Thread Heart Valentine

I'm not one to get all excited about Valentine's Day, but I do love a good opportunity to craft!  I have seen cards created like this before, and wanted to make my own version.  It only took about 15 minutes, so perfect for instant gratification!

 

The first step is to cut a piece of cardstock in half so you have two pieces that are each 8.5"x5.5".  Fold them in half to make a card shape. (Of course, you can use any size paper for this.)

Once you have the paper cut, you can draw your heart.  Do this on the inside of the card so that the pencil marks won't show.  Don't worry about getting it perfect, since you can't really tell when it's all just string! 

Add dots to the line, then start threading the heart!

I found it useful to punch all the holes with my needle first, so I could see them from the other side (where the threading was happening).  Just make a design that looks good to you!  If you don't like it, you can always pull out some of the thread and try again.

To finish the card, glue the second piece of paper to the inside to cover up the back of the heart.  Write your message, and gift!

THREAD!!

Today I went to the craft store and bought some embroidery floss for my cross stitch stash.  A LOT of it, too.  Well, at least more than I've ever bought at one time before!

I was buying mostly for patterns that I have and am *attempting* to use for presents (1 week to go!).  There's also some that were just too pretty to pass up, such as that bright turquoise on the left and lime green slightly over.

Now, onward with the frantic gift cross stitching!

"Be Positive" Friendship Bracelet

I made this as a reminder to stay positive.

Knotted in the "alpha" bracelet style, which allows you to create any pattern.  The blue is one continuous zig-zag of knots from one side to the other.  When you want to show the other color (purple!), you tie a knot with it over the blue.

Zigzag Friendship Bracelet

I love making friendship bracelets, but the complicated ones take a lot of time!  One way to make a bracelet quicker is to double up on the string.  This makes the bracelet thicker and stitches bigger.  Perfect for instant gratification!

Purple border with green, blue, and pink zigzags.  It only took a few hours of watching TV to finish (so would take a lot less time if you were paying complete attention to it).

I think I need to make an alpha bracelet, now!