First Ever Blog Give-Away

Can you believe I've been doing this blog for nearly two years and have yet to give anything away? I've thought about it, but I never knew what to give!  So, the other day a light bulb flipped on.  Actually, it flipped for my mom so you can thank her if you win.

On my coffee table, which I found at the Goodwill for $8 (it is solid maple *proud*), sit four fabric coasters.  Begging for a warm mug of something sweet or a glass of iced water with lemon, they remind me of a place I am very fond of visiting.  I found them in one of my favorite shops to browse, Parson's General Store in Morehead City, NC.  Never been there?  I bet most people haven't.  But, it is a quaint ocean side town I've visited often.  My grandparents vacation there and we are always happy to join them.  The general store is an old, two-story home filled with country goodies.  There is a whole room of candles, and we've already established how much I love candles.  For the littles, there is a room of toys, trinkets, games, candy..... They sell hand dipped ice cream, local chocolates, homemade sauces, muffin and scone mixes, hand towels made of plaids and ginghams, Beanie Babies.....  Upstairs is a room filled with Christmas decorations year round.  Another room offers beachy trinkets, dishes, signs, bags and towels.  There are tons of signs with witty quotes, and in a bin nearby, I found these coasters.  I loved visiting this century old home turned country gift shop a couple weeks ago when we went to NC to play beach bums for a few days.  Picking up a few Christmas things was one of the highlights of my time there.

Oh yeah, I should show you the coasters, shouldn't I?

In case you missed my last sewing post, I have taken on learning to sew as my newest hobby.  So far, I have hemmed a few things, made some mini-aprons, smocked an insert for an outfit Lollee made for Kyle and now....

....With Christmas lurking just around the corner, I thought I'd make a few of these coasters in festive fabrics.  I sewed a set for me and a set for someone special out there.   Wouldn't these look nice in your home?  I hope so.

In leu of sassy sayings, I decided to write lyrics from my favorite Christmas carols.  On both sets, I wrote my very favorite carol stanza:

Yea, Lord, we greet Thee,

Born this happy morning...

 If you want a chance at winning the give-away, leave me a comment on here, on Facebook, in my email... and tell me your favorite line from a Christmas song.  I'll draw on Thanksgiving so you'll have ample time to enjoy them during the holiday season!

I hope you win!

And in case you don't, you can make a couple for your own coffee table like this:

To begin, cut a 4.5 inch square of patterned fabric, batting and a coordinating piece of backing fabric.  I obviously used a creamy white so I could write on mine.  But, if you want to skip the writing, you can just use two pieces of colorful fabric and switch them up a bit!

Before you begin sewing, make sure your three pieces are stacked with the white on the bottom, batting in the middle and the patterned piece UPSIDE DOWN on the top.  Then, just sew around all four sides 1/4 inch from the edge, leaving yourself an inch and a half or so in the middle of your forth side.

 Try not to get distracted by the adorable baby sitting at your feet playing with a measuring tape.

Your square should end up looking something like this, with the opening at the top.  Simply cut the edges off the corners, which will make the fabric lay smoother on the inside once you pull it through.

Turn your coaster right-side out.  Iron it flat, tuck the edge in where you left it unstitched, and sew around the the whole thing again a little less than 1/4 inch from the edge.

And there you have it, my friends, a cozy Christmas coaster.  But, you don't have to go to all that trouble.  Just enter to win the giveaway and you might just have four of these on your coffee table before the Christmas tree is up!

 ~Abby