"Grow Your Blog" event - hosted by Vicki at 2 Bags Full

"Grow Your Blog" hosted by Vicki at 2 Bags Full

Hello, readers!  Today, I am blogging about something a bit different.  I am participating in an event called "Grow Your Blog," hosted by Vicki over at 2 Bags Full.  It is a way for bloggers to reach out and meet other bloggers and other readers.  So, to start with, since I (hopefully?) have some first-time readers here, let me tell you about myself and my blog!

My name is Erin.  I am a twenty-eight year old veterinarian living in Boston.  I work at a research institution in Cambridge.  My official title is a veterinary postdoctoral fellow, which means that I spend my days reading through research protocols and journals, writing papers, and performing benchtop experiments in our lab.  I am also working on a PhD, and I am in my third year of both programs.

That's the boring stuff.  The fun stuff is, I also love crafting!  My great-grandmother (who has since passed away) taught me how to cross stitch when I was about ten years old.  I remember going through her stash at her house in Green Valley, Arizona, and picking out floss colors for my first sampler - it was two anthropomorphized rabbits standing in a field, à la "American Gothic."

Since then, I have continued to stitch all sorts of things under the sun!  In college and in vet school, I used cross stitching as a way to relax after hours and hours of studying, but over the past year or so, my hobby has really kicked into high gear.  I made my favorite finish to date, Teresa Wentzler's "Egyptian Sampler," and I have branched out into designing my own patterns, such as this Byzantine-inspired Christmas ornament.  I have sent handmade items all over the place: to Boston, to Kansas, to Minnesota, and to Italy!  I have also spent a lot of time working on my knitting skills, and I have no qualms about taking out my needles and working on a hat in the middle of rush hour on a busy subway train.

This blog details my crafting life.  Here, I write about my works in progress and my finishes, and I throw in the occasional free pattern and photo shoot.  If you want to see some pretty stitching, take a minute and browse through my 2012 finishes!

To thank you for browsing through my site, I am also offering a free giveaway!  I will send a free cross stitched cupcake keychain to one lucky reader who comments on this post.  So, if you like what you read here, please let me know, and you could receive a little gift for your trouble!

Cupcake keychain - free to one lucky commenter!

And, finally, because I am a veterinarian, yes, I have to include an obligatory word about my cat, Orange "Julius" Caesar.  He is an eight-year-old male (neutered) domestic shorthair - and he is an orange kitty, and yes, they are the best kitties.  :)  Keeping him away from my needlework is a never ending battle.

Orange "Julius" Caesar - my orange kitty!

So, thanks for stopping by and checking out my little corner of the blogosphere.  I hope you enjoyed it!

Have a great day!

Cheers,
-Erin

Happy New Year!

Hello, readers!

Now, I should start this post off by saying that in 2013, I resolve to stitch more.  Toward the end of 2012, I got a little... overwhelmed... with knitting, and I kind of neglected y'all over here because literally ALL I was doing was making brain hats, so... I apologize.  Now that I am caught up on orders, I promise to keep you guys updated with juicy stitching tidbits again!

So, to ring in the new year, I am going to show you my favorite finish of 2012, now that I have had time to get it framed.  Here is "Egyptian Sampler" by Teresa Wentzler!

"Egyptian Sampler" by Teresa Wentzler - finished and framed!

I chose a green and gold frame for this beauty because I liked the way it looks with the papyrus leaf stitching in the border.  I framed this at an awesome shop out in Brookline called The Framers' Workshop.  You take your piece in with you, and the gurus help you pick out a matching frame and matting, etc.  Then, they cut the frame for you, and they show you how to assemble the frame and frame your piece - all by yourself (WAY cheaper than taking it to a traditional frame shop)!  I had a Groupon for $100, so my total for framing two pieces and getting a mat cut for my friend Jenn was about $40 out of pocket ($140 pre-Groupon).

"Two pieces?" you say.  Yes, two - because I also picked out a lovely little whitewashed/distressed frame for "A Day at the Beach."  Here it is!

"A Day at the Beach" by Nikki Leeman - also finished and framed!

The Framers' Workshop is really an awesome place to go for framing, and there were also a bunch of "real" artists there getting their work framed, so it's legit.  :)  My only suggestion would be to go on a weekday if possible - we went on a Saturday afternoon and had to wait in line for about an hour and a half because the employees can only help two customers at once.  But if you are reading this, and you are in the Boston/New England area, you should definitely check it out!

I also received my first Etsy order for the year - and I have been commissioned to stitch a beautiful Santa with a few majestic polar bears!  I am super excited to start this piece, so I will post pics as soon as I receive it from my buyer.  Check back for updates and for progress on my other WIPs - 2012 was a great year for my budding little business, and I am looking forward to 2013!

Until later,
-Erin
Less Bitching, More Stitching!