Custom order

I have been working lately on a couple of custom orders from a couple of my customers.
The first was a personalized custom cross stitch iphone case.
Here is a picture of the finished product (the lighting wasn't so great when I took the picture, the colors are much more distinct):

It came out really cute!
I haven't completed the second order, yet, so I don't have any pictures. I'll post them next time, though!

Needle minder craze!

I found some awesome materials with which to make needle minders. I went a little crazy and made a whole bunch. They came out so cute, and I love them!
I already have them listed in my Etsy store, but here are some pictures of my favorites:

I haven't been stitching

Instead, I have been working on more chainmail items.
I have actually made a few necklaces that I am totally in love with! Unfortunately, I don't have any good pictures of them, but I do hope to get some good photos this weekend.

I also made some pendants with a new type of rubber rings for me: glow-in-the-dark!
I have some neon glowy rubber rings that I made some pendants out of, and I have to admit that I just absolutely love them! I loved them so much, that I made one of each color to get pictures, and I have already listed them in my Etsy store.

Here is a picture of all 4 of them together:

Link to necklaces in my Etsy store.

I just realized that I should try to get a picture of them glowing in the dark, if possible. That is more difficult than it sounds, however. I'll see what I can get and will post a picture of it, if I can get a good enough image to show up.

There are a bunch of new needle minders in the works right now. I hope to post about them soon and have them listed in my Etsy store. Please stay tuned!

I made a hat!

I was looking online at a bunch of video game crochet items, and I cam across a hat that was adorable and didn't look too difficult to make. I decided to give it a go.

I went to the store to get some yarn, since I didn't have any in the right color, and I started that night. I didn't get to finish it that same night because I started it late, but I did get it done the next day. Here it is!

I found a simple double crochet pattern online that I used, and I made up the bottom edge to look like the bottom of the ghost, too. The mouth was done using a new technique that I had never tried before, but it came out great! (Yes, it's a little wonky, but that adds to the cuteness.) I will most likely be using this method again in the future, as it was easy and looks awesome.

I will probably be making a lot of game themed items here over the next few months, and I will be sure to post pictures!

And the winner is...

I have drawn a winner in my needle minder giveaway! And the winner is...

Aubs Ogrady!

If you send me an email with your address information, I will get your needle minder out to you soon!

Thank you to all who entered my giveaway! I may have another one soon with my new line of minders, so stay tuned!

Silly me!

I just realized that I forgot to mention when I would be drawing the winner for my giveaway!
I am planning on drawing the winner on this Saturday, 10/29.

Don't forget! All it takes to enter is to be a follower of my blog, and to post in the comments which one you would like to try out!

I am also coming up with ideas for an exciting new line of needle minders, too! (Well, exciting to me, anyway). I have ordered testing supplies for them, which hopefully come in soon. As soon as I am able to get some samples made, I will definitely make a post about them. I hope they not only work out well, but that everyone loves them as much as I'm sure I will!

Until then, keep spreading the word about my giveaway!

Needle Minder Giveaway!

They say that you are your own worst critic. That certainly seems to be the case in regards to some needle minders I have been messing with for the longest time. If I can get these to work, I can seriously expand the needle minders section of my Etsy store, not to mention, there are soooo many different cute things available to use!

These are made out of soft Polyvinyl Chloride, and are very popular for keychains, pendants, etc. The problem is, the back side of them is very smooth. I have tried using E6000 and I also tried Goop, but neither one seems to adhere enough to meet my very strict standards.

My first batch, using E600, I was able to peel off each and every magnet. Next, I tried roughing up the surface of the PVC and the magnet, and gluing them again, but it still wasn't sticking to them easily enough. I then tried Goop, but had similar results. I am trying other adhesives in the mean time, too.
At this point, I handed one to my husband to get his opinion. He seemed to think it would be OK, but he isn't a stitcher, and he wouldn't be the one trying to sell them in a professional shop.

This got me to thinking of how I could get a stitcher's opinion. Then, it hit me! I have been wanting to have another giveaway of some sort recently, anyway, so why not combine the two things together? Hence, my needle minder giveaway.

At the bottom of this post will be a picture of the needle minders I am offering for this giveaway. To be considered for the drawing, all I ask is:

1. You be a follower of my blog (this very one you are reading right now)!
2. Comment on this post if you would like to be considered, with which needle minder you would like to receive.
3. (Most importantly) If you win, once you receive the needle minder and have had a chance to use it a bit, I would LOVE to receive feedback on it.  

There may be multiple winners here, too, so I can get an array of opinions! Please spread the word far and wide to all your stitchy friends and acquaintances about my giveaway, as well. I love to get new followers (who wouldn't)!

IHSW was this weekend!

My schedule at work has finally changed, and I am back to working Monday through Friday. This past weekend was my first weekend off, and it just so happened to coincide with IHSW! I haven't gotten to participate in a long time. It was awesome!
For those who aren't familiar with IHSW, just click on the International Hermit and Stitch Weekend picture on the right side!

I had a great weekend with the husband, and I got some good stitching in, as well. I worked on, yep you guessed it, The Palace Garden, again. I want to get this one done before finishing anything else as a Thank You to Riolis for sending it to me.

Here is where I last left off:

Here is the section I had progress on, the beige "T" shape (don't let it fool you, there are several colors in there):

Here is my overall progress:

99 Bottles - Beer #6

My husband had a paintball event this past weekend. I joined him on the second day, and had a great time. Weather-wise, it was a perfect day. Afterward we all met for lunch/dinner and I was able to have another beer for my project! Luckily, I had the list on my phone this time, so I was able to pick from what they had available.

This time, I selected Red Stripe Lager, which is apparently from Jamaica. The menu had this one listed as Easy Drinking, and I just love the bottle it came in.

What I didn't like: It didn't seem like anything special. It was more like generic Beer. I didn't notice anything about it that would set it apart for me.

What I did like: Honestly, my favorite part about this beer is the bottle it came in. It is an unusual shape and is different.

Overall, this beer wasn't all that bad. It had an ever so slight bitter taste to it to, and had a nice full flavor. I don't anticipate ordering it again, but if it comes down to this or any of the cheap American beers out there, I will take this every time.

 Here is the stitched version of the bottle:

 Here are all my completed bottles so far:

The restaurant that we were in had quite a few other beers from the list, but I selected this one since it is closer to the others on the chart. I almost chose another one, then realized it was closer to the bottom, so I changed my order!

Quick post, more needle minders

I am just putting out a quick post about my newest needle minders. I have quite a few that I'm working on right now, but these are the few that are finished and now in my Etsy store.

This one is my favorite!

 I love the detail on this one!

 So cute!

Week two done on my kit!

I had a craft fair this weekend, so I didn't get any stitchy time at all. I snapped a quick picture of my Riolis kit project last night before bedtime, though.

Here is where I was last week:

Here is where I was after the Orange color SAL:

And here is where I am now:

I don't know how I'm going so fast on this one! It could be the kit, or it could be the new Ottlite that I have been using, or a combination of the two. Who knows? All I know is that this will be done in no time, if I keep up at this pace. Since I want to make this my focus piece and work only on it until it is done, I'm glad it is going quickly, so I can move on to other projects! (Of course the only exception will be the beer project, since the opportunities for it are sparse)

99 Bottles - Beer #5

One of my husband's buddies is being deployed, so there was a going-away get-together with a bunch of us giving him a good send-off. Since I was the one designated to drive home, I only had one beer that night, but I made sure to try another one from my list!

This time I tried Modelo Negra. On the menu, it was listed under Amber Ales and Lagers.

I really enjoyed this one from the start. Every time I would take a sip, the first half second, there was a hint of something that I couldn't quite identify at first, then the rest of the flavors would take over. After taking a drink, if you sit for a moment that hint of flavor comes back for a few seconds in the aftertaste. It was almost a dark honey flavor.

What I liked: This beer was great to sip and enjoy on its own. I had mine with some lime, which was an excellent choice. Taking a taste of the lime after a drink of the beer was amazing. The flavors set each other off nicely!

What I didn't like: Once our food arrived, it didn't have the same flavor or effect. It didn't really go well with what I ordered, either, so I ended up drinking water while I had my food.

Overall, I recommend drinking this beer slowly while hanging out with friends. I wouldn't recommend drinking it with food, because you would lose some of the subtle flavors like that honey flavor I found.

Here is my stitched version:

Here is all of them so far:

Color SAL - Orange

I have been flying along with my new kit of the Palace Garden. I had a SAL come up where you only stitch one color on your projects for that day. This month is orange.  I didn't want to put away my kit, and it just worked out that there is orange in it, as well, so I can use it for the SAL! (Besides, I don't think I have any orange in any of my other projects). I would have had more done, but I had to stitch up another beer (post upcoming).

Here is where I was when I started: 

Here is where I am now with all the orange work I did on the right side:

Week one of my Riolis kit, The Palace Garden

Well, I have a week's worth of progress to show, now, for my new Riolis kit, The Palace Garden.
I am still loving this kit, a lot! I am not a fan of all the scattered confetti stitches, but the end result is amazing, and I have projects that are even worse about it.

My favorite part about this kit is still the thread! I did have to take a little time off from working on this to stitch up the beer from my last post, and as I was stitching it, my thread got tangled. That made me realize that I haven't had any issues with the thread in the kit tangling up at all. No knots or anything! It has been a joy to work with.

Here is where I was on day 1:

Here is where I am after week 1:

99 Bottles - Beer #4

Last night the husband and I had a sudden invitation to meet some friends for dinner. So, I decided to try one of the beers from me list to have with dinner. Unfortunately, I didn't have the list with me, but I did remember a few beers on it, so this time I went with Stella Artois.



The menu describes this one as easy drinking, and it is! It seemed to me to be a pleasant medium strength beer that went well with the mac & cheese bites that I was eating!

What I liked: This was a nice, mild beer with just a tiny bit of bite to it, which made it fun to drink. I was only allowing myself one beer with dinner, so I had to pace myself.

What I didn't like: With all the commercials and advertising and everything being said about it lately, I expected a bit more. Don't get me wrong, I really liked this beer! I just wasn't as "wowed" as I was expecting.

Ultimately, this beer was enjoyable, and I wouldn't mind having it again anytime.

Here is my stitched version of this beer:

And all of them, so far:

I missed everyone!

I have been so behind on my stitching. While I was studying for my test, to keep myself motivated and away from the stitching, I stopped reading everyone's blogs, and I avoided most stitching things, in general. It is so easy for me to get sucked back in!
I have been trying to catch up, but that's why I haven't been commenting lately.
I realized that I missed keeping up with everyone. You guys are so awesome, and I wanted to let you all know it!
Even now, as I sit at work, my fingers are itching to pick up my kit and stitch on it some more. Just one more thread...

Day one thoughts on my Riolis kit

Thankfully with my test out of the way, I have time to stitch, again! Yay!

Previously I had posted about a Riolis kit that had been sent to me by the company. I finally got to start on it, and I wanted to post my initial thoughts on it. I have only had about one day to work on it so far, but wanted to share my thoughts and progress.

First, I have to admit that I love the way the thread was organized in the kit. If you don't remember from my previous post, here is that picture:

The thread itself isn't cotton, but rather a wool/acrylic blend. This makes it a little fluffier than normal DMC thread. Because of the fluffiness, it give great coverage on the fabric. Also, it's a little fuzzy once stitched, adding a little more texture to the project.
The only downside I have seen so far is that the ends of the thread fray a little. And by a little, I mean very little. It's slightly more than DMC, but not even anywhere near how bad metallic threads get. It's definitely easily usable and easy to manage. The fabric in the kit was just regular white aida, and the pattern came on 2 pages with colors and symbols.

Normally, I don't like having to deal with tweeding on a project (using 2 different colored threads as 1). So far, I haven't minded it so much with this one, which is good. I think almost half of the symbols are tweeded.
Here is my progress so far:

Ultimately, after one day I am still enjoying this project, and I can't wait to keep sharing my thoughts and progress on it.

All views expressed here are my own and are not influenced by the company at all. They wanted an honest review, so that is what I shall give! If you decide to check them out, their website is: http://www.riolis.com/.

A couple new needle minders

I passed my test! Woohoo! I now have yet another certification for the day job. I am hoping to get some stitchy time in and get started on my new kit!

After my test, I made a few more needle minders. Here they are:

 (Not sure why this picture ended up sideways, but I'm too lazy to change it)

Barely anything to post

I barely have anything to post today. In fact, I had started typing up a quick note stating that I don't have anything to post, but I remembered that I do!
My time has been spent studying (my test is next week), so I haven't had much chance to make much. I did get a chance to make a couple more needle minders, though.
Here they are:

Hopefully I will have a happy post for next week, with some crafty updates!

New necklace

I haven't done much crafting this week. I have been sick and have been studying in my spare time.
Today at work I managed to whip up something, though.

And here is a close-up:

New chainmail items!

I have recently learned a new chainmail weave, and have been experimenting with it. The weave I learned is called Aura. It is really easy, and it looks awesome. I made a chain of segments and was very pleased with the results.

Then I discovered a downside to it. Unless you have a connector on all 3 sides, the outer double large rings like to flip inside out and hang. I don't know a better way of describing it, and I didn't take a picture of it. I looked online to see if there was a way of securing the bottom rings, and that's when I discovered the Inverted Aura.
Basically, the middle ring is doubled, and the outer ones are singles. It was perfect! Whilst not quite as easy to make as the aura, it holds its form, and looks amazing as a necklace.
So, I went about dismantling the Aura length I had made, and remade it with the Inverted Aura. I am going to attach some chain and a clasp to the ends and make it into a choker.

Here is a closeup:

I even made some earrings with this weave, and added some charms that I had on-hand. I'm tempted to add the stars to the necklace, too.
I loved the earrings so much, that I made them in several different colors!

Needle minders!

I have been seeing everyone using needle minders and talking about their new minders and showing their minder collection, etc. I haven't really used a needle minder, but I got the sudden urge to make some, though.
I went to the handy dandy internet, and I ordered some magnets and a few items that I can turn into needle minders. Let me tell you, waiting for everything to come in the mail was excruciating! I wanted to make them now!

Finally, things started coming in, but the magnets weren't in, yet, so I had to stare at the supplies that I did have, and just wait on the rest to arrive. The magnets, at long last, came in 2 days ago, and I was so stoked!

I gathered up all my supplies, removed bits here, glued bits there, and Ta-Da! Here are pictures of some of my new needle minders (many of which may end up in my Etsy store!)!

I love them! My favorites are the Tardis (even though it is small (hey, it's bigger on the inside, anyway)) and the companion cube. These were super fun to make, and I want to just make more! I learned quite a bit with this batch, and I'm excited to get more supplies to keep making them!
I did learn from this batch. I actually had over twice this many, but the glue peeled right off of the smooth surface of the vinyl. I'm going to keep experimenting with them to see if I can get it to work OK without the glue peeling off.  I'll post pictures if I can get it to work.
My question to everyone out there. Do you use needle minders? Do you like them? I'm curious as to how I did, too! I welcome all feedback!

Goodies are here! Yay!

I have been eagerly awaiting a parcel in the mail for a few months, now, and I am super happy to say that it has finally arrived today!

Back in May I was contacted by someone who had found me through this very blog (how cool is that?!)! They introduced themselves as someone who works for the company Riolis, and they asked if I had ever stitched any of their kits. I had heard of the company, but I had never gotten to stitch one of their kits.
I got to go through their catalog, and was offered one of their brand new kits that just came out. I have been waiting for it to be released so I can get mine, and it has finally arrived. I will get to be one of the first people ever to stitch this particular kit, and I can't wait to get started and share the stitchy journey with all of you!

Here are my pictures! This is the front of the kit, with the picture of what it will look like when finished.

Here is the back. I just love the neat, organized look of the thread. Plus, it feels softer that normal floss, too.

I plan on getting started on this kit very soon! (Must study and pass a certification test for work next month, first). This will be my focus piece and the only thing I work on until it is finished.

My question to my few readers out there... Have any of you ever stitched a Riolis kit before? What were your thoughts?

99 Bottles - Beer #3

I had a chance to drink and stitch another beer for my 99 bottles project. I wanted to choose one on the top row, just to make things easier.

This time I tried Rogue Dead Guy. I just love the name!

The menu had this beer described as balanced.

What I liked: It was very drinkable. It has a nice full flavor, but isn't so bitter that I cringe whenever I take a large swallow.

What I didn't like: Because of that full flavor, it didn't seem to go well with what I was eating for dinner, and seemed to overpower the food a bit.

Overall I really did enjoy this beer, and I wouldn't mind having it again some time!

Here are the pictures of the stitched version (I had to skip a beer. The one I skipped isn't easily found around here):