Vintage Cross Stitch Sampler

 

I love the Reuse Centre, I blog for them, www.reuseitedmonton.blogspot.ca , I shop there, I tell anyone too stupid to run away quickly from me about this awesome place, it's my all time favourite place in Edmonton bar none.

Anyway enough gushing about it, this here is why I think the place rocks. I 'pop' in to look for some fabric and BAM, 2 hours later I'm cowering under the weight of 10 vintage needlecraft books and magazines, a roll of 70's Red, White and Blue contact paper in the most amazing pattern, 17 Mens ties, some psychadelic fabric and almost a Partridge in a Pear Tree... and only then because the applicable bin was empty.

In one of those Needlecraft magazines came this gorgeous pattern, since I finished Gabrielles birth sampler here I'd been itching to start another one ..

 
..and since I only had 97 other unfinished and promised projects to complete, it seemed like the perfect time to start one.

The frustrated Victorian lady inside me loves the Symmetry of the latest pattern and that it's only using 5 colours, it has a Red, White and Blue (my fave colour combo) thing going on and Hearts too (fave motif). 

The best thing about Cross Stitch in general? even when my house looks like a tornado has hit, my gorgeous children are swinging off me, shouting, screaming and crying, snot, tears, the works, I am in such a blissed out, Zen, peaceful state of mind as soon as I start stabbing placing that needle through the Aida, it's crafty Valium for me that's for sure.


So what crafts are chilling you stressed out, over achievers these days? Cos I want in.

Vintage Ribbon Needlebook

What is not to love about Embroidered Vintage ribbons, I have quite the stash now thanks to an amazing haul I received for Christmas. I've had a huge project awaiting these ribbons for the longest time, but I needed to give them a little trial on a smaller quicky but still gorgeous project.

Here is that mini loveliness, my pocket size needlebook, cute, pretty and very, very handy, so handy in fact it will indeed keep me from ever having to remove another bent easy-thread needle from my backside after an unfortunate incident combining absent mindedness and downright stupidity. Won't go any further into it, but let this be a cautionary reminder to never EVER use your office chairs seat as a pincushion... EVER (winces at the mere reminder of that day)
 

Freebie Sample of UK's Simply Crochet Magazine

If you've been reading my blog for a little while, you will know that I love love love Mollie Makes, the UK craft/thrift/Creative Inspiration magazine.

I struggle to get copies here in Canada, and by struggle what I actually mean, is that I hate paying $12 for a magazine that costs my fellow Brits a cool fiver.  When I do loosen the purse strings and indulge, I eagerly search out the page with a 'deal' on overseas subscription ($60 instead of $90) to find that the deal ended 2 months before the magazine hit Canada (are you freakin' kidding me?!)

Sooooo (point nearing completion stay with me people) when I heard of a deal on a Mollie Makes affiliated magazine Simply Crochet that was still current, and shock horror actually a price I was willing to pay, I knew I had to share with you guys... then run off and lock that deal down for myself.

Check out the magazines digital Freebie sampler HERE to get a taste of what looks to be another beautifully styled, crafty mag full of projects you know you are going to be itching to get started on.

 

and this is the trial deal I'm excited about: 

 

US/CANADA subscribers purchase a trial of 3 issues for $10

US/CANADA Subscription offer HERE

(Quote ref. 2005)

 

UK Offer is STG 5.00 for 3 Issues, (equally awesome but you lucky ducks can pick up a copy at your local Newsagents!)

UK Subscription offer HERE

(Quote ref. SCRX19)

 

 

NOTE: As with all Trial offers, the company have your Credit Card details, so if you intend on cancelling after your 3rd issue do so as soon as you've received your 3rd copy. Leave it too late, the trial will end and payments of $23.38 will be taken quarterly for an annual subscription of $93.52 (US/CANADA price for 13 issues for the year)

OFFER ENDS MAY 10TH 2013

 

 

 

N.B I'm not in any way shape or form reimbursed for this post, the links for the subscriptions can also be found on the final page of the digital sampler.

DIY Doll crown

Another project from a recent gift made for my BFF's youngest daughter, Lilly is the proud Mama to a new American Doll so I had to mark the occasion with not one but two princess Crowns, one for the little girl and one for Daisy her doll.



These look pretty fancy but they started off as some large metal rings at Michaels (meant as bag handles possibly) and some 14 Gauge electrical wire and some Dollar store beads Ahem, I mean real live Pearls and Gems.

 

Don't you just love those projects you can make from beginning to end because you have everything in 'stock'. I think that also begins to hint at how much crafty stuff I have just hanging around awaiting the next great idea.

 

Glueing on the sequin trim I actually learnt how NOT to burn myself on a hot glue gun, genius and so simple idea.

 

Instead of using your fingers to press down the thing that you're glueing, use a glue stick and press down, then roll it over the glued area to wind up all the glue strings.

 

Yep no burns, despite much protestation that I had fingers made of Asbestos, they turned out to be just the regular, plain, old, flesh and bone burny type of digits, that could explain many years of blistered finger tips, but not anymore!

 

 

 

A fun project for  a cute little girl, so nice to be able to get unabashedly girly for a change.

 

Coming up, THE vintage ribbon sample project I have had finished for Agggges, a Cross Stitch biggy, the sweater refashion I shared on my FB page oh allsorts of gubbins ;)

Recycling: Top 10 Vintage Map projects

 

 

Sorry for the extended break, urrggh let me see, pc problems, camera on it's last legs, phone only wants to blog sideaways photos, oh and then there's the car being written off in a collision, yep I had plenty to keep me busy. All happy and healthy though so in the words of Radio 1's Mark & Lard (from years gone) 'Musn't grumble'.

 

Lots of reasons to be cheerful, Etsy sales on my Recycled Map Journal Gift Set going well

 

 

 

All wrapped up and ready to go.

 

 

Featured in a local newspaper writing on creative recycling and then there's the Spring that keeps making an appearance, followed by 4-9 inches of snow, then it's back again, Canadian Spring can be a cruel tease that's for sure.

 

Especially happy this week after receiving an email from Gear Junkie asking to use my Recycled map projects in their Vintage Map round up. Be sure to check out their 10 top Map projects from around and about the web.

 

Lots of crafting to share so expect thick and fast blogging til I'm up to date.

 

Gear Junkies Top 10 Recycled Map Projects

 

Jil Sander DIY Leather Paper Bag

 

Mama's got a brand new bag, yup I'll be Brown bagging it in style! or at least I would be if this wasn't a gift for a too hip Teen across the border.

 

 

 

Have been loving the Paper bag Leather clutches from Jil Sander recently and I just happened to have this brown paper bag looking Leather in my oh too enormous stash so I got busy. I added some extra stitching to what would usually be fold lines on a paper bag, to give the bag more structure, it worked a treat and gave it enough form to stand on its own.

 

 

 

All folded ready for another day.

 

 This was a quick easy sew even using Leather, a few missed stitches but overall nothing too disastrous. The whole bag takes a simple rectangle and it could easily be made by repurposing an old Leather skirt, got a pair of Trousers in your refashion pile? even better.

 

I have a Tutorial in the works for this, cruising my beloved Pinterest for Tutorials the only ones I could find were using glue and were a bit too basic for what I wanted so look forward to that my lovelies.

 

Sssspppppeaking of refashions, remember once upon a time I used to refashion clothing? like a lot? you didn't? check out my Hand Me Down Horror series HERE and just keep on scrolling.  

 

Wellll I'm back on it, I have a huge pile to refashion and a year on from my gorgeous girl being born I seriously need clothes without suspicious shoulder dribble stains, so I'm back on the sewing machine and getting snippy with it.

 

Watch this space ;)

Milk Bottle Top Mini Embroidery Hoop

 

I love me some Milk Bottle tops, I seriously collect every single one of those badboys and have an embarassingly huge stash. Well this cute little sucker started out as a Milk Bottle top, yeah seriously it did.

 

I took part in a Craftster Tiny House swap recently, and could not decide on what to make for my partner, in the end I made two different houses one decorative and one a functional useable bonafide (fill in the blanks, sorry swap pard'ner so spoilers, not on my watch!)

 

This was just a see how it goes cross stitch no pattern deal and I think it turned out so cute, what isn't there to love about something teeny tiny, pink and with a bow on top. 

 

 

Fancy making one of your own? Check out my tutorials page for your step by step instructions. They work up quickly as you can imagine and are a great way to use up the scraps of Aida after framing a larger cross stitch piece.

 

Coming up? Those amazing ribbons? finally a teeny tiny taster of a larger project that's in the works.