StudioKat News                     July 2013
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Testimonial
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"I LOVE your newsletter. I scour it from top to bottom! It's total EUPHORIA to me!"
Lana Metheny

It's finally summer and that means that this newsletter may be finding some of you out of town on vacation. That's OK, everyone can catch up when they get home, but in the meantime we've been busy.
We're home from our very 1st retail show in Raleigh, NC, and hard at work on our new pattern, both of which you can read about in the Blog entries below.

So whatcha say? Shall we proceed?
If you have comments or suggestions about our Newsletter, please feel free to do so at info@studiokatdesigns.com
 
 
 
 
PLEASE NOTE
If you cannot see the images in this newsletter-
 
 
 "Handbag of the Month" Gallery-
So...this month, we're starting something NEW! We're still sharing pictures of this month's entries, but in order to give them the maximum publicity they deserve, we're sharing the extra info & pictures on our Blog. That means all you have to do is click the button below to find out even MORE about this month's awesome entries!
And, congratulations to Norma Horrell of Roseville, CA who was the come-from-behind winner of our June Handbag of the Month contest! She wins a $25.00 SKD gift certificate and a permanent place of honor on our website. Click here to see her incredibly embellished Quattro!
 
In the meantime, the weather is heating up and so is the competition in these contests, so without further adieu, check out this month's nominees, then cast a vote for your favorite.

(Click each individual picture for a larger view)

A green linen Quattro by
Mary Dinkel of Scottsdale, AZ
 
 
 
A feline-fanatic Baggalista by Mandy Lapsley, Upper Hutt, NewZealand
A crazy-quilted Gadabout by
Mary Anne R of Ontario, CANADA
 
A crazy-quilted Quattro by
Marcia Dumas of Pensacola, FL
An American eagle Guardian by 
Cary Walker of Fort Worth, TX
 
An initialized Quattro by
Mary Dinkel of Scottsdale, AZ
A poodle Quattro by
Lois Madorie of Muncy, PA

 
 
 
A feminine Uptown Saddlebag by
Sue Hobert of Castleton on Hudson, NY
A "pretty in poppy" Baggalista by
Marilyn Robertshaw of Erie, PA
 
 
A "fleet-footed" Quattro by
Mary Dinkel of Scottsdale, AZ
OK, ready to vote now?
 Only one vote per MONTH, per email address.
    
Now it's YOUR turn to win!
To enter our"Handbag of the Month" contest,
just attach your jpg or gif image to an email and send it to: info@studiokatdesigns.com.
 
 
 
The 2nd Annual
Purse Insert of the Year Contest!
It was such a big success that we're already planning our next "Purse Insert ONLY" Contest! Send us your entry TODAY!
 
Blog with us!-  A Work in Progress
This month we've been recapping the Spring Quilt Market in Portland Oregon, previewing the Sewing & Quilt Expo in Raleigh NC, and starting the exciting process of unveiling our new bag pattern in what has become known as The Purse Pattern Chronicles (PPC for short).
If you're new to our blog, or if you missed any of the posts from the month of June, don't worry, theyre all listed below. 
 
 
 
Bobbin Around the Web- Sew Liberated.Com
Meg McElwee is a designer and author, and with the help of her husband, Patrick, she runs Sew Liberated from their home studio in North Carolina.
Sew Liberated is a little unusual in that they have a line of Women's clothing patterns as well as a
 
 
Children's line and Accessory patterns too! I like the Clara Dress as well as the Mariposa Tee! And don't forget to check out Meg's Blog while you're on her site!  :)
 
 
Website Spotlite- Donna Cherry Designs
 
 
Donna Cherry is a self taught artist and has studied and worked with many different mediums, but none have influenced my creativity more than working with textiles. Now she has a
selection of landscape patterns and an embellishment DVDs that were inspired by her students and her classes. The patterns include added embellishment instructions and have all the details to make a beautiful landscape quilt. So if you've ever had an interest in landscape quilting Donna's method of teaching is pretty intriquing! And if you're looking for a little inspiration, don't forget to check out her Gallery of Original Art.
 
'HOT'Links-of-the-Month'- check out these GREAT offers from our sponsors
TrishStuartDesigns- Click HERE to find out more and sign up for the Wool Quarterly Club! 
JenniferJangles- Enter Kat10 to get 10% off purchase in the JenniferJanglesShop this month!
Oliver+S- NEW from Straight Stitch Society patterns! The perfect Travel Pouch!
All DunnDesigns.Com- Download the Old Jeans Purse pattern!
Immedia Print- We print patterns and MUCH MORE! Click here to see our various services
FaveQuilts.Com-Learn to quilt a bag with STYLE! DownLoad the FREE eBook HERE!
PursePatterns.Com- Click HERE to check out this month's pattern bargains!
LondasCreativeThreads- Click HERE to get 3 yds Lastin clear elastic with pattern purchase
 
Video of the Month- Raccoon Plays Sprinkler Harp
What a lovely musical piece this genius raccoon is playing with his sprinkler! The melody flows just like water from a... well... from a sprinkler.  Click HERE to enjoy!.
 
Blog of the Month- Diary of a Quilter
Amy Smart is wife, mother and quilter. She learned to quilt & sew as a youngster she always felt like a granny telling anyone about her hobby. Enter blogland. Amy said it was totally liberating to find hundreds of other women who share the same interest in cutting up fabric into little tiny pieces and sewing them back together. That's when she REALLY came out of her fabric closet and started a blog of her own.
 
 
I think you'll enjoy checking out Amy's Blog. There's a lot of fun tutorials to browse thru. I especially like this Superhero Cape (which my grandson light like), and this one for the World's Easiest Burp-Cloth. And if you like "modern" quilting, then you might enjoy looking thru Amy's gallery of finished projects.
 
Quote of the Month- 
"People are pretty forgiving when it comes to other people's families. The only family that ever horrifies you is your own."    Doug Copeland
 
As 'Funnie' as Real Life-
 
  
This is a VERY familiar sight in our house!
Click on image to see an enlargement.
 
Cat Video of the Month- Lulu & the Singing Birthday Card
You either love those singing birthday cards or you hate 'em. I guess there's no middle ground and make no mistake, Lulu the cat HATES singing birthday cards! Click HERE to watch.
 
Crafty Tutorial of the Month- Cell Phone Charging Holder
Are you always looking for a place to put your phone while its charging?
Are you sick and tired of cords all over your counter while the many phones in your family are charging?
Then you may just LOVE this nifty little tutorial and you know what? The price is right! All you need is an empty plastic bottle!
Just click HERE to get started!
 
 
 
Techie Tutorial of the Month- Why is Microsoft Killing Windows XP?
 If you're one of the estimated 500 MILLION who are STILL using Windows XP, you're not alone! I was one of those people just a few short months ago, and why not? Windows XP has been a terrific operating system!
So... Why is Microsoft killing it? Here's what's happening with Windows XP in less than a year:
 
Support for Windows XP SP3 and Office 2003 will end on April 8, 2014. After that date, there will be no new security updates, non-security hotfixes, free or paid assisted support options, or online technical content updates. In short, running Windows XP SP3 and Office 2003 in your environment after Microsoft's support ends may expose your computer to security risks.
 
I know that stinks, but i just thought I'd give you fair warning! It would probably be best to get current with Windows and Office SOONER rather than later.  :(
 
Cat Picture of the Month-
 
 
 
Click on image to see an enlargement.
 
New Word of the Month- Fibliography
  1. (n.) fĭb'lē-ŏg'rə-fē. Sources cited that you, either did not use, or used once, erroneously, because the source never actually pertained to your paper at all.
 
Cats in the News- A Deluxe Cat Enclosure
 
Thanks go to alert reader Linda Campbell of Spartanburg, SC for sending me this article about the ultimate outside cat run complete with pond, waterfall, tunnel and fountain.
The cats enter it by way of a cat flap from the inside of the house, then they go along a short tunnel and into the cat enclosure. It has a fish pond stocked with gold fish and no, they have never caught a fish. They have a bridge that goes across the pond and a waterfall made from local rocks which has many tunnels running under the waterfall where the cats play hide and seek.
 
Smilegram- 
A Rabbi said to a precocious six-year-old boy, "So your mother says your prayers for you each night? That's very commendable. What does she say?"
 
The little boy replied, "Thank God he's in bed!"
 
Fun Finds-  The Bubblescope
 
It's never too early to make note of the perfect gift for the person on your list who has EVERYTHING, right? Well, have you heard about the BubbleScope before? If you answered in the negative, here is a quick introduction to the BubbleScope.
It's a lens attachment that works with the camera in your Smartphone and the FREE Bubblepix app to instantly capture the world around you in a single 360 degree picture or video. These are called Bubbles. Just click HERE to watch an expanatory video!  :)
The BubbleScope™ is a lens attachment which works with the camera in your Smartphone and our free BubblePix™ App, to instantly capture the world around you in a single 360º image or video. We call these Bubbles!
The BubbleScope is a world first and the only way to capture both single-shot 360º stills and video with your phone.
- See more at: http://store.bubblepix.com/#sthash.zZ7M77KP.dpuf
The BubbleScope™ is a lens attachment which works with the camera in your Smartphone and our free BubblePix™ App, to instantly capture the world around you in a single 360º image or video. We call these Bubbles!
The BubbleScope is a world first and the only way to capture both single-shot 360º stills and video with your phone.
- See more at: http://store.bubblepix.com/#sthash.zZ7M77KP.dpuf
The BubbleScope™ is a lens attachment which works with the camera in your Smartphone and our free BubblePix™ App, to instantly capture the world around you in a single 360º image or video. We call these Bubbles!
The BubbleScope is a world first and the only way to capture both single-shot 360º stills and video with your phone.
- See more at: http://store.bubblepix.com/#sthash.zZ7M77KP.dpuf
 
Monthly Trivia-
Today is July 9th, the 190th day of 2013. And just do you know, there are only 175 days remaining in this year, so that means we've past the half-way point.
Today is also a special for two of my all-time favorite actors. Tom Hanks, (best known for Forrest Gump) is 57 years young today and Jimmy Smits, (one of my favorites from NYPD Blue) is 58. And if today is also YOUR birthday, then here's a great, big "Happy Birthday to YOU", from all of us at StudioKat Designs! And if today is NOT your birthday, then you can celebrate the day anyway, and maybe this little ensemble of takes from my favorite Tom Hanks movie might be just the ticket!  :)
 
Well, that's it for now, so until next month, remember!
Sewing Forever, Housework Whenever!
 
 
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StudioKat Designs, www.studiokatdesigns.com