Lewis What's His Name

These two things are related, because it’s the anxiety that made the migraine stick around for so long. I get the chronically, and am on some amazing medication for them. But the medication can only go so far when the cause was buried in between my shoulders. Today, I am migraine free, but dealing with persistent shakes, so getting any stitching done still ain’t happening.

I would probably feel better if I could just smoke a joint, since that’s always more effective for my anxiety than anything my psychiatrist has thrown at me. But I cannot have a joint, because I am having surgery on Tuesday. The surgery being the source of my anxiety. It’s been a hell of a week already. I suppose this is a long way of saying there may be typos that spell check didn’t catch.

As always, I never quite know what to do with any website I create. Mainly because I am bad at using them to begin with. But I figured I may as well post something substantial here, especially since I’m gaining traction on Etsy just as I’m about to have to hand off packing orders to my husband. I’ll be double-checking everything he packages up for me, so don’t worry about that. I just won’t be able to dig about in bins for the next few weeks.

I’ve finally worked out how I’m going to use Etsy, which has resulted in a bit of rebranding. Or maybe just branding. I set it up initially using the username I have on all my socials, but it’s not really a great brand name. It’s deliberately forgettable because getting attention is absolutely detestable. I don’t like being seen. So it’s always awkward that I rely on the internet for my income.

The Etsy shop is now Cross Stitch Colouring Books, and I’ve created a section of this site just for that. I’d considered just setting up a brand new site, but this is where my business cards go if you scan the QR code on the back. I may get a set just for the Etsy shop, or I may just continue to use the current ones because they amuse me. That’s what’s important, right?

But what are Cross Stitch Colouring Books? Good question. I’m glad you asked. While I do have a few photo conversions up, most of my patterns are hand drawn in various digital art apps. These are drawn specifically to be made into patterns, and while they may contain quite a lot of detail, they have elements that make them easier to stitch than your typical converted digital art patterns. I’ve seen some digital art patterns that are absolutely gorgeous, and I’ve made a few myself, but they do have one element that make them a nightmare: the lineart. Those smooth lines that flow and sometimes blend into other elements of the piece can turn it into a confetti nightmare. So I’ve eliminated that by using bold outlines of hard pixels. This way, the lines still have some weight to them, and can flow and even blend to an extent, but they will always be black. There aren’t a load of different colours going into the outlines. This way, you can do them all at once, or use them to block off different sections of the pattern.

They can also support quite a lot of detail and blending within the colour bits.

Or, if you like the lines but want to go off in your own direction, you can get a discounted version of the pattern that just contains the linework. This way, you can do whatever you like with the pattern and make it truly your own.

I’m still working on getting everything compiled and uploaded, but have been focusing on other things before surgery. There’s a good amount of stuff up already though, as well as a few supplies which I’ll be adding to next month. I just need to find my labels and silver pen first.