Splurge!

Recently while cleaning I found a couple unused Border's Gift Certificates (one of the benefits of occasionally sorting through the piles!). I knew I'd be going by a Borders one evening on the way to a meeting so I tossed them into my purse.

Making is a British magazine I discovered on my trip to London. It's young and has interesting projects for all types of crafting and needlework. They're often simple projects (but not "dumbed down"), in classic style and nicely done. (I think Europeans tend to give more credit to their audiences than many American publications do (or did--many are gone now).

Just in time, it looks like, because Monday they announced they were closing and I was told our local store would be gone by Friday. I'll be sad to see them go but in reality I didn't often go into one--mostly in an attempt not to spend too much money on books.

I never checked to see if Molly Makes is British or Australian; I think British--this was a new find.  It has projects similar to those in Making in that they're young and modern, but it has a style of it's own. I love all of the strawberry emeries--and also the descriptive box that explains the original purpose and need for the emery.

Selvedge is one of my all-time favorites but usually too expensive for my budget ($25 per issue). Somewhat like Piecework with a more modern focus, the articles cover all types of textile and fashion related companies, designers, designs and art.  I love the style of the magazine--it's worth it just for the wonderful ads.

I love magazines and I used to subscribe to quite a few but I've decided to cut down on paper flowing into the house and also on paper I'm storing. So I've let most of them lapse and I do miss having something to browse on weeknights when I'm too tired to stitch.

Stitch is an American publication. It's focused on sewing and features great design along with some interesting articles. 

So, I stocked up and used up my certificates (and a bit more!) and had a great time both shopping and then browsing through my finds.

Victoria's a more common newsstand item here--I can find it most places. It is a revival of a brand that closed a number of years ago and I've been enjoying it.  It's not a "keeper" but some of the articles are interesting and the recipes always sound yummy. It's very relaxing, full of lovely photographs of beautiful things and places.