November 9, 2009
Events • Sales • Sewing Tips • From Our Readers • Letter from Martha • Don't Miss Out • Scripture • Recipe
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West Coast Sewing Extravaganza!!
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Sew Until You Drop and Save Big When You Shop in Pasadena This Week!
I am looking forward to seeing you in Pasadena THIS WEEK at the West Coast Sewing Extravaganza, November 12-15! The kits have been shipped – we sent some extras for those of you who haven’t registered yet. We’ve also shipped all of the merchandise for the store we will have, so you can shop at terrific savings. Everything in the store has been marked down 20%, and anyone can come in to shop, even if you are not registered for the classes. If you are a registered student, however, we’ll take another 10% off of your already low prices! What can be better than this? Sew until you drop and save big when you shop! But it does get better! Husqvarna/Viking is underwriting this Extravaganza event, and you are going to love trying out their fabulous machines. Your friends at Floriani will teach you about stabilizing your sewing projects, so each one looks smooth and professional; I will tell you hysterically funny stories from my 28 years in the sewing business and tell you how “You Can Make Money from Your Hobby.” And if you are a Martha Pullen Licensed Teacher, you can teach these projects to your students. I hope you are packing and planning to join us for the fun! Be sure to arrive early and attend the optional Wednesday night class on November 11. Click here to download the brochure in PDF format to learn more! Email sis@marthapullen.com now, and she will call you back to register!
February School of Art Fashion
February 1-7, 2010
Register Now While Space is Available!
In this instant-gratification society, mass media encourages us to overlook opportunities for lasting joy and success. They downplay the value of learning a skill that can be creatively and repeatedly applied, and instead, they emphasize the quick and easy path to stardom. Well, at Martha Pullen Company, we want you to know the truth – YOU CAN HAVE IT BOTH WAYS! Take a quick and easy trip to Huntsville, Alabama, this winter and go home with skills that will reward you for the rest of your life! At the School of Art Fashion, February 1 – 7, 2010, you will learn designers’ secrets from the masters. In a matter of a few short days, you will acquire the sewing skills and know-how to customize garments, accessories, home décor projects, embroideries, quilting projects and more! You’ll be a stitching star, and it will happen in no time at all. When you come to the School of Art Fashion, you will get 24 hours of sewing instruction from some of the best teachers in the world; quality kit materials to complete your class projects; four lunches, three dinners and tons of snacks. You’ll find ideas and inspiration - and even be able to enter your own projects – in a fashion show. You’ll glean ideas for starting or growing a sewing business, and you’ll make lots of friends who love to sew as much as you do! You’ll get surprise daily gifts and have the chance to sew on the newest machines from top makers. Click here to see the class list. Register for Pre-day Classes to build on that success. Click here to see the Pre-day class list. Click here to download a brochure, including registration and cost information. Instant success and lasting joy are affordable and obtainable – at the School of Art Fashion this February!
Phone to register at 800-547-4176 (Ext 105)
or 256-533-9586 (Ext 105)
or FAX: 256-533-9630 or 256-534-548
Martha Pullen Celebration
Join Martha for a Special Event in Mesa, Arizona
Click here to download the brochure in PDF format to learn more! |
Your friends at Baby Lock are happy to present an Heirloom Sewing Celebration Martha Pullen Special Event December 3 and 4 at the Mesa Convention Center in Mesa, Arizona. Join the fun with hands-on sewing classes, tabletop clinics, a business seminar, and a fabulous fashion show of selected antique garments from Martha’s Victorian/Edwardian collection. Lunches and kits for your sewing classes are included, and you’ll find discount shopping on lace, batiste, embroidery CDs, books, patterns and more! The fun begins at 9:00 a.m. on Thursday, December 3, with an heirloom garment bag Sit and Sew class. After a delicious lunch, Martha will entertain you with stories about some of her favorite “white clothes.” She also will sign books for you! At the Thursday evening program, Martha will fill your head with ideas for starting or growing a sewing business. The next morning, you will learn just how simple lace shaping can be, and you’ll have the chance to apply your new skills to your heirloom garment bag project right after another wonderful lunch. You’ll have a great time sewing, making new friends, and trying out top-of-the-line Baby Lock machines! The cost is only $199.00 for this incredible two-day event. Don’t miss it! Click here to download the brochure and registration information. |
Martha's Lace Shopper Caroler Is Here!
Created just for YOU, the delightful MPC caroler from Byers is ready to ship in time for your Christmas decorating. This beautiful figure, dressed in her silk Christmas plaid skirt and green and red lace-trimmed velveteen jacket, will sing joy into your holiday celebrations. Her expression is so vibrant that you can almost hear her singing with all her heart. Her arms are laden with bolts of fabric, and a basket filled with some of Martha Pullen Company’s own wonderful French laces dangles from her elbow. She is 13-1/2” tall, from her sturdy wooden platform to the top of her festive chapeau with its trimming of black velvet ribbon and lovely white roses. The Lace Shopper is the second in a series of carolers made exclusively for MPC customers by Byers’ Choice, Ltd. She comes with a certificate of authentication, signed by Martha Pullen. The perfect gift, she will arrive in a gorgeous gift box depicting the King George Inn decorated for the holiday. She will be a treasured gift for dear family and friends alike. Of course, you will want to purchase one for yourself as well, because this exceptional ornament will spread merriment wherever you choose to display her - be it on your mantel, in a window scene, or as the centerpiece on your dining table. Click here to place your order now! Quantities are limited, so order early while supplies last! |
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It’s Almost the Very Last Minute for Thanksgiving Embroideries!
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I usually don’t like “last minute” projects, but sometimes those turn out to be the best. Last minute projects often mean sewing fun and beautiful finished projects I didn’t count on having. Last minute projects make wonderful gifts, too. Well, my point is that you are just about down to the last minute on Thanksgiving sewing, but it’s not too late yet! You can still embellish table linens, pillows and wall decorations with traditional cross stitch embroideries – by machine – with the awe inspiring Vermillion Stitchery Thanksgiving machine embroidery CD! Greet your guests at the door on Thanksgiving Day with the fabulous bell pull and embroider spectacular place cards for very special table settings in no time at all. You can even add the leaf motifs to your own festive attire! There are designs for your 4" x 4" hoops and your 5" x 7" hoops in this wonderful collection, and the bell pull design fits in your mega hoop – there’s no re-hooping required! Click here to see all of the Thanksgiving designs! Click here to place your order for just $35.95! (IEC members pay just $25.00!) |
| And if you want to AVOID THE LAST MINUTE on your Christmas embroidery projects, you should order the delightful Sweet & Spicy Christmas machine embroidery CD NOW. You simply won’t believe these designs are stitched by machine. It absolutely looks just like perfect handwork. The Vermillion Stitchery “Sweet & Spicy Christmas” machine embroidery CD includes 56 designs to fit both large (6” x 10”) and small (2” x 2”) hoops*, including two card designs; a gingerbread house and Santa; eight gingerbread ornaments with the instructions for finishing (great gifts!); five holiday borders (each in three sizes); two samplers you can personalize with the year stitched on them; a “Happy Holidays” design and a “Merry Christmas” design; two sets of numbers; and a gorgeous snowman in a top hat. Order yours now for just $49.95! (IEC members pay just $44.95!) Click here to preview the designs. * 37 designs in pcs format; 36 designs in sew format |
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FRANCES CREECH EXTENDS SEASON FOR CHRISTMAS JUMPERS
To extend the wearing time for some Christmas jumpers I bought on sale for my grandchildren, I traced the bodice of each one and made patterns for bibs that cover the Christmas decorations on the dress fronts. Then I used the monogram pattern from Martha Pullen IEC 2008 to make a monogram for each girl. I took some little bows off the shoulders of the jumpers and added buttons on the shoulder and side seams, so my bibs could be buttoned over the dress fronts. They were quick and easy to do and can extend the length of time the children wear an outfit. It worked out so well, in fact, that I then made a bib with a birthday cupcake and Happy Birthday on it for the little one. Now I was on a roll and thought, “Wouldn't the pretty monogrammed bibs look great with a little red and white checked jumper for the spring, so I can see that the bibs can be used over and over?!”
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WOODEN SKEWER TIP FROM SHERRY GOODING, STUDENT AT COLUMBIA HEIRLOOM SEWING CELEBRATION
I cut wooden skewers to the appropriate length and stick them through my spool of thread with the bobbin that matches on top. No more searching through bobbins for the right color or weight to match the spool of thread!
MACHINE EMBROIDERY TIP FROM MARCIA TERRELL
When machine embroidering on more than one layer of fabric such as a throw or pillowcase hem, I found the fabric often puckered, because one layer shifted a little during the embroidery no matter how carefully I hooped the piece. To solve the problem, I tried sewing tiny running stitches with water-soluble thread back and forth over the area to be embroidered or monogrammed. It worked perfectly. No puckers! And with a spritz of water, the stitches disappear.
GAYLE FRANKLIN SHARES HER ADORABLE KITCHEN TOWELS
I just love the Kitchen Stitchin’ machine embroidery designs, and I have had such fun creating these little towels for gifts. The problem is that I have grown so attached to the little faces in the designs, that I may not be able to give them away! I made the towels from Kona cotton, and used cotton fabrics for the ruffles, with bits of piping, rick rack and ribbon as trim.
Thank you so very much for all the wonderful inspiration you have provided me over the years. I love each and every magazine, and I have spent many wonderful hours reading them and learning from them. Your inspirational messages are most appreciated, and, at times, I feel as though you are speaking directly to me. But, then, as you well know, God does have His way of reaching us by many avenues.
Dear Sewing Family,
OUR CALIFORNIA BIG EVENT WEEK IS FINALLY HERE! It is not too late for you to register. The fun starts Wednesday night, so please e-mail sis@marthapullen.com. She will call you back to register for the event. Even if you are not taking the classes, all of you can shop with us at the Pasadena Convention Center. There will be a 20% discount in the store for everybody who comes to shop. Registered school students will get an additional 10% off while they are at the event. Our shop hours there are as follows:
Martha Pullen |
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4:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. |
This is our West Coast Sewing Extravaganza at the beautiful Pasadena Convention Center with Husqvarna/Viking, November 12-15. The four days of sit and sew have some of the best classes we have ever taught. And you licensed teachers who come to take these four days can use these classes to go home and teach to your students. The optional Wednesday night class is our famous Little French Bonnet. Thursday’s, Friday’s and Saturday’s classes are as follows: Top, Pajamas or Nightgown! Take your pick! (serger); Madeira Apron (machine); and Elegant Decorator Pillow (machine). The kits are gorgeous and include beautiful cotton fabrics, laces and trims. On Sunday, you have THREE classes: Serger Zippered Lingerie or What Not Bag; My Goodness, How Cute is This Drawstring Bag? (either little girl’s purse or lady’s gift bag); and Kitchen Towel Set - All Dressed Up and No Dishes to Dry! There will be a Floriani Stabilizer Workshop Thursday night. I will present a “You Can Make Money from Your Hobby” Seminar Friday night. The banquet will be Saturday night. I will entertain you with hysterically funny stories that have actually happened to me during the 28 years I have been in the sewing business. I will lead an optional Sunday school class Sunday morning in the convention center from 7:30-8:30. Please click here for a complete brochure!
I recently was privileged to attend a second Honor Flight for WWII veterans to Washington, D.C. Joe plays in the Huntsville Concert Band, and they started playing about 4:30 a.m. We went back that evening to greet the returning men and women. Some said it was the best day of their lives. If you have never attended one of these events, please go. They originate from all over the country. Your heart will be warmed by the excitement - not only of the veterans but also their families and the people of the community.
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I am thrilled to announce the second in a series of carolers from Byers created exclusively for MPC. Notice she carries bolts of fabrics! I thought all of you would completely identify with this choice! She is singing at the top of her lungs and celebrating her stash of sewing supplies. Be sure to order early since we only have a few made each year. I am giving one of these as the main present to each family on my list. They will treasure them for years to come. Please click here to order and please order NOW, so you won’t be disappointed. Don’t forget that each MPC caroler comes with a certificate signed personally by me.
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I THANK YOU and thank you and thank you for the large numbers of you, my sewing family, who have already signed up for the IEC for 2010!! I am always overjoyed when the new IEC (Internet Embroidery Club) is unveiled! This is the 10th year of our bringing this wonderfully exciting machine embroidery club to you. Not only do you get the most wonderful designs for joining – IMMEDIATELY - you also get designs throughout the year. Sometimes you get two gorgeous designs per month, and sometimes more when you get bonus designs.
Those of you who are members already know that the hundreds of beautifully digitized machine embroidery designs are NOT ALL you get with your club membership! You also get large discounts on all of our new Martha Pullen machine embroidery CDs! YOU also get a sale every month on something wonderful from the Martha Pullen catalog.
The GOOD NEWS is that you can JOIN RIGHT NOW and get an early bird discount on your 2010 membership! Regular membership is $59 per year; however, if you join now you can have the whole year of IEC membership for only $49! That’s right, only $49! Please click here to see all of the wonderful designs you get TODAY if you sign up for 2010! And that is just the beginning: We have the best year ever for you!
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I know you will love the IEC snowflake for 2009. This has become a MPC/IEC tradition to have a yearly snowflake Christmas ornament. I think this embroidered/dated snowflake is the perfect gift for anyone on your list. They are very sweet when added to the ribbons on the top of a Christmas package. It is the perfect teacher gift. It is also perfect for everyone on your list. It is not too late to join for 2009 and get ALL of the gorgeous embroideries. Please click here to join for 2009.
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As we move toward the Thanksgiving season I cannot help but be thankful for my church, Whitesburg Baptist. I am very grateful for our son, the Reverend John Crocker, who leads our mission program. I admire John and Suzanne for their 10 years on the mission field in Africa and for the work they are doing today. Suzanne, as you might remember, wrote the best selling book, Pig in a Taxi, about their African experiences. Suzanne is writing curriculum for the Southern Baptist Sunday School Board for handicapped Sunday school classes. She is speaking at Christian Women’s conferences. This year John has led mission trips to Rwanda, Ukraine, Romania, Togo, Gulf Shores and many other places. His love of God and reaching people for Him is awesome. In addition to the trips, he teaches at our mission church and leads the mission organizations at our church for children and adults. What a missionary heart! How well I remember all of the years that Joe went on mission trips with our church doing dentistry. I went on several and taught sewing. I do plan to go to Africa one more time. I want to go to Rwanda to meet the ladies in the sewing ministry there.
Speaking of thanksgiving, I received a thank you note from Florence Mugisha, the director of the women’s sewing ministry in Rwanda. You might remember from last week that the ladies of Heirloom I licensing gave a very generous donation to this group of sewing sisters in Africa with Africa New Life Ministries. Florence writes to you:
“Dear Martha and the women in your group,
On behalf of Africa New Life Ministries-New Life Family Center women’s program, we would like to extend our thanks to you for your financial donation towards this program. We are so thrilled beyond words by your giving. We pray that God will use this donation to bring a smile one each and every woman in the program and to continuously use you in many lives.
I personally cannot stop giving thanks to God for His timely providence towards the widows and the orphans of the genocide, HIV/AIDS, the never-been-in-school women of Rwanda. May the Lord richly bless you for allowing Him to use you this much.
We guarantee you that this financial gift will bring a tremendous change in the lives of the women and the children of Rwanda. And the following will be achieved by them through your donation: sewing discipleship, counseling, parenting and many others.
Your prayers and financial support move mountains of hopelessness, fear, loneliness and ignorance in the lives of the sponsored women. This is made possible through special people like you who give with a passion to enhance vulnerable women and children through different activities offered in Africa New Life Ministries through the Women’s program.
Again thank you so much for giving to the women of Rwanda.”
You are going to love the November Gift of the Month Club project, a “Resplendent” lumbar pillow that truly lives up to its name. The embroidery design for each Gift of the Month offering is FREE from your local dealer-member. Your gift also includes the directions for each month’s project. Some dealers offer a class for each month’s project, too. Just ask about the Martha Pullen Gift of the Month at your favorite sewing store or click here to find a dealer near you.
I was so afraid we had not ordered enough My Little Baby Dolls – and I was right! I just knew you would love them. In no time at all, these adorable dolls were in short supply. So, we ordered more! They arrived last week and are ready to ship. If you order Little Baby Doll Sarah Ann in the pink dress and matching bonnet, we will send her to you as soon as we can package your request, but we do not yet have the blue dress and bonnet for Katie Grace. We can send Katie Grace to you in a white dress with matching smocked bonnet or a pink gingham dress with a matching bonnet, both of which are very lovely. Katie Grace’s blue dress will arrive sometime in December. Please click here to order your dolls as quickly as possible. They are going fast.
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I pray for our men and women serving in harm’s way and for their families. I pray for the families of the soldiers who were murdered at Ft. Hood last week. I pray for all of the families of soldiers who have lost their lives on foreign soil. I pray for the injured and for their families. I thank every soldier and every family for her/his willingness to serve to protect this wonderful country where we value freedom. I pray for God’s guidance for our president and other elected leaders as they make decisions concerning the war on terrorism and other very critical issues. It is always comforting to me to know that God is sovereign. He is in control, and He is perfect.
Thank you for your loyalty over the years. Thank you for being our precious sewing family. It is our desire to bring you sewing joy, and because of God’s goodness and your loyalty we have had the privilege of doing just that for nearly 29 years. I believe we have the best year ever for you coming in 2010! I personally appreciate you and all you mean to me and to my family personally. We at MPC totally appreciate you and all that you mean to us. Thank you for letting me visit with you in your home each week.
May God Bless You,
Martha
Martha's 2010 Internet Embroidery Club
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It may only be November, but it’s time for machine embroidery enthusiasts to turn their calendars to 2010 and register for a brand new year of our Internet Embroidery Club. Five categories of designs are already available for you to view and download once you have registered for the Early Bird price of $49.00. Since you can never have too many alphabets, you will receive FIVE different alphabets formatted for 4” x 4” hoops - just for registering! There are two large uppercase alphabets, one plain and one floral. You will also be able to download a large lowercase alphabet and two uppercase alphabets that are medium and small in height. To enhance your alphabets further, there are 10 coordinating frames and accents full of flowers, vines and embellishments that will stitch out beautifully in 4” x 4” hoops. And for that christening gown you’ll be making in 2010, there are four designs with the look of cutwork that will make it possible for you to create an unlimited number of combinations in 5” x 7” or split 4” x 4” designs. Paper Doll designs have become an IEC tradition, and this year you will find a toddler-sized Marshall and baby Anna Garrin, fashionably dressed in heirloom style with wardrobe pieces for all-occasions in 5” x 7” or 4” x 4” split designs. By now, our Redwork fans may be wondering what is in store for you, and you will want to have your supply of red thread well-stocked and ready to find its way into 24 5” x 7” or 4” x 4” split designs inspired by vintage quilt motifs, including flowers, fruit, animals and everyday greetings. Turning your calendar to 2010 for a new year’s worth of designs is as easy as clicking on the “Join for 2010” link. It will be the quickest and easiest time travel you could ever experience! You not only will receive all of these designs for $49.00, but there will be more designs to come each month throughout 2010. Hurry and join now - the Early Bird price only lasts until January 31, 2010 and then the price travels up to $59.00! Click here to join the 2010 IEC.
Martha's 2009 Internet Embroidery Club
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Attention 2009 IEC Members: Your November Bonus IEC design is ready to download.
Click here to log in and access your design. Click here to view all IEC 2009 designs or to join.
Sew Beautiful Magazine
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MARTHA PULLEN LICENSED TEACHER WEEKS
Licensing dates are scheduled as listed below:
Martha Pullen/Heirloom Sewing I - Jan 12-19, 2010
Martha Pullen/ Serger I - February 10-17, 2010
Beginning II - Teaching Adults & Children - March 5-10, 2010
Martha Pullen/Heirloom Sewing I - April 13-20, 2010
Martha Pullen/Serger II - July 28-4, 2010
Roman numeral designations indicate a collection of curriculum and not the order in which the licensings need to be taken.
All licensing curriculums are stand-alone and have no prerequisites other than a love of sewing and a desire to learn.
For more info, call 800-547-4176, ext. 5 or visit our licensing info page: Licensing Link
Luke 5:16
16 But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.
I do not spend enough time just being alone with God. I know this, and yet I rarely break from my busy schedule to do so. If Jesus sought quiet times to pray, then isn’t that a good example for me to follow? It is easy to find excuses or to focus my attention on the things I think I must do each day, but when I do not draw away to a “lonely place,” I am missing out on that true rest that only God can give. I know I am more creative and effective when I take time to rest and pray. Setting aside time for quiet prayer is a healthy practice – mentally, physically and spiritually. Practice good health this week and spend some quiet time in prayer.
RECIPE FOR THE WEEK from the editors of Taste of the South, a magazine about the rich food heritage of the South. Each issue of Taste of the South features more than 60 easy recipes, which we know you will adore. It’s published by Hoffman Media of which Martha Pullen Company is a subsidiary. Thanks to their editors for sharing these recipes with us. If you have questions concerning these recipes, please visit TasteoftheSouthMagazine.com, or call, (888) 411-8995. Click here to subscribe to Taste of the South.
Now that pears are in season, enjoy a delicious Pear Cobbler. For more recipes like this, see the October/November issue of Taste of the South.
Pear Cobbler
Yield: 9 servings
Preparation: 20 minutes
Refrigerate: 10 minutes
Bake: 45 minutes
Cool: 10 minutes1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup cold butter, diced
1/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon molasses
7 ripe pears, peeled, cored and sliced
1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
Vanilla ice cream (optional)
Preheat oven to 400°. Generously grease an 8-x-8-x-2-inch baking dish; set aside. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. Slowly add milk and molasses until a dough forms. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll out between two sheets of parchment paper into a 9-x-9-x-1/4-inch square. Cut into 14 strips. Refrigerate for 10 minutes. In a large bowl, combine pear slices, brown sugar, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and allspice, stirring well. Pour mixture into prepared baking dish. Place 7 strips vertically over pear filling, spacing evenly. Place remaining 7 strips horizontally over first strips, weaving alternately over and under. Bake until lightly browned and bubbly, approximatley 45 minutes. Allow cobbler to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving. Serve with vanilla ice cream, if desired. |
TO CONTACT US BY PHONE: 800-547-4176, ext. 2 or 256-533-9586, ext. 2
TO e-mail ONE OF OUR DEPARTMENTS, choose from this list:
orders@marthapullen.com (for order questions)
wholesale@marthapullen.com (for wholesale questions)
SWBcustserv@cdsfulfillment.com (for Sew Beautiful subscriptions)
schools@marthapullen.com (for School of Art Fashion)
licensing@marthapullen.com (for teacher licensing questions)
webhelp@marthapullen.com (for Internet Embroidery Club)
markets@marthapullen.com (for our sewing markets)
martha.pullen@yahoo.com – MARTHA'S PERSONAL E-MAIL ADDRESS
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®2009 Martha Pullen Company, 149 Old Big Cove Road, Brownsboro, AL 35741
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© 2009 Martha Pullen Company