The World In Stitches Geometric Heart Cross Stitch

If you read my cross stitch posts, you might remember those colourful modern cross stitch kits from The World In Stitches that I was raving about around a month or so ago. I'd picked up four new kits- two mandalas, a geometric heart, and a geometric square made up of lots of little geometric squares, and couldn't wait to get started.

Well, I've already completed the two geometric kits, and I've got the first one to show you today. (Technically, it's the second one I made, but it's the first one I have ready to share).

If you hadn't already guessed, this is the geometric heart, which is without a doubt one of the most fun and colourful cross stitches I've ever made. It was also one of the most enjoyable, because I got to play with a whole rainbow of coloured threads- and you guys all know how much I love to play with colour!

It was an easy little project to stitch because the entire design is made up simple colour-blocked triangles, and just a handful of single stitches. Once I got used to the sequence, I barely even needed to refer to the chart as I went along, and I actually found the simplicity and repetition really therapeutic.

It took me just over a week to finish it by putting in an hour or two at a time, along with a couple of five or six hour stints where I sewed rainbow triangles for hours on end. If I'd stepped up my game and dedicated more time in each sitting, it could've easily been made in just a few days, so it's a great short-term project if you want to cross stitch something without months or years of commitment.

I'm so pleased with how well my attempt turned out. I  love the end result,and how bold and colourful it is; it's so different to anything I've ever made before, and I definitely need to make more designs like it in the future. I still need to get it framed, but it's going to look great on the wall when I do, brightening up the room with that explosion of colour.

The kit includes almost everything you need to make the geometric heart- thick 14 count white aida, beautiful pre-sorted DMC threads, a needle, a colourful and easy to follow chart printed on thick, good quality paper, an image of what the completed cross stitch will look like, and even a beginner's guide to cross stitching to help you get started. You'll just need to get your hands on an embroidery hoop, embroidery scissors, and something to cross the chart off with as you go along. The entire kit is fantastic quality down to the paper the information is printed on, and I'm personally impressed given it's small price tag of just £8.49. It's amazing value for money!

If you're thinking of giving this cross stitch kit a go, I honestly couldn't recommend it to you more. It's perfect for beginners and pros alike, and the pattern is even simple enough for anyone who has never cross stitched a stitch before in their life to follow easily. I promise you'll quickly get the hang of it, and you'll enjoy making it!

You can find the geometric heart cross stitch kit over on The World In Stitches' Amazon and Etsy stores, along with lots of other gorgeous cross stitch kits and patterns.

I'll be back to show you the finished geometric squares cross stitch really soon.

Have you crossed stitched anything lately? Are there any other craft projects you've been making?

You Might Also Like
The World In Stitches Colourful Geometric Cross Stitch Kits
Hobbycraft Flamingo Cross Stitch Hoop Kit

My Colourful Patchwork Home Sweet Home Sampler
My Easter Cross Stitch 2016
My Merry Christmas Patchwork Cross Stitch Sampler

My Christmas Cross Stitch Makes 2016
My Christmas Cross Stitch Makes 2015
Operation Cross Stitch

Wednesday Wish List

This week I've been coveting...

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These beautiful hand-painted, laser-cut wooden woodland animal brooches and necklaces from Layla Amber. The foxes are my favourites, obviously. The designs kind of remind me of The Animals of Farthing Wood.

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These gorgeous Hepburn dresses from Lady Vintage.

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I love Erstwilder's new 'Nihon Journey' collection of jewellery inspired by Japanese culture.

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These dresses from Lindy Bop are all perfect. Those prints! Those colours! I'm sold!

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These colourful holographic and rainbow sequin make up bags from Skinny Dip are too cute.

Skinnydip Banana Make Up Bag

I also really love this banana print make up bag from Skinny Dip, It would be perfect for taking on Summer travels.

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I'm completely smitten with these two bright and cheerful Collectif swing dresses. I need them in my Summer wardrobe.

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Look how pretty these Collectif parasols are! I wouldn't have the guts to use one as a fashion accessory, but I'd love to buy them for home decor.

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And last but not least, I'm loving Kate Spade's range of cacti bags and purses. They're all so beautiful!

If you'd like to see more of the fashion pieces on my wish list each week, check out my style wish list boards on Pinterest. You can also find all previous Wednesday Wish List posts here.

What's on your wish list this week?

Random Things Haul

It's been ages since I last blogged a haul- mostly because I've not had much money to spend in what feels like eternity. I haven't been able to buy any clothes or beauty products in ages, but I have got my hands on a few little bits and pieces lately, so I thought I'd do a random things haul. It features craft supplies, stationery, a couple of Tsum Tsums, and the cutest turtle key ring, which I think I'll start with first...

I tagged along to Bicester Village with Marie the weekend before last, and I fell in love with the most adorable turtle-shaped coin purse in Kate Spade. I wanted to take it home so badly, but sadly, being poor, I couldn't afford the £70 outlet price tag, so Marie treated me to this ridiculously cute keyring in the same design to make up for it. I adore it; look how cute the little guy is! He was originally £55, which I would never dream of spending on a keyring, but the outlet price of £27 was far more reasonable, and I personally think it's worth the price because it's so beautifully made and the quality just shines through. Big sisters have their perks sometimes! Thanks, sis!

While I was at Bicester Village, I fed my notebook and Cath Kidston addictions further by treating myself to these two notebooks from its Cath Kidston outlet shop. Did I need new notebooks? Yes, I did! No, I did not, but I just couldn't help myself. I have an inability to resist new notebooks. I may have a problem. I was able to snap up a hardback heart-print Minnie and Mickey Mouse notebook from the recent Disney collection on sale for £6, which I quickly made a bee-line for because I wanted and missed out on one when they first went on sale before Christmas, so I left a happy bunny. There was a table full of items from the Mickey Mouse collection, so if you're still searching for a particular piece, it's could be worth paying Bicester Village a visit. I also picked up a softback floral notebook for £4, because Cath K's softback thin-ruled notebooks are my favourite to write in. Both notebooks are thin-ruled, and have red polka dot borders; they're so pretty! £10 well spent, me thinks.

I also bought a blue floral pen pot from Cath Kidston for £2.50, as I've been wanting one for ages. Now I've got one, I actually can't decide whether to use it for pens or for my make up brushes. I guess I should've bought two.

One of my new year's resolutions was to get back in to painting again, so I recently treated myself to a new watercolour palette with some of the Amazon vouchers I earned through Swagbucks to encourage myself to do so. I bought the Winsor & Newton Cotman 45 half pan water colour palette, a gorgeous set with 45 paints in 40 different colours plus 5 duplicates of popular colours like black and white, which also has a removable mixing palette for easy cleaning. I bloody love it! It's hard to see how beautiful and brightly-coloured the paints are in the palette as most of them look deceivingly dark, so I swatched them all to show you how gorgeous they are. Just look at all that colour! They're all highly-pigmented, so a little goes a long way, and they paint and mix like a dream. I've already used them several times since I bought them a fortnight ago, although I'm still working on my technique, and have a lot to relearn. The set was £27.29, but was originally £89.99 (!), so I got an amazing bargain, and it should in theory last for life as the pans are replaceable. I couldn't recommend this set more.

I also got myself some new paint brushes after realising I didn't have a decent set to work with. I didn't buy anything fancy; just a basic Winsor and Newton set of three round and three flat grey foundation water colour brushes, setting me back just £7.85. They're fantastic brushes, and I'm really impressed with them so far; they're just so lovely to paint with, and excellent quality. The bristles were mustard yellow to begin with, but I was so eager to start painting, I didn't take a photo of them before I first used them.

On my last visit to Hobbycraft, I discovered Johanna Basford, the illustrator behind those popular adult colouring books, also has a range of canvases featuring her designs, and I just couldn't leave without one in the compass design. They appealed to me because I'm not the greatest sketcher in the world, and the pre-printed design allows you to paint something pretty without the effort of drawing first. It seemed like a great way to ease myself back in to art again, and I was right! I mean, I'm making a total mess of it as my watercolour skills and technique need a lot of improvement, but I'm enjoying giving it a go. I've only painted a small section so far, and need to build up and even out the colours and add shading, but I'm hoping the end result won't look too bad. Although, if what I've done so far is anything to go by, it's going to look like a five year old made it! Haha! I suck at art. I'm definitely going to pick up a couple more of these canvases on my next trip to Hobbycraft, though, because I'm really enjoying myself, and I think they're fab! You can buy the compass canvas online here.

Speaking of canvases, I found these two Cosmo Cricket canvases in the sale in Hobbycraft for £2.50 each back in April. The words and the flamingo are pre-printed on the canvases, and you bring them to life with your own watercolour designs. I've never seen anything like them before, but they look like fun, and I thought they'd be a good challenge to attempt. I really love the flamingo quote and design.

On that shopping trip, I also picked up the Easter fat quarters, felt, and embroidery hoops I used for my Easter hoop art, plus some ribbons, and a set of Easter cake cases.

And I finally got my hands on the Cheshire Cat and White Rabbit Tsum Tsums, which I've been trying to track down without spending a fortune since they went on sale last year. They made a reappearance on the Disney Store website a few weeks ago, so I quickly snapped them up, and now I finally have the whole collection of Alice in Wonderland series two Tsum Tsums! This makes me happy. Alice in Wonderland has always been one of my most favourite Disneys, so I'm all over anything related to the movie, and the Tsum Tsums are particularly adorable. These two are still available on the website, along with Alice and The Mad Hatter, so snap them up now or risk missing out!

What random things have you been buying lately?

50 Simple Pleasures I Love

I haven't been up to taking blog photos lately which is making blogging a little tricky, so I thought I'd share another list to break the radio silence, before I attempt to take some photos this afternoon. Today's list is all about those simple pleasures in life that I love. 50 of them, to be exact.

1. Freshly washed bedding straight from the dryer.

2. The feeling of freshly shaved legs against freshly washed sheets.

3. Writing on the first page of a new notebook.

4. Making the first stitch on a new cross stitch project while the aida is still perfectly taut in the embroidery hoop.

5. Listening to the rain drumming on the windows.

6. Reading a good book with no distractions.

7. When both eyelids of eyeliner perfectly match.

8. Listening to my favourite tunes up loud.

9. Hot bubble baths.

10. Reading in the bath.

11. Walking bare foot on grass, sand, and super soft carpets.

12. Puppy cuddles.

13. Playing fetch with Rosie in the garden.

14. Cross stitching from bed while watching a feel-good movie- so relaxing.

15. Getting hand written letters and parcels in the mail- even if they're just things I've bought myself.

16. Making things with my own two hands.

17. Shopping for stationery, art, and craft supplies.

18. Waking up to sunshine streaming through the curtains.

19. Treating myself to a bouquet of fresh flowers.

20. Looking through old photos and reminiscing about the good times.

21. Swatching new paints / pens / eyeshadows / nail polishes before using them.

22. Popping bubble-wrap and inflatable packaging.

23. Cracking icy puddles with my feet in the Winter.

24. Taking a perfect photograph.

25. Shopping for new books.

26. Lie-ins.

27. Waking naturally without an alarm, and feeling well-rested.

28. Watching Little Women.

29. Curling up under cosy blankets.

30. Being out in the countryside.

31. Baking delicious treats in the kitchen.

32. Crunching over frosty grass in the Winter.

33. Painting.

34. Creative writing.

35. Painting my nails.

36. Seeing blossom and magnolia trees everywhere in the Spring.

37. Receiving lovely blog comments, messages, texts, and emails.

38. Being around animals and nature.

39. Netflix marathons.

40. Freshly-washed, silky, shiny hair- especially after a week of having greasy tresses from being in too much pain to shower.

41. Having lovely soft, clean skin after cleansing, toning, and moisturising.

42. Creating colourful eye make up looks.

43. Unpacking new purchases after a shopping trip; taking everything out of its packaging, and having a play with everything before putting it all away.

44. Sipping hot mugs of cocoa on cold days.

45. Spending time by the sea or down by the river- basically being near any body of water makes me happy

46. Earning a voucher after answering a bunch of online surveys all week, and getting to treat myself to something new.

47. Those rare days when I create blog content I'm happy with and proud of.

48. Sunny days.

49. Finding a quirky new brooch to add to my ever-growing collection of oddities.

50. Removing my make up at the end of the day.

What simple pleasures do you love?

Wednesday Wish List

This week I've been coveting...

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These beautiful flamingo border tea dresses from Lady Vintage. I'm particularly besotted with the blue, but I'd happily wear all three colours. They're currently available to pre-order, and will be arriving online on the 15th.

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Collectif have released some truly gorgeous dresses again this week. I'm loving these six, but especially the green and white Sandra palm print swing dress, which has my name written all over it.

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These dresses from Hell Bunny are all stunning.  The anchor print Salina dress, and navy fit and flare Ambeleside sailor dress would be perfect for lazy Summer days down by the sea.

Sienna Couture Bright Floral Bardot Skater Dress

This bardot skater dress from Sienna Couture at Yours Clothing is so colourful and cheerful- another great Summer frock.

Collectif Mainline Jessie Gingham Heart Cardigan

I love this simple gingham heart cardigan from Collectif. It would look cute worn with almost anything.

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Lindy Bop's new printed Converse-style trainers are rather cute, and surprisingly affordable at just £20 a pair. I love the ice cream print design; they'd be ideal for an upcoming holiday to Cornwall I'm hoping to attempt.

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My latest favourite dresses and tops from Lindy Bop's ever-growing selection. They're all dreamy.

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I'm loving these duo-coloured satchels from Modcloth. I love the subtle cat-faces on the clasps, and how they're quirky without being too in-your-face.

ASOS Curve PJ Set

This pineapple print PJ set from ASOS Curve is super sweet. I love me a good pineapple print.

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Two fun New Look novelty bags that need to come join my novelty bag collection. Even if I own two lemon-wedge clutch bags already.

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And last but definitely not least, how adorable are these kawaii brooches and earrings from Lux Cups? I want them all!

If you'd like to see more of the fashion pieces on my wish list each week, check out my style wish list boards on Pinterest. You can also find all previous Wednesday Wish List posts here.

What's on your wish list this week?