Hey! Happy Tuesday from my little corner of the world in Centralia, Washington. This post is a big refresher on what I've been up to lately, including my latest quilt finish, a giveaway via social media, and some deals on cool stuff online. Cool, right? Okay, keep reading!
EMBROIDERY KIT GIVEAWAY
First things first, I want to share this giveaway with you all because it ends on FRIDAY, MAY 18. Click the image below to enter on Instagram or go to The Wild Sweet Pea Quilt & Embroidery Co. on Facebook.
You guys like giveaways right? Well, to celebrate all of you following along on my creative journey AND to announce the launch of the #quiltblockembroideryclub I am giving away TWO embroidery kits, one for you and your crafty DIY bestie! Each kit will include one pre-printed fabric with the le moyne Star quilt block design, a hand stained wood hoop, an embroidery needle, 8 thread colors, a pair of vintage scissors, and an instruction booklet. TO ENTER:
•make sure you’re following me on Instagram or Facebook, wherever you're entering.
•tag a friend you want to learn to embroider with!
•enter as many times as you want Giveaway ends on Friday 5/18 at 10pm PST and the winner will be announced on 5/19, the same day the kits will be available for purchase.
More about the Quilt Block Embroidery Club:
If the launch of this first pattern does well, every month I will be releasing a new embroidery kit to create wall-art of all our favorite traditional and modern quilt blocks. It's my way of merging my two creative loves, embroidery and quilting. These embroidery kits will make great gifts for anyone you know who loves quilting.
DESERT ANGLES QUILT
If you follow me on social media you're either sick of seeing and hearing about this quilt OR you can't wait for the pattern release with Make Modern Magazine. I really hope it's the latter, because I'm definitely not done talking about the Desert Angles Quilt.
I can't share too much until after the feature is published in July, but I can tease you with some pictures I took at a local photography studio.
Okay now that business is out of the way, I wanted to share two more things with you: Some reflections on this season of motherhood, and some deals on cool stuff around the internet.
MOTHERHOOD
So Mother's day was this weekend. It's a wierd holiday. We all have mothers, and mothers in general absolutely deserve more than one day of appreciation. That being said, this can also be a crazy hard and heartbreaking holiday for those who have strained mother-child or child-mother relationships or have experienced loss (been there). I always feel really weird about celebrating Mother's Day publicly, because I don't want to hurt anyone who Mother's Day really sucks for by parading my amazing family around. My husband encouraged me to be grateful that I'm one of the lucky ones. I'm so blessed to have an amazing child that I'm so connected to. I'm lucky to have a pretty average, okay relationship with my own mother and mother-in-law. So we had brunch in our backyard then went down to the Oregon coast, had ice cream at Frite & Scoop in Astoria, spent the afternoon at one of my favorite beaches, and had dinner at a brewery; all the things that we love to do as a family.
I'm immensely grateful that I get to have the privilege of being a mother. Sometimes it's hard to see when the 5pm witching hour comes around or when it's 2pm and somehow the baby is still awake, or when she bites me for the millionth time, etc, all the challenges of having a toddler. Other times, the overwhelming majority, I look at her and wonder how I ever survived without her in my life. Before I was a mother, I had no idea how much I was capable of loving another person, wholeheartedly, selflessly, obsessively. Sure, I was and am still head over heels in love with my husband (our 6th anniversary is next month!), but a mother's love for her child is a whole different ball game.
Also if anyone has read any life-changing articles + books about how to get your toddler to 1) stop biting and 2) sleep through the night, please send your suggestions my way!
"COOL STUFF AROUND THE INTERNET"
**some of these links (but not all) are affiliate links, meaning I'll earn a small commission off your purchase (at no extra cost to you, obviously). This helps me pay the bills, Thank you.
I've been reading through the Work at Home Super Bundle, and honestly, it's been incredibly informative. Yes, I have a studio space so I don't technically work from home, but I actually do all of my embroidery and computer work from home, so I've been looking for ways to integrate work and household flows so I actually have productive days when I stay home.
The Herbs & Essential Oils bundle will be on sale from May 30 to June 4th, and it contains 34 products valued over $500, but it will be on sale for only $29.97. Yeah, I know it seems weird to market something at such a low price, it sounds like a scam, right? Well I've loved everything from Ultimate Bundles that I've purchased over the years, so that always qualifies jumping onto a sale... but I recently talked with one of the contributors, and the reason that the price dips so low is because all of the contributors agree on a small price and chalk it up as a marketing fee. I think this is genius, because ultimate bundles always sell like crazy, bringing loads of traffic to each content creator's website. It's a win-win situation, y'all. And I'm just stoked to FINALLY learn about essential oils.
When I do things that I know don't harm the earth as much as others, I feel more energy. I feel more creative. Maybe it's a hokey remnant of my liberal arts college education but hey, whatever works.
I want to hear from you: How do you take care of yourself, your household, your family, and your creativity, etc, in an eco-conscious way?
Thank you all for tuning into this all-over-the-place blog post. I just had so much I wanted to share, and I'm a human being that does more than sew all day... so deal with it! However, next week's post will be a lot more on-target: I'm writing a pattern review of the Sienna Burst Quilt I completed a few weeks ago, during Then Came June's quilt-along!
--P