It is snowing at the moment here in Colorado, but the general trend lately has been toward warmer weather, Many of us are longing to see our gardens started, and the beauty of flowers brightening our surroundings. How about adding some flowers to your embroidery projects while you are waiting?  Our flower embroidery designs are “perennial” favorites and a great way to Think Spring!

This is for a Washington based Obama campaign worker who had a busy night when it became apparent that his son would be born the night of the Presidential election.  This embroidery will be a framed picture for the baby’s nursery.

There is a special place in my heart for soldiers.  They give and give and often get very little thanks.  When we lived in Colorado Springs, I saw soldiers in uniform daily in everyday places.  I always made a point of looking them in the eye and saying a simple “thank you”.  Whether you agree with a specific mission or not, the soldiers are still doing their duty and it behooves all of us to think of ways to show appreciation for their service.

The photo here is a blanket that went to a local soldier and his wife last Valentines day.  It was the product of one of our fun contests at Initial Impressions.  It started with the first baby of the new year contest. Over the years, that has gotten quite competitive. To provide for more winners, we then expanded it to two winners - the last baby of the old year and the first baby of the new year.

This valentine contest was to reward and thank a soldier who has served abroad. Our winner was Eddie Dispenette and his sweetheart Angie. Eddie has served in Iraq and for that we all owe him our thanks!

We sent them this blanket. May they cuddle under it with pride. Thank you Eddie for your service and Angie who served in her own way too.

Holiday traditions - the special days we look forward to each year.

There are creative ways to support them and it is never too late to start a new one.

The Robinson family has a yearly Bake-a-thon this time of year. Nine members of this family will have special personalized flour sack towels for this year’s festivities.

If you have a special holiday tradition, we would love to hear the details - even if it has nothing to do with embroidery!