My Latest Release...

Hello and happy August to you all! :o)

I can't believe the summer is almost over... this year is certainly flying by! I mentioned on social media, recently, that my goal for the rest of 2019 is to catch up on releasing more of my previously published designs in my Etsy shop. I am pleased to announce that my 'Herbs Sampler', which was originally published in Issue 270 of The World of Cross Stitching magazine (August 2018) is now available here.

My 'Herbs Sampler' ~ first published in issue 270 of The World of Cross Stitching magazine,
August 2018 ~ photo credit: WOXS

This design is a personal favourite and was well received by WOXS readers last summer. I really enjoyed the process of creating an English country kitchen style sampler and was inspired by my collection of glass jars and classic blue & white china, which I decided to depict as 'flower pots' for the various herb varieties I am most familiar with (many of these grow in our home garden).

To help me get this design ready for my Etsy shop, my lovely Mum in New Zealand offered to stitch the model, as she planned to display the finished sampler in her kitchen/dining area. As you can imagine, I was more than happy to have her do that - she definitely saved me a lot of time! Mum had the model all beautifully stitched and custom framed by the time we visited NZ earlier this year, so we were able to take photos of it during our stay. I absolutely love her choice of cream aida and painted wooden frame, the combination gives the piece such a soft and delicate look. Thanks again, Mum! x

Herbs Sampler by home♥stitch♥ness

My 'Herbs Sampler' has been popular since I released the chart a few weeks ago and it's lovely to see an older design do well for a second time around. If you missed the design when it was first published in the magazine, now is your chance to stitch this pretty sampler for yourself! :o)

Enjoy the rest of your summer and - as always - happy stitching!

Jenny x

Spring Street Scene...

Hello! :o) 

I'm back again this month ~ have actually been all the way to New Zealand since my last post! My husband, children and I enjoyed a lovely summer holiday (and escaped the last of the winter here in the States - YAY!) for a few weeks. I had not been home in 3 years, so it was really good to be able to catch up with friends and family there, as well as soak up plenty of beach time! :o)

As I mentioned previously, I have a new design to share with you that I think you will love... 

'Spring Street Scene' published in the April 2018 Issue 266 of The World of Cross Stitching magazine ~ photo credit WOXS

Here it is! :o) Published in the April 2018 Issue 266 of The World of Cross Stitching magazine, it is actually one of my largest designs, so far. It is a sweet, spring themed street scene ~ inspired by fancy London neighbourhoods full of pretty painted houses with overflowing window boxes! Not to mention all the magnolia trees and wisteria vines, laden with flowers, that have become such a stunning feature in those areas every year. 

I don't know about you, but I could very happily move into any one of these cute houses! If I had to choose, I think I'd pick the blue one... :o) Who wants to move in next door to me!? ;o)

Happy stitching!

Jenny x

Inspirational Hoop Art for Kids...

Hello! And happy 2018 to you all! :o)

Here we are, it's mid February already... am not sure where the time goes? I hope you've had plenty of opportunity to get some stitching done so far, this year! :o)

I've been back to work, mostly behind the scenes, ever since the holiday season finished. I am very excited to show you my latest designs published in the March 2018 Issue 265 of The World of Cross Stitching magazine - they are definitely some of my favourites to date! ;o)

'Inspirational Hoop Art' published in the March 2018 Issue 265 of The World of Cross Stitching magazine ~ photo credit WOXS

I love everything about this little scene - the vintage toys and books really complement the hoop art. These bright and colourful designs will appeal to kids of any age and stage - you can stitch them for the little adventurers and explorers in your life! :o)

March 2018 Issue 265 of The World of Cross Stitching magazine

To my surprise, I was featured again on the front cover of this issue - something I don't think I will ever quite get used to! At the same time - such a thrill! :o) I'll be back again next month with another design for WOXS that I think you are going to love... I certainly enjoyed creating it! ;o)

Take care and as always - happy stitching!
Jenny x

The Festive Season...

Hello again, friends!

I must say, it does feel good to be dusting away the cobwebs from my blog and writing posts once again. Can you believe it is November already!?! The pumpkins are now disappearing and Christmas decorations are starting to take their place... I haven't decided when I will put up our Christmas tree, yet. As much as I like to make my autumn decor last through until after Thanksgiving, it's a funny time of year as it really starts to feel a lot more like winter than fall.

I am excited to tell you about my latest collection of designs published in the latest December Issue 262 of The World of Cross Stitching magazine - a set of six Nautical Christmas Ornaments! 

Set of six 'Nautical Christmas Ornaments' published in the December 2017 Issue 262
of The World of Cross Stitching magazine ~ photo credit WOXS

Having grown up in New Zealand, where Christmas is a summer holiday, I still like to reminicse over warm days spent at the beach at this time of year. It was quite an adjustment for me, getting used to celebrating Christmas in the winter, and I still like to decorate our home with both winter and summer themed ornaments. This collection, to me, is a perfect mix of both! And not only that, they are perfect for the many stitchers who live near the coast. I am eager to get started on stitching these, myself - I think I might hoop them up for our tree with some red pom-pom trim! 

I hope you'll enjoy stitching these, too! :o)
Jenny x

A Busy Year...

Hi friends!

How are you all? I hope this finds you well and that you've had lots of time for stitching throughout 2017. It has been a very busy year for me and I have not updated this blog in such a long time (which is a bit naughty of me - sorry!) It's hard to know where to begin - so much has happened since my first design was published in The World of Cross Stitching magazine, a little over a year ago. I have become a regular designer for WOXS, which has been an amazingly wonderful experience, and through this opportunity I have met many more lovely stitchers, as well. I have plans to start featuring some of your work here on my blog. I already share a lot of work-in-progress and/or finished project photos on my social media accounts (Facebook and Instagram are where you can mostly find me these days) but I was thinking a special 'gallery wall' here might be an extra special feature! :o)

In the meantime, I thought I'd do a bit of a summary of the past twelve months... starting with the British version of my signature 'Four Seasons' samplers, which was published in the special 250th Issue of The World of Cross Stitching magazine! I was absolutely thrilled to create this design as it is such a fun one to stitch. Done in the same style/layout as my New Zealand and Australian versions, it has lots of sweet little scenes making up the overall sampler. This pattern is actually now available in my Etsy shop and as a little treat, I will be offering a discount code towards the end of this post, so keep reading... ;o)

'British Four Seasons Sampler' published in the January 2017 Issue 250
of The World of Cross Stitching magazine ~ photo credit WOXS

'Lavender and Daisy Wreath' published in the August 2017 Issue 257
of The World of Cross Stitching magazine ~ photo credit WOXS

Next up was another variation in my collection of floral heart designs, a pretty 'Lavender and Daisy Wreath' published in the August 2017 Issue 257 of The World of Cross Stitching magazine. I especially love how beautifully the team at WOXS finished the model in French country style - the lace framing the hoop is absolutely gorgeous and the purple ribbon literally 'ties it all together'. These floral hearts are such a joy to create and continue to be very popular!










Perhaps my favourite project so far has been my 'Dreamy Retro Kitchen' design, published in the September 2017 Issue 258 of The World of Cross Stitching magazine. This was especially fun to work on, as it is based on my kitchen at home, right down to the colours! I love British kitchen ware and have gathered quite a collection of both new and vintage items, over the years. We even have a ruby red stand mixer, just like the one featured! The really neat thing about a design like this, is that you can mix and match the thread colours to suit your own kitchen decor, so the possibilities are endless! :o)

'Dreamy Retro Kitchen' published in the September 2017 Issue 258 of
The World of Cross Stitching magazine ~ photo credit WOXS

The October 2017 Issue 259 of The World of Cross Stitching magazine featured my set of four 'Sewing Accessories' including a pincushion, needlebook, scissor fob and notebook cover. I love the soft, layered look of each piece and I enjoyed 'scattering' some pearl beads across each notion to add to the pretty 'antique' style of the collection ~ I think they turned out really well. 

 

   

'Sewing Accessories' published in the October 2017 Issue 259 of The World of Cross Stitching magazine ~ photo credit WOXS

And, most recently, I designed these two lovely autumn posies for the November 2017 Issue 260 of The World of Cross Stitching magazine. These designs celebrate the classic blooms we all identify with late summer/early autumn - the colours are rich and vibrant and they make the perfect pair of stitched decorations for the season!

'Autumn Posies' published in the November 2017 Issue 260 of
The World of Cross Stitching magazine ~ photo credit WOXS

So, there you have it - a selection of the designs that have been keeping me busy this year! I also have a couple of new patterns that I released this year for home♥stitch♥ness, so I will post about those soon, too. In the meantime, if you read this far, well done! And don't worry, I haven't forgotten that I mentioned a discount code... ;o) From now until the end of 2017, you can receive 40% off your entire purchase in my Etsy shop by using the coupon code THANKYOU2017  ... this is my way of thanking each and every one of you for your support of my work. It truly is a dream come true to be able to stay at home with my children while doing what I love - cross stitch - and it is you, my stitching friends, that help to make it all possible. In a nutshell - you are awesome!!! :o)

We'll catch up again, soon! As always, happy stitching...

Jenny x

Special Thanks to The World of Cross Stitching Magazine...

Hello friends! And a warm welcome to everyone who has found me here over the past week or so! As many of you will already know, I have some big news to share...

The World of Cross Stitching magazine Issue #247 November 2016

Last week, the November Issue #247 of The World of Cross Stitching magazine went on sale in the UK... and I am featured! It has taken a little while for it to actually sink in, even though I've been preparing for this all year - it is quite surreal. To see my work in print is an incredible feeling - and yes, that is me on the front cover! ;o)

The World of Cross Stitching magazine, Issue #247 November 2016

I am absolutely thrilled that my first design for WOXS is now published. As you can see, it is a Christmas themed pattern of a festive heart shaped wreath. If you've been following along for a while, you will know how much I love designing these pretty little heart shaped wreaths! ;o) I spent a lot of time on this design, making sure it was perfect and I hope many of you will enjoy stitching it as much as I enjoyed creating it! :o) 

This opportunity really is a dream come true for me and I wish to say a very special thank you to the Editor, Ruth, who has made it all possible and has been absolutely wonderful to work with over the past year! I am so grateful to the the entire team at WOXS for including me in their fabulous magazine! Make sure to pick up a copy so you can get a head start on your Christmas projects this year with The World of Cross Stitching magazine! :o) And, if you are outside the UK and can't wait for the hard copy to arrive in your country, there is always the digital option! Available for iPad in the AppStore: http://bit.ly/1mRnSBG or for Android: http://bit.ly/1tn7DAH or at Zinio.com . 

As always, happy stitching!
Jenny x