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Friday March 05, 2010 What's in store for you at Stitch & Craft 2010 . . .
Join us for the biggest, best and brightest show this Spring and step into a world of new craft skills and ideas, or just celebrate your
old favourites! It's only 11 days (yes, less than two weeks!) until the Stitch & Craft Show 2010 in London, and here's a sneaky peek at what's in store for you this year...
Haven't got your
ticket yet? There's still time to book online... Stitch & Craft 2010, Olympia II, London... 18 - 21 March. Do you sew for pleasure?
If like us, you love all things crafty and jump at the opportunity for a great day out then this will probably be right up your street! The Sewing for Pleasure show is running from 25th to 28th March at the NEC in Birmingham and promises to inspire you with fantastic workshops and displays as well as plenty of excuses to have a shop around of course.  For all cross stitchers and counted thread enthusiasts, Jane Greenoff's will once again be presenting her 'Itch to Stitch' workshops where you'll get the chance to try cutting Hardanger, work hemstitch and even earn how to embellish your embroideries with perfect French knots! Even
if you're not a textile artist or don't usually dabble in sewing, it's
still a great date for the diary with interesting displays including beautiful costumes from Oscar and Bafta winning movie The Dutchess, starring Keira Knightley. (She's been our Stitch A Star don't you know!) Plus, don't worry if you have youngsters in tow, there’s a brilliant Junior Stitch Club with free workshops for children aged 8 to 16, giving them chance to try their hand at using a sewing machine with help from the experts... Sound like your kind of day out? Click here to find out more!
Wednesday March 03, 2010 Pearl & Earl launches sister site Granny Knits! Don't you just love it when you find websites full of fun and inspiration? Well, that's exactly what happened when we found Peal & Earl back in 2008. But, at the end of 2009 they launched sister site Granny Knits, a site that's full of contemporary crafting goodness and retro charm - just how we like it! With Pearl & Earl already an established online brand selling British home & clothing collections inspired by things with nostalgic charm and character, it's great to see the same enthusiasm of pattern, colour and humour evident on their new site. Granny Knits features a extensive range of crafted products that may one day become your very own homemade heirloom. With modern tapestry, embroidery, and cross stitch charts available... it's bound to inspire seasoned crafters beginners alike. But, if you're feeling adventurous there's even a good selection of wool yarns, canvas, fabric and trims so you can create your very own homemade heirloom. There's no doubting both of these sites are full of character and colourful designs that are band on trend with the retro chic look that's currently adorning our favourite home magazines. But, that's not all. Like all good crafts businesses, their work is still in very much in progress and they're currently busy creating an extended range of knitting, crochet, cloth, embroidery and contemporary paper craft kits for us to get our hands too! We think this is definitely a space worth watching... PS: Seen a great website or blog lately? Let us know! 
Monday March 01, 2010 Spoil your mum this Mother's Day!Spoil your mum with up to 40% off a subscription to one of our fantastic magazines this Mother's Day. With lots of magazines to choose from in our crafts portfolio, there's a perfect subscription for every mum. Whether she's into knitting, stitching, paper crafting or tracing her family history we're sure you'll find something she's into!  A subscription makes a unique gift:
(Please quote order code x437 when ordering over the phone. Lines are open 8am - 9.30pm weekdays and 8am - 4pm Saturdays.)  Mother's Day - Sunday 14th March
Don't delay, treat your mum today!
Thursday February 25, 2010 CrossStitcher 'Easter Special' – issue 224 on sale now! Here we are in Lent and it's exactly 38 days until Easter Day – so now's the time to get cracking on all those chicks, bunnies and crosses. To help you get started on your spring stitching we've made issue 224 into an egg-citing (sorry) Easter Special complete with 32 Easter-themed charts, plus plenty of finishing ideas and it's on sale right now!
And check out what else is in issue 224 as well...!   PLUS!
Issue 224 goes on sale today in all good newsagents and supermarkets until Wednesday 24th March. Pick up yours now, or order a subscription and be one of the first to get a copy of CrossStitcher through your door every month!
Wednesday February 24, 2010 Meet design queen Jan Constantine at the Stitch & Craft Show!
So, it's less than a month now until our annual Stitch & Craft show in London and we're already getting excited in the office about what's in store for you all at the fabulous Olympia II! Not only will there be the usual array of crafty stands for you to browse around but we've also got a special Stitch A Star gallery where you can test your knowledge of our famous faces. Why not see how many celebrities you can name or even make a few suggestions to the team for the future? But, what we're really excited about is that design queen Jan Constantine will be joining us to showcasing some of her new home designs in a special gallery! If you're not familiar with her work already take a look at her website, it's jam packed with Britannia themed fabrics, cushions and embroidered home ware that you may just recognise...  You'll also get the chance to join the Make and Take workshops with the Cross Stitch Guild (supported by Madeira and Zweigart) and learn some exciting new stitching techniques in their informal daily classes. Stitching advice from the experts - sounds perfect doesn't it? Tickets are still available to buy online at: www.twistedthread.com and whilst you're logged on why not pop over to facebook or twitter for all the latest gossip? We're really excited about meeting you all there so pop on down and meet the team behind your favourite magazine! Enter issue 224's competitions now!
Here
are the links to this month's comps and giveaways...
Anchor giveaway PurplePatchDesign giveaway Creative Stitches & Hobbycrafts Show giveaway Country Living Magazine Spring Fair giveaway - NOTE: this giveaway has an earlier closing date of 18th March Heritage Crafts giveaway Country Cross Stitch Kits giveaway Click here to enter our Candamar Designs competition. Click here to enter our Prize Crossword competition.
Monday February 15, 2010 Jenson Button gets stitched up Click here to download the Jenson Button Stitch a Star chart from CrossStitcher issue 222. Don't forget to send your photos to us, plus any more suggestions for our Stitch a Star hall of fame. Plus, if you're coming to the Stitch & Craft Show in March you'll be able to test your celebrity knowledge with our special Stitch A Star display! How many can you name?
Tuesday February 09, 2010 BBC Wildlife expert Simon King on puffins, photography and craft…
In the current issue of CrossStitcher you'll find an inspiring interview with wildlife expert Simon King and a delightful puffin chart that his crafty sister Debbie Cripps helped create. This exclusive chart was created from a photograph Simon took on the Shetland Isles and we've got a special insight into the story behind that picture just for you. So, scroll down for an interesting insight into his world of wildlife... and craft!  Wildlife expert Simon King has been painting and drawing for as long as he can remember, and with his creative sister Debbie Cripps offering cross stitch as inspiration, he’s a man who knows a thing or two about craft! “This puffin photograph was taken in 2006 at Sumburgh Head in mainland Shetland, home to a colony of around 2,000 pairs of puffins alongside guillemots and razorbills. Treshnish, Farne Isles, the Isle of May and Lundy are but a few place to see puffins in the wild, but the Shetland Isles are one of the few places in the UK where you can get within a couple of meters of them!” Besides his passion for the natural world, Simon has always had a lively interest in crafts. He grew up in a creative household, so it’s not surprising that he’s already worked on a series of cross stitch kits for his sister’s company ‘from Debbie Cripps’. “Debbie and I don’t have many opportunities to work together,” says Simon, “so to see one of my photographs turned into cross stitch with such sensitivity and flair is wonderful.” But, it’s not just sister Debbie who is a dab hand with crafts! “I’ve had a go at sculpture and wood carving too!” says Simon. “I think birds make particularly good subjects for craftsmen, especially when they’re in flight. They make such beautiful shapes!”  It was the work of Sir David Attenborough
and cameraman Hugh Miles that inspired Simon’s career in wildlife photography,
but what is it about puffins that made Simon head to Shetland to study them in
their natural habitat? He says, “They’re everyone’s favourite birds, you’ve
just got to love them! Puffins are utterly charming. They’re sweet, pompous and
comical. You can really see their gentlemanly characteristics as they strut
along cliff tops!” When it comes to travelling, Simon’s had his fair share of exploration but when it comes to favourite places his little puffin friends make the Shetland Isles hard to resist. Simon said: “As far as the most inspiring place I’ve ever visited, there really is too many places to mention. I suppose if pushed it would be hard to choose between Shetland and Africa as they are so diverse.” You'll find Simon and Debbie's puffin chart in issue 223 of CrossStitcher, which is on sale until 25th February. PS: Don’t forget to drop us an email if you stitch this chart... as always, we love to see your finished pieces!
Thursday February 04, 2010 Introducing . . . The Crafts Circle!
We’re really excited to be able to tell you all about our new Crafts Circle site, a fabulous brand new subscriber only area we know you’ll love! Crafts Circle is a new access-all-areas treat for our loyal subscribers, designed by the same people that bring you your favourite craft magazines. We’ll be offering special monthly treats such as giveaways, free charts and discount codes to help you enjoy your hobby even more. What
do you get?
To log on to Crafts Circle you simply need your subscriber number, the magazine to which you subscribe and your surname. If
you’re not currently a subscriber but want to have CrossStitcher magazine
delivered directly to your door each month (sound perfect?) then click here
for more information. PS: Let us know what you think, and keep checking back - we don't want you to miss our on any of the freebies and competitions we've got planned for the future!
Tuesday February 02, 2010 Kokeshi dolls - 150 years of traditional Japanese folk art We're absolutely thrilled at the number of you who have already sent in pictures of your finished Kokeshi doll kit - free with this months issue. As a reward to those of you who have stitched it already (because we're nice like this) we've been talking to our friend Jez Willard over at The Japanese Shop all about Kokeshi dolls and their meanings. Click here to find out what we asked him! ...
Thursday January 28, 2010 Free floral storage boxes for all new subscribers!
If you subscribe to CrossStitcher today you'll receive these stylish floral storage boxes from The Craft Factory - absolutely free! *contents not included.  They’re perfect for storing all your stitching supplies and the small compartments are a great way to neatly store all your skeins. Plus, when you’re not using them, they fold down for easy storage too! What do you get as a subscriber? You'll be getting 13 issues of CrossStitcher magazine delivered FREE directly to your door throughout the year. You'll also get a special cover gift with each issue, plus access to VIP subscriber-only pages packed with charts, puzzles, competitions and news! How much does it cost? Just £10.37 every three months by Direct Debit – that's 20% off the shop price! How can you get it? It's simple, just choose one of these three options: 1) Call 0844 848 2852 and quote offer code W048 2) Click here to go straight to the online order form. 3) Turn to page 50 in issue 223 and fill in the paper form.
Wednesday January 27, 2010 Enter issue 223's competitions now!
Here
are the links to this month's comps and giveaways...
Stitch & Craft Show giveawayEyebright giveaway Cottage Needlecrafts giveaway Daylight giveaway Stitch & Creative Crafts Show giveaway Click here to enter our Zweigart competition. Click here to enter our Prize Crossword competition.
Tuesday January 26, 2010 Stitch your very own George Clooney!
If you missed out on our George Clooney Stitch a Star in issue 221, download the chart right here. Don't forget that the first person to send us a pic of their finished Stitch a Star each month wins a yummy prize of fabric and a chart book from Zweigart. So email us a pic when you've finished stitching George and you could be the lucky winner! And keep emailing us your Stitch a Star suggestions too!
Saturday January 23, 2010 Download your Kokeshi doll mount now! Make your very own stylish backing card for Lucie Heaton's Kokeshi doll design in issue 223. Subscribers will be receiving their copies over the next few days, and the issue will be hitting shop shelves on Thursday 28th January – don't miss out! |
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