gettin' squirrelly

it's a new kit, featuring - squirrels!


squirrels sharing nuts! yes!
these new kits will be going with me to renegade, so if you're in the area, be sure to stop by booth 44 (right near the entrance at driggs and union) and get one! for those of you who are not local to nyc, i should be getting them into the shop next week. if i don't, and you're eager to get one, email me and remind me to make that happen. (i've got a big project for next week, so i may be a little distracted...) have a great weekend, all!

same day different kit

a new kit is in the shop!


i had several requests to create a kit for my school-house-script home-sweet-home pattern - so i've done just that. check it out, now you can get the complete little package; the pattern plus all the supplies you need to complete the project. this one comes with a 5 inch embroidery hoop - a little bigger than the others!
also of note about the kits in my shop -- they're now being sold at lower prices! i'm now packaging them in clear plastic sleeves, instead of the hand made sewn drawstring pouches. while i will miss making the drawstring pouches (it gave me a reason to buy cute fabrics!), this cuts out a step in the process as well as materials costs - therefore, lowering my costs, so i can lower your cost!
next week i'll be introducing two new kits, so stay tuned. (to see the current offerings and their new nice prices, click here.)

holiday sale kick off

okay, lovelies.
i kicked off a little holiday sale in my etsy shop:


hand-embroidered monogram tea towels are going for two for $32 from now until i run out of towels.




and select kits are now $2 off. (these kits, plus more)

go on and do some shopping!

it may seem early but...

... it's almost time to start thinking about decking the halls and trimming the tree.
i at least had to start my thinking about the holiday marketing season and so far, i am pleased with what i've come up with; i've got (almost) four new kits in the shop and they're all for making your own sweet little holiday ornaments/decorations.
lookie look:


no, you cannot have my frames, but you CAN make this:


i give you all the supplies:


or, if you prefer it in black - a little less holiday season specific, too:



and then there are the reindeer:


you can make it with or without the year.


i'm waiting on a shipment of white fabric, but in a day or two, the kits for this color option will be in the shop, too:


don't wait until the last minute! check them out here.

cross my heart

these have been in the works for a while, but finally -- they're ready; they're in the shop; they're waiting for you!


it's the latest d.i.y. cross-stitch kit from chez-sucre-chez -- contains a c-s-c original pattern and all of the materials (except scissors) you need to complete the project. take a look here.

more hanky panky!

the boyfriend hankie embroider-it-yourself project kits are up!


here's the story: as you may remember, from here and here, i had made a few embroidered hankies for my bf. well, because i think they're kinda cool, and because i know that at craft fairs there aren't so many things to buy for the dudes, i was gonna stitch up a bunch of them to sell at art star. but then, as i was stitching the first or second one, i thought, "wait a minute -- why am i doing this? it would be so much cooler if the girl stitches the hankie herself, instead of just buying and giving one that was stitched by some other girl." so -- the kit idea came to me -- this way, i didnt have to do the stitching work, i could offer it at a cheaper price, AND it's sharing the how-to and creative empowerment with others! woo-hoo!
they were pretty well received at this past weekend's fair, so i got some more hankies and put together more kits. i tweeted this sneak peek preview yesterday


and got a pretty great reaction, so this morning i got these babies listed in the shop.
the photos aren't ideal - i need a new camera... these are taken with my phone -- soon i'll get better shots, but these'll have to do for now. sorry.
here are the kit contents:


and here's what you can do with them!


i included a lot of different choices, like sweetheart, and my love, and darling, and sugar booger, and stuff like that, mostly in easy-to-stitch script fonts. i'm hoping, too, that some people get the kit and then, with the materials, put their own creative flair into the project. fun! want one? get it here!

show us your kits!

(haha!)


i'm declaring january (and february and probably march) chez-sucre-chez do-it-yourself kit month. it's darned cold out there!
i know that i don't feel too motivated to go out and run around and do and see stuff when the nights are so cold; i'd much rather be snuggled in my nest working on a project or three. so i've made up a bunch more of my cross-stitch kits and i marked down the prices in both my etsy and bigcartel shops. just $14 bucks (plus a coupla dollars for shipping) and you've got a perfectly good excuse to stay inside some cold dark night (or two or three if you're a cross-stitch beginner, or if you have a short attention span). i'm thinking you should buy two of the kits (two different ones - so you can swap patterns later!) and then, when they arrive, call up one of your friends and tell her (or him) to bring over some cookies and hot chocolate (or wine, or whiskey -- just be careful, it ain't so easy to cross-stitch when your eyes are drunky crossed, believe me, i've tried.) and the two of you can stay in and stitch together.

sweet squirrel kit - the original:

owl love you kit:


make your own home sweet home:


hearts and hares (bunny love) kit:


puppy love kit - two projects for the price of one:



then, when you finish the project - take a photo and add it to the new flickr group that i just created!


i made a group, "your chez-sucre-chez" as a space where you can share photos of your completed chez-sucre-chez patterns/kits. i'm always curious to see how these projects turn out and what kind of cool little twists you creative peeps out there do with the kits. i've heard some people tell me they added names or words or dates to the pattern, or that they did it on another type of fabric, or that they mounted the finished piece in a funky frame. well now there's a place to show that stuff! do it! please!
i'm also hoping that people will post photos of chez-sucre-chez pieces or products that they've bought from me (or my retailers) as they are now living in their homes. being that each of my pieces is handmade by me, i spend time with each one - and i hope that they end up being used and loved. i know that a lot of my customers are the types who enjoy creating a beautiful living space for themselves and i would LOVE to see how my chez-sucre-chez wares fit into those spaces.
so please, get out a camera and show us your chez-sucre-chez! (ps - i've never been an administrator for a flickr group before, so i'm hoping that you can just join and post -- try it - let me know if you run into any difficulties. thanks!)

bunny bags

new drawstring pouches for the "hearts and hares" diy cross-stitch kits:


i like these ones better than the old lace-print fabric i was using. that's all.

make your own home sweet home

here's the latest chez-sucre-chez do-it-yourself cross-stitch kit:


i created the piece a couple of weeks before going to chicago and decided to turn it into a kit just days before the trip. i like that it's a really simple design and that the colors are different from my other light-color-stitching-on-black-fabric kits. the color combo for this one and the little red heart flanked by doo-dads was inspired by a ribbon design that i remember from my childhood. i thought i had a little scrap of that ribbon to photograph and post, but it seems i dont... hmmm, i'll have to keep my eyes out for it. i'm sure you know what ribbon i am talking about, though -- very folk-y looking- white ribbon with red and blue and green and yellow "embroidery" design on it. if i find some i'll post it here later. anyways, that was the inspiration behind the original piece and then i thought i liked it so much that i wanted to share.


so that's where the kit came from. it comes with the pattern, a four-inch wooden embroidery hoop, blue aida cloth, red and white floss, and a needle -- all packed up in a little draw-string pouch that i've sewn up.



kits available in my etsy shop and soon in my bigcartel shop.

holy kits!

i've just stocked the shops with all new kits!
okay, the first one isn't really ALL NEW. i've had this kit in my shop before, but it sold out, and for this batch i've made an even prettier, larger drawstring pouch to house the kit contents.
introducing, the new crop of "owl always love you" kits:


here's a shot of the new and improved project bag:


ooooh, pretty fabric, right?

and then, the new product is the "puppy love" kit:


it's got all of the supplies (and the patterns) to stitch up not one, but two chez-sucre-chez original cross-stitch designs! yeaah! woo-hoo!


it, too, comes in a pretty drawstring bag:



and here's a little extra fun --- there's enough hot pink embroidery floss in the kit (left over from the hearts, as long as you dont get it all tangled up!) to give the doggies collars if you want!


(i credit my friend mary for inspiring this one: through her company, collier leeds, she makes and sells SERIOUSLY nicey nice fancy dog collars -- check 'em out here.)

so -- as i said, the new kits are now in the shop. go on and check them out here.