Valentine's Give Away! Lots of Good Stuff! FREE!

I am sitting out in my shop dyeing yarn and wool for kits today. It is so cold! My toes and fingers hurt with cold! Ah! Summer please come!

I need a break from all the negativity out there! Do you? Everyone has an opinion (including myself) and in the middle of it all we are forgetting LOVE! 

So, I want to do something from my chilly little corner of the world to bring a little sunshine to you- no matter your opinions!

So, I am copying and pasting my little contest 'requirements' below:

A VALENTINE"S GIVE-AWAY from me to YOU!! DRAWING WILL BE HELD ON VALENTINE'S DAY!

Please read this all. There are three requirements!

I am GIVING AWAY my:

'Lavender Lady' rug hooking pattern (small version),
'Shepherdess' punch needle pattern,
2 balls of Valdani embroidery floss,
1 skein of Vintage Heart Hand-Dyed Wool Yarn (dyed by me, yes, indeed!)
3 FULL Fat Quarters of wool
~ a red,
~ a purple that I snow-dyed (it has some blue spots in it- beautiful!) and
~ a primitive gold.
I am also including 4 yard length pieces of my very, very favorite Sari ribbon- a blue, a gold, a rust and a pink.

Am I CRAZY??? No! LOL!

To win this entire 'package', 1) YOU MUST SHARE THIS (get the word around!), and 2) MAIL ME YOUR ADDRESS AND NAME. I will draw a name on Valentine's Day. I will NOT use your name or address ever- all mail will be shredded after the drawing. My mailing address is below.

3) The most important 'requirement' of all is to spread to some cheer! Call a friend, bring someone a gift, read to a child, speak a kind word, have your own Valentine drawing!- bottom line - let's change the 'atmosphere' of Facebook and spread some Valentine LOVE!

OK! So share this PLEASE and then mail me your name and address to:

Yvonne Buus
Vintage Heart Rug Design
524- 3rd Street South
PMB 176
Nampa, Idaho 83651

So for you that are following me through a blog- share this blog to your Facebook or your own blog and send me your mailing address and just do one kind thing this week- let's bring the sunshine out!!

~Yvonne

A Little Bit of Everything

 I had to stop hooking tonight. I dyed my background wool and I will wait until I have day-light to see if I want to darken it a smidge or leave it as it is. This picture was taken in pretty bright light and I want those soft swirls to show but I also want them to be subtle. I will decide in the morning.

Both girls are going to be holding bouquets of , I think, lilacs. I have been thinking back into my days painting thinking on how I would paint lilacs and how I could do something similar here. 

 This is from a few days ago when I was trying to decide if I wanted a red dress or not. I really thought of doing a dress in a different shade of blue. I don't ever like too many colors in one rug- I am always worried about it looking too busy. I like to use different shades of the same color but never using more than three or four colors in a rug. By the way, this was taken in my little wool shop where I spend a few hours every day preparing orders and dyeing wool.

 My first and only 'selfie.' I am pretty exited about this issue of 'Wool Works' Magazine. It's me! And a two page article about my little rug hooking business. My heart has been very happy this week! I will be doing another project for Wool Works later this year and it is one I am especially exited for!

 Have you ever worked with the Amy Oxford punch needle? This I did with her #14 punch needle- the one for fine work. I hand dyed all the yarn for it- hoping to give it a variegated look and sure enough- there it is! Below is yarn I did for an order. I am very exited about doing more of these. 

Before I sign off, I want to show you a picture that was taken this last October up in McCall, Idaho. I went on a rug hooking retreat with the Treasure Valley Rug Hookers. I had the time of my life! We stayed in a retreat center, all our meals were prepared for us. We did venture into town to a fiber store and for dinner. We had so much good conversation- my favorite conversation was about our dogs. Yes, that was my favorite conversation!

In my dreams, I live up in this area. I would love a little cabin where I could live very simply- very simply! This is a real fun bunch of ladies. I am the one holding my coffee cup. It was a brisk fall day-beautiful!

A Face Like Kim's

           I have a couple pattern ideas rolling around in my head. I have been thinking on them and drawing them out over and over. One I am just not sure about and the other I am having a difficult time figuring out how to keep it fairly simple as I try to do when I design a pattern. Anyway, so I have been feeling very 'in-between' projects. Well, I have not worked on a face for quite a while...so why not practice faces again while I mentally sort out those patterns I want to do? I put two faces on paper and thought that was all I was going to do but decided to add dresses and take them over to my printer where I could have them blown up to pretty large.

      This is the largest face I have ever tried and I am pretty convinced that's why I had an OK time with it. Got it in first try! (For anyone wondering, I am using #6 cut strips for this whole rug.) To my amazement, this girl I hooked looks incredibly similar, if not, just like my daughter Kim. The eyes and the mouth are HER! I told her last night that someday I am going to give it to her. It is so her.

 Close up over my coffee this morning. I used dip-dyed wool as I often do for this dress. In fact, this is the color I call in my Etsy shop, Midnight in Paris' blue.

I love this angle! She looks as beautiful upside down as she does right side up!

Now on to the girl that 'Kimberly' is standing next to. Thinking on what color to make her dress.

I have to share again with you my rug that is on the cover of the Premiere issue of 'Wool Works' Magazine. This pattern is in the pages. This is a beautiful publication full of a variety of wool projects- applique, rug hooking, punch needle and quilting. Subscribe! You will not be sorry! I can sell the pattern on linen or a full kit. Contact me at hooknwool@gmail.com for information.

~Yvonne

'A Little Dancer'

    I am a terrible blogger. I never know what to say. Today I am in my wool shop dyeing up wool for a couple kits, some wool orders and a rug I am working on. And I have not given a thought as to what I am making for dinner. I did get a lot of housework done this morning. I used a technique that we used when I grew up in a very large family. I am the oldest of 14, but when I left home at 19, mom was on about number nine or so. My brother, Greg, would set a timer for thirty minutes and we would go to town picking up and straightening. I always liked that method. I knew there was going to be an end! So, to this day I do that myself. This morning I set the timer for a full hour! I felt so much better!

When I come out to my wool shop I never set a timer. I love it out here!

     This little ballerina I did (available as a pattern or kit) because I wanted to make a pattern available that would be based off my ballerina rug, 'Tutus.' I have been procrastinating finishing that rug for TWO years. Well I am almost finished. I have about a foot and a half to go and I will have the edge finished. Would you like to see it?

     These are from left to right. They are all on the same rug which measure 5' across and 3' tall. It too pretty for it to be rolled up in a 'pile' of rugs to finished! I am so close!

     Have you heard of the new magazine 'Wool Works?' It went out in the mail yesterday and I have a pattern in the magazine and it is featured on the cover. It is called 'Garden Tea.' If you interested in the pattern on linen or a kit- contact me (hooknwool@gmail.com) and I will happy to get you set up.

     It is an awesome issue! There are women on this issue that I am in complete admiration of. There are so many wonderful projects- a little bit for everyone. There are articles included that are informational as well. I truly think you will love it! Subscribe! You won't be disappointed!

Signing off,

Yvonne

P.S. What is for dinner? sigh.....