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StudioKat News January 2010 | |
In This Issue-
Fiber Art Furniture
Downie Designs
Blue Moon Fabric Arts
Sesame Street Turns 40
Skip Hop Diaper Bags
The Purring PanHandler
YouTube U
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Click for more info about
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Join the StudioKat Designs Chat group! |
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Happy New Year! So most of you know that the hubster & I took a FABULOUS Christmas Cruise down the Danube River in December. Many of you followed along on our blog, but for those of you who didn't, here's a quick little video I found, that will give you just a taste of the Danube. OK- so it was filmed in summer, but I still think you'll like it! And for those of you who have never been to a European Christmas Market, here's a little video I found that effectively captures the feel of the Bratislava Market, which was one of my favorites! So check the videos and then come back and we'll proceed.If you have comments or suggestions about our Newsletter, or if you just feel like telling us something, please feel free to do so at info@studiokatdesigns.com
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Feline Quote for September- |
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"I purr and your blues fade away.
I snuggle close and a frown turns to a smile.
I play chase and your world fills with laughter.
And in return, all I ask, is two meals a day...
...and ALL your love." Stuart & Linda Macfarlane |
Fiber Art Furniture is a design firm creating limited edition and one-of-a-kind whimsical Art Chairs, located in Bloomington, Indiana. Combining delightful hand painted, beaded, antique vintage and or hand silk-screened textiles, Fiber Art Furniture creates "Furniture that Makes You SMILE! I especially love this Daisy Chair. Gee, I wonder if she ever has made a chair with a tuxedo cat on it? |
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"Handbag of the Month" Gallery- |
I love seeing the creative & beautiful handbags you all are making from StudioKat Designs patterns! It seems everyone is enjoying our "Handbag of the Month" contest, so jump right in & check out these pics, all received in December, & then cast a vote for your favorite. And beginning this month. The owner of the handbag receiving the most votes at the end of the month wins a $20.00 SKD gift certificate. Barb Flowers of Aurora, CO was the lucky winner in our December 09 Handbag Contest. Click here to see her winning entry, a Japanese-inspired Gadabout which has also won a permanent place of honor on our website!
Come on! Join in on the FUN!
To enter the"Handbag of the Month" contest, just attach your jpg or gif image to an email and send it to: i nfo@studiokatdesigns.com.
And HERE are the fabulous entries for this month... |
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Vicki Symington of Freeport, TX submitted this impeccably embroidered Lollapalooza. Vicki used a rust-colored home dec fabric but embroidered her design (from Advanced Embroidery Designs), on a separate quilted section of fabric. Here's a closeup of it. She feared this fabric might not be suitable for this pattern but is tickled pink with the results! |
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Lina Martel of Union City, CA submitted this fashionable Cordicella, her very first attempt at following a pattern. Lina said that thanks to a very patient mother-in-law, she completed her bag with no mishaps. Here's Lina, working out the curved pockets. I think she did a prettty terrific job and I LOVE the green interior! |
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Lina enjoyed making her 1st Cordicella so much, that she immediately made a 2nd one, and I just can't decide which one I like the best. It's apparent which one her cat likes, and I think her son Lance has made his choice too. :) Here's a peek at the fabulous gold interior!
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Pat Pelosi of Corinth, NY, made this wonderful Boho Baguette as a class project at her local sewing center. Pat said she loves carrying it! |
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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.
and come back next month to see who the winner is! |
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You can enjoy an insider's scoop to what's happening behind the scenes at StudioKat Designs, by signing up for our blog, "A Work In Progress". If you're new to our blog, or if you missed any of the posts from December, don't worry, they are all listed below.
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"Every man dies. Not every man really lives." William Wallace |
Kathy Downie designs patterns for wearable art jackets & vest, quilts, and home decor. Her patterns offer a fresh outlook with flattering shapes filled with techniques & tips to mix and match to create truly personalized wearable and home art. All you need do, is add your imagination to create a truly one-of-a kind garment! One of my favorites from her collection is the Rainbow Wrap Jacket! |
Quilt artist, Martha Brown hails from Pickering, Ontario, Canada. She is the brilliant and creative mind behind the wonderful Zodiac quilt that I saw at the Fall Quilt Market in Houston. Recently though, Martha's focus has turned to 3-D imagery, but instead of charcoal or pastels, her medium is fabric, with soft sculptures, or art dolls. Click here to see the various dolls in her 2009 collection. You can click here for a close up of one of my favorites. Oh I know, they're quite expensive, but they sure are fun to look at! |
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Non-Cat Video of the Month- |
Janet Martel of Advance, NC sent me this fun video of a unique snowball fight. You may have seen it before on TV, but it's worth looking at again at this time of year! (Budweiser really does create the best ads, don't they?) |
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Your Cat Might Own You IF- |
you bought your cat presents and hung a stocking for him at Christmas. Worse still... if you spent more money on your cat than you did on your spouse or your kids! |
Blog of the Month- HATamaran by Teresa Nolen Pratt
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Teresa Nolen Pratt is a social worker, an artist and a writer... but I'm not sure in what order. I enjoy reading her blog and this particular piece hit the spot for me. It explains the "Southern Perspective on Snow" more eloquently than I could. I also enjoy Teresa's whimsical art creations, which pretty much involve animal humor. Click here to get a flavor of her work, and a more complete biography. |
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New Word of the Month- Keybergoo (Kee-ber-goo)
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- (adj.) Used to describe the sticky keyboard of a computer or musical instrument after food, drink, or some other sticky substance is dropped on it.
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So my daughter asked me what I knew about diaper bags the other day, and I had to admit that I hadn't thought much about them since I quite carrying them 27 or so years ago. But in doing my research, here's a diaper bag that really impressed me. Skip Hop is a company based in New York City that manufactures a wide array of bags designed to make the duties of a parent fun, easy, and sleek. I think that Erica would really enjoy using this backpack-style bag. As far as I can tell, the only thiing that SkipHop left out was the PortaPocket Insert, but we know where she can one of those, don't we...
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Always start a new project with a new needle. Synthetic fabrics easily damage sewing machine needles. If the needle from the last project has been bent, dulled, knicked, or scratched - however imperceptably - you may have difficulty sewing. It will seem like the thread or the machine is the culprit, when actually, it may simply be a damaged needle. Needles are inexpensive and easily replaced, so why risk trouble unnecessarily? |
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The tomato is the world's most popular fruit. And yes, just like the brinjal and the pumpkin, botanically speaking, it is a fruit, not a vegetable. More than 60 million tons of tomatoes are produced per year, 16 million tons more than the second most popular fruit, the banana.
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This site covers an important topic you may not have given much thought to: your family medical history. Such a history can provide useful information to your doctor in assessing your disease risk, recommending treatments or prevention steps, and ordering tests. It also discusses what information to get, & how to gather it in a way that's comfortabe for family members. (The holidays are a great time to start collecting this vital data.) |
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Long ago, when men cursed and beat the ground with sticks, it was called witchcraft.
Today... it's called GOLF! |
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I love this story, found in the new York Times...
After losing his job, Charlie Perito, 42, trained his cat, Nick, to climb onto his head and balance there. He didn't do it for fun, but rather as a gimmick to panhandle on the streets of New York.
Ckick here to see Charlie & Nick in action! (Is ANYONE surprised that Nick is an agile tuxedo cat?) |
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What do Dolly Parton & President Obama have in common? They have both delivered university commencement addresses. You can view them, as well as other addresses and interesting lectures at the YouTube EDU site. You'll also find videos on medical, scientific, business and many other topics from YouTube's college and university partners. |
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Why do bees have sticky hair? ....They use honeycombs. |
Today is January 5th, 2010. It's obviously the 5th day of the year, and there are 360 days remaining in 2010. It's also the birthday of Sam Phillips, creator of Sun Records. Coincidentally, it was also on this day in 1954 that a young Elvis Presley cut 2 demos for Sam in the memphis offices of Sun Records. Was this the best birthday present Sam ever received? Quite likely!
Also celebrating today is one of my favorite actors, Robert Duvall, best known for the TV mini-series, Lonesome Dove. He shares his special day with his co-star from The Godfather, Diane Keaton. 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 the day anyway by maybe listening to a little rock-a-billy music, or you could just dig out your VCR copy of The Godfather. Batta Bing! Sounds like a winner to me! |
Well, that's it for now, so until next month, remember!
Sewing Forever, Housework Whenever!
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Why Not Pass along the FUN? |
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It's never been easier to get your friends in on the FUN! If you enjoy this newsletter and want to forward a copy to a friend, you need only click on this link and enter their email address!
(Note to other webmasters:)Authorship credit is the only payment I receive for this endeavor, so if you want to use an excerpt from this newsletter in your publication, please ask me first.
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