Pinterest Procrastination: Hoop To It!

If you've been following the blog, you know that we here at Arrow have been trying to do a little less pinning and more creating!  Once every month or so, we are trying to make one of the projects that we have pinned to our boards.  This month, we decided to kill two birds with one stone - check one of our pins off of  the "To Make" list, and create some fun decor for our new offices!

We opted to try making those cute embroidery hoop & fabric wall hangings. 

All you need is 6-12 embroidery hoops (Joann prices were 99 cents to $1.79), and some fabric that matches your decor.  Jessica scored a whole bunch of hoops at Goodwill for .55 cents!

It was one of the easiest projects we have ever done.  We bought and used scrap fabric, cut it 1” wider than the hoop and simply folded it around the back and glued it down!

We love this project because you can change out the fabric over time (glue over) and it was inexpensive, but it created a big statement.

We think it really perks up our space!

If you are forever pinning projects and never getting around to trying them, join the Pinterest Procrastination Challenge with us (check out our pins here:  http://www.pinterest.com/arrowcabinets/arrows-pinterest-procrastination-challenge/) and send us some pics as you complete your pins.  Post them on your board and include the hashtag #PinterestProcrastinationChallenge, or email them to us at rebecca@arrowcabinets.com

 

"Miles OF Pillowcase Smiles" Challenge!

September is almost upon us, which means the wonderful folks at Conkerr Cancer will be kicking off their "Miles Of Pillowcase Smiles" Campaign in honor of Childhood Cancer Month. 

We'd like to help them reach their goal of making 44,000 bright & cheerful pillowcases (20 miles), each one representing a child currently in treatment, by hosting a pillowcase drive.   The recipient of this drive will be the Conkerr Cancer chapter in Milwaukee, WI. To enter, all you have to do is make two pillowcases per Conkerr Cancer's specifications, and send them to us here at Arrow.  This time we are offering first, second and third place prizes!  Our first prize winner will receive one of our adorable thread caddies, and the two runners-up will receive a rolling tote!

We have listed the complete rules below, please read them over carefully, and if you have any questions, email us at rebecca@arrowcabinets.com.

With your help, we know that we can make lots of smiles for some sick kids!

The Rules (please read carefully):

1.  Make two pillowcases following the guidelines posted here on the ConKerr Cancer website:  http://conkerrcancer.org/pillowdirections.html    Remember, these are for kids, so they should be bright and cheery (you may think that rose print fabric is the bomb, but trust us, the kids won't)!

2.  Wash your cases, seal them in a ziploc bag, and mail them to us at:

Arrow Cabinets

PO Box 410
Elkhorn, WI 53121

Please make sure you include your name and return address!  Pillowcases from pet-friendly homes are great, just make sure you bag them immediately after they are washed and dried.

3.  Cases need to be received by Tuesday, Sept. 23rd, 2014 to be eligible.

4.  We will select a one random winner from the eligible entries to receive a thread caddy, and two random winners will each receive a new rolling tote!

If you can swing it, we'd love to get some pictures of you with your finished pillowcases to post on our Facebook page ( this is not a requirement for entering).  Please feel free to share this contest with all of your sewing friends, we'd love to have to rent a truck to deliver these!  

If you'd like more information on ConKerr Cancer, please visit their website at www.conkerrcancer.org.

Pinterest Procrastination: Punching In The Dark!

What do you do when you're at work, it's raining outside, and you can't get anything accomplished because the power is out so you have no phones or computers?  Well, here at Arrow, we punch!   We decided it would be a great time to cross another Pinterest project off of our list, so we all gathered by the window and worked on Hether's project - punch needle.

We used our cabinet with a clear blank in the opening, and a placed a battery-operated light on the platform to create a light box to transfer our designs onto weavers cloth.

 

We have to give a big shout-out to our friends at Clover, who generously provided us with our punching supplies! 

We punched away for about an hour and a half, but didn't have time to finish before the lights came back on.  We'll post pics of our projects as soon as we get them done!

If you are forever pinning projects and never getting around to trying them, join the Pinterest Procrastination Challenge with us (check out our pins here:  http://www.pinterest.com/arrowcabinets/arrows-pinterest-procrastination-challenge/) and send us some pics as you complete your pins.  Post them on your board and include the hashtag #PinterestProcrastinationChallenge, or email them to us at rebecca@arrowcabinets.com

Pinterest Procrastination: Solved!

Do you pin and pin projects you'd love to try on Pinterest, but never go back and actually try any of them?  Here at Arrow we do that all the time, so we are challenging ourselves to complete one pin a month.  

For the month of July, Joy picked one of her pins -  how to make a burlap wreath.  For each wreath we bought an 18" wire wreath ring, 20 yards of burlap garland (2 rolls of 10 yards for one wreath), 7 yards of colored wired burlap for the ribbon (1 roll per wreath) and some floral wire.  To make 4 wreaths it cost us approximately $55.00.

 Joy, Hether, Jo and Jessica with their creations!

Here are our suggestions if you decide to make one yourself:
 
Joy:
1.Weave in and out top to bottom
2.Don't wear black
3.You can fluff and tighten to suit your preferences

Jessica:
1.There is no wrong way to do it.
2.Make sure you tie down the end of it to keep it in place.
3.When doing the colored burlap, just tuck it in and pull a little
through the back to make it stay where you want it.

Jo:
1) Use 2 rolls of burlap- 1 for each side of the wreath
2) Prop the wreath on a table and sit in a comfortable chair when
tucking in the loops
3) I wrapped  the wired accent ribbon around the finished wreath and
added a bow to the top - easy and quick

Hether:
1. Buy a wreath!  For one of the easiest projects I did not do so well.
2. Cut the 10 yards in half as weaving 10 yards in and out takes
forever.  You need to use more wire, but I think it is worth it.
3. Don't do this around your cat.  Lilly found it fun to dive at the
strips weaving in and out.
4. Don't wear shorts!  Burlap is itchy.  Do in a well-ventilated area
too!
Next month,we'll be trying one of Hether's pins...punch needle embroidery!

Join the Pinterest Procrastination Challenge with us (check out our pins here:  http://www.pinterest.com/arrowcabinets/arrows-pinterest-procrastination-challenge/) and send us some pics as you complete your pins.  Post them on your board and include the hashtag #PinterestProcrastinationChallenge, or email them to us at rebecca@arrowcabinets.com

15,500 Fans Gidget Giveaway!

Last week we reached 15,500 fans, which means it's time for us to give something away!  For this celebration, we'll be giving away one of our Gidget sewing tables:

(desk only - machine & other accessories not included)

Since we have so many new friends, we want to make sure that everyone understands how the giveaway will work.  In order to be included in the random drawing for the giveaway, you must be registered.  However, you only have to register ONCE.  If you have registered with us since our big "Sewing Suite Giveaway" when we hit 10,000 likes in April of 2013, you don't have to register again.  If you haven't registered with us, you will need to sign up by clicking on the purple "Sign Up for Our Giveaways" block located under our timeline photo on our Facebook page. 

If you're only able to check-in on a mobile device, visit this link instead:   http://on.fb.me/XzJzcV  This will also give you a chance to update your contact info so that we can reach you when you're a winner. 

If you can't remember if you've registered or not, just try to enter your info.  If you have already registered you'll get the following message:  "An entry with this Address/Email has already been recorded".  That means you're all set!  Please note - do not try to register with multiple emails.  As we have done in the past,  duplicate entries will be deleted.  Our giveaways are open to residents of the United States and Canada.*  We'll be drawing a name  this Wednesday, 6/4/14, so make sure you're signed up!  Registration closes at 5 pm Eastern on 6/4/14.  Good luck everyone!

*Due to the prohibitive cost of shipping internationally, registration is only open to residents of the U.S. and Canada.

Holiday Smiles Needed!

We recently held a pillowcase drive, and received a wonderful letter from one of the ConKerr Cancer coordinators, Celine.  Hether ended up having a lovely conversation with her on the phone, and was surprised to hear just how many pillowcases they need.  One of the hospitals that this chapter serves has 200 pediatric beds - that's a lot of pillowcases.  She also mentioned to Hether that they are in desperate need of Easter pillowcase, and all of the other holidays as well.  We told Celine that we'd be happy to host another pillowcase drive, and help get some holiday smiles to the hospitals!  To enter, all you have to do is make one Easter-themed pillowcase, and one other holiday pillowcase (any holiday will do, even Easter) per Conkerr Cancer's specifications, and send them to us here at Arrow.  We'll pick one winner to receive our cute and very useful Thread Caddy!

We have listed the complete rules below, please read them over carefully, and if you have any questions, email us at rebecca@arrowcabinets.com.  With your help, we know that we can make lots of smiles for some sick kids!

The Rules (please read carefully):

1.  Make two holiday pillowcases (at least one Easter) following the guidelines posted here on the ConKerr Cancer website:  http://conkerrcancer.org/pillowdirections.html    Remember, these are for kids, so they should be bright and cheery (you may think that rose print fabric is the bomb, but trust us, the kids won't)!

2.  Wash your cases, seal them in a ziploc bag, and mail them to us at:

Arrow Cabinets

PO Box 410
Elkhorn, WI 53121

Please make sure you include your name and return address!  Pillowcases from pet-friendly homes are great, just make sure you bag them immediately after they are washed and dried.

3.  Cases need to be received by Monday, Apr. 14th, 2014 to be eligible.

4.  We will select a random winner from the eligible entries to receive a thread caddy!

If you can swing it, we'd love to get some pictures of you with your finished pillowcases to post on our Facebook page ( this is not a requirement for entering).  Please feel free to share this contest with all of your sewing friends, we'd love to have to rent a truck to deliver these!  

If you'd like more information on ConKerr Cancer, please visit their website at www.conkerrcancer.org.

Get Ready For Shirley!

Thanks to all of you, once again we have reached a milestone on Facebook!  Currently, we have over 15,000 fans, which means it's time for us to give something away!  For this celebration, we'll be giving away one of our cute Shirley sewing cabinets:

(desk only - machine & other accessories not included)

Since we have so many new friends, we want to make sure that everyone understands how the giveaway will work.  In order to be included in the random drawing for the giveaway, you must be registered.  However, you only have to register ONCE.  If you have registered with us since our big "Sewing Suite Giveaway" when we hit 10,000 likes in April of 2013, you don't have to register again.  If you haven't registered with us, you will need to sign up by clicking on the purple "Sign Up for Our Giveaways" block located under our timeline photo on our Facebook page. 

If you're only able to check-in on a mobile device, visit this link instead:   http://on.fb.me/XzJzcV  This will also give you a chance to update your contact info so that we can reach you when you're a winner. 

If you can't remember if you've registered or not, just try to enter your info.  If you have already registered you'll get the following message:  "An entry with this Address/Email has already been recorded".  That means you're all set!  Please note - do not try to register with multiple emails.  As we have done in the past,  duplicate entries will be deleted.  Our giveaways are open to residents of the United States and Canada.*  We'll be drawing a name  this Wednesday, 3/12/14, so make sure you're signed up!  Registration closes at 5 pm Eastern on 3/12/14.  Good luck everyone!

*Due to the prohibitive cost of shipping internationally, registration is only open to residents of the U.S. and Canada.

Help Some Kids Start The New Year With A Smile!

It's a new year here on the Arrow blog, and we thought we'd kick it off by helping out some others!  Once again we're hosting a pillowcase drive for  Conkerr Cancer, the organization that delivers bright and cheerful pillowcases to pediatric cancer patients.   The recipient of this drive will be the Conkerr Cancer chapter in Nashville, TN.  A little birdie told us they need pillowcases! To enter, all you have to do is make two pillowcases per Conkerr Cancer's specifications, and send them to us here at Arrow.  We'll pick one winner to receive our Kangaroo Kabinets rolling tote!

We have listed the complete rules below, please read them over carefully, and if you have any questions, email us at rebecca@arrowcabinets.com.  With your help, we know that we can make lots of smiles for some sick kids!

The Rules (please read carefully):

1.  Make two pillowcases following the guidelines posted here on the ConKerr Cancer website:  http://conkerrcancer.org/pillowdirections.html    Remember, these are for kids, so they should be bright and cheery (you may think that rose print fabric is the bomb, but trust us, the kids won't)!

2.  Wash your cases, seal them in a ziploc bag, and mail them to us at:

Arrow Cabinets

PO Box 410
Elkhorn, WI 53121

Please make sure you include your name and return address!  Pillowcases from pet-friendly homes are great, just make sure you bag them immediately after they are washed and dried.

3.  Cases need to be received by Friday, Feb. 14th, 2014 to be eligible.

4.  We will select a random winner from the eligible entries to receive a new rolling tote!

If you can swing it, we'd love to get some pictures of you with your finished pillowcases to post on our Facebook page ( this is not a requirement for entering).  Please feel free to share this contest with all of your sewing friends, we'd love to have to rent a truck to deliver these!  

If you'd like more information on ConKerr Cancer, please visit their website at www.conkerrcancer.org.