Custom Cozy Winner!!!

The winner of the Custom Cozy from last week's "2 Chics and a Birthday Hop" is Jennifer (partridgelu@yahoo.com) Please email me and we will work out all of the details. Congratulations!!! :)

Winner of Crocheted Flowers

The winner of the Crocheted Flowers from last week's "2 Chics and a Birthday Hope" is jcinokc (jenlovcarr@aol.com). Congratulations!!! Please contact me and I will ship the flowers out to you as soon as possible. Thanks to everyone who participated in the hop! :)

Two Chics and a Birthday Hop

Happy Birthday, girls! Thanks for sharing your creativity, craftiness and style for the past year. We've been inspired so much by you both and we look forward to everything the new year has in store for all of us!! :)


If you just hopped here from http://scrappymel.blogspot.com/, then you're at the right place. Make sure you visit all of today's links because honestly, you don't want to miss any one of these creative stops. These ladies are just oozing creativity!! Plus, there's a lot--and I mean a LOT--of awesome blog candy up for grabs. Good luck!!

I just love Valentine's Day! Think about it--a holiday devoted to love, flowers, roses, romance and chocolate! For one whole day we get hugs and kisses on demand, we get to eat chocolate covered strawberries with no guilt, and we find ourselves rekindling a little bit of passion with our "special someone" for no other reason than it's Valentine's Day. What more could a girl ask for? Plus, my own special Valentine (Hi, Honey!) was born on Valentine's Day. Yep--in just a few days he will celebrate the big 4-6. Happy Birthday, Honey!!! You're so cute and I will love you forever!

Sorry...I got a bit distracted there. Back to the task at hand. I get a lot of questions about ordering Custom Cozies. So today my post is going to walk you through the steps to creating your very own Custom Cozy. Be sure not to skip through any of the steps...and don't forget...there's some awesome BLOG CANDY at the end!!!

STEP 1: CHOOSE THE MAIN FABRIC

When someone approaches me about making a Custom Cozy, we always start by selecting a fabric. If a new customer can tell me what she likes, then I can either direct her to my photobucket site (http://s1197.photobucket.com/albums/aa422/bckpiano/) or send some snapshots her way. Sometimes, if I don't have anything on hand, I will go to my local fabric store and snap some pictures with my cell phone. (The girls at Joann's must have a special "signal" when they see me coming. I can just imagine..."Everyone to your stations! Here comes that crazy lady with her camera! Dust the displays! Adjust the lighting and straighten the cutting table! Every employee on the floor!")

So...since our theme today is Valentine's Day...let's say that you wanted to order a Custom Cozy that just screams, "I love LOVE!" Here are some fabrics you might choose from:

STEP 2: PICK THE COORDINATING FABRIC

It's always fun to find a coordinating fabric that brings a nice contrast to the main fabric. In this case, I thought that some possible coordinating colors would be brown (as in chocolate!), white or pink. These are the pictures you would find in your inbox.

STEP 3: CHOOSING AN EMBELLISHMENT

After you have picked the fabrics, my work begins. I have to cut the fabric and stitch it together. Then I take the muslin backing, the batting and the main fabric and baste them together. Quilting is next. I usually use a "stippling" pattern as I machine quilt my Cozies. This is a random pattern of back-and-forth stitches that looks pretty, but also holds all of the layers together. Since my Cozies are quilted, they bring a great deal of padded protection to your machines. After the quilting is finished, the pieces all have to be cut to the correct size. They are stitched together, the seams are finished, and then the binding is hand-stitched into place.

This is what the final project looks like...except it's a little "naked," don't you think? (Face it, girls, what's a great outfit without the proper accessories???) A pretty embellishment will finish off the look.

At this point, I will look through all of my buttons, bows, flowers, chains and charms to find some nice items that might dress up your Cozy. I will send some pictures to you and let you choose the one that is your favorite.

A hand-crocheted flower looks so nice on this one.

Ta-da...the finished Cozy!!

BLOG CANDY!!!

I'm offering two great prizes in celebration of Meighen's and Nicole's birthdays. One lucky winner will win a set of 22 hand-crocheted flowers, compliments of my sister, Linda. (Check out her Etsy shop: www.etsy.com/shop/charmingcrochet) These flowers would look great on a scrapbook page or hand-made card!

The second prize is a Custom Cozy of your very own. That's right...you can design your own Cozy for one of the following machines (your choice):

Cricut Expression
Cricut Create
Cuttlebug

Gypsy

To get some ideas, check out my Etsy shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/KathysCozies

Here's how you can win. Leave a comment on this post, telling me what colors/fabrics you would use to design your own Custom Cozy. For an extra chance to win, "like" my facebook page--Kathy's Cozies. If you already "like" my page, just let me know in your comment and you, too, will get the extra chance. The first name selected (by random.org) will win the flowers and the second name selected will win the Custom Cozy.

Good luck, everyone!

Thanks for stopping by today. Your next stop is over to Ellen's blog: http://lifeatwalnuthill.blogspot.com/

This is a complete list of todays stops...Happy Hopping!

1. Meighen - http://scrappin3rdeeschik.blogspot.com/

2. Jennifer - http://creativearmywife.blogspot.com/

3. Liset - http://www.hailemnat.blogspot.com/

4. Jill - http://thescrapoholic.blogspot.com/

5. Pam - http://pammejo-scrapbookflair.blogspot.com/

6. Jess - http://www.kinderstampo.com/

7. Dawn - http://www.pinkyswrspaper.blogspot.com/

8. Tracey - http://thecroppingcanuck.blogspot.com/

9. Martha - http://pattisscrapingtime.blogspot.com/

10. Janie - http://www.typicalscrapbooker.com/

11. Madison - http://www.funkycards.blogspot.com/
12. Shannon - www.purplelionpaper.com/blog

13. Jenny - http://jennyplace26.blogspot.com/

14. Christine - http://www.scrapbookingtechnique.blogspot.com/

15. Jessica - http://www.thecreativestamperspot.blogspot.com/

16. Corri - http://www.buglvr.blogspot.com/

17. Lisa - http://bitbythecricutbug.blogspot.com/

18. Cristina -http://www.craftingwithcristina.com/

19. Chris -http://stinkydogdesigns.blogspot.com/

20. Nancy - http://fancywithnancy.blogspot.com/

21. A Scrap Above - http://ascrapabove.blogspot.com/

22. Holly - http://www.kricutkween.blogspot.com/

23. Danielle - http://fundamentalchange.blogspot.com/

24. DD - http://craftydeb-ddscrafts.blogspot.com/

25. Shelley - http://heartstring-designs.blogspot.com/

26. Mel - http://scrappymel.blogspot.com/

27. Kathy - http://kathyscozies.blogspot.com/

28. Ellen - http://lifeatwalnuthill.blogspot.com/

29. Alina - http://neverstopscrapping.blogspot.com/
30. Liz - http://www.lizspaperloft.blogspot.com/

31. Denise - http://deesdesignsfrommyheart.blogspot.com/

32. Nicole - http://canadiannickelscrapn.blogspot.com/

Wild About You

You'll be wild about this cozy! Purple leopard print fabric is complemented nicely by black fabric and a purple bow.

Sugar Plum - Kindle Cozy

This Kindle cozy features pretty gold leaves floating on a plum background. A pretty gold button and tan/gold crochet flower complement the fabric nicely.

Raspberry Truffle - Kindle Cozy

This Kindle cozy is a personal favorite. The pretty pink and brown design of the fabric is complemented by the pink crochet flower and brown button.

Raspberry Lime Sorbet - Kindle Cozy

This Kindle cozy features lime green and pink and white polka dot fabric. The lime green button and white crochet flower are the perfect finishing touch.

Strawberry Swirls - Kindle Cozy

This Kindle cozy features an off-white muslin and a special quilting technique called stippling. The quilting pattern is set off nicely by pink thread, and the coordinating fabric complements the thread color. The pink crochet flower and hot pink button is the perfect finishing touch.

Strawberry Swirls

This cozy features an off-white muslin and a special quilting technique called stippling. The quilting pattern is set off nicely by pink thread, and the coordinating fabric complements the thread color. The off-white crochet flower and pink button is the perfect finishing touch.

Desert Blooms - Kindle Cozy

The pretty floral fabric of this cozy features shades of gray, sandy beige, black, and white. The perfect finishing touch is a beige crochet flower.

Three Stooges - Kindle Cozy - Design 2

The fun fabric of this Kindle cozy is sure to bring a smile to your face as it protects your Kindle from wear and tear.

Three Stooges - Kindle Cozy - Design 1

The fun fabric of this Kindle cozy is sure to bring a smile to your face as it protects your Kindle from wear and tear.

Sea Breeze - Kindle Cozy

This fabric of this Kindle cozy features a lovely design in shades of teal, brown, and white. The perfect finishing touch is a teal crocheted flower with a brown button center.

Sea Breeze

This fabric of this cozy features a lovely design in shades of teal, brown, and white. The perfect finishing touch is a scrolled medallion.

Adorable Floral

This cozy features pretty flowers in shades of aqua, brown, and olive green floating on a creamy background. The perfect embellishment is a crocheted flower in shades of aqua and green with a brown button center.

Hello Kitty Cat - Kindle Cozy

This is an adorable little Kindle cozy featuring "Hello Kitty" fabric. The coordinating fabric is pink and white polka-dot, and the perfect finishing touch is a sparkly white ribbon and pearly button.

Garden Gate - Kindle Cozy

Clothe your Kindle in elegance with this beautiful black and white cozy featuring a pattern reminiscent of black ironwork and a white crocheted flower with a black and white button center.

Fair Flamingos

What's cuter than a flock of pink flamingos? A pink flamingo cozy! This whimsical cozy will be sure to bring a smile to your face every time you see it, and the perfect finishing touch is a crocheted flower in two shades of pink.

Damask Delight - Kindle Cozy

This Kindle cozy is made with lovely black and white damask fabric. There's also a touch of hot pink in the design, and the hot pink coordinating fabric is just right for this cozy! The perfect finishing touch is a white crocheted flower with a black button center.

Damask Delight

This cozy is made with lovely black and white damask fabric. There's also a touch of hot pink in the design, and the hot pink coordinating fabric is just right for this cozy! The perfect finishing touch is the scrolled medallion embellishment.

Sunny Day - Kindle Cozy

This is a bright, cheerful Kindle cozy that reminds me of a sunny day! The yellow fabric features pretty flowers in shades of white and gray, and the black coordinating band and white crocheted flower is the perfect finishing touch.

Playful Pooches

This is an adorable cozy featuring lots of playful pooches and coordinating red fabric. The perfect embellishment is a little dog button.