StudioKat Designs October 08 Newsletter

October 2008

The StudioKat Designs Newsletter
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

HELLO and Welcome!- After releasing the Harmony Handbag in August, I took advantage of a little time off for some diversionary activity (I painted my office area.) Of course there's nothing like a big messy project to bring out the true natures of the individuals you live with. There's always an ever-present CRITIC, constantly checking your work & assessing your progress. Even when you make him promise to stay quietly out of my way, it's difficult to shake the feeling of constantly being watched! Is it just me, or do you also find that these folks think any improvement you make is all about THEM? Or how about the individual that hates all change, grumbling & pouting until he can have his favorite spot back, fixed just the way he likes it, thank you! At any rate, I'm done and I LOVE it, (even though Jeter thinks it wasn't worth his inconvenience), so let's get started! The Handbag Contest is back, I've released a new FREE pattern, and I have some cool websites for you to visit, just in time for this year's shopping season!
Also, especially for the convenience of our friends at Pattern Review & AOL, all of the hotlinks are listed in order at the bottom of this letter, and as always, if you prefer, you can go to www.studiokatdesigns.com/oct08.htm to see the online version of the newsletter.

Feline Quote for October-
"Cat: A pygmy lion who loves mice, hates dogs, and patronizes human beings."
Oliver Herford

New on my Website!-
Former Handbag of the Month winner, Susan Flamey of Eureka Springs, AR has been busy as a beaver making PortaPockets Inserts. Seems all of her friends will be getting beautiful gifts this year! Check 'em out and you'll agree!
PortaPockets #1
PortaPockets #2
PortaPockets #3

"Handbag of the Month" Gallery- Vote in the HandBag of the Month Contest
I love seeing the beautiful handbags you all are creating, and I'll bet you do too! It seems everyone is enjoying the new Handbag of the Month contest, so jump right in & check out these pics, all received in the month of September. Then click on the link below to cast a vote for your favorite. The owner of the handbag receiving the most votes at the end of the October wins a $10.00 SKD gift certificate. Susan Flamey of Eureka Springs, AR was our lucky winner in the August Handbag Contest. Click here to see her winning Vervalise, which has also won a permanent place of honor on our website!

And now...Here's this month's entries:
Beginning with Jillian Holston of Hebron, ND who made two excellent Harmony Handbags. This rosey Harmony, has a beautiful "butterflied" interior. Jillian says she accomplished the unique handpieced stars on her 2nd Harmony using her favorite new tool, the Inklingo along with star shapes that for the moment are available as a free download at this site.

Lyn Bove of Seneca Falls, NY submitted pictures of two bags as well. Just follow the links to see her incredible Bellagio bag, & don't forget to check out her terrific Tandem Tote.

Not to be outdone, Donna Zukowski of Scottsdale, AZ whipped up a "regionally correct" Southwest Harmony. It's a perfect fall bag!

And don't be thinking that gals are the only ones interested in great looking accessories! Michael Cook sent in these pics of his outstanding Aeropac. He did all of his own embellishing, in SILK no less! Just look at the great-looking back, that showcases his card-woven work so it can function as a nametag as well as a travel document holder! You can check out more details about Michael's AeroPac by clicking here. Great work Michael!

Heather Holley of Charleston, SC has also been having fun with our FREE Aeropac pattern, creating a fun & whimsical version. if you look closely at the back, you'll notice that Heather actually added a zipper to one of the pockets for more security!

OK, ready to vote now? Just click on the link below to cast your vote.
Only one vote per day, per email address is allowed.

Cast Your Vote HERE!

Come back next month to see who the winner is... or better still...

Join the StudioKat Designs Chat Group at Yahoo! The International Quilt Market is this month and I am really excited to be exhibiting for the 1st time. I'll be posting daily entries straight from the floor of the Quilt Market, complete with exciting pictures. If you're a store owner going to the Quilt Market, please stop by our booth (#903), we'd love to meet you. But smile pretty, you may just find your picture posted from the floor of the Market! Our new chat group has over 110 members now & I am finding that I really am having a lot of fun with this group of gals! Come ON! Join in on the fun TODAY by clicking here!

Click to join the StudioKatDesigns Chat Group!

Website Spotlight- Is It Just Me?
This entirely self-descriptive website allows you to find out if you're unable to access other websites because of a malfunction in your system or theirs. Type in any URL and get instant feedback as to whether or not the site is actually "down". If so, there's nothing to do but wait it out. If not, it might be time to call your favorite computer geek! (I know who mine is, but don't ask, I'm not sharing him!)

Get your FREE pattern!- The RugBag
Are you looking for a quick and easy gift item that your recipient will just flip over? Are you tired of giving your kid's teacher the obligatory Christmas ornament? If you answered YES to either question, (or any of 100 others!) then click here, because the Rug Bag may be just what you're looking for! This free bag pattern is cheap, easy, fast, and totally cool! And besides, who can't use an interesting tote bag to carry stuff in? Sound good? Just download the instruction sheets and the pattern templates (use the links below) and you're ready... to go shopping of course! You'll need to find an appropriate throw rug to work with. (The best ones for the money that I've found, are at Target!)

Download the Instruction Sheets.
Download the Pattern Templates.

A Cool Place to Shop!- CoolGifts.Com.Au
It's that time of year again. It's time to start hunting for that special gift for the person on your list who has everything! Help is on the way at Cool Gifts.Com. Got a coffee addict on your list? Buy 'em a USB-powered Coffee Warmer. You could order a Cable Roller to help your favorite computer geek look more organized, & what woman wouldn't appreciate a Choculater, a calculator that looks and SMELLS like a chocolate bar? And don't forget to check out MY personal favorite, the Tuxedo Cat Handbag!

Quotation of the Month-
"Whether you think that you can or you can't, you're usually right. Henry Ford

Your cat might own you if... you wake up in the middle of the night with an itchy back and you can't decide whether to move the peaceful cat who's sleeping on your arm, or wake your husband to scratch your back for you!?!
Courtesy of Blair Sechrest of Cary, NC who says that lucky for her, the cat moved before she had to make that critical (to her marraige) decision!

Surf HERE for Neat INFO!- Survey What They Play
If you want to make sure your kids are playing appropriate video games, get to know this invaluable online resource. What They Play.Com is loaded with information about thousands of video games, including reviews from experts and comments from other readers. You can find out which games are most popular and which ones are new, PLUS, you can sign up for the newsletter, or blog with other concerned parents. You can also search for suitable games based on brand, genre, age, and rating, or even post your own comments!

New Word of the Month- Catastrotree
When a cat or kitten knocks over or pulls down the Christmas tree.

Cats in the News- Cat House on the Kings
Here's a cool story and video sent in by alert reader, Ann Horton of Wilson, NY. It's about Lynea Lattanzio, who currently feeds, houses and cares for more than 700 cats. Over the past 16 years, shes cared for more than 16,000! Check out her story by clicking here.

Love Handbags?- The Painted Purse.Com
The handbags I've found for you today are absolutely beyond compare because ALL of them are uniquely one-of-a-kind creations made from an original abstract painting! They're easily the most distinctive bag exteriors I've ever seen! You can see details about how Bill Brown creates his art fabrics by clicking here. (Would someone mind telling my husband that I favor THIS bag?)

Sewing Tip of the Month- For accurate cutting of fabric, always rest the lower blade of the scissors on the work surface. Raising the blade off of the work surface will result in jagged cut edges

Did You Know that a domestic cat can sprint at ~31 mph?

A cool Internet Activity- Sightsee from Home
If you haven't tried Google Earth yet, you're missing a very cool online resource. Google Earth lets you "fly" anywhere on the globe and gain a bird's eye view of satellite imagery, maps, terrain, and 3D buildings. Type in an address, zip code, city, or state and Google Earth instantly takes you there. You can even swoop from outer space to street level and leap from one building to another. The new Sky feature lets you view images of distant galaxies and nebulae from the Hubble Space Telescope. Click here to take a quick tour of the features, then download the free Google Earth 4.3 software to use them, and start enjoying your around-the-world tour without spending a cent.

Laugh Lines-If you can smile when things go wrong, you have someone in mind to blame.

"Catsite" of the Month- House Cat Lounge.Com
This website is chock loaded with informative articles written by cat experts worldwide.

Surf HERE for FUN!- Sport-ese
The Olympics are over & Fall sports are in full swing. Are you on top of your game when it comes to knowledge of sports cliches and jargon? If not, you'll want to visit this site, which lists those phrases you tend to hear again and again in a variety of sports situations,like- when a teams winning, or a coach is fired, or during half-time, etc. You can even listen to some great stadium anthems, or take the site's quiz to determine your sports cliche savvy.

Question of the Month-
"Did you know that babies are nauseated by the smell of a clean shirt? Jeff Foxworthy

Monthly Trivia- Today is October 4th, also known as World Animal Day, so chosen because it's the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi , a nature-lover & patron saint of animals & the environment. Numerous churches throughout the world observe the Sunday closest to 4 October with a Blessing for the Animals.
It was also on this day in 1962 that a total of 53 people showed up at New York's Carnegie Hall to listen to then fledgling artist, Bob Dylan. And in LA, Janis Joplin was found alone in her room, dead of an drug overdose combined with alchohol.
And on a lighter note, if you smell birthday cake, it could be that actress Susan Sarandon, or author Jackie Collins, are in the midst of celebrating their special day. And if today is also YOUR birthday, here's a great big Happy Birthday to YOU from StudioKat Designs, and if today is not your birthday, you can celebrate today anyway by listening to a little 60's protest music (it's back in vogue now!) or by spending a little quality time with a favorite animal buddy or two, or how about considering a donation to an animal charity or pledging to sponsor a shelter or rescue animal? You won't be sorry!

Well, that's it for now, so until next month, remember!
Sewing Forever, Housework Whenever!

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