The Angels Nook: October 2005

New Rubber Stamps

It's been a while but we have added some new holiday rubber stamps to The Angels Nook. There are 9 new stamps on the site now and more will be added within the next week or so along with the new monthly specials, kits and patterns. Time to get started on all those gift tags, christmas cards and scrapbook pages you need to get done. The pictures below are just a couple of the new stamps, to see them all just go to our New Items category.

Making Candle Rings

Decorating around the house for all the upcoming holidays is fun and something I look forward to. Every year I add new things to keep it fresh, interesting and most importantly fun! Candle rings are another great way to decorate something that most people probably already have and give it some new life.

First measure around the candle you want to make the band for (thick, fat candles work best) and add about an inch (1") for turning the ends. Now choose a design to stitch. For Halloween you can use pumpkins and bats, for Thanksgiving you can use fall leaves and for Christmas use a wreath, snowman, poinsettia, gingerbread man or bells. Whatever design you choose just make sure to buy your Aida band wide enough so that the design fits. Cut the Aida band to the length needed for the candle. Fold the band in half to find your center point and stitch your design onto the band.

To attach it to your candle first turn under the ends, press and slipstitch for a clean finished edge. Then wrap the band around the candle and use either two-sided sticky tape or slipstitching to hold in place. Pretty simple huh! They also make great gifts for teachers, babysitters, coaches or anyone else you need a quick gift for.

Another way to hold the band in place is by using pins to tack it down in the back. Only use that method if no one is going to see the backs of your candles. Cute trick ; )

Important Note: These bands are for decorative use only. When burning your candle remove the band.

Happy Stitching!!

NEW!! Christmas Daydreams

The Daydreams collection is a very popular one. I'm thrilled that The Angels Nook now has christmas designs available. This collection is designed for today's woman and feature a contemporary look that is quick and easy to do. Everything you need to finish the project is included in the kit. Most designs can be easily finished in a weekend and ready to display. They also make great gifts either completed or still in kit form any stitcher would love.

Easy Sachets

Another quick and easy project is making sachets. Use them in all your clothing drawers or add a hanger to them and hang them up in your closet to keep everything smelling fresh.

Again, use small designs like an oriental symbol, a butterfly, an initial, a simple saying or a cute birdhouse. Anything you like can be used, there are no rules here. After you finish stitching your design cut your fabric to any size you want your sachet to be (I usually make them about 4" square) plus 1/2" for the seams. Now with right sides together pin the fabric to hold in place and then stitch around all sides leaving an opening on on side. Trim the corners diagonally and turn right sides out. Fill the sachet with a little filling and some potpourri and slip stitch the opening closed.

You can also make these for holiday gifts using small holiday designs. Put 3 or 4 together in a bundle and tie them up in festive ribbon. Great teacher gifts!!

Working with Waste Canvas

Working with waste canvas is great because it allows you to stitch any cross stitch design on anything from sweatshirts and baby clothes to curtains and placemats and anything in between. It really dosen't matter what fabric they are made of, almost anything can be used.

Waste canvas is an evenweave, mesh-like fabric, woven with threads stiffened with starch. To use it simply cut a piece of waste canvas at least 1 inch larger all around than the finished design. Pin the waste canvas into place on the right side of the fabric. Then using a contrasting thread, baste around the edges of the canvas and from corner to corner to hold in place.

Now stitch your design through the canvas onto the fabric, using the mesh like you would use Aida fabric. Some ideas would be to stitch angels on a shirt, fruit on placemats or kitchen curtains, stars or hearts on a denim purse, an initial on a little girls robe, a wolf on a sweatshirt, the list of things you can do goes on and on. Use your imagination and think of all the gifts you can make for the holidays.

When you have finished stitching your design, dampen the waste canvas with just a little water to soften up the starch, and then pull out the threads one by one. An easy way to do this is to use a pair of tweezers. After all the threads are removed your left with a beautiful design stitched perfectly on your fabric.

October's New Kits, Patterns & Monthly Specials

It's October and with a new month come new items and specials. This month we also added Printed Linens to our Stamped Cross Stitch category. They make a beautiful addition to any bedroom and make great gifts so think about the holidays when browsing around. Below I listed just a few of the newest items available, to see them all visit our New Items category.

Papal Tribute Counted Cross Stitch Kit
Christmas Treasures Afghan Counted Cross Stitch Kit
Gift Bearing Teddy Stocking Counted Cross Stitch Kit
Snow Fun Stocking Stamped Cross Stitch Kit
Sweet Animal Baby Afghan Counted Cross Stitch Kit
Roses and Ivy Pillow Cases Stamped Cross Stitch
Butterfly Dreams Pillow Cases Stamped Cross Stitch
Pretty Violets Dress Scarf Stamped Cross Stitch
Angel of Dreams Counted Cross Stitch Pattern
Santa Countdown Counted Cross Stitch Pattern

Lets not forget the new monthly specials. These are all holiday related and you have plenty of time to get them done. There is a gingerbread house banner, teddy bear ornaments and a beautiful snow scene with a snowman. Click on one of the pictures below to see a full description.