Homespun Holiday with Poshta Design

Hi Friends!!  

I have something fun to share with you today!  You may have already seen the teasers on Instagram, but my dear friend, Lizzie Jones of Poshta Design, has launched her first stitching kit, and it just so happens to be for felt Christmas ornaments! And Lizzie asked me to help her promote this new kit of hers, so of course, I said yes!!  

FIRST, a little back story!  Just in case you're new here, Lizzie and I worked together on the same team as product designers for several years, AND Lizzie is one of the four women who took turns and traded off with Bart, to come and stay in DC with me for a couple weeks at a time, during the four and a half months I had to stay close to the hospital following my transplant!  (Can't believe that was almost three years ago!!!)  Anyway, Lizzie had offered wayyyyy before we even knew that small intestine transplants even existed, to come stay with us here at our house, if there was any way she could help Bart take care of me during the years I was so sick!  I mean, first of all, WHO DOES THAT?!  Lizzie does, that's who.  We didn't even know each other suuuuper well, but she offered and I always marveled at what a dear she was.  Fast forward a couple years later, when we now knew that we were being put on the transplant wait list, and we had to get all of the arrangements made for my lengthy stay in DC.  You can't even be put on the transplant list, until you know for sure, who all your caregivers will be.  And you have to have someone with you at all times, in case something were to happen and they needed to get you to the hospital right away.  SO, we had two friends from home, and my bestie in MN who were all lined up to go stay with me during the times when Bart had to travel back home for work, but we needed one more person.  All of my family had other responsibilities that kept them from being able to be with me at that time, so I called Lizzie and asked her if she'd be willing to come and y'all, she didn't even hesitate.  She and Sean gave up 2 weeks of their own life so she could go stay with me.  And it ended up, that I ended up back in the hospital when she got there, but she stayed in the hospital with me, for about 11 of those days!  Poor girl slept in a chair overnight with me, and ran back and forth to our airbnb for showers and meals each day.  She listened when the doctors came in for rounds, and helped me keep straight all the different meds and instructions so we could keep Bart up to speed with what was going on.  When she and I finally got back home to the airbnb after that hospital stay, I was feeling queasy and promptly puked but she held my hair while I did so (and didn't even flinch when I accidentally puked a little on her sleeve - lol!)!  That evening, she quietly crafted the hours away at the kitchen table while I slept and slept and slept and slept.  That hospital stay had been a rough one, but Lizzie was with me through all of it!  And then finally, the day before she was to leave, we got to spend the day crafting together, before she had to pack up for home.  All of that is just to tell you that Lizzie is a dear friend and she & Sean have been such a gift to Bartley and me!  

And so, needless to say, I'm thrilled for her and this new venture!  And I'm happy to be able to support her in this new endeavor of hers! 

 

 

So, here's what you need to know about the kit, from Lizzie herself.....

"Who doesn't enjoy the holiday season, homes dressed with twinkle lights and special baubles that we see but once a year? Our debut stitching kit features four ornament shaped dies and a wide array of embellishments to make creating those special, heirloom ornaments a joy. The possibilities with this kit are truly endless! From 100% wool felt to a carefully curated collection of beads and sequins, everything you need to make beautiful ornaments arrives right to your door in one convenient package. The hardest part is choosing your favorite Color Story! This kit even includes needles, ribbon for hanging, and a zippered project bag so you can keep your works-in-progress safe and tidy. You'll be amazed how easy it can be to create holiday magic for your own home or to give to those you love!"

Homespun Holiday: Keepsake Ornaments Kit Contents
27-piece die set
zippered project bag
2 all-purpose Needles in a handy storage tube
printed inspiration guide for easy reference
5 yards of 1/8" silk ribbon
5 rolls of 5" x 36" felt
5 skeins of embroidery floss
5 colors of beads
5 colors of sequins (in two sizes)
compartmented bead storage container

*die cut machine and fiberfill stuffing not included in the kit*

*kit qualifies for free domestic shipping*

 

The kit goes live at 9am ET on Friday (10/23). 

 

So, let me tell you a bit about the set of ornaments I made, entirely with the Homespun Holiday ornament kit!!

 

I first die cut lots of pieces, arranging and rearranging the pieces until I got all the colors layered the way I wanted for each ornament.  

 

PRO TIP: Do all of your die cutting at once, and then take your very portable kit with you to hang out with the fam!  You can easily stitch these up, while watching tv with your people!  I used one of those lap desk/tray things, so I could sit in my rocker and hang out with Bart, while I stitched these up.  I made all four over a Friday evening and Saturday!

 

So the kit comes with an inspiration guide to give you lots of ideas for how you can decorate these ornaments, but honestly, you can doll these up ANY way you want!  Just die cut stitching holes wherever you want them, and die cut additional layers with stitching holes to go over the top (like you see above) if you'd like, and then go to town stitching!

 

See above, I layered die cut pieces over the ornament and stitched them in place.  But you can also see at the bottom, I die cut some stitching holes and just stitched a little star with no additional layers, and added a bead to the center.

 

Want to add sequins?  You can!  You can even stack them up like I did above!  Don't want to use sequins?  You don't have to at all!  These ornaments are entirely customizable however you prefer!

 

You can add a little stuffing to your ornaments to make them puffy, however, I like the look of them nice and flat, so I kept it simple!

 

PRO TIP: I did all of the stitching on the top layers, and when all of the ornament decorating was done, then I stitched on the back, and lastly, finished them by stitching the top "ornament hanger" layers together, with the hanging ribbon sandwiched between.

 

For this one, I wanted to do something a little different, so I die cut a large group of stitching holes on the base layer, but I only stitched up the holes that would peek out above and below the green felt layer.

 

Then, I stitched all the details on the green layer, and then when I stitched the back of the ornament in place, I stitched that green detail layer on at the same time.

PRO TIP: For even more detail, I added a matching green layer (just plain, with no additional adornment) on the back side of the ornament, when I was stitching the front and back layers together.

 

PRO TIP: For this one, I did all the stitching on that front layer, and then went back and added the beads.  I prefer the look of chunkier stitching, so I use all 6 strands of thread for the main stitching.  I also used a bigger needle that I had on hand, to do this.  However, the beads require the smaller needles that are included in the kit, so when I stitched them on, I just used a single strand of thread, with those smaller needles.

 

Tie these on fun ornaments gifts, for package embellishments that the recipient can then turn around and use as ornaments on their tree, when they open their gift!

Hope all those tips have helped give you some inspiration for making your own!  Are you a stitching fan?  Have you ever made something like this?  See yourself making some of these in the future??

Before you go, be sure to leave a comment, because Lizzie will be giving away a FREE KIT!  Your comment here, will be an entry in that giveaway!!  

You'll also want to check out what the other designers have created to inspire you!  

Candice Hunter

Heather Nichols

Kay Miller

Check out the Poshta Blog today, for lots of inspiration from Lizzie! You can also leave comments on the Poshta Blog, and for the other designers, too, for additional chances to win the giveaway!  I hope the winner is one of YOU!

And of course, tomorrow morning, you can head to the Poshta Design website to grab your kit!

Have a great day, friends!  And happy stitching!

 

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