Day 11 Giveaway - GrabARoo's

IHAN's 30 Days of Giveaways

Anniversary Celebration

Day 11 Giveaway

GrabARoo's
 by File Gloves Plus, Inc.

I know all the regular readers of the IHAN blog already know about GrabARoo's.  Since I have yet to learn how to get my hi-def video camera to download to my computer, I have to depend on YouTube quite a bit. 

GrabARoo's are the best gloves for quilting, scrapbooking, filing, stocking shelves, bank tellers....and I could go on and on.  I don't feel like I have anything over my hand like other gloves and my rings don't snag the glove either.  I can even type in them...and have because it gets cold here in the kitchen at night :)

So many people have written and asked could they get them in another color because their husbands worked with boxes or paper and their hands are beat up.   Guess who has GrabARoo's in XL Black?  You guessed it, www.IHaveA-Notion.com. 

This is a photo of a little booty I made for the Roc-lon Multi Purpose Cloth Challenge.  I had little experience with using the satin stitch on my sewing machine.  It was very difficult to keep those little pieces straight.  That is when I stretched my arms and neck, looked forward...and what was hanging on my rack in front of my eyes?  My GrabARoo's, no kidding. 

I found it much easier to guide the fabric and go around curves when wearing GrabARoo's .  Turning corners can be difficult when doing the satin stitch and I was pulling my fabric through the machine and getting spaces in my stitches.  I discovered wearing GrabARoo's  gave me more control and helped me stop pulling on my fabric.  Another very cool thing about GrabARoo's is that there are grippers on both sides of the gloves, top and bottom.  This is great because when you wear down one side, you just flip the gloves over.  It's like having two pair of gloves.

Two very lucky IHAN blog readers are going to win a pair of GrabARoo's.  All you have to do is leave a comment telling me why you want to win them and/or what other uses you can think of for these fantastic gloves.

For extra entries, e-mail a photo of you with your GrabARoo's to IWantToWinAtIHAN@yahoo.com

Smiles,
Kelly

GRABAROO'S NOW in BLACK...and my favorite JanetBasket

 

GrabARoo's now come in Black (xl only)!!! You may wonder whey I am excited about this. My brother stocks shelves and his hands are so rough that they could be used as sandpaper and I'm not exaggerating even a little bit. These gloves are wonderful for anyone who handles paper or cardboard. Those papers take the oil right out of your skin and leaves your hands so dry that they crack. Not any more....GrabARoo's to the rescue :) His birthday is coming and when he opens these gloves....he will be sooo thrilled. (he does not read my blog :)

I've had several e-mails from women asking me if I thought GrabARoo's would work for husbands with their jobs.  If they don't like Purple....how about Black? 

You know what else I like about GrabARoo's?  Audrey, Miriam, and Tracy.  GrabARoo's are their invention and I've had the great fortune to spend time with them at Quilt Market.  If you have any questions at all about GrabARoo's....just ask them....they are honest and very helpful.  You can visit them here.

I carry this bag with my punchneedle in it when I go to meetings or when I think I'm going to get an spare few minutes to punch.  I have been stopped a few times lately and asked where I got it.  Yes....I told them I have a store and I gave them my business card.  Can you blame me?  I was thinking about it and I remembered I never blogged about my wonderful new friend.

She is a  Red Floral Eco Bag by JanetBasket.  I have not given her a name yet....but I should. 

She is like a Marcus Welby MD's bag....but she is pretty and RED. 

I like the handle because I can cover the strap with the padded cover-it Velcro's closed.  The handle does not bite into my hand....I like that :)

Look how many pockets she has (too bad Polly Pockets is taken....that would have been a great name for this bag.  I can keep my punchneedle book and my writing tablet in one side....

and on the other....my water (one for me...one for Rosemary)

And if those were not enough pockets ....there are large pockets on each end.  I keep my punchneedle case in one end and my snacks in the other. (yes I carry food....what if I get lost/stranded/starve to death)

Oh yea.....and because I'm neurotic and don't ever want to "need a thread" there is room for my two boxes of threads.  I don't always carry my threads....but if I think I many need them....I just pop them into the bag.

So....now you know what strangers know....I love my bag :)  Tomorrow is the boys Winter Carnival at their school.  I've worked on the Silent Auction and Raffle items and I'm hoping we have a wonderful turnout.  The boys are excited because we will have a jail there....they have to pay tickets to lock Mommy and Daddy up and Mommy and Daddy will have to pay tickets to get out.  Cute idea isn't it?  The boys love it.  Oh yea....did I mention the cake walk?  That too will be a huge hit.  Time for games?  I'm not sure....my guys love the cake walk and I know I'll have to tear them away from the raffle baskets too!  I'll take some pix and post them...it should be lots of fun.

Smiles,

Kelly

Two Steps Forward....

One Step Back.....

By the looks of this heart, you might think I have taken up drinking or there was an earthquake in OH.  Talk about operator error...LOL.  The boys were playing nearby and I was paying more attention to them and kept looking away, so this is the result.

 

Lots of folks are afraid of these type of seam rippers.  I have a friend who winces every time she sees me us this one.  Why?  Don't ask me.  I love my seam ripper. It is made by Famore and the blade is very sharp so I don't have to really do anything other than glide it through these stitches and then....I'm free to start over!!  Did I mention the seam ripper comes with three blades?  Not one, not two....but three blades.  I don't know if I'll ever need all three blades....but just in case....I have them :)  I always share my best finds with others....it would'nt be as fun if I kept all this great info to myself, right?

That was fast and I used the tips of my GrabARoo's to rub my fingers across the remaining threads and they easily came off.  The little nubs on the gloves work great for getting threads out.  The of course I used my vacuum to clean up the mess I made on my table....but hey....these are not table saws that come with cool vacuum attachments.  Hmmmmm.....now there is a manufacturing idea!!!  I want  a sewing vacuum that can be mounted to the underside of my sewing table so I can just suck up the threads and scraps everywhere!!!  (Don't forget the copyright on my blog :)

So....lets see how far I can get now that I have 5 new spools of thread and three of my hearts removed because I want my wall hanging to be great....not just ok. 

Picky Smiles,

Kelly

GrabARoo's Stop

Do you remember Loren, my weekday mailman? Loren knocked on the door yesterday and asked if I hand any more GrabARoo's.

The best part of the story is that the previous day Loren had stopped to pick up packages and when he picks them up he knocks on my door and hand delivers my mail.  I had been laying on the sofa because I was up with a sick co-worker.   He knocks, I get up and go to the door.  Rick walks in the back door and there I stand looking like I had just woken up and Loren is there with mail at the door.  Looks suspicious!! 

The next day Loren knocks on the door needing a new pair of  GrabARoo's.  While I ran downstairs to get the gloves, Rick comes in the side door for lunch and Loren was standing at the door.  Good thing my mother was here to collaborate my story!!

Good think my husband knows I don't lie....otherwise I might be in hot water.  GrabARoo's really are the best....I've never ever heard one complaint about them.  Typically people re-order more after they see how great they are.  Then they order for their mail carriers as gifts. 

You may have noticed that I only blog about things I really believe are quality products and worth the investment.  Some might call it Marketing....I think that is for people who are trying to make sales.  I do this for my pleasure and I feel blessed to be able to love what I do.  I like to think of what I do as product testing from a users perspective.   

Smiles,

Kelly

Weekend Mail Man Needs GrabARoo's Too!!!

It was so cold here on Saturday I could not believe my eyes when I saw my mail being delivered.  No gloves.  Yikes!!!  GrabARoo's to the rescue.  I ran downstairs as fast as my size 12's would carry me and fetched up a pair of GrabARoo's.  Loren, the weekday Mailman, has a pair....but thoughtless me....I forgot the weekend crew.

The GrabARoo's are not intended to keep your hands warm, but they do keep the wind from biting his hands and the grippers on the fingers help him to pick up the mail.  They also help protect his hands from the paper as it takes all the oil out of the skin. 

Ya gotta take care of those taking care of you ay? 

Smiles,

Kelly

Zach's Kindergarten Nap Blankie

Zachary starts school tomorrow morning. Mrs. Gillmore, Kindergarten Teacher, has no clue as to what she is in for. I told her last week when we went to see his classroom that if she called me crying I would not come and get him. She laughed. She won't be laughing by Friday!!! Yes I am stretching reality a bit.....but he is the most determined child I've ever met in my life. I honestly am looking forward both of them getting on the bus tomorrow. Can anyone relate? I think I just heard a loud Amen from the back row....guess others have had the same experience ay? I'll be thrilled at 3:50 to see those little faces getting off the bus too.

The school says to bring in a beach towel. Well you know as well as I do that a quilter can not send their baby to school with a towel. So this is what I made for him:

The fish fabric is what I won in a gave away earlier this week. I used it as the back of the blanket and folded it up so you could see the back too. I love fish and these bright colors were just perfect.
You know there is a story here....there is ALWAYS a story. I found the little frog at a garage sale for 50cents. It was a little purse but I just loved the frog. So when I was looking through my fabrics to see what I was going to make I came across this frog. Bingo! / Loteria! So I cut off the little black cord (no I did not throw the strap away....I knew you would ask me that) and gave him some eyes.

Zach's is attached to his "illow casey." I took the top of one intact "illow casey" and sewed it into the frogs mouth. When you unzip the frog's mouth....it's tongue is "illow casey." During quiet time he can have a little security if he wants it.

The Process and Lesson I Learned:

To make the letters I typed them out on my computer and held a blank piece of paper up to the screen. I then copied them onto freezer paper. If I were smarter I would have held up freezer paper to the computer screen. Hindsight is 20/20. I pressed the freezer paper onto fabric and Rick was kind enough to cut them out for me.

I pressed the letters onto the blue fabric and began to zig zag around the letters. I could not believe how nice the zig zag was coming out. I've never had it come out this good, ever!! I was wondering why this time are the stitches so nice. I know it was not the setting because I've used the same setting before.

Then I looked down and saw I was wearing my Grab-A-Roos. I guess it was an accident that I learned what I was doing differently. The fabric was thick and difficult to move while I was stitching.

I put on my Grab-A-Roos because they have rubber nubs on them and that made it easier to hold my fabric. I did not realize this before but I must have been pulling my fabric through the machine and not letting the machine move the fabric. With the Grab-A-Roos I did not have to hold the fabric so tightly. I did not pull it through....I just guided it. How cool is that? Nice even stitches. Well don't I just feel like a smartie pants tonight? Your darn toot'n I do!!! I figured out something all by myself...wait until I tell MJ and Lois. I can see them rolling their eyes now.

Smarty Pant Smiles,
Kelly

Day Two Giveaway

You have a chance to win this brand new pair GrabARoo's (size 7) and a Square Dancer pattern by Mountain Peek Creations.

I love these GrabARoo gloves. They are great for free motion quilting and a host of other things too. I gave a pair to my mail carrier and he was thrilled. I love to scrapbook and when I use these I don't get fingerprints on my pictures!!! Woo hooo :) The paper and pictures are easy to pick up too.

The Square Dancer pattern was given to me at Quilt Market by the gals at Mountain Peek Creations. They were sooo kind and generous. I thought I would share this beautiful pattern with a lucky winner :) I hope that winner is YOU!!!

What do you have to do today? Well....lets imagine you were given a gift certificate for $357.00 from http://www.ihavea-notion.com/ and you had to spend it all. What would you buy? Have fun....but just remember you are imagining you were given that certificate.....its imaginary :)

If you want to win a prize for this weeks giveaways please be sure to leave your e-mail in your post. If for some reason your computer does not allow you to leave comments feel free to leave your comments on my web site and I'll include them in the giveaway.

Smiles,
Kelly

GrabARoo's for Free Motion Quilting...more on the Quilt Market

My friends and I stayed at a hotel near the Pittsburgh Airport on Friday and Saturday. I figured that being so far away from the convention center we would not be running into people from the Quilt Market. I was wrong....again.....On Friday morning Lois met some gals while having breakfast that were going to Quilt Market too. They told her about their product, GrabARoo's.

On the way to the convention center, Lois says we just have to stop by and see the gals from GrabARoos. Well, I'm not a free motion quilter and I'm guessing I'll never be one either, so I was not very interested. Lois would not let up. She was so geeked about these gloves that I was not getting away from going over and seeing these gloves.

Once I put a pair on I was convinced....these are very useful gloves. They are nylon with finger grips on both sides....so if one side gets used quite a bit you can just flip them over!!! They did not snag on my rings when I put them on. I was impressed that they fit me because I have large hands (feet too) and it is difficult to get gloves (and shoes).

When I got home, I put on a pair and started moving my fabric around and it was easy to grab....they're not kidding. They really work....I just love it when things "really" work...don't you?

Lois used to work for the Post Office and she just knew the folks over there at her Post Office would love them. So she got a pair for herself and two for the two people at the Post Office (she does not live in a very big town...hence two postal clerks).

Now I must say I'm a convert now....I really like them and I use them when I'm sorting my paperwork. I gave a pair to my Post Man and he was thrilled. He said they are great when he has to sort the mail because the paper is easier to grab and it does not deplete the oil from his fingers (touching paper all day dries out the hands). He also thought they would keep the wind off his hands in the fall and winter and still allow him to be able to grab the stacks of mail to put in mailboxes.

So...if you are a free motion quilter or would like to use a pair of gloves to make your fabric easier to hold ....try the GrabARoo's. They are also great for scrapbookers because you won't leave finger prints all over you pictures when cropping. I guarantee you wont' be disappointed. I came right home and added them to my website. If you buy a pair and don't like them....first I'll take you to a shrink and then I'll give you your money back .... but you have to give the gloves back and pay the shrink :)

I'm not being paid by these gals....I'm telling the truth, the whole truth...and nothing but the truth. They were soooo generous....they gave me a few pairs to use as a giveaway on my blog....so if you want to win a pair....guess you better keep-on-a-readin. You will be glad you did.

Smiles,

Kelly