When Duncan visited Seattle recently, he stayed with a Search Marketing associate of his, [CEO of SEOmoz - Rand Fishkin](http://www.seomoz.org/team/randfish) and his wife Geraldine.

While he was there they visited [Archie McPhee](http://www.mcphee.com/) a store who’s tag line is ‘slightly less disappointing than other companies!’ The store sells [Yodelling Pickles](http://www.mcphee.com/items/11761.html) – I can’t wait to go visit myself at some point!
Geraldine bought a jar of fake eyeballs.. which I wish Duncan had photographed! Not least because we decided that it would make the perfect thank you card!

The photo’s not great, but the iris is done using buttonhole stitch, the pupil a french knot and the red blood-shotness is fly stitch.

Since making my own eyeballs I found some kits over at [Creative Kismet](http://blog.creativekismet.com/2009/05/20/getting-ready/) who would have thought there’d be so much call for embroidered eyeballs!

One of my favourite stories as a child was the Princess and the Pea, so I’ve been really excited by some of the projects I’ve seen around recently.

This embroidery is just so lovely, it looks so simple, which I find are often the hardest projects to do!

Over at Soulemama [this amazing project](http://www.soulemama.com/soulemama/2009/04/myprincess.html ) really captured my imagination and I’ll be saving this one up for the future

Just realised how ambiguous this is and that I didn’t properly reference the embroidery – just to clarify it’s not my work! It’s by the very talented [Georgia McDonald](http://www.flickr.com/photos/georgiamcdonald/3454882796/)!
Also after a bit of digging I’ve found [the pattern for it](http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=25472265) over at etsy – very reasonable at $5!

I can finally blog about the project I worked on through the summer.

Very good friends of ours got married in September, Duncan was best man and as they have both always been supportive of my embroidery I wanted to give them something special.

It’s from an Anchor kit called [Cheng Yang](http://www.sewandso.co.uk/cgi-bin/find/db.cgi?db=zoom&uid=&Prod_Code=178&ww=on&do=search_results).
Which by-the-by was bought from [sewandso](http://www.sewandso.co.uk/) a site I’ve bought from a few times now and have had great service..

I know it has the size on the description, but it didn’t really compute until I opened the pack
It was certainly the biggest piece I’ve ever done and it was pretty intense sewing between our wedding in June and Will and Heather’s in September.. but it was great fun to do, with the outline drawn it felt a bit like colouring in – it’s mainly long and short or satin stitch with a bit of stem stitch.

There are [other kits](http://www.sewinspiring.co.uk/acatalog/anchor_embroidery_kits.html) available in a similar style, which are quite tempting..

Tomorrow I’ll be starting on a new project. A few months ago I offered to make a batch of cards as an offering in an auction of promises to raise money for the [Light Opera group](http://www.gloc.org/) I’m a member of. I took along a few photos of cards already featured on the blog and my lot sold 3 times over.. Two girls wanted cards but the guy I’m meeting tomorrow wanted a piece of artwork, so tomorrow evening we’re meeting to decide what he would like! I’m very nervous as my designs have tended to be quite small but I’ll take a bunch of books along and see what style he likes..

It looks as though summer is finally arriving! and what better way to celebrate than to spend a lazy morning reading about two quite different but equally inspiring women!

Firstly, a fantastic piece over on [Needle'nThread](http://www.needlenthread.com/default.html) by [Trish Burr, split in to parts 1](http://www.needlenthread.com/2008/05/trish-burr-on-embroidery-books-more.html) [and two](http://www.needlenthread.com/2008/05/trish-burr-needlework-publishing-and.html)

Trish is author of one of my very favourite embroidery books [Redoute's finest flowers in embroidery](http://www.amazon.co.uk/Redoutes-Finest-Flowers-Embroidery-Milner/dp/1863512934/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1210420747&sr=1-2).
My mum bought it for me a few Christmases ago and I had to buy her a copy of her own for mother’s day in order to get my copy back!

The article is full of …..

Sorry bit of an interruption there – a big cry from the kitchen, Duncan sliced his finger rather than the cucumber.. I did everything right – wrapped the finger tightly in a clean tea towel – got him to apply pressure and hold it above his heart and then I panicked!!
I remember now I’m rubbish in an emergency!
However, a couple of plasters and control of the remote for the afternoon and I think he’ll live!

Anyway, sorry for the break – check out the piece on Trish’s book – there are some amazing photos – definitely worth taking a peak! – and she talks about how she became interested in embroidery and how she came to write these amazing books.. I’ll almost certainly be ordering her [new book](http://www.amazon.co.uk/Crewel-Surface-Embroidery-Milner-Craft/dp/1863513779/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1210513671&sr=1-4)! In fact I’ll probably have to get 2 copies!

The second piece is an interview by the lovely Lisa Lam [with the inspiring Amy Butler](http://www.sparkplugging.com/craft-boom/crafting-heroes-interview-with-amy-butler-pattern-fabric-designer-and-author-extraordinaire/#comment-1084)

Amy talks about how she got started and built up the business and has some great advice for people starting out.. I’ll be rereading and taking notes!! But the essence I think was to start simple and focussed with an etsy or ebay store to feel the market out.. which I guess I know, but I’m still experimenting to find my focus and building up the courage to try! – my wedding in 6 weeks time is a good excuse to procrastinate for now!

By the way if you like the look of Amy’s new crockery line at [Mikasa](http://www.mikasaandcompany.com/control/main) (I know I do!) there are some [closer photos here](http://poppytalk.blogspot.com/2008/04/new-amy-butler-pattern-for-mikasa.html).

A couple of happy birthdays this week!

On Thursday we went out to celebrate a friend’s birthday – we had fancy cocktails at Pigalle in Picadilly where we saw the fabulous a cappella group [The Magnets](http://www.themagnets.com/), so this card seemed fitting

and tomorrow we’re heading over to my sister’s for my niece’s Second birthday – I can’t believe she’s growing up – so much so that I went a bit mad with the number two.. [babel fish](http://babelfish.altavista.com/) was very useful for this!

I’ve also had a couple of large additions to my stash recently, we have a raffle each month at my [Guild meetings](http://www.embroiderersguild.com/). I was lucky enough to win this large bag of tapestry wools – so expect to see a change in my choice of thread..

I was also lucky enough to spot a notice on the intra-net at work offering this stack of Indian silks. The woman giving them away has had them in her loft for 10 years and couldn’t think what to do with them..

I’m not sure what I’ll use this beautiful material for either yet, so if you have any ideas they’ll be very welcome! There are 4 pieces of 2.5 m and the cream silk is 2 m – not sure of the widths..

I am so behind on this and we’re only 3 months into the challenge!
With a wedding in 3 months time, it’s only going to get worse.. but here it is:

[February's Challenge](http://sharonb.wordpress.com/2008/02/01/take-it-further-challenge-february/) was ‘What are old enough to remember?’

My initial thoughts for this were based on childhood memories of summers by the seaside.. and then something happened, something unexpected..
First of all [Barnsley beat Liverpool in the FA Cup](http://www.suzical.co.uk/blog/suzical/yoooooouuu-reds) – which you may have noticed excited me

Now what I remember is standing in the cold, watching Barnsley and generally going home to defrost and cheer ourselves up!
and then we drew Chelsea in the Quarter final.. and beat them as well!
In the build up to the Chelsea match I saw [this article](http://football.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,2262802,00.html) in the Guardian and it brought back so many memories of past glories and randomly my next thought was that’s what I remember, I should do some thing that’s Barnsley..

and you don’t get more Barnsley than Toby Tyke!

Obviously this isn’t something I’ve drawn myself, but converting a picture to embroidery is challenging in itself!
Onwards now onto March.. noticing the small things in life, I have an idea for this – I might go microscopic and use some of the very large bag of tapestry wool which I was lucky enough to win at the Embroiderer’s guild last month!