More new goodies on the way!

So, it is almost spring here in Central Finland. The temperatures have been above freezing both night and day for a couple of days now, and our snow is rapidly melting.

I am part of a group of artisans from Finland called the Finland Handcrafters Team. We recently added our 100th member and decided we wanted to do a group giveaway. 10 of us have pooled our efforts and will be offering items. You don't have to buy anything, but of course, we love it when you do. Some of us are making special items just for this, while others have picked favorites from their stock. I will be posting pictures over the next few days on My Needle's Song Facebook Page. You can also follow the progress on the team's Facebook Page or Blog. Either way, I will keep you all informed on what is being offered, what you have to do, and by what date.

Here's a real rough picture of the butterflies I am turning into magnets:

These will be ready later this week along with some other treats.... Thanks for stopping by!

Shhhh... Fingers Have Been Busy!

I know the silence between posts can be deafening, but.. there is always a good reason behind it. Most of the time it is because I am stitching or designing away. Lately, it has been stitching, though I do have a couple more of my own designs going into my shop this week.

I have had this small sheet of designs finished for about a week now, but I didn't want to go through the process of washing and ironing just this tiny sheet of designs. The smaller ones at the top will be made into Charmers, which are great for hanging on purses, backpacks, cellphones, or just about anyplace you need a bit of bling. Here's one of the US designs finished...

They either get attached to a lobster claw or directly to the mobile phone cord. I think I like the lobster claws better because you can clip them to more places.

The boots are an experiment, inspired by a dear friend back in Texas. Normally, I finish these tiny designs with a fabric background and a sealer. This time, I am going to try making a two-sided Charmer. It's a question of whether or not the sealer does a good enough job. I should know in just a day or so, and I will let you know how this goes. If it works well, then I will be doing more of them.

Since I didn't want to just do the one small sheet of designs, I stitched like a fiend and just barely finished 16 more message magnets, including one more Finnish design.

Other hot news.... I now have a 2nd shop open. I like Etsy as a marketplace because there is just so much there, and it is really geared towards the handcrafters. One downside is I need to relist (and pay) for the listings every 4 months. Plus, each magnet and charmer has to have its own listing. So.. I have a second shop open now at Storenvy. There is no listing fee, and I don't have to relist my items. You will see Christmas go up on Storenvy first, then on Etsy around September 1st. I will always have all of my listings up at Storenvy, where I will only have the most current ones at Etsy.

One other addition - I added storefronts right on my shop's Facebook page so that you can look and shop without ever leaving Facebook. When you decide to buy, you will be taken to the correct shop and can check out securely. Both sites take PayPal, which means you never give out your precious credit card and banking information to anyone but PayPal.

If there is a special design or message magnet you are looking for, or you want different colors than what I have done a sample in, by all means drop me a message and let me know. I can do most of the customizing for the same fee as the sample, and it should only take me 1 or 2 days to stitch your special request. I do love challenges...

And now, time to get these pieces into the wash so I can get them finished. Enjoy!!

Outstanding Service!

If you follow this blog, you know that I have been having a hard time finding certain items. I am so used to the complete needlework shops that have all the necessary items, plus spoiled by stores like Michael's and Hobby Lobby where you can find everything you need for embellishments. Here in Finland, we do have a small chain called Timari. We even have one in our small town. I can get basics like jump rings and eye pins but it is a VERY limited selection and well, expensive. For example the magnets I use for my witty little message magnets. I found 6 of them for 2 euros, or about 60 cents EACH. I used to get my magnets at Wat-Mart for about 8 cents each. I am still looking for sources on this before I resort to mail order. As I told my husband, at least I know where to get them.

But, I needed some other items to complete my tiny stitching. There is this place near Tampere (the next large town to our east) that has a lovely website. So, I decided to try them. I put an order in on Saturday the 23rd for findings and beads. We got the payment request on Monday and sent it back. My package arrived today, complete!! I didn't request any special handling or pay for rush postage. From the time we sent the payment information in to the package arriving was less than 48 hours!!! GREAT selection, outstanding service too. I will definitely be back to shop there and will make a road trip soon too.

They do ship international, folks...

Visit HelmiQ soon!!

Now just what is she making?

Here's the first crop of tiny designs. What are they going to be? Well, originally I was going to make them into small pins or button covers. The bunnies make cute earrings, too. But then... times change and our tastes for bling change. These are about the size of a US quarter. So.. you will just have to check back to see the finished products. I was hoping to have some ready by April 1st, but it may be just a few days later. 

Almost ready!!

I wanted to post a teaser picture. I completely redid the pictures for the shop this week, and am in the last stages of finishing several new additions. Here's a teaser...

The white angels will be part of Christmas. I had done them earlier while I was still in Texas and just went ahead and filled the fabric with the wizards and chubby angels. The tiny designs on the right will be turned into cellphone or bag charms. These should be online this week. Don't worry - Christmas designs won't be in the shop before September 1st. 

Until then, I am busy stitching away on a piece for my mother-in-law. I will post pictures as I have them. 

A slight change of focus...

This blog will always feature news about my Etsy Shop, but, it is also going to start being a whole lot more. I get questions from other stitchers about how to make their work better, or how to find this item or that chart. There are also a ton of websites out there that promise free charts but take your identity instead. I am also noticing a lot of needlework shops disappearing. So...

Shop news... I added a bunch of magnets about 10 days ago, and am finishing off the stitching for another group. This group will be a bit smaller, but will include one of my favorite designs - a wizard.

This is just a rough teaser of him. He still has to be washed, blocked and finished. He was originally a Christmas ornament, but he would be so cute hanging year round. Watch for him to make his shop debut very soon. While he can be finished as a magnet, he is best at his job of just hanging around from a golden cord. His wand will also be topped by a crystal.

My Etsy Shop is also now a part of the Finland Handcrafter's Team. This is a phenomenal group of artisans based in Finland that do a wide range of handwork - fine jewelry, knit goods, accessories for your home, and so very much more. I am amazed at these people, and will start showing off their shops in the next few posts. So that this blog doesn't get so cluttered (and off-topic), you can read about my finds at Handcrafted Joy

But first, why Etsy? From my standpoint (the crafter), it offers a nice platform to display my work for sale. They do take a small commission as well as a nominal listing fee, but I don't have to pay for my hosting. I get nice statistics as well. For you shoppers, you really win out on this. PayPal is the preferred method of payment, which means you shop securely without ever having to give out your payment information. I don't get your credit card or banking information ever. You also have PayPal's shopper's guarantees behind you- If you don't get your item or it isn't as I described it, you do have recourse and it is even better than using your bank card. Etsy has thousands of shops offering an incredible range of items - high fashion, accessories, home decor, craft supplies, gifts, and just about everything else you can possibly imagine. Items that say they are handmade are just that - handmade by me (or the artisan/shopowner) and not purchased from China. 

So, so yourself a favor and check out Etsy or my new blog. Easter is coming up, so you can always just search for Easter and enjoy the outstanding selection of goodies to tempt you. 

Finally, an update and new goodies going up!

Sorry it has been so long between posts. I have been busy stitching and looking for materials here in Western Finland. Stitchers (and really all crafters!) please don't ever take your local suppliers for granted. You don't realize how easy they make it for you to craft until you no longer have access to them.

Take simple stranded cotton floss, like DMC. In the states, you can find this almost everywhere. Wal-Mart carried it until a couple of years ago when they decided it wasn't a big enough profit-maker for them. Just about every town has a Michael's, Hobby Lobby, JoAnn's, or other major craft chain nearby. Don't ignore those awesome full-service needlework stores either!! I was so used to being able to just drive about 10 minutes to get my DMC floss. Well, guess what... that isn't possible here in Finland.

Finland is a small country of about 5-1/2 million. It has a strong tradition of handwork. Everywhere I go, I see lots and lots of yarn. I just don't see embroidery floss. We live about 4 hours north of the capital, out in a small area called Eura. I was complaining to my husband about my dwindling DMC stash, and he suggested we try the local fabric store. "What? They have one in this small town?" Yeah... and it is pretty good too. Problem is, no DMC floss. They carry a brand called Mayflower from Denmark. Okay. The price is reasonable and I can match the colors. Then he got to thinking - what about the yarn store in town. Great. Nice store, but only Anchor floss. So, one day last week, we went into Rauma - about 45 minute drive from our home. The yarn store there carries DMC but not all the colors. I did locate sources for fabrics, so that is great. I have both DMC and Anchor threads, so I will make out. Still... it has taken a bite out of my stitching time. We went through the same thing with the small magnets that I use. Even getting a new glue gun was a half-day search to find a store that carried it. I have just learned to keep my eyes open and to always ask. You never know what you will find where.

So, now.. on to the good news. I have 9 Wittys going on to Etsy:

These are all on soft blue 18 count fabric. I may have more of this fabric, but will probably have to order it. I have hundreds of these sayings, so if I have not stitched your favorite, I can easily do so. I also managed to find all of the finishing materials I needed for my Cutouts:

These are all stitched on 18 count cotton Aida fabric, and then treated with a finisher that seals the stitches. I then trim them close to the stitching line. Everything but the gumball machine is backed with the black pindot fabric. The angel and gumball machine have a beige muslin backing so that it doesn't show through. The angel is not a refrigerator magnet - she can be hung anywhere from the golden cord that she holds in her hands. She can also be stitched in any color you wish. The two coins are included for reference - a 2 euro coin and US quarter from left to right.

So... I promise it won't be so long between updates. Remember to visit the shop!! Even if you don't buy anything, you are allowed to like it.

Thanks for stopping by!