Newsletters from 2008 - 2009
Dec 2007
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Mar 2007
Feb 2007
Jan 2007
Newsletters from 2006
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Seasons Greetings! I hope this newsletter finds you and your loved ones in good health and spirits, surrounded by friends and family during the holiday season. With all the snow we’ve had here in Aurora, it feels like Christmas already. We didn’t have much snow last winter, but we’ve already had two big snowstorms this month, which brought us more snow than we had all last winter. Between walks in the park and snowshoeing, I’m enjoying all this snow!
This month’s Cross Stitch Tip & Trick of the month is to tell you about an exciting new product from Charles Craft. It’s called Carolina Linen. It blends the characteristics of linen with the qualities of the finest cotton to create the new, elegant Carolina Linen™ needlework fabric. Available in two different colours – Sand (different shades of brown mixed together) and Salt (a bright white). Carolina Linen comes in a 14 count easy-to-stitch Aida fabric, as well as a 28 count non-intimidating Evenweave. Give your special cross stitch project a unique look with the new Carolina Linen!
This month’s Cross Stitch Tip & Trick of the month is about making your own Christmas ornaments. Let someone know how special he or she is to you by making a handmade ornament. Then every year, he or she will have special memories to recall when they hang the ornament on the Christmas tree. Whether you give them away as gifts, or keep them for yourself, write down on the ornaments the year they were made and your name.
To make simple Christmas ornaments, find a small circular frame. These frames allow you to make Christmas ornaments quickly and easily. Cross stitch your pattern and place it in the decorative frame. Place a piece of stiff cardboard behind the cross stitched aida cloth in order to keep the cross stitching in place. The piece of cardboard should come with the frame. Trim the fabric at the back of the frame. If you wish to dress up the frame a little, attach some lace to the cardboard with hot glue. To see more ways to make Christmas ornaments, please visit our Project Ideas webpage.
This month’s Cross Stitch Tip & Trick of the month is to tell you about an exciting new product from Charles Craft. It’s the NapTime Mat, made especially for small children. It has a bright yellow, water-resistant, mildew-resistant nylon backing, with a poly/cotton top that’s royal blue in colour and quilted for comfort. The edges are trimmed in bright red binding. What makes this mat special is that it is topped with a 6-count white Aida header. That’s right – it has Aida cloth built in just for you to cross stitch. Each mat comes with a free SchoolTime Alphabet, so you can cross stitch your child’s name on his or her mat. The Alphabet features bright colours and fun pictures … kids will love it!
This month’s Cross Stitch Tip & Trick of the month is about drawstring bags. Drawstring bags are very easy to make, they can be any size and have multiple purposes. They can be filled with potpourri, used to hold keepsakes or hung on the wall as decorative artwork. They make beautiful gifts that come from the heart, but usually they are so nice you won’t want to give them away. They are made with either aida cloth or another type of even weave fabric. Drawstring bags are also a good way to use any leftover fabrics, especially if the fabric has an unusual size. To see instructions on how to create your very own drawstring bag, visit our Project Ideas webpage.
This month’s Cross Stitch Tip & Trick of the month is again about adding interest to a room. You can add interest to a room by building upon a pattern that you like. Once you find a cross stitch pattern you like, take several smaller images found within the pattern and cross stitch each image as a separate piece. You have two options of how to treat these separate pieces. One option is to frame each piece and hang the frames around the original cross stitched pattern. For example, in my pattern “Best Friends and Flowers”, each flower could be cross stitched and framed individually. The second option is use the separate pieces as accent pieces, such as pillow cushions, drawstring bags, or miniature wall hangings. For example, in my pattern “You Are My Best Friend”, each phrase could be cross stitched on its own pillow cushion and placed on chairs in the same room as the original design. Both options will make the room more interesting because people will want to look around to find where the smaller images have been placed. Make it a game and see who can correctly guess how many smaller images there are in the room.
This month’s Cross Stitch Tip & Trick of the month is to introduce three new colours of Aida cloth. Called “Bright Ideas Aida”, this aida cloth is a selection of contemporary colors for the younger stitcher or for those looking to liven things up a bit. The three vibrant colours are Polar Ice, Grasshopper, and Lemon Twist. Just saying the names of the cloth sounds lively. This new aida cloth can be found in 14 count, 15x18 cuts. Bright Ideas Aida is smooth, firm and heavy enough to stitch without a hoop and is a new way to have fun when stitching.
This month’s Cross Stitch Tip & Trick of the month is to let you know what is new here at Beautiful Creations. I am pleased to announce the introduction of kits on my website. Currently, I only have two different kits on my site, but I am planning to introduce more as time goes on. I'm starting with afghan cloth kits; complete with all the supplies you need to finish the job. Plus, all kits have Free Shipping!
As a small business, excellent customer service is important to me. In April, I received an order from a customer named Linda. She told me that she was having a problem printing out one of the patterns she had ordered. I quickly figured out that the problem was with the PDF file. What did I do? I replaced her order for free and I also gave her a free pattern of her choice, just for letting me know she was having problems.
Since then, we’ve improved our PDF files. They now print out perfectly and easily. Plus, the file size has been reduced, so that all patterns are between 100 KB to 250 KB. Take a look at our free patterns, found in our Fun Extras section. The free patterns are of the exact same quality of any patterns you will buy from me.
Thanks Linda for giving me the opportunity to provide excellent customer service to you, as well as improve my product.
This month’s Cross Stitch Tip & Trick of the month is about decorating linens. Decorate and dress up plain linens such as tablecloths, napkins, pillow cases and bed sheets by cross stitching small designs on them. For ideas on patterns to use, see the patterns in my “Samplers” category. Once you have selected a pattern, or several different patterns with the same theme (ie: flowers), cross stitch them onto the linens using waste canvas. To find out how more about waste canvas and how to use it, take a look at my newsletter from September 2006. Not only will the linens look great, but it’s also an easy way to add a personal touch to your house.
It’s been very busy here at Beautiful Creations for the past two months. Busy, but exciting! I am very pleased to introduce our newly redesigned website for www.beautifulcreations.ca. One of the most exciting features is our newly integrated shopping cart. Check it out at www.beautifulcreations.ca and let me know what you think.
This month’s Cross Stitch Tip & Trick of the month is about pillow cushions. Pillow cushions can be placed anywhere – on a bed, a chair, couch or even on a bookcase. They make great gifts or treasures to be passed down to future generations. Pillow cushions can be any size, shape or colour – just find a cross stitch pattern that you like and go with it. Best of all, pillow cushions are so easy to make. To see how, visit our new Project Ideas webpage.
February’s Cross Stitch Tip & Trick of the month is about adding interest to a room by using cross stitch. One way to add interest is to take your favourite design and repeat it in real life. For example, if the design has a white blanket draped over a wooden rocking chair, then choose a room and place a white blanket over a wooden rocking chair. Next, cross stitch this design, frame it and place it in the same room as the rocking chair and blanket. The design doesn’t have to be complicated; it can be something as simple as a flower. When the design is simple, or small, just remember to place the finished cross stitch design beside the real life object. To add even more interest, repeat this idea for several small designs in the same room, or throughout the house. Have fun decorating!
Happy New Year! Here are best wishes for good health and much happiness in 2007.
January’s Cross Stitch Tip & Trick of the month is about decorating using your finished cross stitch pieces. Use your finished cross stitch pieces as art work, which can be spread throughout your home or placed together in groupings. Groupings work best when similar pieces are used, like the butterfly patterns in my “Butterflies” category. First, cross stitch and frame each design separately. Then, hang the finished pieces in a grouping. The groupings can have the individual pieces either spaced evenly from each other in a straight line (perfect for hallways or stair cases), in a shape (like a square or circle) or in a geometric pattern. Geometric patterns work best on a large empty wall and can help to create or draw attention to a focal point in the room. Keep an eye out for more decorating tips in my future newsletters.
