For stitchers in the Greater Philadelphia Area

I just got this announcement in my email newsletter from The Strawberry Sampler...

WEDNESDAY, September 17th

Jacqueline Holdsworth, the lady who has brought us these incredible historical designs will be visiting us from England. This is a once in a lifetime experience. We don't know specifics .... as in time (day or evening). We WILL have a kit available for purchase that she will be demonstrating. If you have plenty of your own supplies, and don't feel you need to purchase a kit...please contact us at 610-358-9145 OR 800-634-6106
or at our email at shop@strawberrysampler.com for specifics. There will be NO CHARGE for attending this lecture and demonstration...only the kit cost. PLEASE...PLEASE don't put this off.

I know it's short notice...but you will be awed by Jacqueline's knowledge that she will share with us! Samplers have been a way of recording our history...and Jacqueline will not disappoint. You will feel a kinship to those women who used needle and thread so many years before us. She will bring with her over 500 images of Museum Pieces that we will view in a Power Point Presentation.

Look for more specifics to come as we get them...but call or email now to reserve your spot as spaces will be limited!

Beaded Things

As I've been doing my blog reading, I've noticed quite a few of you like beaded fobs and such, so I thought I'd share a few of my favorite links for beading supplies. I've purchased from all of these sources myself on many occasions and would absolutely not hesitate to recommend them to anyone. Their prices are excellent, their customer service outstanding and their products are all high quality. Fusion Beads has an especially nice idea gallery - I've drooled over more than one goodie there.

Also, I recommend signing up for their newsletters if you're interested in beading, as you will get regular coupons and specials available only to subscribers.

• Artbeads.com - Offers free shipping and a great selection of silver beads


• BrightlingsBeads.com - Free Shipping, good prices on Swarovski


• FusionBeads.com - Super cool gallery and inexpensive Swarovski mixes (I love buying these for a variety of projects)

How much do you LOVE these from Fusion Beads??? Wouldn't they make the cutest ends for a fob? You have to check out the site - they have some really cool variations on Christmas trees.

Because I am a bad influence....

I was just transferring my wishlist items into an Excel spreadsheet (I know. I am a geek) and checking to make sure sites still had things I had on my list. One of the sites I have in my list is www.overtwo.com. I was clicking around the site a little and came across this:


Coupons for blog owners

If you have a stitching blog, you can save on each and every order at OverTwo.com!

Here's how it works.

Most blogs have a "Favorite Sites" feature where you can share links with your readers. Just add OverTwo.com to this area or any other conspicuous place on your blog, and we'll send you a custom coupon for 10% off each and every order you place through the end of 2007. If you'd like to double your savings, contact us about displaying a custom banner on your site.

You can save even more if you share your coupon with family and friends. We'll flag all purchases they make using your customer coupon, and for every $200 they collectively spend, you'll earn a coupon for 15% off a single order.

That's it! Saving with OverTwo.com is simple, but if you have any question, please contact us.

SBQ: Online Stitching Supply Sources

This SBQ was suggested by Jennifer:

What are your favorite online stitching supply sources?

Usually when I am looking for a new design, I am looking for a specific reason / person and I have a theme in mind, so I start by googling keywords and "cross stitch" to see what comes up. I do both a web search and an image search. That leads me to a huge variety of sources - some freebies, some shops, etc. It's also how I discovered the cross stitching blogs. Sometimes I find something, sometimes I don't. If I find a shop that has something similar to what I'm looking for, I explore the shop further.

I did pick up a few favorite shops doing this, and now I tend to go to them first and see what they offer:

• 1-2-3 Stitch: My favorite shop. I usually go there first and end up ordering quite a bit from them
• ABC Stitch Therapy

I've ordered from Everything Crossstitch as well. They used to offer a 2o% discount on your first order if you signed up for the newsletter, but I don't know if they still do that. They have a great selection and good prices, but I hesitate to recommend them because of a problem with my first order. It was taking FOREVER to arrive and I finally contacted them to find out where it was. I explained that one of the charts I ordered was for a housewarming gift and I really needed it to get started. The CSR checked the records and told me that there had been a shipping problem - my order was packaged with another and sent to the wrong address, so they were waiting for the other customer to return my order so they could send it on to me. I told her this was unacceptable to me and asked if they could please repick my order and send it out ASAP. She said they would, and it arrived a week later.

I know they fixed the problem, but I would have been more inclined to recommend them had they a) contacted me as soon as they found out about the mistake and/or b) repacked and shipped my order to me without waiting for the other customer to return it. Picky, I know, but good customer service is important to me. And unless I'm looking for something only they have in stock, I will tend to order elsewhere instead of going back. I haven't had the occasion to order from them again.

I also go to eBay quite often, especially when I am looking for something that's OOP. I've purchased a few things from Judy. She has a great selection and excellent customer service.

Mostly though, I will try to purchase at actual shops, even if their prices are a little higher. I know I am paying for their expertise whenever I have a question and for being able to see stitched models in person before I buy, so the extra money I spend is, IMO, for a good reason to help keep them in business.