Contest

There was such a wonderful response to this give-away, we decided, what the heck, we'll give away 2 sets of Lavender Scented Rainbow Bean Bags. The winners were drawn at random and they are:

Chiska on Mon, 08/30/2010 - 16:02.
I love the new look too! Thanks for always having such great information available to us. We spend a glorious couple of hours at the library the other day with your recommendations. Thank you!

Simple Dreams on Sun, 08/29/2010 - 15:14.
I love your new design! I think it's great that you and Michelle are so close to be able to share this wonderful website and all the projects together :o)
I'd be happy to have one of your little crafts in my home!
warmly,
Angela

Congratulations!  

The beanbags are all made, and I'm just awaiting the lavender which has shipped and will delivered on Friday. The beanbags will be mailed on Tuesday.

For those of you that didn't win, thank you for entering. We will have the tutorial for making your own set of Lavender Scented Rainbow Beanbags next week.

Please note: Winners must contact us within a week of the drawing with a mailing address or a new winner will be selected. weefolkart@yahoo.com

Edit: This contest is now closed. Congrats to the winners and thank you to everyone that participated!

NOTE: Everyone is welcome to participate in this Give Away. We will gladly send a basket anywhere in the World :)

A couple of weeks ago on Facebook, I mentioned that I have recently fell in love with bolga baskets. I included a link showing how they were made. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDKTj2z9pmA Authentic bolga baskets come from the small village of Bolgatanga, Ghana and continue to be made by hand, making each and every basket slightly different.


As it turned out, there was a lot of chatter about the baskets. Some readers were already proud owners of a bolga basket and sang their praises. Others, like myself, just drool over them and don't own one themselves... yet! After a few days, and several emails with questions about them, I had an idea... a perfectly brilliant idea, I might add.


I contacted the lovely Sonya over at A Toy Garden because I know she carries bolga baskets. I told her about the wonderful response to my post, and asked her if she would be interested in hosting a bolga basket give away. She said, yes... YAY Sonya! She sent not one, but two baskets that we have to give away. There is a small Child's Bolga basket and a large Child’s Bolga Basket. (The Large baskets are 9" or more in diameter. The Medium baskets are 7 1/2" - 9" in diameter. The Small baskets are 6 1/2" - 7 1/2" in diameter.) BTW... she also carries a medium size, a large size, and an oval market basket. These are all much larger than the children's baskets. The oval market basket is a great size for actually taking to market instead of using disposal bags or for stashing your knitting and craft projects in! The children's baskets are her best sellers and children use them for play and for lunch baskets. But don't let the name "child" fool you. They are absolutely beautiful and would make a nice addition to any family... even those without small children!


As a way of saying "Thanks bunches" to Sonya, I'd like everyone to think about the wee ones in their life be it child, grandchild, or even neighbor. Then decide on 1 gift you would buy if price were no object. I'll start us off. I believe in making the ordinary, extraordinary. (That's why I have 314 napkins :) I am in love with A Toy Garden's Rainbow Salad Bowl Set. If you have a child that normally won't eat salad, put it in these beautiful bowls, and they just might have a change of heart!

To enter the contest, head over to A Toy Garden and find the perfect gift. Then, come back here and leave a comment telling us what you would purchase. If you would like to increase your chances of winning then Blog, Facebook or Tweet about us. Then, come back here and leave a separate comment for each additional time you spread the word. Make sure to include a link to your postings. 

The contest ends Sunday, August 1 at 9 EST when two winners will be chosen at random. Winners will be announced shortly afterward and contacted via email. Winners will have 1 week (August 8) to send us their snail mail address for shipping or a new winner will be selected. 

A big thanks to Sonya at A Toy Garden. This is an absolutely lovely give-away. And good luck to one and all. Uhmmm... I do wish to point out that I have these 2 beautiful bolga baskets sitting on my hutch right now... the very baskets that I was drooling over a mere 2 weeks ago... that I am going to need to pack up in a week and ship to 2 lucky winners! If I'm a bit "mopey" on Monday, you'll know why :)

First off, Michelle and I would like to thank Suzy... THE Hip Mountain Mama, for sponsoring this fantastic give away. Whether you entered the contest or not, I hope everyone took a few minutes to visit Hip Mountain Mama. She has a wonderful site, full of eco-friendly products. Remember, she is offering ALL Wee Folk Art readers 10% off orders of $50.00 or more through the month of April. YAY Suzy! Just type "wee" in the coupon code to take advantage of this offer.

Now, on to the winners... As usual, the winner's names were drawn at random. They are announced here and notified via the email they shared. If a winner does not respond in 1 week, a new winner will be drawn. The lucky winners of the Stockmar Modelling Beeswax - 12 assorted colors are:

Michelle V.
Jennifer Park

Submitted by Michelle V on Sun, 04/18/2010 - 07:41.
Hip Mountain Mama is a great site. Thanks for this contest because I have never been there before but I'll start going now! Although I love many things at her site, I think I would pick the yoga mats.

Submitted by Jennifer Park on Fri, 04/16/2010 - 13:04.
I love the silk baby blanket! I'm pregnant with my 5th, and it'd be lovely to have something so luxurious for this baby.

Congratulations to our 2 winners. Simply email us your snail mail address, weefolkart@yahoo.com we'll send it along to Suzy at Hip Mountain Mama, and she'll be mailing you the Modeling Beeswax. Thanks to everyone that entered... we wish everyone could win... and again, thank you Suzy for your generosity!

Edit: This Giveaway is now closed. Winners were announced on Sunday, April 18.

As promised, Michelle and I are pleased to present Hip Mountain Mama's Giveaway. Although Suzy carries a wide array of products, she thought that 2 readers of Wee Folk Art would really appreciate the opportunity to win a set of Stockmar Modelling Beeswax - 12 assorted colors.
 If you or your children have never had the experience of working with modeling beeswax, you are in for a treat. The colors are vibrant and it feels wonderfully smooth while you are working with it. It allows you to add a lot of detail to your crafting.

I'm sure you are dying to win a set for yourself. So, what do you need to do? First, visit Hip Mountain Mama. Take a few minutes to look at all the incredible things she has to offer. Pick a product that you think is totally cool. (I personally am eyeing her 3-Tier Stainless Steel Tiffin Set for all the nice weather outings we have planned.) Then come back here, leave a comment telling us what you found most interesting. It is that simple. 

Want additional chances to win? Of course you do. Simple blog about the contest OR Facebook OR Twitter about it and earn an additional entry for each. POST SEPERATE COMMENTS FOR EACH ENTRY telling us where you spread the word. The contest runs from Wednesday, April 14 through Sunday, April 18, at 9:00 pm, est. Two winners will be drawn at random, their names will be announced on the blog, and the winners will be emailed. As soon as you reply with a mailing address, Hip Mountain Mama will have your prize in the mail.

Please Note: Winners must contact us within a week of the drawing with a mailing address or a new winner will be selected.

As a little extra bonus, Suzy has graciously offered WFA readers a 10% coupon on all orders over $50.00 for the month of April. Just type "wee" in the coupon code.  

So, get out there and do some snooping at Hip Mountain Mama. Then head back and leave a comment. After that, just sit back, cross your fingers and hope :) Michelle and I would like to thank Suzy and her family for hosting this generous contest. Hope everyone has fun and gets to see how cool Hip Mountain Mama's site is! 

Announcing winners is always a bittersweet experience. On the one hand, I'm always happy for our winners. On the other hand, I truly wish we could give everyone a gift that took the time to enter. BUT since we can't... the two winners, drawn at random, for a $25.00 gift certificate from Bella Luna Toys, are: Lois Tschaepe and Rebekah.

Bella Luna Love
Submitted by Rebekah on Fri, 02/26/2010 - 20:17.
1.Silk Playcloths
by Sarah's Silks- I have wanted these for a long time and my girls love them at a friends house.
2.Any of the knitted or wooden food- super fun!
3. Wildcraft! An Herbal Adventure Game- this is for me!
Thanks!

Toys
Submitted by Lois Tschaepe on Wed, 02/24/2010 - 13:11.
I love everything at Bella Luna, but my three favorites are:
-German Shield and Sword Set
-Silk Dragon Costume
-Play Stands and arch
I LOVE anything medieval and I hope my triplet grandsons will also! My great nephew (who is three) has been raised with dragons, knights, etc. His parents are reenactors. I know all the boys would love anything!
Lois

Congratulations to both of you. Please email us at weefolkart@yahoo.com to confirm your email address. Then Sarah Baldwin, owner of Bella Luna Toys, will contact you with a code to use at Bella Luna. (We must be contacted by Sunday, March 7 or a new winner will be drawn.)

And, of course, a huge thank you to Sarah Baldwin of Bella Luna Toys. Not only is she the owner of a lovely on-line shop, she is a delightful person, full of knowledge, humor and a sincere desire to assist others. I hope you've enjoyed getting to know Sarah over these past few weeks as much as I have.

And... I asked Sarah if she'd like to tuck a little message into this post. She sent me the following...

I'd like to thank Kimara for the opportunity to host this give away, and to introduce you to Bella Luna Toys. I've enjoyed reading all the comments from newcomers and previous customers alike. It's been helpful to me to learn which products are most appealing to families. Were you looking for something you didn't find? Have an idea for a new product you'd like to see added? I'd love to hear from you! Feel free to email me at info [at] bellalunatoys.com. Thank you all for participating, and congratulations to the winners!
Warmest wishes,
Sarah 

Don't forget, Sarah is offering all Wee Folk Art readers a 10% discount off any orders placed between now and Saturday, March 6! Just type in the promotion code WEEFOLK to receive your special discount!

Again, thanks to one and all, congratulations to our winners, and watch for more from Sarah Baldwin and Bella Luna Toys in the coming months!

A couple of weeks ago we introduced you to Sarah Baldwin, Waldorf educator and owner of Bella Luna Toys. She gave an incredible interview, which from this point forward I think I’ll fondly refer to as Waldorf 101 :) She most graciously offered to sponsor a Give Away, too. Of course we jumped at the chance. Bella Luna Toys, right? EVERYTHING is lovely over there! So, to enter, here are the totally fun rules!

Head over to Bella Luna Toys. Do yourself a favor and look at absolutely everything. Not to worry… you’ll have a blast. Put together a wish list. Then come back to Wee Folk Art, and list your 3 favorite things. If you would like, tell us why you made your selections. It is that simple.

The contest runs from today, Wednesday, February 24, to Sunday, February 28 at 9:00 p.m. EST. At that time 2, yep, 2 winners will be drawn at random and each will receive a $25.00 gift certificate towards the purchase of items on their wish list. How awesome is that?

Want to up your chances of winning? And who wouldn’t, right? Just link to us on Facebook, Twitter, your blog or where ever you can get the word out about this super cool Bella Luna Toys Give Away, and you’ll get an extra entry for each posting. Make sure you create a new comment for each additional entry, including linking information. Then sit back and keep your fingers crossed!

And, sweetening the pot just a little bit more, Sarah is offering all readers a 10% discount off any orders placed between now and Saturday, March 6! Just type in the promotion code WEEFOLK to receive your special discount!

We want to thank Sarah for her generosity, and encourage all of our readers to join in the fun and savings. Winners will be announced after the drawing and notified by email. Winners must contact us by Sunday, March 7, or a new winner will be drawn. Good luck to all and let the wishing commence!

The winners of our Valentine Give-Away are JoAnn and Sarah with the posts listed below:

Yay a give away! :)
Submitted by JoAnn(fullheart) on Wed, 01/20/2010 - 10:04.
What a wonderful kit! Thanks for so many chances to win!

AND

That's very sweet, thank you
Submitted by sarah on Thu, 01/21/2010 - 11:58.
That's very sweet, thank you for the giveaway and the great idea. Now I must get fabric for Valentine's Day napkins.

Congrats, ladies. Just send your snail mail address to us at weefolkart@yahoo.com. Thank you to everyone that participated, and a HUGELY big thank you to Julie, over at Prairie Point Junction, for donating the wonderful prizes.

EDIT: This Give-Away is over. Thanks to everyone that participated, and a special thank you to Juile, at Prairied Point Junction for providing the materials for the Give-Away!

We weren't planning on having a Valentines Day Give-Away, but then we received an offer from Julie over at Wool Felt Central (A.K.A. Prairie Point Junction) which we couldn't refuse. For starters, she has kindly offered all Wee Folk Art readers 20% off regularly priced merchandise on all orders. How awesome is that? All you have to do is click on their cute little button up in the right hand corner of our home page and you receive 20% off. Makes building our felt stash doable! Then she said... "We'd also be happy to support another Give-Away if you perhaps have something dreamed up for Valentines Day. I bet you have tons of great ideas. You gals amaze me!"

Well, with that offer, what else could we do? So last night we "dreamed up" something special for Valentine's Day. One easy way to herald in any Holiday, is to simply set the table with Holiday themed napkins and napkin rings. Here are our go-to napkins... the old Rip and Tears. Easy and fast to make. Then, we reworked a heart motif that we had used last year for a necklace and brooch, and fashioned heart-shaped napkin rings.

Here is the Give-Away. Julie has put together kits for making 4 napkins and 4 napkin rings.

The kits include:
12" x 18" each of three wool felt colors (Red, Shocking Pink, and White)
2 skeins of floss
1 1/8 yards of the Valentine print for the napkins

Such pretty fabric and colors! The value of the kits is $16.50, and she is donating 2 kits for this Give-Away. She is so great!
 
So... what do you need to do to enter this lovely Give-Away? Simple. Write a 5,000 word essay on Existentialism in the 21st Century OR choose any or all of the following methods to enter. You get 1 entry for each method.

1] Post a comment here (be sure to fill in your name... nicknames are fine).
2] Link to us through your blog, FaceBook, Twitter, Flickr, etc. Post one additional comment for each link. Make sure to include linking info.
3] Then, head over to Prairie Point Junction, visit Julie's blog HERE, let her know how awesome you think she and Wool Felt Central are, then run back here and tell us you did, and yep, another chance to win!

The contest will run from today, Tuesday, January 19 through Sunday, January 24, at 9:00 p.m. EST when 2 lucky winners will be chosen at random. Winners will announced on Wee Folk Art as soon as winners are determined and will also be notified via email. Winners have 1 week to contact us or another winner will be drawn. Directions for the Valentine Napkins and Heart Napkin Rings can be found HERE or with our FREE Patterns. Good luck to everyone!

BTW... even if you are not interested in making the napkins and napkin rings, the fabrics would make a wonderful addition to your stash! AND, Julie will have additional kits available for anyone interested in purchasing them for themselves or as a special Valentine's Day Gift! Thanks again, Julie!

Counting down the days until Christmas is a tradition shared by many Christian families. Our simple Advent Tree with a star meandering up the tree, will help your family celebrate the season. This is sure to become an heirloom, eliciting memories of Christmases past as the years go by. Merry Christmas to all!

Finished Size: 24" x 28"

This project was our 2009 Holiday Giveaway. Julie, over at Prairie Point Junction, graciously provided kits containing felt, floss and buttons for 2 lucky winners. She also carries fabric and batting for completing the project. Check out her site. It is wonderful!

NOTE ABOUT MATERIALS: I am providing 2 different felt requirements. First, I list amounts actually required for cutting out your pieces. Second, in parentheses, I'll give the yardage if buying from a bolt. This yardage will give you enough fabric to allow for shrinkage, if you are buying wool blend felt, and you want to prewash your fabric to give it a more 100% wool look. I did not wash my fabric. The lines are "crisper" without washing, which is the effect I wanted. Refer to Prairie Point Junction's directions for prewashing wool blended felt if you chose that option. 

I am also giving the name and # of the colors of the felt and embroidery floss I used for making this project. My felt and embroidery floss came from Wool Felt Central over at Prairie Point Junction. The colors refer to National Nonwovens "WoolFelt" and the floss is DMC.

Materials Needed:
Felt:
tree - pea soup WCF0729
18" X 20" (2/3 yard)

snow and star - white WCF1100
8" x 20" AND 4" x 8" (1/3 yard)

background - grandma's garnet TOY0986
20" x 24" (2/3 yard) 

Floss:
1 or 2* skeins white
1 or 2* skeins 221
1 skein 471
(*1 skein of floss JUST barely completed the project. If you waste any thread, add more snowflakes, or decide you want to stitch around the tree, you will want to get 2 skeins of  white and #221 floss.)

Borders:
1/2 yard printed light to medium weight fabric for borders (I bought my fabric from a large chain crafting store. I do not have info on the fabric to share. Julie, at Prairie Point Junction, picked out a few fabrics from her shop that go well with the felt colors I selected, if you are interested.)

Backing:
1 yard backing (You can use the same print as the border. I bought a cheaper solid fabric.)

Batting:
30" x 36" thin batting (cotton, cotton/poly blend, or wool)

Buttons:
25 1" wooden buttons (available at Prairie Point Junction)

Paint:
Acrylic paints for buttons (I used 3 colors. You can paint them all the same or many colors)
Paint for numbers (I used a Sharpie Paint - Metallic Gold, fine point for mine)
Mod Podge for sealing painted buttons

Other:
Disappearing ink fabric marker 
3 round plastic rings for sewing on the back to hang Advent Tree on Wall
Thread in matching colors to buttons, to sew on buttons

Pattern (You will need 1 pattern and 1 stitching guide)
pattern  which will need to be enlarged 325% (See pattern note below.)
-OR-
print the 16 page PDF which has already been enlarged (See pattern note below.)
1 copy stitching guide.(Not used for cut outs but as a guide for stitches used and placement.)

NOTE ABOUT PATTERN: This pattern is based on our Christmas Tree Applique Block. To make the Advent Tree you must enlarge the pattern 325%. There are several ways to do this. First, grid and enlarge design. (Google search for technique) Second, take the pattern to a printer to enlarge. (Note: Use the pattern provided here NOT the Christmas Tree Applique Block. Changes have been made.) There are many large chains that do this. For example: Staples said to bring in a copy of the PDF and ask for them to either "Blow this up to 28 x 40" or "Blow this up 325%". Either will work. It comes out on a plotter and costs about $4. The advantage is the pattern is on one piece of paper. The third option is to print our 16 page pdf. You will need to tape the pages together. Bits of the border edges are missing but you should be able to easily draw in the missing lines... plus it saves you $4! (Note: Each printer is set a little different. If you cannot get the 16 page PDF to line up, you will need to use one of the other 2 methods.)
 

DIRECTIONS (Note: Cutting instructions are given as needed.)

Stitching the Appliqued Tree:

1] Enlarge pattern in one of the above methods. Cut out all the pattern pieces.

2] Cut out felt pieces as follow:

1 - 20" x 24" for background (grandma's garnet)
1 snow bed (white) 
2 stars (white)
1 tree (pea soup)

3] Following the stitching guide, place snow on background. Using 6 strands of white floss, blanket stitch the snow to the background along the upper edge of the snow. Using 3 stands of white floss, sew the remaining 3 sides to the background using a running stitch. This stitch should be about 1/4" from the edges.

4] Place the tree over the snow and background. The base of the tree should be approximately 2" from the bottom edge and centered side to side. Pin in place. Using 6 strands of #471 floss, blanket stitch the tree to the background and snow.

5] Position pattern piece A over tree top. Trace the bottom of pattern piece A on the tree using a disappearing marker. Now, position pattern piece B over the tree, matching sides. Trace the bottom of pattern piece B on the tree using a disappearing marker. This will create your stitching line for the tree's tiers.

6] Using 3 strands of #471 floss, sew along the 2 tier lines using a running stitch.

7] To make the star, sew the 2 pieces of the star together with a blanket stitch using 6 strands of white floss. 

8] To make the button hole: Place your 1" button in the middle of the star. Using a disappearing marker, trace around the button. Draw a straight line with the disappearing marker that bisects the middle of the circle you just drew. Extend the line 1/8" on either edge of the circle.

9] Using very sharp scissors or a razor, cut along the STRAIGHT line. This will be the button hole.

10] Using a running stitch, baste around the button hole, going through both layers of the star. Baste should be about 1/2" away from the opening. Blanket stitch around the entire button hole using 3 strands of white floss with your stitches very close together. Make sure to add a couple of stitches at either end of the buttonhole. Remove basting.

Adding Borders with Mitered Corners:
 
Mitered corners are not an "ish" technique. Straight seams, beginning and ending at the appropriate spot are necessary to turn out a professional looking corner. Mitered corners are not hard, taken step by step, but take the time to be accurate. It is time well spent!

1] Cut 4 border strips: each 4" by the entire width of the fabric. (44")

2] To start, take a border piece. Center the border piece on a long side of the appliqued piece, with right sides together. Pin in place. On the wrong side of the border fabric, make a line even with the edge of the applique piece. Then draw a line 1/2" in from the previous line. Do this to the other end of the border.These will be the starting and stopping points of your seam.

3] Sew your seam. Make sure you do not cross the start and stop line. This is very important. Attach the border on the opposite side in the same fashion.

4] Iron your seams. Normally, when making mitered corners, I iron my seams open. When using felt and a lighter weight material, however, I do not iron the seam open, rather, I let the felt lay flat. Note: Make sure your iron is not too hot or you may shrink the felt.

5] To attach the 2 remaining borders, start by pinning the borders you just sewed on out of your way.

6] Center a border piece on a short side of the appliqued piece, with right sides together. Pin in place. On the wrong side of the border, make a line on both ends of your new strip following the seam line of the previous border. This will be your start and stop lines for stitching. Sew along the seam line and press seam. (It is better to stop 1 stitch before the start and stop pins than go over them, which will cause your corners to pucker.) Iron. Do the same to the other side. All 4 borders will now be attached.

7] It is now time to "square up" your corners. To do this, lay your work on a flat surface. Smooth down your borders. Pin them in place. At this point your border ends will extend beyond a square corner. Following the outside edge of the border, cut off the excess fabric. Flip project over and trim the other side of the corner following the other exposed outside edge of the border.

8] To sew a corner together, remove the pins, turn your work over and separate the two border pieces.

9] Pin the two border ends with right sides together. Make sure you do not catch the applique piece while you pin. Notice how I used a teal colored pin to pin the applique piece out of the way. Draw a line from the outside corner to your stitching line. This is a 45 degree angle. Place pins along this line.

10] Sew along this diagonal line. IMPORTANT: Make sure you do not over sew your stitching line. If you sew even 1 stitch beyond, it will cause your corner to pucker. You are better to stop a stitch short of the stitching line.
11] Trim away excess material. Iron the seam open.
12] If your corner is not perfectly square, lay a straight edge along the seam, and using a rotary cutter, even out the corner. If you did everything right to this point, it should only be a very minor adjustment.

13] You have now mitered a corner. Do the same to the other 3 corners.

Sewing the wall hanging together:

1] Create a sandwich by laying your backing material down first with wrong side up. Now add a piece of thin batting. Finally, place your complete Advent Tree on the top, with the right side showing.
 
2] Trim away excess batting and backing.

3] Carefully remove the top applique piece from the batting and backing. It may be helpful to chose a corner, and put a pin in the backing and another on the applique piece so when it's time to pin the pieces together, you are sure to get the same corners together. This is important because you applique piece may not be a perfect rectangle. (Stuff happens, right?) When you cut out the pieces together, you made the backing, batting and applique piece exactly the same shape. You will want to make sure when you sew them together, you are putting them together in the same way you cut them out. Pin all three layers together with the right sides of the backing and applique piece together and the batting on top. Pin the four sides of the Advent Tree together.

4] Using a 1/2" seam, sew the four sides, leaving a 4" opening on one side.

5] Trim the corners and turn the piece right side out.

6] Iron the seam flat.
7] Using a ladder stitch, sew the opening closed. 


Finishing the Advent Calendar:

1] Following the stitching guide, sew a running stitch on the felt, using 3 strands of floss, 1/4" away from the border seam line. If desired, sew a running stitch on the background, around the tree. (If you do, you will need 2 skeins of #221 floss.) I used white floss on white felt and #221 floss on red felt.

2] Following the stitching guide, French Knot "snow" using 6 strands of white floss, wrapping your needle 6 times. The stitching guide has my placement of the snowflakes, but obviously, add as many or as few flakes as you'd like! (You may chose to do another stitch resembling larger snowflakes. If you do, you will need 2 skeins white floss.)

3] Apply 2 coats of paint to wooden buttons. Allow to dry. NOTE: The fronts of my 1" wooden buttons (The kind available from Prairie Point Junction) are ridged. I chose to use the backside which were flatter.

4] When dry, use a paint marker to number the buttons 1 - 25. NOTE: My buttons have 2 holes. I sewed them on the tree so the holes were on top of one another, not side to side. I painted the numbers on so the "ones" were to the right of the holes and the "tens" were to the left of the holes.

5] After the paints have dried, seal with 1 coat of Mod Podge.  

6] Following the stitching guide, sew buttons to the tree, going through all layers.

7] Finally, turn the Advent Tree over. 1" from the top, and 1" from the side, space 3 plastic rings. Sew them on. (Note: Only sew them to the backing. You do not want this stitching visible on the front.) To hang the Advent Tree, push 3 straight pins in the wall where you would like to hang the Advent Tree, and loop your rings over the pin heads. This should be all you need to support your Advent Tree.

You are now done with the Advent Tree! To use, on December 1, button your star to the  number 25. As each day passes, move your star up the tree, counting down the days to Christmas. Christmas morning your star will be on the number 1 and the top of the tree!
 

Hoping your Christmas is filled with Joy and Peace!

Note about patterns: We are sharing patterns we have designed and made for our own children, families and friends. Every effort is made to share information in a clear and accurate manner. We offer preemptive apologies for any mistakes that may be made. Please let us know via comments or emails if you stumble upon a mistake or if you encounter directions that leave you scratching your head! We will rectify the situation as soon as humanly possible!

http://www.weefolkart.com
Copyright © Wee Folk Art 2008 - 2009. All rights reserved.

All photos, text and patterns are copyright protected. You may not copy, reproduce or redistribute any material found on WeeFolkArt.com without written permission. Wee Folk Art retains all rights.

EDIT: The Giveaway is Closed. Thanks to everyone that entered!

My Busha use to say, "If you haven't gotten half your day's work done by 10:30 a.m., you'll never get it all done." Well, it's 10:30 folks, in a metaphorical Christmasy kind of way. So, we are doing an early Christmas Giveaway BECAUSE, you simply can't wait to the day before Christmas to make an Advent Calendar!

Our Advent Tree is yet another variation of our basic Christmas Tree Applique Block. The pattern has been enlarged 325%... sounds crazy, right? Why 325%? I guess that is some industry standard, but there will be more discussion about that in our directions. For the time being suffice to say, the finished Advent Tree is 24" x 28". There are painted wood buttons that meander up the tree. A wool felt star moves its way up the buttons on the tree to count-down the days to Christmas.

NOW... about the Giveaway. We are beyond excited that we are partnering with the awesome folks over at PRAIRIE POINT JUNCTION on the Giveaway. They have graciously provided 2 kits for us to Giveaway. Totally, generous, right? We certainly think so! AND, Julie, at Prairie Point Junction, has put together kits to make additional Advent Trees and a has a lovely little surprise. But more on that in a minute.

There are several ways to enter this Giveaway:
1] Post a comment here (be sure to fill in your name... nicknames are fine).
2] Link to us through your blog, FaceBook, Twitter, Flickr, etc. Post additional comments (one for each link). Make sure to include linking info.
3] Then, head over to Prairie Point Junction, visit their blog, and leave a big, juicy THANK YOU to Julie and her crew, then run back here and tell us you did, and yep, another chance to win!

The contest will run from today, Wednesday, November 4 through Tuesday, November 10, at 9:00 p.m. EST when 2 lucky winners will be chosen at random. After the winners are announced, the directions for the Advent Tree will be available online.

Additionally... if it is possible you haven't been to Prairie Point Junction yet, it's high time you did! Since I discovered them over a year ago, they have been my primary supplier of felt and other supplies. Here's a little bit more about them PLUS yet another kind offer.

Julie at Prairie Point Junction, home of www.woolfeltcentral.com , has put together a kit with the supplies you'll need to make your own Advent Tree. Wool Felt Central stocks 78 colors of National Nonwoven's Wool Felt for all your crafting needs. They also have a wide selection of patterns for penny rugs, pillows, ornaments, faux foods, and anything you can imagine. Wee Folk Art readers can take advantage of a special offer - use coupon code FOLKARTTREE to take 20% off any regular priced order placed through December 26th.

Good luck to one and all. We consider ourselves blessed to have made so many wonderful friends here at Wee Folk Art, and this is our way of sending some Peace, Joy and Love your way this Christmas Season!