Happy Mail and Framing

I got some happy mail this week that I'm excited to show you! I've purchased two kits from eBay that are different to anything else I have, so here goes:

Chistmas Morning by Oven

I have bought my first ever Russian kit! Check it out:

Christman Morning by Oven

I've wanted to stitch a robin for a while because they are one of my favorite birds (we can blame The Secret Garden for that), and browsing eBay I came across this little beauty. And get this: this is a Russian kit, shipped from Italy by a Greek girl. How cool is that? The price for the kit was very good, and for once the shipping costs more than reasonable, probably because it was shipped within the EU. 

The inside of the kit was different to Dimensions: the threads were from a brand I've never heard of before, and they were rolled up in a way I've never seen. The aida is very light and thin and airy, and feels like it's very good quality, so absolutely 5 stars out of 5 for this wonderful kit!

Wintry Wolf by Dimensions

This is a kit that I've had my eye on for a very long time, because it was among the first Dimensions kits I ever saw, and the expression on the wolf's face is so serene and candid, it really spoke to me:

He reminds me of Two Socks from Dancing with Wolves. Anyone else?

Now, the reason why I want to show you this kit is that it is unlike any other kit I've ever seen. For starters, there's no Aida! It comes with a very soft, thin cotton fabric that is printed:

Have you ever seen anything like this before? This fabric isn't evenweave... I have no idea what it is. Obviously we're supposed to cross stitch on top of the little crosses, but notice the background forest: that's they way it's going to look in the finished piece! And have you noticed the eyes?

Reading through the instructions, we're supposed to fill that in with satin stitch. And as for the lines over the trees, that's not backstitch: it's couching. Now, I'm familiar with these techniques because I used to embroider a little, but isn't it funny that this would be in a cross stitch kit? It'll be an adventure to say the least, so I'll pick this one up when I want a challenge.

Framing Ivy

Last but not least, I have framed Ivy! I chose a very creamy, soft wood imitation frame that I thought would go well with Ivy's colors, and then I did my very rustic DIY framing process:

Which is to say that I draped the fabric over the back of the frame, and stitched it up with very long stitches until it was nice and tight:

And here she is, all stitched up and framed and ready to go:

I'm delighted with the result, and think the frame works with the color of the fabric and Ivy herself, and is subtle enough to make the design pop. So I'm a happy camper!

How are you all doing? I hope things are well for everyone and you're enjoying your projects! Until next time, happy stitching :)