Guest Blogger - Cathy Kizerian

Hello everyone!  I'm so pleased to introduce you to my first Guest Blogger - Cathy Kizerian.

Cathy and I met last Summer when I was in the depths of depression hell!  Like so many of my sweet blog readers, Cathy was very kind to me and shared her depression experience with me.  Please give Cathy a warm welcome and enjoy her blog post!

Hello!  I’m Cathy Kizerian (although once upon a time it was Cathy Flox), a benignly crazy fabriholic.  From shoelace-strung embroidery cards at age 4 to handmade felt troll doll clothes (age 10), to sewing, crocheting and embroidery as an adult, fabric and fibers have always been part of who I am.

Over the years, I’ve sewn clothing, stuffed toys and curtains, embroidered pictures, crocheted afghans, made beaded jewelry and quilted.  Although I still sew (it’s a basic skill, isn’t it? – like riding a bicycle), nothing really seized me as THE THING.

But in 2000, I discovered Crazy Quilting.  CQ is for me – as it is for Pam – a passion.  It opened my eyes and heart to the joys of whimsical and spontaneous creativity with fabric and thread – and laces and beads and buttons ...  you get the idea!  And so I began collecting all those necessary stash items.  But collecting is contagious, and soon I was adding hankies, vintage linens, vintage aprons, vintage patterns, vintage fabrics and whatever else caught my eye.  Whew!  As I said, I’m “crazy”!!

In 2002, my first contest submission was accepted by Quilting Arts Magazine, and my CQ’ed autumn block was published in their 2002 calendar.  I was “Miss November.”   Since then, I’ve placed in CQ stitching competitions, won the Crazy Quilting International Purse Contest (2008) and got second place twice (2009 & 2010).  I’m an owner/moderator of the Yahoo Crazy Quilting International group  and also I write a personal blog, Cathys Crazy By Design.

Pam and I have been friends for about a year, having met through her blog.  We’ve shared our common challenge: depression, and along the path we discovered so much in common that it would be too long to list!  I’m so thrilled to have the honor of being Pam’s first Guest Blogger!  I’m naturally gregarious, and jumped at the chance to meet new people and make new friends!

Honestly, I had hoped to present you with some whiz-bang, knock-your-socks-off tutorial (that would win international acclaim and change life as we know it), but my muse had different ideas.  I think.  She’s nowhere to be found.  So…. the next best thing that I can think of is a GIVEAWAY.    More about that in a sec.

I’d like to first announce the opening of my Etsy shop (FINALLY).
I’m in the process of listing things as you read this, so please come visit!  I’ll feature my unique hand-dyed Golden Laces.  These are those gorgeous laces you see in so many Australian publications, dyed with potassium permanganate.  Totally different from Pam’s beautiful laces – there’s plenty of room for both of us!  In addition, I’ll be selling from my vast collection of vintage laces and trims, vintage linens and other vintage collectibles.  Finally, my offerings will be rounded out with aprons – mostly the quirky Farmgirl (denim-bibbed) aprons, but also some cute and kicky styles using wild or vintage (or both!) fabrics and patterns. 

 To enter the contest, just visit my blog and leave a comment.  The two prize packages are pictured there.  You’ll get one entry for your comment, a second entry if you are one of my followers, a third entry if you link to my giveaway in your blog, and a fourth entry if you are one of Pam’s Kitty & Me followers.  Just let me know in your comments!

I hope to “see” you all soon.  Make sure I can contact you, because I’d love to visit YOUR blogs and see what you’re up to.  And big hugs to Pam, who is so creative and thoughtful – she epitomizes the Great Blogger/Great Friend!!  Thanks!



I would like thank Cathy from the bottom of my heart, for being my Guest Blogger today.  If you enjoyed meeting Cathy, please let me know and then hop over to Cathy's blog and leave a comment for her as well.  And please remember to enter Cathy's contest!!!