After successfully completing my Christmas Pudding ornament kit, I may have gotten ahead of myself and ambitiously bought some cross stitch kits on a Hobbycraft jaunt with Claire. With a few birthdays coming up, it seemed like a fun way to make something personal and keep me busy when watching TV.

The first one I finished is a pocket mirror kit with initials and a really pretty flower border. I actually enjoyed this a lot, even with the trials of dark fabric and the green bits being just one strand of thread. I still dislike following a chart and splitting the thread into strands, but I liked this enough I ended up making two! You get just about enough thread and fabric to make two, though obviously you have to buy another mirror.  The chart includes all the initials so you can totally carry on making even more if you buy more supplies.

The second is a coaster kit and I actually started it first but got very frustrated. If you look very hard you might be able to distinguish the difference between the 5 shades of pink/red, or the 4 shades of green (no, really, there are 4!), but it caused me a lot of headaches trying to figure out which thread colour I was using. It turned out okay in the end though, and the coaster itself is really nice quality. This is for my Granny’s birthday, as previously mentioned. It’s still a few weeks away but she doesn’t have the internet so we’re safe enough.

Both kits are by Framecraft and though I got them at Hobbycraft, you should buy them from Sew and So as they have a much better range, plus extra supplies. They’re also cheaper and their postage rates are amazing. I get all my tapestry wool from them.

I’ve been working on some cross stitch patterns myself and hope to share those with you soon. Meanwhile, I am definitely looking for a new tapestry project.

What have I been up to this week?

Instagramming…

My tiny mountain brooch by Ugly Bunny, another gift from Claire. Apparently it’s my second birthday of the year. I’m good with that – the weather is much nicer, mostly. This brooch has been on my wishlist for a long time and it’s even cuter in real life. I’ve put it on my rucksack.

Reading…

Relish by Lucy Knisley. I have some proper book reviews coming up soon, but you should just go buy this now. It’s a graphic novel that’s part memoir, part cookbook and brilliant from start to finish. I’ve also been skim-re-reading a few books after another big bookshelf clearout but they all ultimately made it to the charity bag. I actually now have gaps to add more books!

Listening…

I loved the first Veronica Falls album and pre-ordered the new one Waiting For Something To Happen, but then I didn’t really like it. But about ten listens later it’s totally clicked. It’s just a bit more polished and grown-up, but that’s good too. Timely reminder to give things a chance.

Watching…

Star Trek Into Darkness, in about 2 hours. Quite excited.

Sales, Offers and Reminders

There’s no offers on anywhere this weekend, so take 10% OFF anything in my shop with the code MAYHOLIDAY until the 27th.

UPDATE: There’s 20% OFF iPhone cases and t-shirts at my Zazzle store until the 20th with code CASETEEPOSTR.

And don’t forget to take my survey and enter the giveaway!

I’m taking a break next week so I’ll only be shipping on Monday next week and then back to normal on Monday 27th – if you want something, get it soon! The blog will be a bit quieter too but if you’re bored, please do take a few minutes and fill out my short stationery survey. It will help me figure out what products to order and design next, and which characters to use. I’m glad that larger size Letter Sets have been a popular choice so far as I recently added a new one. It’s a bigger version of my Sun and Rain Letter Set, now with A5 paper and self-sealing blue envelopes.

When I get back, I’ll be choosing 2 people to win either a Meal Planner & Shopping List set or a surprise pack (currently containing the last Jammie Dodger coaster, stickers, a letter set and more). Just leave your email address in the survey box to enter.

You probably are aware that I have iPhone cases available from Society6 and Zazzle, but I just added some new designs so let’s find out more about them.

My own Cakeify iPhone case was from Society6, who sell great Casemate cases that fit so well they’re pretty hard to remove! Mine lasted 18 months and then got a crack beside the volume buttons – considering I use my phone all the time and just shove it in my pocket, it did well to last that long and I would recommend them. I’ll definitely be getting another one when I upgrade. They also sell similar cases for Samsung Galaxy phones as well as iPods, plus there are removable skins too.

Over at Zazzle, they make you design each case separately so I only have Casemates for iPhone 5. I will try and add some more devices soon but as always, if you need something that’s not available just give me a shout and I’ll add it.

One word of warning – UK folks almost always get charged customs duty on iPhone cases so keep that in mind. Luckily both sites do regular shipping offers and discounts so look out for those.

I’ve also just added my Kyary Pamyu Pamyu kokeshi patterns as iPhone cases on Zazzle to tie in with the FREE home screen wallpapers I’ve made available for download. There’s 7 designs to choose from so help yourself!

Okay, Zine Challengers – if you’re wishing you’d never signed up and now you have no time and aaargh… well, here’s how to make a quick zine to get you started, technically complete the challenge and hopefully get you going on a bigger and better zine project.

I was going to write a guide but of course loads of people have already posted great guides on the internet. Whenever I do a zine workshop, I get everyone to make one of these simple zines. You can make it from any size of paper, though A4 and A3 are best.

If that animated gif (found here) isn’t explanation enough, there’s a great step by step photo tutorial at Rookie.

Once you’ve done your folding, you’ll have an 8 page zine to fill. If you discount the front and back covers, you only really need to come up with 6 bits of content – easy! Need some ideas? Here’s some tips on comics from Neil Slorance.

If in doubt, just get going and see what happens. You can always cut out the best bits for your finished zine.

Both my Angel Bunny Gets Lost comic and Pumpkin on your Head zine use this 8 page format. You can download them both for free! One of the main reasons I published them is to show people that a zine really can be about anything, including writing about things you have worn on your head.

Finished your zine? Yay! If you want to share it, you could photocopy it for print versions or scan it for a PDF. Or just keep it as inspiration for your next zine.

Want more zine tips on content, printing and layouts? My Let’s Make Zines! zine is just £1.50. Got any questions? Ask them in the comments!

M Is For Make is still my favourite UK fabric store – they have all my favourite designers and prices are reasonable. I really need to get back to my dressmaking so I have an excuse to buy more fabric. If you’re in the market, above are a few current favourites. They’re all from Cloud9 – the top 2 from Rashida Coleman-Hale’s Tsuru and the bottom 2 from Steffie Brocoli’s In The Forest.

Not exactly fabric, but it’s the patterns I love in the Celia Birtwell collection for Uniqlo. I wish Uniqlo would open a store in Scotland. Although, maybe not as I would probably end up buying everything. Who could resist pretty flower scarves and animal dresses?

What have I been up to this week?

Instagramming…

My new apple shoes! I love to barter for wee design jobs that are essentially favours for friends and make sure my Amazon wish list is always topped up with things I want. It’s always exciting getting surprise post after all, and I have quite a few cool books now that I might not own otherwise. Shoes, though, that’s even better! These are Rocket Dogs (my favourite brand of shoes) and all the designs in this range are awesome.

Reading…

I got lots of awesome books this week from Claire including The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook, Bad Astronomy and this book of illustrated maps I have coveting for a while – it’s even better than I imagined! I also reorganised my bookshelves at the weekend and I’m a bit horrified at the size of my to-read pile now that I’ve become obsessed with my Kindle. I really need to do some kind of book review round-up soon.

Sales, Offers and Reminders

- 15% OFF T-shirts and bags in my Zazzle shop, today only, with code SUMMERSALE13.
- FREE SHIPPING at my Society6 shop over the weekend using that link only.
- Don’t forget to take my survey and enter the giveaway!

I was lucky enough to be sent a review copy of Kawaii, a new book about the history and culture of kawaii. It’s really good and I’ll be reviewing it for Super Cute Kawaii later this month (we’ll have copies to give away too!). I was especially pleased to discover a feature on Chikuwaemil. I have a few of her paintings saved but never knew who made them. Her use of colour and mixed media is really inspiring. Also, bunnies. She has some cute stuff, like the stickers above, available at Shibuya Girls Pop, and I shall be stalking her blog in the hope of seeing some of her actual paintings one day.

Here’s some more links I’ve been saving:

Die Kirschblütenfee took a ferry to Nokogiriyama, climbed the mountain and had such an amazing and exhausting time that I feel tired out just reading it. It’s really well worth checking out the whole blog using the Google Translate function – Leonie has been doing so many interesting things.

RocketNews24 tried the entire Hello Kitty range at Mister Donut. I’m so sad to miss these – they all look really good.

RocketNews24 also reports that an amusement park near Nagoya is currently hosting an exhibition of Ghibli dioramas until next year. They look amazing – you should definitely go if you’re in that area.

Muza-chan managed to spot the special 50th anniversary Green Train on the Yamanote Line. So much nicer than the usual green/silver design.

If you like the more traditional side of Japan, check out Kyoto Journal. It’s a print gone online magazine with a focus on culture, nature, poetry etc. I only read the occasional article but their review of a new cooking memoir, Zenbu Zen: Finding Food, Culture & Balance in Kyoto makes me really  want to read it. It’s available on Amazon here.

I use GoodReads a lot and it recently occurred to me that I now have quite a helpful resource on books about Japan since I will basically read anything about or set in Japan. If you’ve been looking for some Japan-related reading, you can check out my recommendations, and also see which books should be avoided! Do add me as a friend too while you’re at it.

(Also, if you’ve read my Kawaii Japan book, I would really appreciate any reviews there)

Reading the results of my stationery survey has been very interesting (and the survey and giveaway are still open – do add your thoughts!) and one thing I’ve noticed is that a lot of folks don’t seem aware of all the products I have available on the multitude of on-demand websites I partner with. So I’m introducing a new weekly feature, where I’ll tell you all about one product. This week it’s T-shirts!

I have t-shirts available on two sites – Society6 and Zazzle. The Society6 t-shirts come in loads of different colours and a few sizes for Men and Women. They’re all American Apparel shirts and retail for $22.

Over at Zazzle, you can choose from an astonishing 92 different t-shirt styles and brands including long sleeves, tank tops, v-necks and sustainable materials, plus kids and baby sizes. They also do plus sizes, though they charge extra. Colours are a bit more limited depending on the design and prices range from $15 – $35 and more for hoodies

Both sites ship worldwide, and Zazzle has regional sites which sometimes have cheaper shipping options. They both also do regular shipping deals and/or discounts so check my Friday posts or follow them on social media to get yourself a bargain.

I’ve got quite a few designs up on both sites, but I still have lots to add. If your favourite character is missing, give me a shout and I’ll get it added. As you can see, fruit and vegetables are starting to be added – they’re looking super cute!

Have you ordered one of my t-shirts? I’d love to know what you thought of it.

If you haven’t picked up a copy of my new zine yet, Oddments #5 is now also available to download as a PDF. It’s only £1 and has lots of fun content about food, sweets, drinks and Japan.

I’ve also updated my Oddments zine pack so you can now catch up with digital copies of all 5 issues for just £3!

Etsy has added downloadable files as a new feature so if you prefer shopping from my Etsy store you’ll get (some of) your zines immediately and will no longer have to wait for me to send you a link.

And finally, if you signed up for my Zine Challenge, you’ve only got a couple of months left to get your zine completed. You can still join in if you like – 2 months is loads of time to make a zine. I’l post a little tutorial for a simple zine soon to get your started if you’re panicking.

If you have finished a zine this challenge, send me an email as I’d love to have a read and promote it on the Pushpin Zines blog.