A long time ago I watched a movie called Serendipity.
It was about these two people who met while they were shopping and kind of fell in love, but they weren’t really sure so the girl told the guy if they were really meant to be they would meet again one day and they parted ways and then years later when she’s about to marry a musician they find each other again.
And fall in love.
I remember leaving that movie and thinking two things:
1. That if I ever met someone who looked like John Cusak while I was shopping for gloves I wouldn’t leave him to fate.
2. Did serendipity truly exist?
I’m still not sure about number one because I don’t know if John Cusack has twinkling eyes….
…..but question number two?
Yes.
Yes my friend….it does.
Last month I spoke at an event in Dallas.
Just between us I think I spoke longer than I was supposed to, but I couldn’t help it. They were so wonderful and friendly and welcoming.
And they kept smiling and nodding.
Which I took as an indication to keep on going.
And going.
And going.
Later, after the super long talk was finished and we were sitting around the lunch table eating the yummiest salad, we started talking about how we loved projects and challenges and designing new ideas and charm packs made from fabric.
Sweet Tea fabric to be exact.
And this is where the serendipity part comes in.
Because I was in Dallas and because I spoke extra long and because the salad was so delicious and because we were laughing so hard that tea was almost coming out of our noses, at that moment, in that instant, all the planets aligned….
….and we came up with a contest.
Anyone who wanted to participate would be given one of these.
I’ve posted about them before and you can see some other fun charm pack projects here.
And everyone would take their charm pack home and come up with a project. Some wanted to come up with sewing projects, some wanted to come up with no-sew projects and some wanted to use the fabric in a different way. The challenge was that you had to use the fabric in some creative, fun way.
And then we would all post them and the readers could vote for the winner.
Fun, right?
With a little serendipity the Sweet Tea Challenge was created.
Here’s the 411.
There are nine bloggers participating. Each of them has a project they have created that you can see showcased in the widget below. The DIY and instructions for each of the projects are on their blog.
You can vote for your favorite projects by clicking on your favorite project.
The voting will be open for one week and each click means a vote for that project.
I’m so thankful for bloggers who create amazing projects and fabric lines and back porches and sweet tea….
….and serendipity. 🙂
PS You can find the fabric at a store near you or you can purchase it on Houzz.
Hello dear KariAnne! I am in love with the fabric. Can't wait to check out the projects...but the link isn't working. Thought you would like to know. I'll come back later when the html gets fixed. PS Will I see you at Haven this year?
It's fixed now. I just voted. ;-)
I love Serendipity! My sister and I watch it every year while we are putting up or Christmas trees in our homes. If you haven't watched it in awhile, you have to watch it again and again and again. There are so many details that you miss the first time around and how events intertwine. (i.e. the mascot handing out golf flyers and the golf range scene...) . And love the fabric too :)
KariAnne, You're the best! Thank you for letting us enjoy your beautiful fabric. It was so much fun to create something with it. As all the projects show, the possibilities are endless! I love each and every project - they are all unique! As for your talk - girl, you could have gone on for hours more and I wouldn't have gotten tired of listening. :) (I liked Serendipity too - sweet movie). Have a wonderful, blessed day! Cecilia
Wonderful collection of projects. Absolutely love the sailboat pillow!
This has been a lot of fun and thank you for organizing it. Your fabric line really is sweet it's just so inviting and alive. Just like your personality - Have a Great weekend!
I love a good chick flick...but never felt that way for Serendipity. I thought it was so unfair to the man she was supposed to marry. The boat pillow is so cute, it makes me wish I could sew.
Good Morning! What a fun time this all was. From the moment you spoke to us, the laughter, joy, food, and inspiration. Then this wonderful, happy quality, easy to work with fabric which made for endless creative projects! Such a joyful experience and I thank you for sharing your energy, beauty and can-do outlook with all of us, and of course this awesome fabric! Enjoy your weekend too:) Jemma
Good morning! I am all about the blue fabrics! I'm a blue, white, and yellow (sometimes a bit of red pops up) fan and just love the fresh new blues! How do you keep the enchantment going? Just wish I could buy every one and just sit and look at them! Eye candy for sure! Oops, too many exclamation points again!
The sailboat pillow gets my vote. So fresh. Sweet Tea Fabrics.....what a great name !
'Serendipity' is in my Netlix streaming and I added it to My List. I've seen it and loved it, and I agree with everything you said about it. ;-) The fabrics are fresh and adorable and the projects everyone came up with are so creative and look like so much fun, it's going to be difficult to choose!
KariAnne Thank you so much for hosting this challenge! Your fabric is beautiful and I loved seeing all the patterns and colors. It was a joy to work with! I was so thrilled to get to meet you at Jemma's house. I love your sweet smile and your generous spirit. Thanks again KariAnne
KariAnne, Serendipity... I love the sound of the word, how it rolls off the tongue, and its meaning. Meeting you in person was a serendipitous moment for me. Listening to you for just a few minutes gave me more insight and ideas about how to improve my blog site than all my previous reading and workshops combined. Everyone's Sweet Tea Challenge projects are amazing just like the women behind them. Talking with other bloggers that day in June was also a serendipitous moment. Judith
Karianne, You didn't speak too long! I think we all could have stayed til happy hour! It was so much fun to use your fabrics. I made something that I didn't know I needed, but now I love ~ even if I have to go into the laundry room to see it! And I love that movie Serendipity too. The ice skating scene is wonderful. Isn't serendipity the most wonderful sounding word? I truly believe in it.
Wow! Beautiful fabric ♥ summerdaisy.net
Two things, Serendipity is one of my all-time favorite movies and I am even sadder now that I missed out on all this fun. :( How on earth can we possibly choose a favorite when each is perfect in its own way? Lisa
Thanks so much for hosting this fun, creative challenge, KariAnne, and a big thank you to Trish, too! I really enjoyed meeting you at Jemma's lovely home. We certainly have a wonderful group of Texas bloggers!
Look at all of these amazing projects made with your beautiful fabrics...these are some very clever ladies...it's going to be really difficult for me to pick just one to vote for...I'll need to take a bit more time to mull this over! In reading their posts, you can tell they are really wonderful ladies, too...I'll bet the bunch of you are fun as can be to hang out with! Oh, I LOVE "Serendipity", too...if I catch it playing on TV, I absolutely have to stop what I'm doing and watch it right til the end. Every. Single. Time. I love it so much, in fact, it makes me long to read "Love in the Time of Cholera"...until I come to my senses...hehe! Oh, and I do have to tell you, yes, John Cusak does, indeed, have twinkling brown eyes...but since I know you are already attached to a pair of twinkling brown eyes, I'll take care of Mr. Cusak's, k? You are welcome! ;)
Oh what a fun contest. : ) Love the sailboat pillow!!!
Does Serendipity exist? You can bet your red lipstick it does! This Sweet Tea Challenge has been met by some creative bloggers with glorious results. It never ceases to amaze me how everyone sees the same thing so differently. It will be very hard to choose just one winner. I wish each of them could win, there isn't a loser in the group! By the way, the Sweet Tea fabrics are beautiful. It's been many years since I've watched the movie, will add it to the list. Thank-you for this enjoyable post.
KariAnne, one BIG question.... What color is your kitchen painted? I was reading about your Sweet Tea fabric and charm packs, which led me to Miss Mustard Seed, and I kept going, and suddenly I was reading about your 5 fave kitchen projects. The inverted pleat burlap curtain, recipe wall, peel and stick floor, etc. and I realized.... I love the color of your kitchen walls!! Mine currently look like they have racing stripes because we have tried so many sample colors! That khaki/cream color is what I've been looking for! Can you tell me please? What is that perfect color ? Thank you, thank you, thank you! Finny