Yellow Rose Bookmark

As I worked on my Enchanted Red Rose Bookmark, a friend suggested I do a yellow rose bookmark pattern as well. At first I rejected the idea, but by the end of the day, the idea had taken root and I started designing this bookmark. I am so glad for that suggestion because I love this bookmark. 

I used these photos as reference while picking colors.

Designing and stitching this bookmark brought back memories of the yellow rose bush next to the driveway of one of my childhood homes. I loved that yellow rose bush. As I stitched, I also thought about what yellow roses represent. According to flowershopping.com, "The yellow rose represents filial love, the love of friendship. Yellow roses represent the love between siblings and very close friends. The yellow rose is not as sensual and romantic as other roses; instead its sunshine radiance speaks toward the joy resulting in shared experiences and the promise of further adventures. Yellow roses send a clear message of respect and are make great gifts for childhood friends and respected coworkers alike. Yellow roses illuminate the air around them and bring joy and optimism to anywhere they are placed."

I modified my Enchanted Red Rose pattern
to create the design for this bookmark.

Despite being based on my Enchanted Red Rose pattern, not everything was sunshine and roses (pun intended) during the process. A friend counselled me not to do the backstitching in black, as had been my first thought. I took me four tries to get the color right for the stem and leaves, causing a frustrating evening of stitching and then unstitching. At least I got the colors right for the rose and border backstiching on the first tries.

The the four colors I tried.

In the end, it all worked out. The pattern and example bookmark and done and looking great. And the pattern is now available on Etsy.

Free Choose Your Own Colors Flowers Bookmark Cross-stitch Pattern

It all started with a leftover scrap of aida cloth from my Bunny Sitting on Easter Eggs Bookmark. I knew the scrap would make a good bookmark. Choosing a pretty pink color, I started by stitching diagonal lines. 

After I did that, I designed the flowers. My husband suggested I use my stash of leftover threads for the project, so I pulled them out. 

I used greens and brighter colors on the flowers. For the background, I used pastel colors. I stitched the pastel colors diagonally, in a patchwork sort of manner.

As I stitched, I realized that I had stitched the pink diagonals as if it were a vertical pattern and the rest as if it were a horizontal pattern. The fact that they don't have the top stitch facing the same direction irks me, but I decided for this project to let it go. It would be a nightmare with any other project though.

I like how this bookmark turned out. You can download this free pattern here: https://kebstudiocreations.gumroad.com/l/AEVja

Bunny Sitting on Easter Eggs

It all started with a sketch, a very rough sketch, a sketch done on my phone while in a moving vehicle, a sketch of a bunny sitting on a stack of Easter eggs.

A rough sketch.

Next came designing and picking out colors. I started with the bunny and went through a number of variations. My attempts at creating a bookmark with the bunny sitting on top large Easter eggs wasn't working out. My husband suggested the idea of having the bunny sit on a basket of Easter eggs, and that worked out wonderfully.

A plethora of options.

Yes, there is something different about each of those bunny designs.

I began stitching the pattern on 14-count light blue aida, while also working on getting other patterns released. When I had almost finished stitching this pattern, my husband remarked that it was kind of a large bookmark. That got me wondering how big it would be if stitched on 18-count cloth. So, I stitched it again, this time on 18-count fiddler's light aida. I do prefer the size of the 18-count bookmark.

A few days after I finished stitching these, I visited my sister's family. I had their rabbits in mind when I made the bunny white. When I showed the bunny cross-stitch to my older nephew (age 4 and a half), he hugged it and wanted to keep it. I had been thinking to give the blue one to their family since I had stitched the design twice, but this confirmed it. My nephew wanted me to leave it with them right then, but I tried to explain to him that I needed to take it home and make it into a bookmark and take pictures of it. I will take the completed bookmark to them the next time I visit.

Some of their cute rabbits.

When it came time to photograph these bookmarks, I bought a few props (Peeps, stuffed bunny, cloth carrots, dyeable cardboard eggs), as well as used some things I already had (basket, books, backdrops). The pattern for this Easter bookmark is now available on Etsy.