really nice write-up about Wicked Stitches. Check it out. While you are there, enter for a chance to win the tote (ends 3/25)!

Valentine's Day Dinner

2009-02-14T08:24:00.005-05:00

I love Valentine's Day...it's a great day to create a special memory for the family.

Every year I make a special dinner.
I make a heart shaped meatloaf, 'ice it' with mashed potatoes and decorate it with ketchup.
I serve the kids milk in wine glasses...use the 'good' dishes with a fancy red tablecloth sprinkled with Hershey's kisses....and light candles. For the final touch, I put a little Valentine gift on everyone's chair.

Enjoy!

It's a Super Bowl party!

2009-02-01T09:46:00.005-05:00

My husband was born and raised in Pitttsburgh....so needless to say he is a huge STEELERS fan. So the Super Bowl is a big day in our house this year.

I had a great time getting the decorations together...
I just loved Nancy's Valentine Garland idea....so I changed it a bit and made a Steelers garland. For the table, I made a football field table cloth using ribbon and some iron-on number patches. I found black cloth cocktail napkins in the clearance section and embroidered some players names and numbers (you can also use fabric paint), and I embroidered some towels to hang in the bathroom.
GO STEELERS!
-Carolyn

Welcome to our Blog!

2009-01-22T12:34:00.000-05:00

Welcome to our Blog! We hope to use this blog as a creative outlet. We have so many great ideas we needed a place to put them all!

I hope that you can find some interesting ideas or use our ideas as a springboard to create something special and just right for you and yours!

Please let us know what you think. We hope that you share your great ideas and crafts too!

With warm regards,
Nancy and Carolyn

Valenines Day Garland

2009-01-16T11:10:00.002-05:00

A Funny Valentine Day story to share ... I am working on a DIY Valentine garland. As I'm cutting out my Valentine garland pieces ("XOXO's") to deorate my front door for Valentines Day. My son keeps asking my why I'm spelling out OX OX. So, I explained to him that it's not OX OX but XO XO witch is a code word for kisses (thinking he'll love some spy type lingo). Quickly, my daughter reminds me that this is the year of the OX ... hum, now I'm wondering if my 7 year old has outsmarted me again.

Directions for XO XO Garland:

What you’ll need:
White felt (one piece 12 X 24 “ or two pre-cut pieces)
Red felt (same dimensions)
Assorted coordinating ribbon
(we used 2 yards red and white polka dot - ¼ inch, 48 inches red and white gingham - 3/8 inch and 2 yards red grosgrain ribbon - 7/8 inch)
Fabric tac
Sissors (we used straight and pinking shears)

Cut four X ‘s and four O’s – two of each color felt.

Each letter template has an outside line and an inside line. Decide which color you want the back of the letter to be. Then use the outside line as a cutting guide for the back. Use the inside line as a cutting guide for the front of the letters. Be sure to cut the bigger one out first.

We cut the back one out with pinking shears, and the front pieces with straight shears.

Dimensions of cut ribbon:
Red grosgrain: Two pieces one yard long.
Red gingham: 4 pieces 12 inches long.
Red polka dot: 6 pieces 12 inches long.

Lay out the backs of the letters on a table the way you want them to hang. Attach the ribbons with fabric tac. On the first X, the top left side has the red grosgrain ribbon. Fold the ribbon in half so that it’s a double 18 inch length. You will need a longer length for a nicer bow. Then on the right top side of the X, put a piece of red gingham and a piece of red polka dot ribbon. Then the first O has the red gingham and red / white polka dot ribbon combination on the top left with only the red polka dot ribbon on the top right. The second X has the red polka dot ribbon on the top left with the combination gingham and polka dot on the top right. The second O has the gingham and polka dot combination on the top left and the red grosgrain on the top right.

Now just fabric tac the top pieces in place and your done! Tie the letters together, I tied them close together – but you don’t have to. Just hang it up and Kiss away! I used suction cups with hooks on them.

Feel free to use wired ribbons for the ends. They do make a nicer bow! Use any combination of ribbons you wish. These colors just worked for me. But, light pink and hot pink felt would be great too. Not to mention hot pink and black!

Here's the template: