I've Been Inked!

Wow it's been a busy few weeks.

Printing, packing, mailing, working out, cooking... notice what's missing? Stitching. I haven't touched a needle in two weeks - and I've been on holidays. WHAT is wrong with me??? The desire is there but time is elusive!


I've been on holiday from the butcher shop since Saturday, but have yet to just relax. We went up north for the weekend, and got to visit with friends and family up there which was nice. Monday was spent running around and getting charts printed and packed. Tuesday (my actual birthday) was more printing, packing and running around, dinner with Mom, Dad and Nate, and then planning my tattoo, which I got yesterday. I'm so proud of Nate, he did a fantastic job. :) 

Here is what it currently looks like. Nate did a little bit of outlining in blue to show me it looks better - he's right, and I will be going back so he can finish that up in a few weeks. He also wants to make the fade from blue to purple more gradual. And apparently (not that I can see them) there are a few spots where the ink didn't take as well so he wants to go over those. I think he was afraid of hurting me - I'm his momma after all. I've got him working on some ideas for filligree or maybe vines and flowers to come out from the sides eventually. Just a note - it's addictive. I'm already plotting out several more I want to have done. :D I chose a butterfly because it symbolizes change, and I'm going through a whole metamorphosis of my own right now.

Today I'm going to relax and attempt some stitching after my workout, then off to dinner with my cousin. Tomorrow is shopping for some new clothes that actually fit (not into my size 4-6 stuff yet, but everything else I have is HUGE) AND I'm getting my hair chopped off. Thinking of going really short for something different - kind of follows along with my whole transformation. :) Then possibly going up north (further north that is) for the weekend before heading back to work on Tuesday, though I may forego that and just spend the weekend at home relaxing and getting some design work done.

I FINALLY got all the prize packs sent out on Tuesday. So sorry to take so long but it's been, well, crazy is the only way to describe it!

A Warning About Eterna Silks

There is nothing wrong with the thread, I'll start off with that. It's a decent quality, low priced filament silk and it is lovely to use. HOWEVER...

I don't know if they've gone out of business or what, since there is no statement to that effect on their website, but they no longer respond to emails or contact requests via their website at all. And of course there is no longer a phone number listed on their site either.

The last few orders I placed were a bit slow, but they did arrive eventually, so I let this most recent one go too - my own stupidity because now I'm out $70 and can't get it back through paypal. This last order was placed on February 15. I got an order confirmation, the money was withdrawn from my account (so she obviously accepted the payment) and nothing since then. I've emailed at least a dozen times, probably more, and have had no response at all. I've just emailed again, but it's doubtful I'll hear anything back.

If the threads were for me, I wouldn't be as upset, but they're for my aunt. So now I'll have to go out of my pocket to refund her money.

Funny thing is that I warned her and urged her to use Silk Mill threads instead (again filament silk, though better quality) because they are much better to deal with even though they're pricier. 

ARGH!!!

On a happier note, my stitching mojo has returned. Now it's not a factor of wanting to stitch, it's finding the time to actually do it!!

And the Winners Are....

First, happy Mother's Day Everyone! It's sheer coincidence that I picked today to hold the draw, but serendipitous no less!

So here goes....

The 1st prize winner of one of each of my charts is.... Jo who can't think of a clever nickname! (a nickname I love btw).

The 2nd prize winner of 5 of my charts of her choice is... Orlythe.

And the 3rd prize winner or 2 of my charts of her choice is... Krista.

Congratulations to the winners! Please email me at northernexpressionsneedlework@gmail.com to work out details. :)

Thank you to all who entered!

I'm off now to mom's for mother's day, but I will get to the emails in the morning - so don't panic if you don't hear from me right away! :)

Wow, 100 followers!

I just noticed I now have 100 followers!

In celebration, I'm going to have a giveaway. :) It's also in celebration of my birthday which is coming up later this month - and since I'm turning 40, I WON'T be celebrating, so everyone else can instead. lol

There will be three prize packs:

First prize (first name drawn) will receive a package with one of each of my current published designs (including a copy of Just Cross Stitch containing Tulip).

Second Prize (second name drawn) will receive a package with five of my designs (your choice).

Third Prize (third name drawn) will receive a package with 2 of my designs (your choice).

To enter, you need to be a follower of my blog (new followers are welcome to enter) and post a comment below.

I will be drawing the winners on Sunday, May 13th at noon EST. :)

Good luck, everyone!

In other news... the weather here has turned hot and humid suddenly. We've gone from early spring weather (cool and damp) to mid summer weather (hot and damp) overnight. Where did spring go??

In the interest of sharing everything between us, my beloved Jon has shared with me his awful cold. I had been keeping it at bay for two weeks and thought I had successfully avoided it, even last night I felt alright, apart from a bit of a chill. Today I feel like a mass of phlegm has invaded and I ache from head to toe. UGH. Hopefully with all this healthy eating it'll pass quickly!

On the diet front, I haven't weighed myself lately - I really must pick up a scale - so I'm not sure how it's going. My clothes feel looser, so that's a good sign!

In stitching news... I've been trying to overcome the loss of mojo. I started a birth sampler for a friend's newborn little girl. I converted Hearts Entwined into a birth announcement, and am stitching it in a softer palette (pale pink, green and white AVAS) on 36ct Flax. It's sort of coming. I've got the top band done and the top border. If I feel up to it I might try to stitch some later today. Still waiting on some colours to be sorted out for some new designs so I can get some more models underway. Other than that it's been pretty stagnant on the stitching front. The desire is there the will isn't. Hopefully this passes quickly too!

Have a great weekend everyone. :)