Showing posts with label Valentine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Valentine. Show all posts

14 January 2023

Valentine Cross Stitch Freebie

 

Love is in the air and I'm celebrating the sweetness of love today with this little gift. 
 
'Sweetheart' is the perfect mini-stitch to decorate a Valentine's Day card for your sweetheart, an Engagement card, Wedding invitation, gift tag or just because you like it and want it for your self. All you need to do is download the chart from my website and then raid your stitchy stash.

If you like this project and want something bigger in a similar style you may like my design 'Treasured Love' which is available for purchase in my shop.


10 January 2023

Celebrating Love

 

If you're looking for a cross stitch project to celebrate ❤️LOVE❤️ then my 'Treasured Love' design is perfect for Valentine's Day, a Silver Wedding Anniversary Celebration, Wedding Gift or in Memoriam of someone special. It's available for instant download in my shop.

Treasured Love is 96 x 96 stitches (6.9 x 6.9 inches) when stitched on 14 count cream Aida or 6 x 6 inches on 16 count. Thread used is DMC. 
 
An alphabet chart is not included in the chart pack because there is already a large library of cross stitch alphabets available online and in publications.

5 February 2022

Free Cross Stitch Chart called ‘Sweetheart’

Here’s a sweet little freebie stitch project for the weekend.  A perfect mini stitch to decorate a greeting card, invitation or gift tag for Weddings, Mother’s day or Valentine’s day.

If you like this project and want something bigger in the same style then head over to my Etsy shop where you will be able to purchase ‘Treasured Love’.

#weediflowercreations #xstitch #crossstitch #crossstitchersofinstagram #flosstube #crossstitchfreebie #wedding #valentine #mothersday



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26 January 2021

Valentine Bunting and Heart Motif


I'm celebrating the crochet love this evening by sharing my new pattern with you in time for your Valentine's Day preparations.   

While the Valentine Bunting and Heart Motif were created with Valentine's Day in mind, they are also perfect for engagement, wedding and anniversary decorating or gift ideas.

You'll find the pattern FREE to download on my website,  just click the image and you'll be taken straight to it.  Wishing you lots of fun making these.

With love,

Karen x


27 May 2020

Chatting about Pear Upside-Down Cake, Tadpoles and Romantic Hearts Crochet Pattern

It's been busy around here since the last blog post on Wednesday last week.  I'm never at a loss of having things to keep me busy thanks to being craft and book mad and that's not changed much while we are in lockdown.  I don't know about you but I often have trouble stopping for a break (and sometimes lunch) when I get in full swing with something, especially if it's something outside in the garden.  Total awareness of time disappears when i'm out there pottering about.

Work on my upcoming crochet blanket pattern has been going at a great pace and alongside this i've been having loads of inspiration coming through for other patterns for later in the year.  The release day for the pattern for the Gemstone Blanket titled 'Energised' is Wednesday next week so keep an eye out for the announcements. 

What a great way to start the day on Monday..........with a rainbow in my teacup :-)


Speaking of colours; what about the colour of these Snapdragons?  Aren't they delicious?  These are self-sown from last year's crop so a nice surprise to see then popping up amongst the 'Love in the Mist' I showed you last week.  Swiping through the photos on my phone on Thursday and coming across this one,  I had this silly little poem compose itself in my head.  It turns out it was useful in cheering a few people up, and an appropriate reminder to me later on in the day when I had a meltdown over the sink being filled with dishes yet again when the washer was empty.
"Try not to be snappy like a Snapdragon today, 
instead find some time to be silly and play.
If you can't do that then find a hook,
to go with some yarn, 
or a nice chunky book."


Last Friday saw the one year anniversary of the last episode of Game of Thrones.  What a night that was and what an ending!  It was fun seeing that memory popping up in my Facebook feed, but let's face it, it's not always great in flashing up memories that are actually lovely.  Some of them have been inappropriate or unfortunate for being referred to as a memory you might want to be reminded of.



More baking again this week.  This
time an upside-down cake combination inspired by the can of pears in the cupboard combined with an urge to bake. Traditionally this cake is made using pineapple rings and sliced glace cherries but I didn't have any of them on hand and I was in the mood for a bit of experimenting.

Many of you asked for the recipe in response to the photograph of the cake on Facebook and Instagram.  I was reluctant to do that because i'd used a recipe out of a book.

However, I did rummage through my own handwritten gathering of recipes for the upside-down recipe I knew I had, and which i'd be able to share with you in good conscience.

Wouldn't you know it, the ingredients are the same.  So here is the recipe, with my own bits added for Upside-Down Cake.



 ******************************************************************************
Pear Upside-Down Cake 

1 400g can Pear Halves or fruit of your choice.
125g Self-raising Flour
125g Baking Margerine or Butter
125g Castor Sugar
2 Large Eggs
1 tsp Baking Powder
1tsp Vanilla Essence
Note:  (For this Pear version of the cake I added 1 tsp Ground Ginger to the mixture instead of the Vanilla because it's a good combination with Pears.  If you make a version with Pineapple or other fruit, I don't think Ginger will work well for flavour, so use Vanilla Essence instead.)

To make:

Preheat oven to 180˚C Fan
Line a 20cm round baking tin.

Beat eggs.

Cut pear halves into slices, but not too thin.



Put all the ingredients into a mixing bowl and beat until the batter is pale and creamy.

Arrange the slices of  pear onto the bottom of the cake tin, then place the batter on top and level it out.

Bake for 25 minutes or until the knife comes out clean when inserted into the cake.  Note: The knife tip may have moisture on it from the fruit, but you will see the difference between this and unbaked cake batter.

Leave to cool before turning the cake out onto a plate. 

Enjoy x

 ******************************************************************************

The tadpoles in our garden pond are doing well and have begun to develop their little legs, which you may be able to see in this picture.  As you can imagine it's difficult do photograph them because the minute I get close to the pond surface they dash away and hide.  There aren't as many as there were right at the very beginning when they first hatched, but there's still plenty of them to ensure a lively population amongst the ivy in the flower beds in a few weeks time.


Regretably i've not been on the ball with planting seeds into propagators this year so i've sown directly this time.  Yesterday the winds had died down so being outside was pleasant once again, allowing me to get stuck in with sowing,  sorting out the compost, tidying up the pots and re-potting some plants that needed more space.  One of them was a succulent that had been growing in the conservatory and which took a tumble off the window sill because it had become so lanky and top heavy.  Sadly quite a few of it's petals (are they called petals?) broke off but it's still okay, has a larger pot and the addition of some skewers to keep it upright until it settles it's roots.

Seeds sown in the giant pots yesterday were tomatoes, spinach and radishes.  In previous years we've planted much more, but with no longer having the raised beds because our dog loved to scamper through and 'water' them, we've had to use giant pots instead which has changed what we plant.  I would like to change this in future because we do miss growing our own vegetables.

The twigs you see here are to prevent birds and the resident squirrels from scratching about in the new soil and compost in the giant pots - or so I hoped.  This morning I came out to find that there had indeed been some disturbance, so all going as planned the mesh that's now been added will prevent this from happening again until the plants are well on their way.




Last week I decided to surprise you all with another free crochet pattern called the Romantic Hearts Square.  It's an oldie but a goodie that i've given a bit of a revamp. If you didn't see the release announcement, not to worry because it's waiting for you here


Monday was Bank Holiday and an unexpected surprise filled the sky that afternoon.  Isnt' it great?  It was thanks to Pilot Rich Goodwin.  You can read about him and why he did it here



In closing, a reminder that i'm aiming to release the pattern for the Gemstone Blanket titled 'Energised' on Friday this week so keep an eye out for the annoucements here and on Facebook and Instagram. 

Wishing you a good week.
Stay well and safe,
K x

23 May 2020

Romantic Hearts Crochet Square





Another oldie but a goodie.  I first created this design eight years ago but was never entirely pleased with it, namely because of the yarn used at the time.  

I really wanted to update the pattern and change the yarn, so I did and here it is as a surprise freebie in the middle of May 2020.  I've renamed it 'Romantic Hearts' because it's perfect for anytime of year and any occassion, not just for Valentine's Day.

Note: The completed square measures 19cm.








#karenwiederholddesigns #romanticheartsgrannysquare #crochet #grannysquare #crochetblanket

5 February 2013

Wreath for Valentine's Day - Free Project




A wreath is not just for the December/Winter festive season, they can be for any time of year or festivity and i'm a big fan of bringing the season or festivity into my home with a wreath hanging on either a door or in the window.  So here we have a beaded and bejewelled wreath for Valentine's day, but it can be hung all year in your bedroom for that touch of femininity and romance.


You will need,
Small willow wreath
Transparent, hollow plastic heart
Feathers
Spool of silver jewellery wire
Assortment of clear and pearlescent beads
1 metre fuchsia chiffon ribbon
White satin cord/piping/ribbon


To make,
1. Tie length of satin cord through the top of the wreath for hanging.  

2. Thread all the beads on to the silver wire, keeping the wire attached the  spool
     to prevent the beads sliding off.  Then securing the end of wire around a twig with a 
     few twists, begin to wind the beaded strand around the wreath as many times as you 
     choose, feeding beads along the wire a few at a time and unwinding the spool as you go. 
     Make sure you disperse the beads evenly around the wreath during winding.  Once you 
     have finished winding, snip wire from spool, pouring left over beads on the wire into a 
     container.

3. Fill the hollow heart with the feathers and close.  Thread a length of ribbon through the loop
     in the top then through the centre of the wreath, tying in a bow around the cord to secure.

4. Tie sections of ribbon round the wreath and trim ends.


26 January 2013

Free Project: Valentine's Day Card





Fancy making a card for your love?  




1 white card blank
4” x 3.5” piece purple cardstock 
4” x 1” piece hot pink  cardstock
3 pink mini brads
4” length pearl strand
5” length fuchsia chiffon ribbon
4” length ivory lace
Translucent Fimo,  number 014

To make the heart:  Take a thumb sized piece of fimo and warm between your palms for pliability.     Roll into a ball, then on a flat surface roll into a sausage measuring 10” in length.  Cut in half, lie side by side and then twist one pair of  ends around each other.  Bend the sections into heart shape and then twist the remaining pair of ends around each other.  Bake as per packaging instructions.
Mount three brads in a even spaced line down the left hand edge of the purple piece.  Glue this to the front of the card.

Adhere the pink piece along the bottom edge of the purple piece, then cover the join of these two pieces with the lace.

Using wet glue dots, attach the pearl strand across the lace.

Tie a ribbon around the heart and glue this to the card with super glue.


© Karen Wiederhold

25 January 2012

Valentine's Day Card



 
1 white card blank
4” x 3.5” piece purple cardstock 
4” x 1” piece hot pink  cardstock
3 pink mini brads
4” length pearl strand
5” length fuchsia chiffon ribbon
4” length ivory lace
Translucent Fimo,  number 014

To make the heart:  Take a thumb sized piece of fimo and warm between your palms for pliability.     Roll into a ball, then on a flat surface roll into a sausage measuring 10” in length.  Cut in half, lie side by side and then twist one pair of  ends around each other.  Bend the sections into heart shape and then twist the remaining pair of ends around each other.  Bake as per packaging instructions.
Mount three brads in a even spaced line down the left hand edge of the purple piece.  Glue this to the front of the card.


Adhere the pink piece along the bottom edge of the purple piece, then cover the join of these two pieces with the lace.

Using wet glue dots, attach the pearl strand across the lace.

Tie a ribbon around the heart and glue this to the card with super glue.



© Karen Wiederhold





7 February 2011

Free Project: Bejewelled Valentine Wreath



A wreath is not just for the December/Winter festive season, they can be for any time of year or festivity and i'm a big fan of bringing the season or festivity into my home with a wreath hanging on either a door or in the window.  So here we have a beaded and bejewelled wreath for Valentine's day, but it can be hung all year in your bedroom for that touch of femininity and romance.


You will need,
Small willow wreath
Transparent, hollow plastic heart
Feathers
Spool of silver jewellery wire
Assortment of clear and pearlescent beads
1 metre fuchsia chiffon ribbon
White satin cord/piping/ribbon


To make,
1. Tie length of satin cord through the top of the wreath for hanging.  

2. Thread all the beads on to the silver wire, keeping the wire attached the  spool
     to prevent the beads sliding off.  Then securing the end of wire around a twig with a 
     few twists, begin to wind the beaded strand around the wreath as many times as you 
     choose, feeding beads along the wire a few at a time and unwinding the spool as you go.  
     Make sure you disperse the beads evenly around the wreath during winding.  Once you 
     have finished winding, snip wire from spool, pouring left over beads on the wire into a 
     container.

3. Fill the hollow heart with the feathers and close.  Thread a length of ribbon through the loop
     in the top then through the centre of the wreath, tying in a bow around the cord to secure.

4. Tie sections of ribbon round the wreath and trim ends.