New stitchery projects

A friend posed a question this morn, which in turn has prompted this post (the first in a while you may note!).
The question went along the lines of : When did comparing my experience to someone else's rob me of happiness, and cause me to miss my own unique experience? 
How can I enjoy my own experience more?
Ok, so that was 2 questions!
They weren't being directed specifically at me, and they weren't asked in a way that needed an immediate answer (more of a quiet rumination).... but despite the focus on a less than pleasant thought process, the questions felt expanding and inviting.

We can all think of a moment where we have compared ourselves and felt rubbish. (Ha! If only it stopped at one moment!) 

My latest 'comparison moment' lead me to feeling that I wasn't showing up enough on social media, that I 'should' be doing more, posting more, promoting more,more,more....
As you may have noticed my reaction to that was to do the polar opposite and just not show up at all..... *sigh*
I blame my stubborn streak....I hate being told what to do even if it is me telling my self! 

Ridiculous...and funny :)

So anyhoos I'm neither going to let my 'comparison' OR 'stubborn' JOY robbing thoughts stand in my way.....I have so much stitchery goodness to share. Yipeeee!

I have introduced 2 new kits to my shop, which may be my favourite designs yet.(Available here)

This bear one is called 'Homeward Bound'. I may have mentioned before about my love of bears.....they remind me of 'home' somehow....hard to explain, coming from a somewhat 'bear-free!' Scotland...but they do. I really love the rose quartz coloured background and the mix of pink threads. A new colour mix to the kits but I'm so happy with how the designs all sit together. 

I'm a proud embroidery kit mumma!

Kit number 2 is below...... and introduces Long and Short stitch in some more pinky threads. Each kit I create comes with illustrated instructions on the stitches involved, but I like to add extra support for those who need it. You can find an extra detailed tutorial on Long and short stitch over on my website, here.

The idea for this kit was that the flowers are stitched and the swallow zooms out from the negative space.....This piece is stitched on a 4" hoop and so is a great pocket sized project to take out and about with you. I find this time of year so great for stitching in the sunshine while the kids play merrily...be it beach, park or bubbling stream :) It's available here.

I've also added a couple of new pdf's to my shop.

The first one is based on some bee designs I stitched up last summer. It's called 'Free to bee' and comes with a few different versions of the design so you can be(e) creative with it! The pdf pattern is available as an instant download here.

The other Pdf is a pattern now available is to make this sweet owl. He wants to accompany your little one for snuggles, or sit on your shelf or computer and whisper to you sweet secrets from the woods......

I've safety tested this little Owl, even though it's not normally done or legally required for patterns. I've been negotiating the tricky waters of safety testing some deer 'doll' designs (I shared about here), and got this owl involved too. Feels good to be able to offer designs that are not only sweet sewing projects but safe too! The pattern Pdf is availabe here.

Phew! So that's us all up to date now...and the comparison/joy thief has left the building :)

I'll be back with a fun FREEBIE to share next week.....A collaboration with Cloudcraft and a Sweet Summer Garden stitching project...if you like the sneakpeak below then you'll LOVE what's a'coming x

Hello 2016 ...and a handmade book!

Happy New Year to you all!
Wow! 2015 you have been quite a year. 
Stretching. Challenging. Amazing. Joyful. Liberating. Frustrating. Sad. Expanding. Exciting.... A Blessing.
Life is one incredible roller coaster, and I really wouldn't have it any other way. I open my arms and welcome whatever 2016  may bring.

I hope 2016 treats you well too!

* Business *

*Family*

I suddenly got the urge to make a book on Hogmanay, so that I could it fill with the doodles and ideas that emerge in 2016. I'm out of sketchbooks, and sometimes find them an actual deterrant to being creative (ie can feel too formal and pristine, too big to stick in a pocket or bag ,can't be disguised when out and about !)
So I set to it, to make one before the bells brought in a new year.
The great thing being that when you hand-make a book you get to choose what paper to use for the pages.
I'd saved some wrapping paper that I loved which wrapped a present from my niece.... so that was definitely going in creases, tears and all..along with some graph paper and plenty of blank white cartridge paper as I do want to be able to draw!

I have to apologise for the photos...they are a bit like what my make up has been like for the last 2 weeks (because of the non stop rain), done in the dark and somewhat dodgy!

I had thought about taking apart one of the previous books I'd made and binding some new pages into the fabric cover...however brain wave struck and after rummaging through some drawers I found the sweet sample I'd made last year for the pdf pattern ; Mathilde and Celeste . Matches the wrapping paper perfectly too!

I had to extend the stitched piece by adding on some more linen plus a little bit of foxy fabric too, however the cover was quick to whip up...and once I was binding the pages it felt somewhat nostalgic and good to be returning to bookmaking again.

I'm raring to go and get these pages filled...I'll share some with you soooon! 
Ps. My niece did my nails too! :) xx

Winter woodland decorations and new website

I have just discovered how life can be gently and comfortably lilting along then suddenly wham bam...the christmas chaos begins! Perhaps I should have been a little more prepared...but in business you can only really go on previous experience and a large pinch of guess-timation.

Safe to say my guess-timates have been way out and I have been soooo busy assembling kits & wrapping orders that everything else has fallen by the wayside ....well apart from feeding the kids but that's only because they have the ability to moan loudly :)

 So I never actually shared the launching of my new shiny website which happened very quietly a few weeks ago. There are still a couple of glitches which I need to fix (when things slow down on the order front) but  I am DELIGHTED with the way it has turned out. It has been a very slow work in progress with lots of challenges overcome so I am VERY proud of my e-baby! ( Yes, I do believe it actually took 9 months to make) 
My fave part is the Beginners page, to gently assist and encourage those scaredy newbies :)
I have lost count of the amount of people I meet that say they have always wanted to try embroidery but already decided they'd be no good at it...or were too scared to try. This is for you lovely lot xx

I'll also be moving this blog over there as soon a time permits, keep everything under the same roof. I'll  not just disappear without letting let you know though!

I have also just released a new pdf pattern for these sweeeet little winter woodland wonders. I think they would look perfect on a christmas tree, or any other suitable dangling place. You could create multiples and string them on ribbon to make some bunting, or change up the colours for more earthy tones and have them as decorations for all year around.

                                               

Winter woodland decorations pdf pattern available here

I made a batch myself which I am going to take along to our little community late night shopping tomorrow. It may be all I will have to fill my table as my kits are almost sold out...crazy!

We've had our first decent flurry of snow here, and now that it's officially December I feel permission is granted to prance around singing 'Deck the Halls'.

Falalalala to you! xxx   

Hello again! Summer adventures

Hello hello!
It feels really good to be sitting here writing this post after a long summer away from the blog. 
How the heckadoodle are you all? I'm hoping you are all really well and have enjoyed at least a little bit of time off  holidaying in one form or another?  
I personally have probably had the most relaxed summer yet, which ultimately came down to letting go of ALL the things I had hoped or wanted to achieve, accepting I had no control over the weather, AND  lastly that pj's on till noon is a perfectly acceptable holiday activity! :)

Here is a little montage of what we got up to (when our Pj's were removed prior to noon!)

Funnily enough, (and as is usually the case) after easing back on what I had hoped to get done business and creative wise, what actually transpired was a decent amount!  

I finished a few embroidery projects.....

This is a wedding gift for one of my oldest friends who was marrying her love of many years. She's a scottish girl, he's an english guy and their home is in the French Alps..... seemed like the perfect gift to celebrate :)

I added a bear and bee to my embroidery repertoire too....

 Meet Maurice, the handsome bear....

I also created 3 new embroidery pattern PDF's....... remember Beyonce's "Put a Ring on it"?.....

well I've come up with an embroidery slant on that...when ever in doubt of what to stitch.....

 I stitched up this sweet peterpan collar with ....oh wait....not just one bird, but 2 birds on it!

OR you could always......

Put a stag on it is available here OR

Put a flower on it is available here

Genius don't you think?! :)

I also squeezed in some weaving, which has become a slight addiction and now finds me hacking sawing away on some unsuspecting pieces of wood which Stu has left lying around. (he's a cabinet maker, so there is ALWAYS some piece of wood or another taking up residence in our home) I'll fill you in on a later date as to what comes of that!

Some of my recent weaving adventures.

So there you have a very brief catch up on my summer adventures! I hope you have been enjoying the last few months as much as I have.

It's good to be back :)x

Cushion in a box!

Hello lovelies! Ah, it feels good to be back to normal here, though the school holidays, lazy mornings and little adventures were fully enjoyed .
A bit of time away from the norm (and running a business) has also allowed me to notice a few things in need of slight alteration.....one of them being the decent sized stash of fabric I have in my studio which I have for making cushions. 

      

With the popularity of my little embroidery kits  (and my total love for them!) my business has been slowly changing shape and direction, and I no longer offer cushions available for wholesale orders. I have been offering them in my shop and while the odd cushion does sell I really have no desire to make them any more...my mind is well and truly on kits!
Which brings me back to the fabric stash..... and my idea of a "cushion in a box"!

I love the designs I created for these cushions, and if you do too then here is a lovely opportunity to get your hands on them..... and by making the cushion yourself it gives you the chance to buy at a hugely reduced cost. (and we all love a bargain!)

So I have added these "boxes" to my etsy shop if you care to take a look.....
There is the "fox in the box" Mark I...

This cushion is designed to be stuffed and sewn closed to make a sweet oval shaped cushion (30cm x37cms) with a front and back design..... you provide the stuffing, needle and thread. Pompom option is also available! This comes with a little set of instructions and is  £10.

There is also Fox in the Box Mark II....

which belongs to my Woodland cushion range and comes with a front printed panel, fabric for the back and an invisible zip. You provide the cushion insert, needle and thread. The finished cushion measures 16".

There are no instructions for these woodland cushions as to be quite honest it would take me forever to explain how to sew an invisible zip in, and I  wanted to be able to offer these to you for a cheaply as possible.... so these boxes are definitely not for you if sewing a zip seems like a mammoth task!

This "fox in a box" and the other remaining woodland animals are £12.

Bear in a Box...

And "squirrel in a box"....

 This last squirrel design is actually where the idea for my embroidery kits stemmed from. During a brain storming session it came to me that people (like myself!) may like to create something for their home rather than just simply buy...so I created a couple of kits to match the cushions that I sold. 
It seems quite sweet to now be able to buy a cushion to make as the perfect room accompaniment :)

I've only a few of each design, and once they are gone they are gone....farewell lovely cushions :)

Sewing In Progress... "Stitchbook" so far

I'm enjoying a bustle at this end, sewing cushions and assembling kits then sending them off to their new homes. Excitedly this includes  2 new shops (Teasel and Tweed  Home /gift shop  in Aberdeen and a Jinty and Baa Needlecraft shop in Argyll, opening on Dec 2nd) 
It's so great to see that people are following their dreams in the form of  a bricks and mortar shop, and a great honour that they want to include my items!
Anyhoos point to that is I've been busy and had little time for much else other than what I've been stitching away in the evenings...my "stitchbook" (my new take on a sketchbook which I explain here). So I'm sharing the "pages" I've completed so far..... I'm really liking where some of these spontaneous creative notions have taken me!

This last birdy one is my favourite so far , but there are still plenty "pages" left which are half done..... more to show soon! :)x