Hey all, check out my creative customer’s completed apron :))) Instead of just stitching on the designated area, she found that she could stitch on the other parts of the apron too. Now this is truly making it your own!

Get the ready-to-stitch apron here!

The Art of Stitch wishes all her Muslim customers Salam Idulfitri and Maaf Zahir Batin! (translation: Happy Hari Raya & forgive us if we ever say or do anything wrong) For everyone else, have a nice and long weekend ahead!

Facebook has created a unique way of maintaining your friends in a virtual hangout. With Facebook, you can send someone a virtual gift, hug, food, and even money! A friend just sent me a cool $10 in Facebook. Now what can I get with that? Virtually nothing.

Still if you are a Facebook addict, you know that the main attraction of this website is the status updates, the photo albums and the endless quizzes. People update with everything that is going on in their lives, be it the most mundane things or the most exciting things like jumping in the middle of Sahara Desert. Seriously, if you were jumping in the middle of Sahara Desert, wouldn’t you prefer to enjoy the moment and the jumping, rather than rush to a sterile computer, login to your Facebook and tell everyone about it? Whatever happened to living in the moment?

If I were on top of Mount Everest, the last thing in my mind would be when would I be able to update my Facebook about this? And if I’ve just gotten into a car accident and is fighting for my life, I’d be sure to get my mobile phone and tell everyone on Facebook “Hey people it’s been nice knowing you but I’m about to die. Don’t forget to feed my cat.” Yes, that’s a big possibility since now you can update your Facebook status updates via your mobile connections. Maybe you can even get a good connection in heaven so that you can update everyone about what it’s like.

That is my pet peeve about Facebook and other social networking sites and that none of my friends are calling me. There’s no need to meet up because we know exactly what is going on each others’ lives and if you can get a virtual cake, there’s no need to eat either. Think of all the calories you can lose with virtual desserts! I’m glad my closest friends are not that active in Facebook. It means that we still have a chance to keep our friendship fresh and intact.

For my other ‘friends’ in Facebook, I’ve learnt so much about you. The top ten things I’ve learned are:-

1. I know every single furniture, dress, pants, appliances, mobile phones, rings, haircuts that you’ve bought. It’s not hard to guess how much you are earning and if I need a loan, you’d be the first person I call.

2. I know what you eat and when you eat. The only thing I don’t want to know is where it all goes after that. That’s just too much information.

3. I know you have a maid and you’ve never taken care of your children for a day in your life. And that you are proud of it. Now you know I have to judge when you state it all so plainly for everyone to see. Hopefully mommies-to-be in your Facebook don’t take parental lessons from you.

4. I know when you are asleep. It’s sad though that you have to do it on your computer. After all the furniture you bought last week, did you not get a bed? And please don’t update us about your dreams. Some of them should be kept private.

5. I know that you think the quizzes in Facebook are the Truth of all Truths. I really don’t want to burst your bubble that you could possibly be the next Angeline Jolie, but people like you and me create these quizzes and I can put ANYTHING I like in those quizzes. I’m thinking of creating a quiz later titled ‘Are you a frog or a toad?’.

6. I know how much you love to save money by sending virtual birthday presents to your friends on their special day. Just because you add a personal message does not make it ok.

7. I know what your husband look like. I know all your children’s faces, your mother, your father, your teacher, your boss, your dog, your aunties, your uncles, your cousins and your stinky pillow. At least if they ever do anything nasty in public, I will recognize them for you. Better yet, I’ll let you know with a status update.

8. I know all your travel plans, your vacation plans and when you are going to the market. Heck, I even know when you are going to the toilet! Basically, I know when you will be out of your house. Maybe it’s time to invest in a security system.

9. I know when you are married and flirting with my single friend in Facebook that a virtual affair has just became a public affair.

10. Last but not least, I know that you can do better than just hang around in a virtual world telling people what you are doing every second of the day. Get up, get out, meet your real friends and make a real connection. And when you sleep at night today, you’d know that you didn’t waste your day on a virtual connection that disappears after a few hours and probably only exists in a virtual plane.

Hamidah Gul is a freelance published writer whose works in fiction have been published both in print and electronically.

We are happy to announce that we have revised our shipping costs to absorb it partially for our Malaysian customers. Your shipping from Singapore to Malaysia now is a lot lower so happy shopping!

This week all of our Cross Stitch Kits are going at 10% off! The coupon code for this is muggles. Simply write this code in the discount coupon field during checkout and click refresh to activate it. This promotion ends 19th September 2009.

Terms & Conditions - Only one use per customer.

Have fun shopping!

I got this recipe from Allrecipes.com but I modified maybe a lot to fit my own tastes. Thankfully it worked! I think the biggest difference I made was in including the chilli powder for added spiciness.

Tomato-Cream Sauce for Pasta

1 can of stewed tomatoes + plus 1/4 can leftover (chopped if its whole)
2 onions chopped
3 garlic chopped
2.5 tbs of olive oil
3 cheese & onion sausages (from NTUC)
1.5 tbs basil dried leaves
1/2 tbs oregano dried leaves
1/2 tbs italian seasoning dried leaves
1.25 tsp salt
3/4 tbs sugar
1/2 tsp of chilli powder
1/4 tbs black pepper grinded
handful of mixed peas, carrot & corn
2 tbs butter
1 can of nestle cream

Put just 0.5 olive oil in the pan and saute diced sausage till light brown. Remove and set aside.
Put the rest of the olive oil in the pan. Saute onions & garlic till soft. I usually saute the onions first as garlic gets cooked quite fast.
Add the tomatoes with its juices. 1 can is enough, I just had a little leftover from a previous and didn’t want to waste it.
Add sugar, salt, black pepper, all herbs and mixed veges.
Let it cook till it dries up.
Add the cream, butter and stir.
If it’s not salty enough, then go ahead and add more salt.
Serve with your favorite pasta.

I made this in the morning coz I was having such a huge craving for it. I swear i have more cravings during fasting month than when I was pregnant!

Green Bean Porridge

Here’s my recipe for it.

1/4 pack of green beans
1/2 small can of coconut milk
palm sugar
white sugar
1 pandan leave knotted
2 cups of water

Put everything in a pot and boil. You are bound to add more water as you go along as it will dry up and it can turn a couple of hours for this to cook. I didn’t put how much sugar is needed as well coz its really up to your tastebuds. If you like it very sweet then you can add as much as you want. Its all within your control. The end result is yummy central!

By Carolyn Mcneil

Have you ever wanted to learn needlepoint, but just don’t know where or how to begin? If you have an interest in needle crafts, you have probably visited an assortment of websites dealing with the subject. Or, you may have researched the subject the old-fashioned way, through your local library and bookstore. There are numerous sources available on the subject. You’ve probably scanned through some of the informational resources and found, literally, hundreds of stitches listed. Did this cause you to panic? Remain calm, help is on the way.

For the beginner, I have always recommended Long Stitch as the stitch to learn needlepoint with. The Long Stitch, a member of the Straight Stitch family, is, as I stated in the title of this article, the beginner’s dream stitch. The reason this stitch is so easy to learn, is, well, because it is a SIMPLE stitch. The stitch is exactly what both names imply. It is a long and straight stitch. There are no loops to this stitch, nor do you need to worry about crossing the stitch. The stitch is worked from bottom to top. Simply bring the needle and yarn up through the canvas, move straight up over the specified number of canvas threads and bring the needle down through the canvas. You really can’t get any easier than that!

Another added bonus to working with, not only the Long Stitch, but any straight stitch, is the lack of canvas distortion. Because straight stitches are worked vertically or horizontally, there is no diagonal pull, the main cause of canvas warping, as is common with diagonal and cross stitches.

There are two basic rules to keep in mind when working a long stitch project. Rule number one: Do not create stitches that are excessively long. A stitch that is too long will snag and occasionally break. If you have put time and effort into a needlepoint project, do you really want to worry about it coming apart at some point in the future? That was an absurd question, no one would want that. It is a good idea to keep your stitches at no more than eight or ten canvas threads in length. This number is based on 10-mesh (gauge) canvas. If you are working on canvas of a smaller mesh, for example 12-mesh or 18-mesh, the stitches may be worked over a larger number of threads. Rule number two: Maintain an even yarn tension throughout the project. The yarn should be taut, but not tight enough to cause the canvas to bend. To help achieve this, a frame should always be used for long stitch projects. By loading your project onto a four-way frame, you will be able to keep the canvas pulled tight in all four directions. A scroll frame is highly recommended for this.

Long Stitch projects are available as kits. With a kit, you get the design already printed on the canvas plus the quantity of yarn you will need to work the project. Lately, I have noticed a decrease in the number of kits available that feature long stitch. I’m not sure why this is so. Fortunately, I design my own projects. Many of them consist of long stitch and other straight stitches. I have found long stitch to be excellent when working details like wrinkles in a face or the fur of a dog and cat. The point where one long stitch ends and another begins will create a distinct line, thus creating the wrinkle in the face or the fur line of a dog or cat. For an example of what can be accomplished with this versatile stitch, visit the Stitchopedia.com page featuring a FREE LONG STITCH design entitled, Boris, the Boxer (He’s a dog, not an athlete).

Regardless of which stitch or stitches you choose to learn first, needlepoint can become a lifetime hobby. Some people may even call it an addiction. Hobby or addiction, needlepoint, long stitch in particular, has given me many hours of relaxation and imaginative creativity. Hopefully, it will do the same for you.

Carolyn McNeil, creator of http://www.stitchopedia.com …an encyclopedia of needlepoint stitches…

Stitchopedia is an instructional site with step-by-step instructions and diagrams of hundreds of needlepoint stitches. Visit us here: http://www.stitchopedia.com/FreeLongStitchDownload.html for your FREE LONG STITCH design of “Boris, The Boxer”.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Carolyn_Mcneil

SPECTACULAR VIEW IN LIVING COLOR ~ the flora, the fauna, the dolphins. This glimpse beneath the ocean surface is paradise found in this Longstitch design by Roger W. Reinardy. Dive right in and enjoy!

Finished Size: 14″ x 18″ (35.6 x 45.7 cm)

Each kit contains Screen printed 12-mesh interlock canvas, enough 100% wool yarn to complete project, needle, stitch by number graph and instructions.

Get this kit here!

Finished Size on 14-count: 7.9″ x 7.6″

Get this chart here!