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There are twelve colours in the range which is divided into three aroma themes – “Flower Bouquet”, “Tutti-Frutti”, and “Delicacies”.

The “Flower Bouquet includes fresh fragrances such as Rose, Lavender, Lily of the Valley and Honeysuckle.

The “Tutti-Frutti” includes tangy scents including lemon, orange, apple and strawberry.

The “Delicacies” includes delicious aromas such as vanilla, almond, caramel and chocolate.

The perfume for each fragrance is released with your touch; while you stitch or when the thread is rubbed. DMC claim that “Secret Perfume” threads retain their scent for several months and will last for about twenty washes.

The cotton embroidery floss can be purchased from the usual DMC outlets including Stitcher in the UK and the DMC Online Shop in the USA.

The above illustration is from shopDMC, with kind permission.

Have you used scented thread? Would you use scented thread? Let us know in a comment to this post.

These patterns are inspired by the work of William Morris. He was a nineteenth century English architect, furniture and textile designer, artist, writer, and socialist associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood and the English Arts and Crafts Movement.

The patterns are designed for a card size of 144 mm x 144 mm (approximately 5½ x 5½ inches). They are packed with detail and take ages to stitch so I hope that you are up for the challenge.

There will be six patterns and they will be ready soon. You will be the first to know when they are released.

God bless your little bundle.

May your child always walk in the company of angels.

May God bless your baby with his love on his/her baptism/christening day.

Congratulations on your baptism/christening, God bless.

Wishing (baby’s name) health, happiness and a rewarding life.

It is young (baby’s name) christening
And this card is sent to say
God bless your baby with his love
On his/her very special day

A sweet little treasure sent from above,
A coo and a smile, wrapped up in love.

A child is a precious gift from God
And baptism is God’s gift wrapping

May your baby’s christening day be filled with love, laughter and happiness.

Congratulations on your son’s/daughter’s christening day. You must be feeling happy and proud.

May the union your baby forms with the Lord today guide him/her through a happy life.

May you and your baby feel God’s love today and at all times.

 Your favourite words?

Do you have any favourite words that you use on your christening or baptism cards? Let us know in a comment below.

The song “Beer, Beer, Beer” originated as a sea shanty on Royal Navy sailing ships. The sailors settled in various countries and versions of the song are sung in Australia, Ireland, the United Kingdom and the United States.

The song talks of Charlie Mops as the inventor of beer. It is presumed that this mythical character was named to rhyme with barley and hops, two main ingredients in beer.

Beer, Beer, Beer

A long time ago, way back in history,
when all there was to drink was nothin but cups of tea.
Along came a man by the name of Charlie Mops,
and he invented a wonderful drink and he made it out of hops.

He must have been an admiral a sultan or a king,
and to his praises we shall always sing.
Look what he has done for us he’s filled us up with cheer!
Lord bless Charlie Mops, the man who invented beer beer beer
tiddly beer beer beer.

The Curtis bar, the James’ Pub, the Hole in the Wall as well
one thing you can be sure of, its Charlie’s beer they sell
so all ye lads a lasses at eleven O’clock ye stop
for five short seconds, remember Charlie Mops, 1 2 3 4 5

He must have been an admiral a sultan or a king,
and to his praises we shall always sing.
Look what he has done for us he’s filled us up with cheer!
Lord bless Charlie Mops, the man who invented beer beer beer
tiddly beer beer beer.

A barrel of malt, a bushel of hops, you stir it around with a stick,
the kind of lubrication to make your engine tick.
40 pints of wallop a day will keep away the quacks.
Its only eight pence hapenny and one and six in tax, 1 2 3 4 5

He must have been an admiral a sultan or a king,
and to his praises we shall always sing.
Look what he has done for us he’s filled us up with cheer!
Lord bless Charlie Mops, the man who invented beer beer beer
tiddly beer beer beer.

The Lord bless Charlie Mops!

• Valentine’s Day – Saturday, 14 February
• St. David’s Day – Sunday, 1 March 2009
• St. Patrick’s Day – Tuesday, 17 March 2009
• Mothering Sunday (Mother’s Day) in U.K.- 22 March 2009
• Passover (Jewish) Tuesday, 8 April 2009
• Easter (Christian) Sunday (Western) – 12 April 2009
• St George’s Day Thursday, 23 April 2009
• Mothering Sunday (Mother’s Day) in Australia/U.S.A. – 10 May 2009
• Father’s Day in Canada/U.K./U.S.A. – Sunday, 21 June 2009
• Fourth of July (U.S.A.) – Saturday, 4 July 2009
• Father’s Day in Australia/New Zealand – Sunday, 6 September 2009
• Grandparents’ Day – Sunday 13 September 2009
• Eid ul-Fitr (Islamic festival at end of Ramadan) – 16 to 18 September 2009
• Thanksgiving in Canada – Monday, 12 October 2009
• Diwali (Hindu Festival of Lights) – Saturday, 17 October 2009
• Mother-in-Law Day – Sunday, 25 October 2009
• Pink Ribbon Day (cancer awareness) – Friday, 30 October 2009
• Halloween – Saturday, October 31 2009
• Thanksgiving in U.S.A. – Thursday, 26 November 2009
• St. Andrew’s Day – Monday, 30 November 2009
• Hanukkah (Jewish Festival of Lights) – Friday, 11 December 2009
• Christmas Day – Friday, 25 December 2009
• New Year’s Eve – Thursday, 31 December 2009
• Australia Day – Tuesday, 26 January 2010
• Chinese New Year – Sunday, 14 February 2010

Editors note: Please see “Upcoming Holidays” in the right-hand column, and the “Holidays” category, for current holiday dates.

The illustration is from the Stitching Cards Border 3: bellflowers ‘Mother’s Day’ pattern.

The turtles card is from the new Animal Lovers patterns on the Stitching Cards web site. I have added the Happy Valentine’s Day message using the Stitching Cards TrueType Font 340.

Think of a humorous caption for this card and tell us by adding a comment to this post.

The competition closed on 14 February 2009.

Competition rules

Entries should be unique. Duplicate entries will be disregarded.

One entry per person will count. If you post more that one caption your name will only go in the draw once.

One of the entries will be chosen at random by an independent invigilator.

The winner will receive a Stitching Cards Value Pack of their choice.

The winner will be informed by email as soon as possible after 14 February 2009. If they do not respond within seven days a new winner will be chosen.

No cash alternative or alternative prize is available.

Your email address is never published nor shared.

The winner

Congratulations to the winner Cheryl, whose name was pulled out of the hat. Cheryl has chosen Value pack 34: Animal lovers as her prize.

Have you ever wondered why we celebrate St Valentine’s Day on February 14 and why it is associated with lovers?

The ancient Greeks and Romans held fertility festivals in mid-February. It has been suggested that the Christian church set St Valentine’s Day on the same date as these ancient festivals to convert pagans to Christianity. There were a number of Christian martyrs named Valentinus but there is no evidence that any were linked to the kind of courtly love we associate with St Valentine today.

In 1400 a “High Court of Love” was established in Paris on Valentine’s Day. The court dealt with love contracts, betrayals, and violence against women. Women would choose the judges on the basis of a poetry reading.

The earliest know valentine poem was written by Charles, Duke of Orleans for his wife, whilst he was being held captive in the Tower of London following the Battle of Agincourt in 1415. It begins:

Je suis desja d’amour tanné
Ma tres doulce Valentinée…
(Charles d’Orléans, Rondeau VI, lines 1-2)

In 1600 William Shakespeare has Ophelia mention Valentine’s Day in Hamlet:

To-morrow is Saint Valentine’s day,
All in the morning betime,
And I a maid at your window,
To be your Valentine.
(William Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act IV, Scene 5)

Early valentines would have been hand written but since the technology for printing predated William Shakespeare it is likely that printed valentines were also exchanged between lovers around his time.

The practice of sending Valentine’s cards is mentioned in Elizabeth Gaskell’s book “Mr. Harrison’s Confessions”, published in England in 1851.

In North American the first mass-produced valentines appeared in 1847. They were produced and sold by Esther Howland who was inspired by an English valentine that she had received.

Statistics from the U.S. Greeting Card Association suggest that more than a billion valentines are sent each year worldwide. This makes it the second largest annual card-sending holiday, the first being Christmas. They say that women purchase 85 percent of all valentines.

The illustration is Stitching Cards Border 1: Valentine hearts pattern.

1. When was the first commercial Christmas card printed in the UK?

a) 1843.
b) 1875.
c) 1895.

2. When was the first commercial Christmas card printed in the USA?

a) 1843.
b) 1875.
c) 1895.

3. What is the UK’s all time biggest hit song about Christmas?

a) Last Christmas by Wham!
b) Do They Know It’s Christmas? by Band Aid
c) Mary’s Boy Child by Boney M

4. In what film did the song White Christmas first appear?

a)  White Christmas
b)  Home Alone
c)  Holiday Inn

5. Which of the Wise Men was said to have brought the gift of gold for the baby Jesus?

a)  Balthazar
b)  Melchior
c)  Caspar

6. How many gifts are given in total in the song The Twelve Days of Christmas?

a) 12
b) 78
c) 364

7. Clement Clarke Moore’s 1822 poem “The night before Christmas” names eight of Santa’s reindeer. Which one of the following was not in the original list?

a) Dasher
b) Dancer
c) Rudolph

8. In what country did the Christmas tradition of the decorated fur tree start?

a) England
b) Norway
c) Germany

9. In Jingle Bells, the singer says “I thought I’d take a ride”. Who was soon seated at their side?

a) Fanny Bright
b) Charlotte Bronte
c) Nellie Melba

10. What is the popular name for little baked sausages wrapped in rashers of streaky bacon?

a) Hot dogs
b) Pigs in blankets
c) Sausage rolls

Click here for the answers