Introducing the Spring 2023 Color Story Line Up and Some Egg-cellent New Additions

Good morning and welcome to the first day of our Spring 2023 introductions! We have so many exciting things to share in the next few days, both brand new and additions to some current favorites. Everything will debut this Saturday, March 4th at Noon ET. There is plenty to see, but let's make a couple of friends first!

Our first guest creator is Caren Bartholomew.

I love looking for people to invite to help introduce a new release, but I never have a ton of time. So when someone's projects really jump out at me, I sit up and take notice. Caren's work did just that! It's so clean and crisp and beautiful. I have no doubt that you'll be totally delighted by everything she has to share this week! 

I am so excited to have Heather Nichols back with us for this release!

Heather is not only an incredible creator, but she's a pretty darn amazing lady to boot. She's one of those wonderful people who agrees to work with your new products even if the timeline is short and then she comes back with gorgeous creations that knock your socks off. Not to put too fine a point on it. I have been such a fan of hers for years. She has such a warm, welcoming style that I absolutely adore and I am sure you will too.

Larissa Heskett is our third guest creator for this release.

If you aren't acquainted with Larissa's work, you are in for a treat! She has an inspiring way of incorporating stitching and felt into her paper projects. The texture and dimension she achieves is luscious! Truly, you won't want to miss the creative brilliance coming your way.

Now let's take a look at the new Color Stories that are debuting this week. The first is called Flower Farm.

Imagine endless fields dotted with joyful pops of blooming color, harvest baskets overflowing with blossoms, and bouquets making their way to tidy little rustic farm stands. This sweet scenery is the inspiration behind the Flower Farm Color Story. The Flower Farm Color Story will retail for $53.

Included in this palette you will find Glacier, Lavender, Daffodil, Lollipop, and Peridot felt. The collection includes 5"x36" rolls of 100% wool felt, coordinating thread, and a carefully curated assortment of beads and sequins.

Next up, we have Misty Morning.

Can you hear the quiet twittering of birds as the first rays of light peek past the treetops? The dewey grasses of a prairie backlit by the warm glow of a spring sunrise inspired the Misty Morning Color Story.

This Color Story includes *new* Coral Reef, *new* Sweet Nectar, Agave, Sprout, and Sunlight felt. The collection includes 5" x 36" rolls of 100% wool felt, coordinating thread, and a carefully curated assortment of beads and sequins. 

As I mentioned, there are two new colors in this palette.

Coral Reef is a refreshing coral. It beautifully tickles the line between pink and orange. I have always been drawn to colors in this family and I just know that I'm going to be fast friends with Coral Reef.

Sweet Nectar is a delicious peach color. It is understated and muted and acts as a marvelous base for some of the brighter colors. That said, don't think of Sweet Nectar as some sort of boring neutral. Her peaches and cream complexion is just right whenever a more delicate touch fits the bill.

Here is a color comparison so you can see how these two colors fit in with our current array.

From Left: Monarch, Coral Reef, Paloma, Sweet Nectar, Sunlight

Our third and final new Color Story for this Spring is Spring Fling.

This palette is as charming and inviting as a tulip boutonniere pinned to a fresh seersucker suit. The fresh pinks and orange are such a lively contrast to the soft blue and dazzling green.

The Spring Fling Color Story includes Clementine, *new* Gecko, Sea Spray, *new* Taffy, and Satin Slipper felt. The collection includes 5" x 36" rolls of 100% wool felt, coordinating thread, and a carefully curated assortment of beads and sequins. 

Gecko is a vibrant, invigorating green that is absolutely perfect for Spring. It is vivid and perky, just like new growth.

Taffy is a delightful pink with warm undertones, making it a wonderful addition to our lineup. This color is so versatile and I'm certain you'll love it.

Here are a couple of photos to show how these new colors compare our current slate.

From Left: Peridot, Gecko, Pea Pod

From Left: Rouge, Cheeky, Dahlia Blossom, Taffy, Paloma

We also have one stand-alone color coming with this release. Cobblestone is a heathered brown similar to Toasted Oat. It's sort of the Pewter equivalent to Toasted Oat's Overcast (I hope that makes sense). I've already sneaked it a little bit on the bunny image earlier in the week. But here's a closer look.

It's an earthy, dappled color that is such a welcome addition to our neutrals.

Here you can see how it compares to some of our existing colors.

From Left: Toasted Oat, Cobblestone, Morel 

I know that's already a lot of information, but we can't just go without sharing some new dies! Caren, Heather, Larissa, and I are introducing two different additions to the Egg Details lineup today. The Embroidered Egg Details II Die (retails for $12) and Banded Egg Details Die (retails for $32) are designed to coordinate with the Basic Egg Die that debuted last year.

I wanted to use both of the new dies along with last year's Embroidered Egg Details die to create a new garland for this year. I am so excited to have this on display this year!

I used the Flower Farm Color Story (plus Tundra) to create this garland. It's so bright and cheerful!

The new Banded Egg Details Die is inspired by those little plastic sleeves that we used to get with our egg dying kits when I was a kid. These are like the grown up version. The die includes the banded layer, a scalloped layer, a window/placement die, two teardrop detail dies, and a pretty little tulip motif.

The placement die cuts a window so you can add your layers either in front or behind the opening to achieve several different styles. I love versatility like that in a die.

I used six strands of thread on the tulip stems, but kept it to three strands everywhere else. Each of the tulips was embellished with a random sprinkling of beads. No two are alike and the subtle texture and shine is such a lovely addition.

I wanted to include two of each of the embroidered eggs in the garland, alternating them in the stringing order. This year's Embroidered Egg Details II Die features a playful loop through the center, scallops, and little triplets of gathered stitches. I chose to stitch those triplets with a lazy daisy stitch (six strands), but you could try out other stitches or beading techniques on these sections too.

I think the loops are my favorite part. I want to try another version with a more decorative stitch to see just how much I can dress things up. Those double lines could also be fun as diagonals or vertical stitches. So many possibilities!

I'm really happy to have this new addition to my decor for this year. Little by little I'm covering the entire house in felt. How long do you think it will take my family to notice?

I also wanted to do another round of monogrammed egg ornaments for the mini Spring tree I bought last year. I love the idea of having a series for each family member after a few years. I also used the new Flower Farm Color Story for this year's ornaments.

I chose to make Tilly and my ornaments in the same style, but I made Sean's just a little different while using the same set of dies. Like I said, I love a great versatile set. I also used the Monogram Alphabet and Inline Monogram Alphabet on all three, just like last year.

For Tilly and my ornaments, I chose to layer the scalloped piece on top of the window opening. I used the eyelet dies included in the set to cut those little teardrop peek-a-boo openings around the monograms.

I cut a second scalloped layer and layered it behind the window so you would see that bit of Lollipop through the teardrops (so I was actually sewing through all three layers on that yellow stitching line). I used beads to add a bit of sparkle around those teardrop openings. 

The window/band die cuts the holes for the band, but I didn't want those to stand out on these two ornaments, so I just used matching thread to fill in the stitching holes. Super easy!

I wanted Sean's ornament to be a little more masculine in design, so I went with the clean edge of the window to highlight his monogram. I also decided to give the band area a bit more of a linear detail by using long stitches connecting the inner and outer edges. It's a simple way to bring in a bit of texture and a pop of color.

And, of course, on the back of each ornament, I made sure to add the date using the Keepsake Dates Die. I love that I'll be able to go back easily reference which ornaments I made in any given year.

I hope you've enjoyed today's introductions and I hope you'll stop by tomorrow to see what else we have in store! I am positive that there are a few things you won't want to miss!