Etsy treasury: Don't be cross. Stitch!

I am often asked where I find cross stitch patterns to make my crafty projects. The answer is very simple as I mainly use Cross Stitcher magazine (which is brilliant) and Etsy. You can find a pattern for pretty much any type of cross stitch project on there, from the sublime to the ridiculous and everything inbetween. A quick search for "cross stitch patterns" will give you thousands to scroll through, although don't blame me if you spend far too much time trying to look at them all!

I tend to steer towards silly patterns, my favourite being by weelittlestitches, as they're so much fun to make and everyone seems to love them, but I also like to make more sensible and/or traditional stitched things too as gifts.

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I thought I'd share some of my favourite patterns with you and link to the different sellers. Hopefully you will be inspired to pick up a needle and thread and stitch something. The best thing about buying a pattern online is that they're only a few pounds each and you can keep the PDF to stitch the design over and over again.

I hope you see something you like. There's a little bit of everything here, from simple beginner patterns to slightly bigger and more intricate designs, so I hope they will give you a few ideas for your future projects.

Happy stitching!

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Etsy treasury: sweet treats (featuring Raw Chocolate).

It has been far too long since I did some proper baking (e.g. not Rocky Road!) but to compensate for this I spend my time looking for homemade tasty treats made by other people, and I may have made a couple of sneaky purchases too...

All of the treats below are sold on Etsy but not all of the sellers are based in the UK. However, I think some of them do ship to the UK if you don't mind paying a little extra (and waiting).

Check out the detail on those hat cookies! They would be perfect for a special party in the Spring/Summer or a Wedding party.

I'm also really keen to make some mince pies myself (who says they're just for Christmas?!) so I'm on the hunt for some tasty mincemeat for the filling.

Also, as you may be able to tell, I'm a bit of a marshmallow fiend. I can easily eat a whole bag of the regular pink and white ones without thinking twice.

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Recently I bought a couple of bars of Raw Chocolate from Ailey which arrived quickly and beautifully wrapped with a little handwritten note. After a LOT of deliberation I went for the Cashew Blonde bar and the Orange & Brazil Nut bar. I didn't actually plan on eating both bars, I was going to give one as a present. I'm not sure what happened but both bars have been consumed in their entirety by me!

Raw Chocolate by Ailey Mae has only pure, high quality ingredients and absolutely nothing artificial. It is dairy free, sugar free and gluten free.

I'm not a huge regular chocolate fan but I do like to dabble from time to time, and I guess I was curious to try raw chocolate. Out of the two bars I preferred the orange and brazil nut. The consistency of raw chocolate is totally different to regular chocolate. It almost reminded me of ice cream, as it was so soft and creamy. I kept my bars refrigerated and would have a few bites at a time, with a cup of tea.

After reading the note that came with my bars of raw chocolate on why raw is better, I will definitely be back for more:

When cacao is cooked, almost all of the nutrients, minerals and antioxidants are lost in the process. Cacao in its raw state is actually considered a superfood - it contains over 300 nutritional compounds, it is one of the richest sources of antioxidants and is full of essential minerals - especially rich in iron, zinc and magnesium.

It even contains the natural "love" molecule PEA.

Most chocolate is made with cacao that has been cooked and chemically treated - it is also usually full of refined sugar, processed oils, artificial preservatives and emulsifiers.

Have you ever tried anything like this?

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Etsy treasury: comfy cushions & pretty pillows.

Etsy is the best place, in my opinion, to search for wonderful handmade items for the home. Since Jonathan and I moved into our new home at the end of last year I have seen a whole host of things that would look perfect here. I have a particular crush on cushions and after purchasing my Pug pillow (Earl) I'm always on the look out for quirky, individual additions to buy for our new place.

I have put together a selection of my favourites below of which I'm sure there will be one that takes your fancy, there's a good mixture of styles and materials.

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Which one of my picks do you like the best? I have a soft spot for the Pug cushions of course but I love the Ctrl, Alt, Del set. They would look great in a study. Also don't get me started on the crochet French Bulldog and Penguin. How adorable can a cushion be?!

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