Connie's Cross-Stitch Blog

Here's a poll that's just for fun - What is your favorite floss color? Choose the color that matches the closest or select other and tell us what your favorite color is in the Comments sections below.

I can not only tell you what my favorite color is - Blue - but I can also tell you that DMC 930, 931, and 932 are my favorite flosses in particular.

After you select your favorite color, read more information about color and what it means. About.com Guides have loads of information for you to check out:

Kendra Van Wagner, About.com Guide to Psychology, has an article about The Psychology of Color that has a great deal of information about color and what it means.

Phylameana lila Desy, About.com Guide to Healing will enlighten you about Color Therapy and how Color Therapy and Your Wardrobe impacts your life.

Kate Pullen, About.com Guide to Rubber Stamping explains that Using Color in Rubber Stamping Projects allows you to express your individuality.

Finally, Marion Boddy-Evans, About.com Guide to Painting explains The Three Sides to a Paint Color's Personality: Hue, Value, and Chroma.

If you enjoy designing your own patterns, these articles will help you learn more about selecting colors that are meaningful and complimentary. Express yourself through color!

If you like to hang inspirational sayings in your office or home, then the free Make a Difference pattern will be perfect for you. The simple saying carries a lot of meaning. What can you do to make a difference?

There are all sorts of ways that you may answer this challenge. There are even ways you can do this here at About.com Cross Stitch or using your Cross Stitch skills in general.

Ways to Make a Difference:

• Help Other Stitchers in the Forum - Answer questions, encourage others, and make new stitching friends.
• Teach Someone to Stitch - Pass your passion for stitching along to someone else, using the free tutorials from About.com Cross Stitch. You know how much stitching means to you - share it with another.
• Cross Stitch for Charity - Help keep someone warm with a afghan or memorialize and infant - use your Cross Stitch powers for good.
• Share a Photo of a Project - Inspire other stitchers with photos of your latest project.
• Share a Tip - Submit your best tips to be added to About.com Cross Stitch. You never know who you may help out!

Remember, no matter how small your action may be, you never know how much of a difference it may make to someone else. So, find a way to make a difference today!

This week, many of my crafty blogging friends are in the spirit of Halloween again. Craft some tasty treats, gifts, and more.

Crafty Bloggers:

• Crafty Princess Diaries - As crafters we have an advantage over most folks because we can often wear what we make. See what Tim Gunn from Project Runway has to say about what to wear this season and how accessories play a part.
• Layers Upon Layers - Be inspired by artist Nicola Dale's amazing book arts!
• The Impatient Crafter - Margot has made the executive decision to split her blog in two. Introducing the brand spanking new The Impatient Crafter™ blog! A new destination for all things crafty!
• Sweater Surgery - Stephanie is performing surgery on a 10 commandment bracelet making it over into an asymetrical necklace.
• About Family Crafts - Want to surprise your neighbors this Halloween? These unique gift ideas will get your entire neighborhood into the Halloween spirit!
• Aileen's Musings - Stop by and meet Zoraida the good witch, she's just flown in on Air Broom. She wanted to be here in plenty of time for the Art Muse Contest Aileen is hosting!
• Cathie Filian - Take a sneak peek at the Emmy Nominated, Halloween craft show, Witch Crafts on DIY Network and check out the complete project list (with instructions) from the series.
• Craftside - There are crafty tasty treats this week at Craftside with an inside peek into the book Artisan Chocolates, a recycled book slider idea, design points from Singer Decorative Machine Stitching, eye and soul candy from the new book Knitting Art and a secret square altered art page tutorial.
• About.com Cross Stitch - Connie's been having some fun with FurTaStitch floss. See what she's been up to and learn more about stitching with textured flosses.

I know many of you like to make your own greeting cards using Cross Stitch motifs and other embellishing techniques. So, I wanted to pass this information along to you. Kate Pullen, About.com Guide to Rubber Stamping, is sponsoring a challenge in celebration of World Card Making day. The challenge is quite simple. The theme is "Happy." You are invited to post pictures in the Rubber Stamping Forum of handmade cards that will "raise a smile or two" as she says. I already have some ideas for the card I want to make.

The deadline for entry is October 31st - so there is plenty of time to enter. The entries will be posted into a gallery and hosted on the About.com Rubber Stamping site. More information can be found in this thread at the Rubber Stamping Forum.

Card-Making Patterns, Projects and Ideas:

• Make Cross Stitch Cards
• Cross Stitch Card Motif Patterns
• Make Professional Looking Hand-made Cards

I have always been fascinated with pennies. I know some people see them as the unwanted "cockroach" of currency, but I save them up - pennies eventually make dollars, right? And I am always excited to find wheat back coins.

This year, there are going to be some new versions of the penny introduced for the first time in fifty years. The penny itself is 100 years old, so it is a sort of double celebration for coin collectors. I learned all this by reading New Pennies for 2009! by Susan Headley, About.com Guide to Coins. Susan has all the latest skinny on the new penny situation.

I have one of those huge water bottles I keep pennies and other coins in. I am saving up for a trip to Key West with my sister - one of these days. The opening of the jar is small, my housekeeping skills are slim, and I end up catching pennies in the vacuum sometimes. That is what inspired my free Penny Saved Vacuum Sampler which is a humorous take on the traditional saying.

More Coin-Themed Projects from About.com Guides:

• Decopauged Coin Bank
• Coin Pendant Project
• Wire Wrapped Coin Pearl Earrings
• Coin Pearl and Stick Chain Necklace
• Wire Wrap Coin Pearl & Crystal Bracelet

Last week, Rain asked when I'd be posting an image of my completed Tangerine Heart. Well, I still haven't finished it, but here's a photo that shows my latest progress.

I can usually only bead for one needle's worth of floss before I want to move to another project, so I am not making speedy progress, but slow and steady instead.

My Tangerine Heart is not the only progress update I have for you. I have spent the last couple of days working on the Free Cross Stitch Patterns Index. Not only did I update it with all the latest free patterns added to the site, but I also reworked it to make it a little easier to navigate. I also moved the Hardanger patterns and Candlewicking patterns to their own indices. If you enjoy back stitching, there's a list of Free Back Stitch Patterns too.

Get weekly updates of when new patterns and articles are added to About.com Cross Stitch. Sign up for the FREE About.com Cross Stitch Newsletter.

I also write and edit a weekly newsletter, About Needlecrafts, which showcases lessons, patterns, and tips from About.com craft Guides. If you are interested in signing up for it, visit http://talk.about.com/ and select the box next to Needlecrafts.

Halloween is about a month away, so if you don't have your stitching projects started, you better get going! I have a selection of Free Halloween Cross Stitch Patterns for you to choose from. Stitch a witch, bats, ghosts and more to add to your Halloween decor. Use some specialty fibers or glow-in-the-dark flosses to add a little oomph to your projects.

Other Guides at About.com have some great projects as well. Lesley Shepherd, About.com Guide to Miniatures, has created a cute Miniature Pumpkin Pattern that is suitable for Halloween or Thanksgiving. You can stitch the design as a miniature, or use a fabric count with fewer squares per inch for a larger design. I enjoy stitching miniatures and Lesley has a listing of Choosing Fabrics and Thread for Miniature Needlework Projects.

Tracy Lambert, About.com Guide to Needlepoint, has a collection of Halloween Needlepoint Patterns you will want to check out too. Tracy's Halloween patterns range from key chains to cute bubble characters. Most Needlepoint patterns are easily adapted to Cross Stitch or you can try them as intended after you learn basic Needlepoint stitches.

If you want to branch out from Cross Stitch, then check out these other Halloween projects and ideas from About.com Guides:

• Halloween Jewelry Projects
• Spooky Knitting Patterns
• Costume Ideas and Inspirations
• Halloween Collectibles, Antiques and Decorating
• Candy Corn Candle
• Quick Halloween Beading Projects

As I was working on some of my Halloween projects, I wanted to go beyond simple cotton floss to add a little texture, so I pulled out some FurTaStitch and decided to stitch this black cat design with it. I'd never stitched with this brand of floss before, so I tested it out a little before I added it to my project.

It seemed really thin, so I thought I should stitch with two strands. Wrong. This floss has a lot of volume, so on 14-count Aida fabric, one strand gave plenty of coverage. FurTaStitch is also very strong and sturdy. I was able to stitch with a normal length of floss without worrying about fraying and wear on the floss.

I did go up one needle size after two rows of stitching because I broke a needle while I was trying to pull the floss through the fabric. (It was one of my precious gold petite tapestry needles, but it was my fault for using the wrong size.) If you like adding texture to your projects without too much fussiness, you will love stitching with FurTaStitch.

If you've never tried stitching with textured floss, read more about Stitching With Textured Flosses for tips and hints for stitching success. In other words, learn from my mistakes!

If you have a question about, comment on, or tip for stitching with textured flosses, use the Comments section below.

It's my sweetie's birthday today and in his honor, I have added some new Free Happy Birthday Patterns to the collection of free patterns at About.com Cross Stitch.

When stitched on 11-count Aida fabric, the charts will be three inches by four inches - perfectly sized for card-making. You could also use these charts to make small banners to hang for celebrating or for placemats to use on the celebrant's special day.

For this design, I used the plain Happy Birthday pattern and personalized it. I selected colors that are his favorites. You can mix-and-match the borders or personalize the designs as you like.

More on Birthdays:

• Happy Birthday Cake Cross Stitch Pattern
• Birthday Quotes from About.com Quotations
• Free, Printable Birthday Party Invitations from About.com Family Crafts

Stay up-to-date with when new free patterns and articles are added to About.com Cross Stitch. Sign up for the FREE About.com Newsletter today.

I saw a cool project this week that was created by Jennifer for her dad that reminds me of my ninth grade Science Class. It shows a Plant Cell Cross Section. Ninth grade science wasn't filled with bad memories, but I sure wouldn't want to go back. My life is good now.

Here are some more links from my favorite craftolicious bloggers - Halloween seems to be on most of their minds. Enjoy!

• Crafty Princess Diaries
  Are Halloween crafts on your list of things to do? How about a little lampwork ghost lariat? The Crafty Princess has a few other Halloween goodie ideas floating around in her head right now.
• Layers Upon Layers
  Do you find yourself snapping pictures of things just for their texture? Cyndi wants to know what you do with these shots.
• Sweater Surgery
  Here's looking at you kid! "See" a pair of mosaic lawn eyes made from some old bowling balls.
• The Impatient Blogger
  Come see the entries in The Impatient Crafter Happy Cute Make Kewpie Doll Challenge 2008!
• About Family Crafts
  Check out this special events calendar to find out what holidays, birthdays, and other events are celebrated in the month of October; plus, find ideas for crafts, games, and other activities to help you celebrate.
• Aileen's Musings
  Discover what deli paper and sprayable watercolors have in common when you watch Aileen's slide show and see how to create your own bodacious background papers to use in your art or as backgrounds for your scrapbook pages.
• Cathie Filian
  Check out Cathie's top 10 pumpkin tips and cozy up to fall with recipes for a homemade butternut squash soup and an ultimate grilled cheese sandwich.
• Craftside
  It's an upcycled crafty Halloween at Craftside with projects like a recycled sweater devil horn headband, mixed-media bottle cap necklaces, mosaic stepping stones, clay acorns and a silhouette figure study technique
• About.com Cross Stitch
  Do you have your ornaments ready? The 2008 Cross Stitch Forum Ornament Exchange is sponsored by Forum Member Lucille - so, don't email Connie! Find out how to join up.