Wrapping Paper and Ribbon from Christmas

I made a rule this year, that I had to use up paper and ribbon left over from past Christmases -- I had to use it all up before I could shop for any more.

In the bottom of a very large box was this gold tissue paper. I combined it with an old old old satin ribbon that is a khaki green and then some curling ribbon in gold. Along with these I cut up some old wired ribbon and made bows, tied with the curling ribbon. The package tag is a much brighter gold and white, but when I finished, I thought, oooo isn't that pretty, I saved a bit of all of it for future inspiration and then today took a photo of it to post on My Blog and in my classroom.

This time of year is a wonderful time to clip inspiration from catalogues, wrappings and Christmas cards. It is so much easier when working on a visual project to have some visual aids. Surround yourself with lots of visual aids and they will begin to work their magic on your mind.

Gay Ann

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!
Hope you had a wonderful day! I had a blissfully quiet one, even managed to stitch for a while this afternoon.
Early this a.m. I posted instructions for The Catalogue Game in my Shining Needle Society Classroom.

Still to come: The Christmas Card Game.
And a surprise Valentine's Day project.

I am having a great time thinking up games and surprises for my classroom at Shining Needle Society.
Wish you would come join us.
KateGaunt@aol.com for an invitation.

Gay Ann

Tis the Season: Still More on Catalogues

People in my Shining Needle Society Classroom have been busy collecting catalogues (at least I hope they have been) and stacking them under the Christmas tree with a bow and a note on top saying 'Merry Christmas to Me from Me.'

As soon as they check their computers on Christmas morning, the people who are in my Shining Needle Society classroom will find a note from me wishing them Merry Christmas and instructing them to open the catalogues and start our game.

I am hoping it will be reminiscent of childhood. Look at it this way: this year I am playing Santa for the child in each Shining Needle Society member who will learn the games soon!

Please come join us, save your catalogues, stack them under your tree and join my classroom by contacting Kate Gaunt (KateGaunt@aol.com)

SEE you on Christmas morning.

Gay Ann

Tis the Season: More on Catalogues

Are you busy saving your catalogues? Even one or two will do the trick. Of course, more is
best, but one or two are better than none. Just set them aside for a while.

For those of you who are groaning at the idea of more clutter, I have a suggestion: put them
in a stack, put a bow on top of them, tie a gift card with 'to me from me' on the bow and put
the stack under the Christmas tree. If you don't put a ribbon around the whole stack, you can
keeping adding to the stack as you find them or finish with them.

What will you do with these?
Later....

Merry accumulation!
Gay Ann

Tis the Season, Part 1: Catalogues

All those catalogues that flood your mailbox?
DON'T throw them away! Save them carefully!
I have a plan for them....

Gay Ann

Information about Digital Cameras

Today is an exciting day in my Shining Needle Society classroom: Arlene Jones who is an avid stitcher and knows a ton about digital cameras will start answering questions about digital cameras and needlework late this afternoon.
Look for my introduction in my classroom.

For those of you who would like to participate, please feel welcome to join Shining Needle Society.
Write to: Kate Gaunt, KateGaunt@aol.com.

Exciting! I am looking forward to questions from members and Arlene's answers!

Gay Ann

The First Shining Needle Society Cyber Stitch-in

Yesterday afternoon, between the hours of noon and 6 p.m. we had the First Shining Needle Society Cyber Stitch-in.

What is a Cyber Stitch-in?
I set the time frame of 6 hours yesterday afternoon and anyone who wished to participate set aside half an hour (more time if she could afford it), laid aside the tasks of the day, picked up her needle and stitched.

Then many people reported back how long they had stitched and what they had worked on. Three people even got together, ate lunch and stitched for the afternoon.

I myself attended the Cyber Stitch-in. I worked on a project, in fact I took the first stitch on a little project I have been meaning to stitch for a long time. I saw the time as a gift and I felt refreshed. Time set aside for my favorite thing to do.

I am looking forward to many more Cyber Stitch-ins and I hope that many of you who follow my blog will come join me.

Membership in my classroom is open to anyone who would like to join.
My classroom is a part of Shining Needle Society whose directors are Kate Gaunt and Marie-Therese Baker. Shining Needle Society is up to 600 people now and Kate and Marie Therese are looking forward to offering all sorts of different activities in all sorts of classrooms over the next year. Mine is only one of the classrooms.

For an invitation to join, write to KateGaunt@aol.com.

Gay Ann

Shining Needle Society opens my new classroom

For 8 months now I have had a chatroom featuring my Redwork Mystery. My mystery has just finished and I am about to move into a brand new classroom at Shining Needle Society. Tomorrow, on Thanksgiving, Shining Needle Society will officially open my new classroom and welcome anyone who wants to join.

I hope you will join me for a series of online projects, classes and play, lots of surprises and along the way small exercises to encourage creativity in needlework. Membership is free, just write to KateGaunt@aol.com and she will send you an invitation.

At Callaway last year, Jennifer Taylor took a wonderful collage photograph using a small grouping of my projects. I think Jennifer Taylor is nothing short of amazing and the photo she took is my favorite photo ever taken of my work. Clever Kate posted the photo as the logo-photo in my new classroom, so right away I was at home there.

We hope you will come to see one amazing photograph and let us welcome you officially.
See you at Shining Needle Society!

Gay Ann

Redwork Mystery's Bonus Surprise

Here it is, my little bonus for all of you. It isn't a new scene, rather a way to use any one of the little rooms on the Redwork Mystery.

When I thought it up, I thought the timing would be perfect: it would make a little Christmas present for someone special. And here's the best part: no finishing deadlines because you can do the finishing yourself in about 20 minutes.

I will post the instructions in my Shining Needle Society chat room later on today.
If you would like them, please join Shining Needle Society by writing to Kate Gaunt (KateGaunt@aol.com).
Membership is free and if necessary, Kate will help you with the forms.

I am not posting the instructions on My Blog because they are odd: for the first time in my long career of writing instructions, I have done a simple list with no graphs. If you belong to the chatroom and you have questions, you will have a good support system in there.

Again, thank you one and all for stitching my Redwork Mystery. I thought I would be so happy to see it end, but I am not. I miss the anticipation of unveiling a new room.

SEE you in Shining Needle Society!

Gay Ann

My Redwork Mystery: A Surprise Bonus coming soon!

For all of you who followed my Redwork Mystery, I have a photo of a little Surprise Bonus which I will post late Wednesday or early Thursday.

I will post the photo here. Should you wish to make the the little Bonus, I will post the instructions in my classroom at Shining Needle Society. If you wish to make the ornament, I ask you to join Shining Needle Society by writing to Kate Gaunt (KateGaunt@aol.com).

Membership is free and Kate will help you join.

Gay Ann

Shining Needle Society Reaches 500 People

Good News! Shining Needle Society reached 500 this afternoon! Kate Gaunt emailed me to tell me the news!
Congratulations to the fledgling organization! Wow!

If you are interested in joining, please contact Kate Gaunt (KateGaunt@aol.com).
Membership is free and she will help you register if necessary.

Gay Ann

My Sampler Makers are Finished!

About half an hour ago I finished writing the instructions for the fourth of my Sampler Makers.
They are finished!
Hooray!

(Click on each photo for a larger image)

Gay Ann

Redwork Mystery's Window #8 is in the mail

I sent off Surprise Window #8 in today's mail, so you should have yours in a few days.

As soon as I start hearing from people that their letters or packets have arrived (in about a week's time), I will post a photo of a little bonus to wrap up my mystery. It is a little add-on surprise for all of you, a way of saying thank you for participating in my mystery.

I will post a photo of the little bonus here; instructions for the bonus will be available in my Shining Needle Society Chat Room.
Please come and join by contacting Kate Gaunt (KateGaunt@aol.com). Membership is free and Kate will help you.

For the past months my Shining Needle Society chat room has been a support group for my mystery. As those of you who belong can attest, it has been a lively room with lots of photos showing variations people have made of Redwork Mystery.

After I post instructions for my little bonus, my chat room will evolve into a permanent room called 'Gay Ann's Shining Needle Society Class Room.' My classroom will be one of several, as Shining Needle Society becomes an on-line seminar.

Already Janet Casey has joined Shining Needle Society and she will offer two of her Santas for a Christmas-stitching adventure. Early in the New Year Jane Zimmerman and Judy Souliotis will join in and I suggest watching for other well-known teachers also as Shining Needle Society moves forward. All of us will offer projects, ideas, exercises and on-line classes as Shining Needle Society grows.

I hope you will join us for this exciting new stitching adventure.

Gay Ann

Redwork Mystery: The Complete Sampler Revealed

Here is my Redwork Mystery Cottage with all its rooms in place.
Click on the photo for a larger image.

Thank you for following me for 8 months as the mystery's rooms were revealed.
I will be back with a new mystery soon.
Gay Ann

Redwork Mystery: Surprise Window #8, the last one

Here it is, my last surprise window, and many of you guessed correctly that it would be the bathroom.
This is my second favorite room in my mystery house (after the stitching room) because of the claw-footed tub and the monogrammed towels.

Redwork Mystery has been going for 8 months and I thought I would be happy to see the end of it. Instead, I am rather sad it is over. So I concocted one last little surprise. I will post it here and Kate will post it in the Shining Needle Society chatroom two weeks after I mail Surprise Window #8.

Thank you to each of you who has followed my mystery. I enjoyed it each step of the way and hope you have too.

I will be back with a new mystery, next time a geometric called "Mystery in a Corner." When? One of these days. How will you know? I will post it here and in Shining Needle Society's chat room.

Gay Ann

For My Callaway Class, Cameo Extravaganza

Dear Callaway Student,

Below you will find postings showing 7 cameo projects. Please look at them all, then email me with your choice.
The class is set up for you to have a complete kit of your choice; then you may have also whatever other ones you wish also.
I will email you with the class particulars.
Please email me at GayAnn@GayAnnRogers.com with any questions.

This is the real reason I chose to have a website and a blog. How easy it is!
I look forward to hearing from each of you soon.
Thanks.
Gay Ann

For Callaway Class: Two Cameo Heart Samplers

Two Cameo Heart Samplers

On the left, Plus Grand Cameo Heart Sampler, the larger of the two, is 8 1/2" tall x 6 3/4" wide.
On the right, Plus Petit Cameo Heart Sampler, the smaller of the two, is 7 1/4" tall x 5 3/4" wide.

Click on photo for a larger image.
Gay Ann

For Callaway Class: Two Small Samplers

Two small samplers.

The larger one 'Plutot Petit Cameo Sampler' is a little over 6" tall x a little under 5" wide.

The smaller one 'Tres Petit Cameo Sampler' is 4" x 4"

Click on photo for a larger image.
Gay Ann

For Callaway Class: Two Cameo Ornaments

On the left is Cameo Ornament.
From the top of the hanger to the bottom of the tassel, Cameo Ornament measures 12"
The stitched part of the ornament is 5" tall x 3 1/2" wide.

On the right is Cameo Ornament: Portrait of a Lady
From the top of the hanger to the bottom of the tassel, Portrait of a Lady measures 10 1/2"
The stitched part is 4 1/2" tall x 2 1/2" wide.

Click on the photo for a larger image.
Gay Ann

For Callaway Class: Cameo Collector

On the left is a photo of the whole 'Cameo Collector'
On the right, a detail showing the top and the first three cameos.
The length, from top to tip of tassel is 21"
The width is 3 1/2"

Click on photo for a larger image.
Gay Ann