Some great eBay sellers, another review, and yes more giveaways ...

Dear all,

Aren't I'm frequent? 1st of all hello to my new followers, it is always nice to make new friends.

I think it is probably that I haven't been blogging for some time during the exams that I have so much to say. I should get my results next week, so both excited and scared at the same time.
There are certain things people end up doing due to stress and to calm down. What was my vice during long days revision do you think? And no it was not to pick up cross stitch more often ... I forbid me to do that. Instead it was eBay shopping ... dare I say, stash!

eBay:

So wanted to share 2 'stories' with you.

#1:
Remember the following fella by Judy Rossouw:

does my bum look big in this?

Well one of my eBay searches was concerning can I find anything else by this lady... And I am now a proud owner of the following kit:

Love at First Sight

I bought it from a lady on eBay; and not only that but once I mentioned I am having difficulty finding patterns/kits by this artist/designer the lady responded saying she came across a chart with Flamingos by Judy Rossouw ... she then looked up the issue name and number and found me another seller on eBay who sold this chart! Talk about amazing service! The flamingo chart (which I own as well):

hooked on you

This lady is selling more cross stitch stuff HERE. So do check out Lovinastitch (that's what she calls herself). I love the 28 count fabric ... but after the amount I have bought I think I am placing myself on a ban (though most individually were great deals).

#2:

Concerns DMC threads. Threads are so expensive! About 70/80p in shops per skein. Browsing the web so far one can get it down to 42p + postage. Well I found an even better offer!!!

Not sure how long its for as it is a sale. Click HERE.

If you are buying over 105 it is 30p per skein, and 35p for numbers below that, and free delivery. Have to warn you though it does not come from smoke free environment if you are squirmy about such stuff. I am airing all my threads before adding them to mine, but for such value one doesn't mind pegging them outside. 

Bargains right? 

Review:

Now a review. This one is actually getting a good rating:

'20 Floral Bags to Make' by Susan Cariello 7/10
This book one doesn't get for the bags, but for the flowers. There a few techniques I will be trying from this book. It is definitely time to venture into the 'More' of the 'Stitching in Crosses and More ...'

 

Giveaways:

#1 - 300 Follower/300th post giveaway @ Kitten Stitching
Kaye is giving away some pretty exciting stuff; to be fair if you are not already following this lady, you probably should.

look at the cat Kaye stitched!

To see more pictures, and find out how to enter click HERE.

Deadline: 2nd July 2013

#2 - Bear No.80 Giveaway @ Bears with Numbers

The giveaway is for the following items. Lydia is very kind don't you think? I do love her bears and looking forward to following the blog. Do 'bear' [wink] she writes in russian.

To enter click here. 

Deadline: 21st June 2013.

#3 - 1st Blogaversary Giveaway @ Igrushkin House 

Another pretty toy from a russian blog:

Did I mention I was going to sew a soft toy? I will mention in another post sometime.

To enter click here.

Deadline: 23rd June 2013.

#4 - SANQ Vol. 9 Giveaway @ A Stitcher's Story

Vickie is giving away a few samplers' charts. These are just a few of them:

I am myself not that into samplers so won't participate ... but they look so good I just had to share.

To enter click here.

Deadline: 23rd June 2013

#5 1st Blogaversary Giveaway @ by-ekaterina 

the blog is called differently ... but in russian, but it does have the lady's name in the title.

Ekaterina is giving away this gorgeous handmade notebook:

Isn't she very talented?

To eneter click here.

Deadline: 25th June 2013.

#6 - A Special give-away, please enter now @ Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe.

Nancy is having yet another exciting giveaway. I really need to win the lottery so I can buy everything I want. Her threads are definitely on the list. This giveaway is for you to enter a friend. I have entered my sister. Who will you enter?

To enter click here.

Deadline: 30th June 2013

#7 - Blog Birthday @ Pontinhos da Kat

And the gorgeous giveaway is:

I have been wanting to stitch a bicycle for some time now. 

To eneter click here.

Deadline: 30th June 2013

#8 - Just a Giveaway @ Rukodelkin Dom

Another generous lady from Russia giving a gift.

To enter click here.

Deadline: 30th June 2013

And lastly ...

#9 - Chart giveaway @ Tangled Threads

One of my favourite designers Rhona Norrie is giving away the following chart:

I am not entering myself, but I bet someone else would like a chance to win this chart. 

To enter click here.

Deadline: 24th June 2013

Till soon,

            

Book reviews and blog giveaways ... what else can one need?

A while ago I have attempted to start a reading blog, which was a bit of a failure ... so here is an attempt at slightly merging the two. I have put up a new tab for crafty books that I browsed through/read/used ... so if anyone interested in some to browse that will have the full list.

The three additions:

'Quilting on the go!' by Jessica Alexandrakis 2/10
I am not too into repetitive patterns of various shapes. If you are then this book will be great for you.
Interestingly it also has a bit about quilting and blogs, links, online quilt-alongs, and where to buy materials. It has all the different templates to actual size, and the layouts for assembling them.





'Little Sew & Sew' by Christine Leech 1/10
Too simple for me; most designs are in outline stitching.

   

'Vintage Craft' by Pearl Lowe 2/10
It is a very beautiful book, but most projects are not very practical. Has anyone ever got dried leaves and plants for decoration? They never keep long and become very horrible with dust. Quite a few projects in this book are only for a short term purpose too. I would personally use the book as inspiration for style, rather than specific projects. There was something that caught my eye though - an office in a wardrobe. The one in the book was of course not very practical, more for decoration, but it reflects those storage facilities that are so expensive to acquire. With enough DIY any one of us can turn an old wardrobe into a great storage/office... and even make it attractive.



For my 100 followers giveaway check out the previous post. But there are so many more out there (a sidebar with links I seen on a few blogs looks very neat I think). Will add one for the giveaways I come across, regardless of my entering them.

So to start it off...

#1 - 25 follower giveaway @ Wisdom with Needle and Thread 

Some of the gorgeous things Kim is giving away:

To enter click here.

Deadline: 1st July 2013.

#2 - 100 follower giveaway @ Cross Stitch Cottage

Meggie has reached 100 followers, just like me ... so go visit her blog too.

To enter click here.
Deadline: 30th June 2013.

Till soon (when I hopefully get around to sharing some pictures of all the gorgeous hand dyed fabric that I have).


           

100 followers giveaway ...

Dear all,

After all the debating and hunting in boxes/draws/shelves I have decided to give away the following:

ISBN:978-0-7153-2747-0

I had this book for awhile, but have never stitched from it. It is essentially new.

2 pieces of fabric - 1 stripy (not sure of count)
& yellow count 22 dyed with turmeric by my lovely mum

a chart and a kit

The bookmark chart is by Joan Elliott (left)

And bookmark kit by Kate Knight - includes 14 lengths of thread, 14-count aida, chart & key (right)

card kit for the cat &/or duck

Again, includes printed cards, threads, aida, sequins, and charts.

2 needle threaders ... for those of us who cheat on occasion

So this all will go to one random winner.

Rules:

1) Must be a follower of my blog via 'google friend connect' option (on the right)

2) Comment on this post 

3) if you do NOT want some part of the giveaway for any reason (e.g. you already have the kit) ... list what you do not want to be entered for, and if you win I will keep these parts for another giveaway at a later date

4) And as I want as many people to know about this as possible you must post about this giveaway on your own blog (sidebar/post)

Rule 3 is optional, but the rest are a must ... apologies to those of you who do not blog, but I am in a mood for fame.

Closing date [almost forgot this detail] is 31st of July 2013. 

Good luck,

A puppy done, TUSAL - post 6, and other stitch alongs ...

Dear all,

I have finished my exams a week gone, and have been busy catching up on work and all the neglected jobs/tasks that have been gradually resurfacing. My giveaway is almost ready to be posted/uploaded (just thinking of the last few touches) ... so keep your eyes peeled for my next post (I think that's the expression).

Lets now talk a little about SALs. SAL stands for stitch a-long as we all well know. And aren't they good for motivation? Or if you get someone who is very quick at stitching they end up putting you off? That's how I sometimes feel. I am in 5 SALs at this moment, and Wipocalypse 2013 (which is a stitch along for fun and has its own tab). So a total of 6! Oh dear, this is worser than I thought. 

SAL #1 - Puppy Love by Margaret Sherry

You can find it on Margaret Sherry Lovers - Blog Group.

Out of 6 puppies I only want to do 4...

... and number one is complete!

Puppy #1 complete

... and here it is again

 So 1 out of 4 done ... not bad, right?

And this is how far I got on the number two:

Puppy #2 

I feel relatively happy with the progress.

SAL #2 - TUSAL

You can find info on TUSAL 2013.

So this months report/post/update:

2013 and June

Not so many orts, but since I did have exams recently - thats how the jar should look. And now the mixture of 2013 all up to date:

January - June 2013

SAL #3 - QS Literate Dragon

This is the annual HAED stitch along. The info could be found on their bulletin board. It is a closed group, so you will have to join yuku and ask to be added to the forum. The sign up for the SAL is now closed (not the group - you can join any time), but one can see everyone's progress on the 6 designs. There were 6 designs to pick from and I chose the QS Literate Dragon, then the 4 pages would be sent one by one. At the moment I have 3 pages (and still have not completed the 1st - disaster). For every half a page you stitch you can select one of the other designs to get at the end of the year. So 2.5 pages to get all 6. Participation was free this year; but there is no info for the next year's (or whether it will occur). My progress:

Progress as of June 2013

SAL #4 - Summer Extravaganza 2012

This is less formal stitch a long that me and Snoopy over at Cross stitch mania decided to do a year ago when we picked our first ever HAEDs. I am stitching 'Christmas Candle' on count 18 (I think), and have 3 pages out of 36 done ... if I started a year ago and only managed 3 pages and there are 36 in total ... how long until I finish this? I say lets not think about that.

April 2013

SAL #5 - Snowflower Diaries

Check out 2013 SAL Blog. They pick a designer every two months or so and stitch along. They pick something on a smaller scale by lesser known designers, so this is great for beginners, as well as us addicts. June/July is Snowflower Diaries. The patterns by this generous and gifted designer are free, so a great project to join the group with. And since I wanted to stitch some of them already thats an extra added bonus. Two ladies already finished their projects, so I am a little behind. 

Nothing to show yet ... but hope not for long. I just need some perfect fabric.

So till soon, 

                  

Wipocalypse - post #5 and exciting new projects ...

Hello all,

Thank you for your good luck wishes and support. I have now completed 3 exams, and only have another 3 to go. I do feel a lot lighter, and with the sunshine outside as if summer is coming (a very rare occurrence in the North East). So for this update I have 2 new starts/projects, and this months progress report. Also, now that I am approaching 100 followers I can let you know that I will have my 1st ever blog giveaway once I hit the said number (and obviously after my exams were this event to happen before 3rd of June).

Exciting New Projects: 

I recently got the following kit 'Field of poppies' by Yiota's XStitch :

chart and pre-wound threads

Isn't it beautiful? It is based on one of the Van Gogh's paintings. It is my new addition to this year's Wipocalypse list (I'll be changing the list slightly ... after exams). You have probably saw the amazing pre-wound threads phenomenon across several bogs. I love it! I have several Anchor kits that have the threads on a card ... and the numbers are not aligned properly. I might have mentioned some maia kits of peonies/poppies I bought on sale in my local craft store which is generally limited and overpriced (those will be future living room cushions) around January. I have wanted to start them for some time ... but that would mean winding all the threads onto bobbins first. The 'Kiongozi - Dance Leader' had the same annoying unaligned threads issue that drove me insane. What is even worse is when the threads are all tied together and you have to guess which colour is which. I am not very good at that task.

I have almost finished 'Kiongozi - Dance Leader' and thought I'd use that mini box for storing bobbings. They did not fit. I hate that box! The only bobbins that ever fit there are the ones that came with it, I have forgotten this little detail - silly me the current bobbins there are all placed at an angle. But I do have 2 bigger boxes for storing threads on bobbins (3 times bigger), one that has all leftovers from kits/projects once they're done, and the second I got for the HAED I am currently working on and wound/prepared less than a fifth of those (the rest are still in wallets or loose in my draw). Shame to leave a box half empty, so this is where my new project threads went:

and now they are all in a box

You can see them all sideways fitting perfectly. I have a feeling the card they are on is a lot better quality than what I normally wind threads onto.

closeup- all wound up and numbered!

They would have been such a perfect fit into my smaller box, all separate if only the box was a little deeper. I have no idea why that company produces perfectly good big ones, and annoying little ones.

The chart in my new kit is printed on good quality thick paper. And the symbols/squares are rather large (will be great for stitching in the evenings while watching films). Four A3 pages in total.

part of chart

 And finally the fabric (slightly cut unevenly but a minor detail):

evenweave

There is an option to get either 14, 16, or 28. I requested evenweave (count 28). After all thats what cool kids stitch on ... and I am a sheep that likes to follow (well sometimes).

about to grid

I was about to grid when I realised that I have never stitched on evenweave before (you'd think I'd realise that sooner) and what if I don't like it? or I won't be any good and ruin it? So I set it aside for another smaller project (also addition to Wipocalypse list to follow), to see how I'll do with evenweave. It came just before my 2nd exam (very quick delivery) in a sturdy envelope ... that even my favourite postman with his inability to read 'please do not bend' was unable to ruin. 

Yiota's XStitch is UK based, but ship internationally and also do downloadable charts (they have several free ones on the website that one can try - I have the one of the cat). Their website is http://www.yiotas-xstitch.com and you can find the easy count guideline I use from http://www.rseasycount.com/

And now the other new project I mentioned (it is in fact not new per se as I have signed up to do this awhile back). It is for this year's Margaret Sherry's SAL I am going to take part in, for more info click:

Margaret Sherry Lovers - Group Blog

It is the SAL #4 Puppy Love.

And my progress on one of them is:

Fabric is evenweave dyed with fennel by my lovely mum (featured in previous post). This is my first attempt at using evenweave, and I am yet uncertain. It is definitely better for half stitches (if one is stitching over 2 threads); and with projects like these, one would be able to see the background and eveneweave is a lot more appealing than having massive squares. Downside: it is taking me longer to stitch on it as I am not yet accustomed to it. I am increasing speed gradually; I bet it is a pain to grid.

That was the 2 new projects/additions, and now onto the current wips' progress ...

Wipocalypse - post #5:

'Kiongozi - Dance Leader:

April 2013

May 2013

It is all stitched up, and ready for backstitching (oh how I hate the backstitching).

QS Literate Dragon:

February 2013

I can't believe how fast time flies, and that this was untouched for so long.

May 2013

closeup of the worked bit

Till soon,

TUSAL - post 5, some exciting news, and check out a giveaway ...

Well, I have promised myself to stay away from the blog world in view of my exams. But I could not resist. So this evening after writing a 3 hour Business Taxation exam I feel I can be a little bit distracted from my Law revision.

Okay 1st up is a week and a half late TUSAL post.

May in a jar ...

May 2013 with the rest of 2013 behind it ...

2013 after the may joined it

And you don't want to see my lonely jar/glass/container now that its tipped out. All empty.

Next up some exciting news.

Fabric!!!

Aren't they/it gorgeous?!?! I just couldn't wait to share them. I got some hand dyed fabrics. Every time I see hand dyed fabrics on people's blogs I get extremely jealous. Well these beauties have all came out of raided boxes of fabrics, leftovers, and stolen from kits (I am changing the count for one of the projects), and then were all hand dyed by my lovely mum (who is into dyeing at this moment - lucky me). Which in turn means I can pick one (excluding the bookmark obviously) for the Margaret Sherry SAL of puppies. Hope it is not yellow (that is the evil count 22). And attempt to catch up with all the ladies already stitching. But before then all the rest of exams, maybe a few more individual photos with better light (and I'll tell you what mum used to dye them too). One of those don't do try it at home.

Now onto more news ... my handmade bags and accessories business. Check out some popular updates from ILiNi designs: 

Work in Progress

handmade silk scarf with tulips

For ILiNi designs website click on the:

handmade bags and accessories

And to like us on Facebook (and to get all the exciting updates) click:

handmade bags and accessories updates

And finally (if you not had enough of me yet). There is an exciting giveaway:

over at  Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe

It is so nice to finish a post on a happy note (after all don't want you all to disappear without finishing reading mine first). But now you can go, do let Nancy know that I sent you.

Till soon I hope, but not too soon so that I get a little chance to revise,