Birthday's Galore!

This past week or so has been a bit of a whirlwind. April is our month for birthdays - every family has one - a month in which 90% of family/friends seem to have been born! At the last count we have thirteen birthdays in April. Isaac's original due date was April 4th (which is also my birthday) so I was quite relieved in a way when he was born (with just a matter of hours to spare) on March 31st. So, a few Saturdays ago was Isaac's first birthday. We had a lovely day, despite the weather taking a turn for the worse. Iris had great fun opening Isaac's cards and presents. I told her to make the most of it as she'll not be able to get away with it next year! ;0) Below is a photo of the little rascal watching his big sister playing outside. He is so close to walking but will only do so if someone holds his hand. Still, I guess these things can't be rushed.



Below is a selection of his lovely birthday cards. Those who know me well are familiar with my giraffe obsession and it seems I have passed it onto my son, without him realising!



Staying on the subject of my lovely son, here are a couple of gifts that he received for his birthday that will be going in his London themed bedroom.


Prints from The House Sparrow


Soldier Money Box from Beandrops

Beandrops is a 'new to me' website that I discovered when my cousin text two days before Isaac's birthday and asked 'what can I buy Isaac for his birthday?'! I got in touch with the owner of Beandrops and she sent this soldier money box out to me in time for Isaac's birthday! Now that's what I call service (and free postage when you spend £10!) No affiliation yaddah yaddah yaddah, but I'm FED up of terrible customer service recently so I made a point of writing an email to thank her straight away. It makes a pleasant change from the whiney, moany emails I seem to write these days! Does anybody else have the same grumble?

Recently, I received a lovely email from Yiota offering me one of her cross stitch kits to review. Yiota's Xstitch is a small family run business based here in England so of course I was only to happy to help and I was like a child in a sweet shop trying to choose a kit!

The site itself is very easy to use, and there is something for everyone with regards to themes, stitching ability and stitching style (cross stitch, stamped cross stitch or latch hook). The cross stitch designs are available in kit form or chart only and there is a choice between 14ct aida or 28ct evenweave.

After browsing for what seemed like forever (have I ever mentioned how long it takes me to make a decision?!) I decided on a beautiful design called 'Aries'.



I chose to stitch it on 28ct evenweave as it's years since I stitched on aida. The quality of the fabric is fab and I love that the madeira thread comes pre-wound onto good quality card bobbins. The chart itself is large, clear, easy to follow and best of all...there are no fractional stitches whatsoever...woo hoo!

Thank you so much Yiota for selecting me to review one of your fab kits - I look forward to stitching it!

Ok, I'd better leave it there. I've just received an email from Lainey, moderator of the Stitched with Love Exchanges. We are now able to reveal our packages, but I'll leave that till next time. I think I've prattled on enough already!

Regards,

Christina