A New Design and a Giveway Updated Again

***** I have decided to design more charts in my Pink Key series: winners will receive each and every one as they come off the press (or graph paper and then grumblingly through design softwear which hates me)!!!!
So far we have Hope: Live, Love and Laugh.  I have found a volunteer (the bestest stitcher in the world as far as I am concerned: her talent knows no ends) to stitch some of these up for me and will show them soon!


Oh my lord it is beautiful and sunny here and so, so nice.  This is the first sunny day we have had all year.....and I am loving it.

Thank you for your kind comments regarding my chick and chicken pin cushions.  Fund raising is still going on and I decided to stretch myself a little.  Nancy sent me lots of trims (Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe) and I had some lovely pink ribbon fabric RAKd to me a little while ago. I was desperate to use them!

Health wise, I am good; I am having a few memory issues.  I have very little short term memory and I have realised that I am missing chunks of my children's childhood which is not like me at all.  Normally I am so retentive the word A*nal is commonly used.  I thought it would get better after the chemo but a year on it is still bad.  Never mind.  I will forget to worry about it later!

So: rather than worry about my memory, I decided to stitch something and then make it up with the lovely fabric etc...so, what to stitch?

I looked and looked everywhere and just couldn't find the right chart.  I knew in my mind what kind of thing I wanted to stitch but simply couldn't find a designer who had managed put my mind on paper!

So I decided to design my own chart.

Now, where is the Jane Greenoff designer cd-rom I have had lying around for three or so years?
Ah.....sadly my memory didn't let me down this time!
I figured I would never design anything so I threw it out.
Like you do. Or perhaps you don't but I did!

Ok: Not a real problem.
Out came the graph paper and a pen and off I went.....and I did it.  I designed my perfect chart for raising awareness of breast cancer.  And even better: you can alter the colour and it can match any health appeal which has an associated ribbon and colour.  HIV/AIDs, Heart Disease...and so on.  The list sadly is endless.

So, happy with my design I began to stitch only for it to change as I was stitching it.

I wanted a heart, I wanted the word hope, and I wanted a key.

Why a key?

Because where cancer is concerned, Hope is everything.

Every time the researchers discover something new about cancer it spurs on further research: and with that research comes more hope: so people, seeing how advances are being made continue to support the cancer charities and the research.

And that isn't all.  It isn't just that we hope our cancer can be fixed.  It isn't just that we hope we will be around to see our children grow up: even in cases where the cancer is terminal, we hope it can be controlled to give us years of life but it isn't even about being around for a long, long time.  It is also  about those  amazingly brave, brave ladies who are classed as 'terminal' who put themselves forwards to test new drugs and trial new treatments in the hope that they will help to ensure their daughters and grand daughters never have to go through the crap that is cancer.  Even when we know our time is limited, we try to make our lives count and we hope it will help others.

So you see, it is all about hope, whatever the severity of the condition.  Hope is the key to discovering cures.  So I needed a key.

But I couldn't work out how to get a key into the chart...and then, suddenly, almost without me even noticing: there was the Key.

The Key is in the H

The H is in Hope

Now; ric rac or ribbon?

I know: both!!!

Finally: some sunshine to show off its colours!  It is DMC 3608 on white evenweave.

The rik rak trim is of course Nancy's home dyed: beautiful.  I am quite pleased with my first attempt at designing.  I wanted the heart shape to flow through the other letters and I think I managed it; I managed to translate what was in my head and put in on paper.

This chart is now available  in exchange for sponsorship: any size sponsorship: no amount is too small, through my fb page but before that, I would like to give it away free in a giveaway.

First prize = the cushion you see above and a copy of the chart.
Second and Third Prizes: the chart, which will be emailed to you.

All you need do is comment below and mention the giveaway on your blog.  If you also like my fb charity page then you will received an extra entry.
Now; I am not a designer and this was simply because I had a vision in my head that I wanted to stitch so please don't be expecting perfection...but I do need to raise funds for the Irish Cancer Charity and my walk and I love that this little design can be adapted: you can change the colours; fill in the hearts or play with the border to your hearts content.  It is copyright though I didn't do it to make money for me: just the sponsored walk.

I hope you like it. 

Thank you Nancy for your help last night and thank you Elisa: I know I went with a different finish but only because I saw the little pillow you made for Miss. Martha xxxxxxxx

Right; now it is sunny I feel ready to get prepared for my summer exchange with Jane.   Have a great week everyone!