Wonderland Ukraine is a unique craft supplier.  Anton Gladkov comes from a family of crafters so he just had to get creative himself.   I wrote about his gorgeous laser cut and engraved wood bead organizers before.

This time I received one of their many Easter beaded cross stitch wood kits to review. One lucky giveaway winner will also receive one kit from any of their huge collection of beaded cross stitch wood kits, not just the Easter ones.

Many Central and Eastern Europeans decorate Easter eggs with the traditional wax resist method.  The Ukrainians call Easter eggs, "pysanka" - beautiful creations which deserve to be showcased.

I was really pleased to be given a chance to try out one of their kits.  As some of you may remember from my past post about South East Asian embroidery, my mother is very good at beaded cross stitch embroidery using Aida cloth. I couldn't begin to tackle a project like hers but Anton's kit with the laser drilled holes might be just the ticket to enjoy some beading time.

This is the box I received.  I don't read Ukrainian but luckily there are English instructions inside!


These are the laser cut and pre-stained wood components of the Easter egg holder.  The cut outs are lovely. You can use it as is or paint it to a color you prefer.


Also included in the kit are the beading chart, instructions, beads, thread, 2 beading needles and the felt backing.


I actually switched to  6 lb Fireline as I wanted to use the wood as is - the grey of the thread was, in my opinion, a better match for the wood.


It's difficult to get the printer color to match the actual color of the beads. So I had to carefully match up the beads to the relevant areas in the color chart. The two darkest reds were very close in shade, so I had to mark which was which on the chart. I think it would have been better if the chart itself had numbers, like the paint by number kits.

It also helps to bead in very good light!


I actually do not have one of their lovely bead organizers so I used my bead board instead. I started with lining up the required beads for a particular row.

I followed the instructions for beaded cross stitch on the leaflet. The working beading thread is tied to the tail at the back. Beaded cross stitch is just one diagonal which carries a bead. This is the easiest way to complete the project. The instructions also gave another alternative to use the "stem" stitch like that used in bead embroidery but I thought it will take longer.


But once I got into the rhythm, I just laid the beads in piles like this :


I also liked using a transparent ruler so I could double check bead color positions with the line below. 


There were a few places for this kit where there were missing holes at the edges. Not that it mattered. I just omitted the end beads in that case. As you can see the chart indicated 3 beads at the top but there were only holes enough for 2 beads.


Finally, the felt backing can be glued to the back of the work.


Assembly is quick and easy!


I wondered how North American sized eggs would fit. I am not good at decorating eggs but at least I did try out the large sized eggs I had in my fridge! I reckon the holder will take 6 eggs of medium - large size easily.


I must say, overall, this is a great kit for beaders and crafters to enjoy.  I certainly had fun making mine. There are smaller Easter kits available :


 Hundreds of their kits and bead organizers are currently on sale including their Christmas ones!  So if you are the sort who likes to get gifts ahead of time, check them out!

Giveaway 

If you'd like to win a free wood kit of your choice from Wonderland Ukraine , please make a comment below. Make sure you leave contact info below if you do not have an online shop or blog.

Email subscribers need to scroll down the post they receive, click on Share Comment and enter your comment. Pick Name/URL. If you don't have a store or blog, leave the URL blank.

This giveaway is international.

Extra entries if you become or are a blog subscriber or follower etc. If you also do shout outs about this giveaway, those will count as additional entries too! Please say so in the comments. (The exception is Facebook - just like/comment on the giveaway status there!!)

It ends in a week's time at 6 pm EST Monday, March 9, 2020. I will pick the winner randomly and announce the results as soon as possible after. So be sure to leave a contact email if you don't have an online link or make sure you come back and check! Otherwise I will redraw in a week. Good luck!

Before You Go:

Disclosure
This blog may contain affiliate links. I do receive a small fee for any products purchased through affiliate links. This goes towards the support of this blog and to provide resource information to readers. The opinions expressed are solely my own. They would be the same whether or not I receive any compensation.
 ______________________________
Original Post by THE BEADING GEM
Jewelry Making Tips - Wire JewelryTips  -Jewelry Business Tips