October 22, 2010
Dear Friends

As usual I haven't kept the blog up to date - you know, so much to do and only so many hours in the day! Anyway, with holidays fast approaching I thought you'd like to know about our new designs - Halloween Cuties 4x4 and Christmas Bag Toppers 5x7. Both sets on special offer until 30 Oct 2010.


We also have a Halloween Promotion on the go - ending this Saturday.

And last but not least ... here's a recipe for the holidays. Don't waste the scooped out pumpkin when you can make these delicious pumpkin fritters.

Hugs & stitches

Anne




July 09, 2010
Dear Friends

It's been awhile since my last blog post. We've been very busy at home. In April my sister and niece flew in from Australia for a much anticipated visit, which co-incided with my dear uncle's 70th birthday celebration. We had a wonderful 3 weeks together and naturally it was so sad saying farewell to my two best girls. Shown below is my niece Zeena with my boys. She's so big now - nearly 2 1/2 years old!


The next big occasion was my Mom's birthday followed by the long school holidays and (drumroll please) my sons' 6th birthday! An enormous amount of time and energy went into planning a "boot camp" army party and the kids had a blast. My creative energies were channelled into making (almost lifesize) cardboard army tanks, obstacle courses, medals, posters etc.



And don't forget the cakes! My birthday boys gave strict instructions about their requirements so my baking and icing abilities were put to the test. Fortunately they have improved with practice, so I successfully turned out a 3D army tank with camo fondant icing as well as two "battlefield" cakes for their party. Here's Rob below all ready for action!



So the army party was a success and just as I was about to get back to digitising, we had to prepare for a Star Wars dress-up event. Out came the cardboard, paper mache, paints and fabric and we put together two fab costumes! Rob went as Captain Rex (what do you think of my Rex helmet?) and Matthew was dressed up as Anakin Skywalker.



So not an awful amount of time for digitising but we certainly have had fun! The Soccer World Cup is nearly over and we're looking forward to the Final on Sunday. The kids go back to school next week (after 6 weeks at home!) so life returns to the normal routine again. Back to digitising and creating more fun projects for you.

Hugs & stitches
Anne
March 01, 2010
Dear Friends

Our sales partner Secrets of Embroidery is celebrating it's 10th Birthday this month and to coincide with their special offers we have a fab new Treasure Hunt for March.



This is how it works. Find all four treasure hunt sets, add them to your cart and the price will automatically adjust to a $1 each. That's a huge saving of $31!!!

There are easy clues on our What's New page.

http://www.purplehat.co.za/DesignCatalog/whatsnew.html

Don't forget that our gorgeous Buddy Bear is still available at our intro price until 5 March.

Have a great week
Anne
February 22, 2010
Dear Friends

We have an adorable new in-the-hoop project available - Buddy Bear for 5x7 hoops.



Buddy Bear is soft and huggable and ready to celebrate those special moments in life, whether it's a birthday or anniversary, a special thank you to a teacher or friend, or to send a get well wish.

Buddy Bear comes with a set of removable t-shirts which can be custom-made to suit just about any occasion.

Hugs
Anne
February 14, 2010
So the South African website that caused headaches for a few digitisers has been taken down by its owner. The sudden disappearance is a result of more alledged copyright violations, not from me this time although some of my designs were still being sold on the site.

I understand there are plans for a new website. That's okay - the embroidery market is huge and there's room for everyone - but (and it's a big but) don't sell other people's work.

Your actions have angered many, not only the digitisers affected but also clients who have spent their hard-earned cash on stolen designs.

Take time to think about your actions and the impact they've had, and most importantly, don't repeat the "mistakes" you've made.

Please take this advice seriously
Anne
Dear Friends

Will it be breakfast in bed, a picnic or a romantic dinner for two this Valentine's Day?

If you have a special menu planned, please come on over and take a look at our new Kitchen Essentials. All new in-the-hoop oven mitts, hot pads and oven gloves in various sizes. Even a heart-shaped fingertip mitt for Valentine's Day!

http://www.purplehat.co.za/DesignCatalog/Other/QuickGift27.htm

You will also receive our new Customer Bonus design free with your order. The bonus designs are now available as direct downloads, so please check your BMT Micro Product emails for the bonus link.

Hugs & stitches
Anne
February 05, 2010
Dear Friends

Our Yahoo Group Newsletter subscribers are being treated to a "Secret Sale" this weekend. Lots of in-the-hoop designs at very attractive discounted prices.

Please check your inbox for the special discount code and list of designs on promotion.

If you're not one of our subscribers, now's the time to join. The link to our Yahoo group is http://groups.yahoo.com/group/purplehat/

Have a great weekend
Anne
February 03, 2010
Dear Friends

It's been a good week for digitisers. As a group we managed to put an end to illegal design trading on a Dutch forum. Thanks to everyone involved for their efforts.

The Purple Hat scored another victory by tracking down and successfully bringing to book an embroidery dealership involved in the illegal distribution of our designs and projects. Well done to my new fiery attorney for getting the matter sorted out so efficiently.

On the down side, I heard about another pretty nasty copyright infringement case. This time it's about a well-respected and talented quilter in the Western Cape who's allegedly had her original patterns and workshop notes plagiarised. This lady is a widow and relies on her small quilting business to make ends meet.

I never cease to be amazed by the greed and dishonesty that motivates some.

Anne
January 22, 2010
Dear Friends

Our year started sadly with the passing of my beloved father-in-law, John. He was a wonderful man with so many extraordinary talents - a successful business leader, artist and adventurer.

After retiring from his corporate career, he devoted nearly 20 years to assisting others build their businesses (including The Purple Hat); culminating in 2008 with him being honoured with the Queen’s Award to Enterprise Promotion, presented to him by The Princess Royal and followed by an introduction to The Queen and Prince Phillip at Buckingham Palace.

He enjoyed the Arts and excelled as a water color painter, a hobby he only took up in retirement. Many of his paintings were of his travels abroad - Dad was always ready to jump on a plane, train or boat. One of his more "exotic" trips was on an ice-breaker in Alaska when he was in his 70's!

Most importantly he was a happy contented family man, much loved and now deeply missed.

My new designs - Romance - are dedicated to GrandJohn. They were inspired by a water color he painted for me in 2007.



Anne
January 15, 2010
Dear Friends

Valentine's Day is only a month away and I have just uploaded a new rose freebie exclusively for our Yahoo Group subscribers. It's a new style of digitising, done with a digitising tablet instead of a mouse. The effect is quite different, as the design has a sketched quality. I think it'll be perfect for any vintage style projects.

Hugs
Anne
January 14, 2010
Yes, the blog looks different. I'm playing around with some new ideas. The cool thing about blogs is that they're so easy to change - literally the click of a button - and quite unlike websites, which can take months to change.

Anne
January 09, 2010
Dear Friends

Happy New Year!! I hope you enjoyed the holidays and my very best wishes for a magical 2010.

It's a special year for The Purple Hat as we celebrate our 10th anniversary. What an exciting journey it's been! Many thanks to you all for your continued interest and support, without which we wouldn't be here today.

We've planned a year packed with great designs and projects to stimulate your creativity, special offers and a few surprises along the way. To kickstart the festivities, we have our first $10 deal now available.

Our Butterfly Bag Set is designed for 6x10 and 8x12 hoops. There are four designs in each set - two purse panels as well as a matching in-the-hoop coin or cosmetic purse and eyeglasses case. A beautiful set to make for yourself or as a gift. Instructions are included in PDF format with plenty of color photos to guide you.



We also have a new bonus design available. Everyone's gone crazy for crazy patch blocks so I think you'll enjoy our crazy patch pincushion for 4x4 hoops. Yours free with orders placed this month. Good news is that the bonus design is available as a direct download with your order so remember to check your BMT Micro Product Information email for all the download links.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend
Hugs & stitches
Anne