Friday Finds

It's the time of the year for clementines - also known "cuties" or Mandarin oranges. Don't know why they're not called Mandarin oranges anymore. Maybe it's not PC enough. And, while I agree that they're pretty cute, I kind of hate how twee the name "cutie" sounds.

Someone told me that more clementine oranges are consumed on Thanksgiving than any other day of the year. This is a completely unsubstantiated claim but it wouldn't surprise me.


Anyway.

I found this really cool craft project that employes clementines and I thought I'd share it with you for today's Friday Finds. It's super-easy to do and the end result is really impressive. Clementines aren't just for eating! Woot!

How to Make a Clementine Candle

 

Free Bear Embroidery Pattern!

Greetings everyone!

We are thrilled to be offering the third free embroidery pattern in our Woodland Series today. Please meet Bear:

Click to download.

Bear is a great addition to his friends Hare and Owl. This pattern uses 5 simple stitches (chain, straight, stem, satin, and french knots) to create a panel for wall hangings, pillow fronts, or even quilt blocks. This design is child-friendly yet sophisticated enough to make a fun addition to the "adult" rooms of the house.

Tree trunk is stem stitch, branches are straight stitch.

Detail of bear face.

The word Bear is chain stitch next to chain stitch.

Included in the free PDF download of Bear are directions and a color/stitch guide. With this instruction, you can exactly replicate our sample or feel free to go on your own and have fun creating something new! If you are new to this craft, the embroidery tab at the top of the page has some information to help you get started stitching.

As always, we would love to see what you do with our designs. Please send us an email or maybe put a link to your own blog post in our comments section and share your creativity. And, keep an eye out for our last design in the series coming soon!

–Cassandra