Stitches Past!

Hello!

A brand new Nikon Coolpix s6200 arrived in the post for me yesterday, which means I have a big task ahead to re-photograph my products - and catch up with the ones I've missed, so I can update them on my website to better quality ones.

Eager to try out my new camera I have taken photo's of a couple of (relatively) recent cross stitch pictures that are on display in my house! (I have completed others, but they are all sitting in a draw awaiting framing...one day...)

Anyway, what do you think of my Siberian Snow Lynx?

He hangs in my kitchen, guarding the door...! I started making him when I was a teenager, but left him uncompleted for ages during uni - to tell the truth, I was a little embarrassed at first of my cross stitch hobby. Looking back I was just being daft, but hey, we all are when we're young! Eventually he made his way up to Sheffield, and I occasionally did a little to him, but it wasn't until I moved in with my boyfriend, Chris, that I finally got working on him again properly, and it wasn't long before he was finished!

Before I finished I was already searching for a new kit to buy, but I wanted one that both Chris and I would like, so I gave him a shortlist of ones to choose, and this was the result!

This Winter Sunset kit by DMC now proudly hangs pride of place above the fireplace in my living room. What do you think of it? It took me about a year to stitch it. Sadly I haven't completed a large piece since, as I've been busy focusing on my cross stitch jewellery, but hopefully that will change soon.

I am currently working on this Purple Delight hardanger that my sister gave me for Christmas. I'm not too far off, but it has been sadly neglected recently. I am enjoying learning the new techniques and new stitches though!

I also have a stumpwork kit, which is also a bit neglected, purchased from WYE Needlecraft in Bakewell, (I can't resist going in whenever I'm in Bakewell, they sell all sorts of needlepoint work, and have plenty of completed works adorning the walls). I have done very little embroidery work, so I'm finding it a bit more challenging and fairly time consuming, as I've only done one petal, but I'm looking forward to getting it finished! Hopefully when it's finished it'll look something like this!

Anyway, I'd best get back to photography and stitching!

Pintrest!

I've recently discovered Pintrest. Well, I lose that term loosely, I had heard about it before, but I've only recently started to actually use it.

In case you are a Pintrest newbie, It's essentially a website which allows you to 'pin' photo's to virtual 'pin boards'. so your friends or 'followers' can see what you like. You can link a photo from a website you have seen, upload one from your computer or repin something you have seen elsewhere. Essentially, it's a way of connecting the things you and your followers both like, and sharing ideas.

I joined Pintrest originally to advertise  for You Sew Should, but it's so easy to become distracted, there must be thousands of pictures pinned, and the rest...!

My first 'pin' was of my Tulip Pendants. Yes, I thought you'd remember them...

Then I quickly got cracking, pinning my cupcake earrings and butterfly earrings, before browsing other crafters jewellery on Pintrest. before long I came along these cute earrings, for every knit-a-holic, and this funky tattoo style pendant.

It didn't stop there and the DIY and Craft selection soon had me engrossed. It didn't take long for me to discover some awesome crafted items, and a new crafty fun and fabulous treat board quickly developed. How fabulous is this chess set and the rose?

You can follow me on Pintrest here.

Pintrest isn't just for us crafty few though, and as wonderful as many crafts are, we talk about plenty of other things, and there is no shortage on Pintrest to keep our interest. There is plenty of Sport, Gardening, Food and Drink, Humour, Wedding, Geek, Outdoors, Cars, Kids, Pets  and  even Architecture!

Right now I'm off for a browse...

Mothers Day!

Mothers day is a widely celebrated day, although the actual day varies worldwide. It is a day when motherhood is celebrated, along with the maternal bond that is so important to all of us.

I hope that mothers everywhere had a lovely day yesterday, hopefully being treated and pampered, and just told how much we children love our mums.

I didn't see mine as she lives about 2 1/2 hrs away, and as we don't have a car (and i had to work in my day job as a cell biologist this weekend) I couldn't go, but I am visiting this comeing weekend, which I'm really looking forward to, especially as she's thinking about cooking a whole salmon! delicious!

Although I wasn't there, I did find time to make a card for her (I had to wait to write this blog as I dodn't want her to get a sneak preview!). I was inspired by the blog of a fellow crafter, Bugs and Stitches by Lupin, in her tutorial on making these fabulous flower brooches.

My first thought was that looks good, my second I could do that, and my third, that looks easy. In hindsight, my first thought was, is and will remain true, my second is a possibility (if I took enough time and had plenty of practise) and my third.... well, not so easy as you'll see.

To begin with, I cut smaller flower shapes out of felt, along with some leaf shapes, and thin strips to use as stalks. As I used a design of 5 flowers, and it's only a small card, I didn't layer them up as Lupin has. Instead I stitched  a flower centre in various ways, such as french knots, embroidery, and an algerian eye. I also stitched veins on the leaves.

I then positioned them on the card, before gluing them on carefully using a clear drying craft glue. I left this overnight to dry, and then as I didn't have much time and had to post it on my way to work, I quickly wrote on it 'To my marvellous mum'. Here is the finished design.

It's not bad, but I've got a long way to go to produce anything as lovely as Lupins felt designs, so I might just leave it to her! You can buy a variety of lovely felt items on her Lupin handmade shop, as well as felt squares and craft supplies in her felt shop. if you fancy making a beautiful felted card then check out her newest tutorial which was only posted today. It puts my efforts to shame.

I hope my mum likes is though, and she defianately is marvellous, so Happy Mothers day to my marvellous mum!

My sister, mum and me!



St Paddy's Day!

Happy St Patrick's Day!

St Patrick died on this day in AD 461 according to Wikepedia. He was a Roman-Briton and Christian Missionary in Ireland and is now their patron saint. On the 17th March the Irish around the world celebrate by drinking lots of Guinness, and everyone else becomes Irish for the day to join in the celebrations!

Image from wikipedia

Thousands of people today will be busily slurping Guinness, Ireland's most famous stout, a rich, dark beer made from roasted malt or barley. Pubs throughout Britain will be full of green clad patrons, and green clad bar staff busily poring the perfect pint of Guinness, in  110 seconds, according to the company. My other half, Chris will be one of the many jostling for space to serve the masses in the Shakespeares, the Real Ale pub he manages in Sheffield. In Honor of the occasion (and because he didn't have a decent green top) we spent the afternoon trawling Charity shops for a green top, which we then stoutified!

Chris wanted a pint of stout for obvious reasons, and knowing I had black and cream fabric just waiting for an opportunity to leave my fabric bag, we soon set about making his dreams come true...

First of all, Chris carefully set about creating a pint template that we could use to cut the fabric. To ensure technicality and precision, he drew around a pint glass...

While I got busy cutting and hemming to ensure a straight edge, I set Chris to the task of designing the lettering. He chose the words 'It's all about the stout'. I made it a little more stitching friendly, and he finished off the main part of the pint.

The next step was planning it all out on the T-shirt. After a few designs we settled for this.

I then got busy stitching the words, not an easy task on stretchy material when you don't have much time...

Meanwhile, Chris got busy cutting out a delicious creamy frothy head for the pint, a must have for those up north who enjoy a good head on their beer (Southerners tend to have very small heads on their beer in comparison - Can you tell I enjoy a good pint of ale?). Soon we were ready for the final touch, stitching the pint onto the T-shirt. It would have been easier and quicker to glue it, but we didn't have enough time as this was about 1 hour before Chris had to go to work, so he got started on dinner while I got stitching. Again. Below is Chris modelling his St Patrick's day t-shirt.

Not bad for a quick make! The lettering isn't as neat as I'd like, smaller stitches would have been better, but we were restricted by time. I think the pint looks pretty awesome though, and we got the layout ok too. It's a good job that Chris is a bit daft, because it means he doesn't mind looking a bit daft too! Still, it's all done in the spirit of St Paddy's day, and no doubt his fellow staff at Shakespeares will find it entertaining. along with his customers. He's probably busy enjoying chatting and chuckling with them while he pours the perfect pint of Guinness, or naughty leprechaun, or Deception, or any of the 7 other ales Shakespeares has on draught. No doubt he'll be in his element!

Time for a Guinness now I think....

Happy St Patrick's Day!

Anchor's Away!

Ahoy there!

Arrr, this be the place to find some ship shape treasure, me hearties. I spies meself some gold...

Whether you're a swashbuckling pirate, hording treasure, looting jewels to add to your bounty for spending on gallons of Caribbean rum, or fancy yourself as a sailor, patrolling the high seas in the name of the Queen, ensure you have a little trinket!

These were all designed by me, with a little help from the Royal school of needlework cross stitch software cd! What do you think of them?

 

 

As you can see, I can make them using a wide variety of nautical colours, especially for you! What colours would you pick?

Anchor earrings, rings and set's are now all available for sale on my website!

It there are any designs you'd like to see, please leave a comment below!

Mothers Day Idea's!

Are you ready?

Mothers day is fast approaching, are you ready for it? if you're like me, the answer will be no!

How do you know what gift to get for the special lady who brought you into the world? She's probably got most things already, and if you ever ask her what she'd like the reply is 'I don't know', leaving you desperately searching for inspiration in shops which all sell the same things, boring and mass produced, when you all want is a thoughtful gift, with a personal touch for a fantastic mum. After some searching, I have a few suggestions from some fabulous crafters to inspire you.

Fancy a bit of twinkle? Then these lights from Red Brick Glass by Wendy Jeavons will hit the mark! I love these purple ones (It's my favourite colour) but they are also available in blue, green, pink and clear.

Does your mum like stories? (I know I do! I love fairy tales). If so, then how about sending her this beautiful Alice in Wonderland Card? It is made by D'N'J Cards & Tags. Don't forget to check out their other items too!

For something a little more relaxing check out Oakwood Soaperie's shop on Folksy, or Website for these fabulous Luxury Cocoa Butter Bath Melts. She also has plenty of other scents, as well as scrumptious smelling soaps, bath bombs, face cleansing bars, bath milks, and even smellies for the boys! 

Is your mum a fan of jewellery as so many of us ladies are? If so check out Chicita Gimme That Thing. Beautiful wire wrapped rings and earrings  are abound here, so take a peek at these gorgeous accessories available in her etsy shop along with her luxurious hand knitted shawls, shrugs, ponchos and scarves.

If you fancy a more traditional Mothering Sunday card, check out Avaeli Cards selection, including cards with 3D butterflies, ribbons, buttons, and a variety of other textures and patterns. As these can be made to order, you will be certain to receive a card that's just right in your mum's favourite colours! With so many beautiful designs to choose from the hardest part is picking your favourite! I did!

These are all fantastic products, but remember, that's not all. There's plenty of talented people just waiting to produce a fantastic gift that your recipient will treasure. Take a little longer, do a little search, and find the perfect gift to show your mother you love her...

WEBSITE LAUNCH!

Hooray!

After a fair bit of trial and error, a significant amount of frustration, and a lot of backtracking and experimentation, I have finally finished an published my website!

You can now buy some earrings and my first ever Pendant design, Tulips, on here, so check it out now!

I will continue to add more products to my website, next on the list is Anchor Pendants....!

But for now, here it is...!

www.yousewshould.com

Favourite Earrings!

There are so many types of jewellery, it's easy to become befuddled by them all! Rings, necklaces, Anklets, belly-button rings, nose piercings, bracelets, brooches, and so many more. I think my favourite item of jewellery has to be earrings though!

It's certainly the thing I wear most! earrings are also the product I have the most of, and there are so many I like I've had to make loads for myself too! anyway, here are some of my favourites. Which is yours?

These were the first ones I made for myself. Aren't they cute, they always cheer me up with such big smiles! You can buy these here.

Hearts have to feature. They are simple, bold and bright! I love having the red as a background instead of the heart colour! For other colours click here.

These cute cupcakes are the latest addition to my favourites. I love the bright colours, and the twist of having blue icing instead of pink. The little seed bead cherry adds a lovely little 3D effect! These are for sale on my website.

These are a big favourite of mine (I have some ladybirds on a white background), and perfect for spring time! They are available in yellow or orange also, and on green, white or pale blue backgrounds here. I also have some seasonal flutterbys!

What is your favourite? or what would you like to see?

You can see more of my earrings on facebook here and on my website here!