blog update and a finish

my apologies for the blog break, i know it's been a while but i have needed this time to focus. 

i have still managed to find pockets of time here and there to stitch, and was able to finally finish the thanksgiving cross stitch

i'm not entirely certain what my blogging future will be, but know that i have kept up with all of you and your beautiful work and am cheering you on every step of the way!

i am disabling the comments for this post, and i hope you will understand. be back soon! 

weekend progress

my favorite time to stitch is on the weekends. hours of uninterrupted time to stitch, to be lazy, to watch football, and maybe pepper in a few naps and meals. 

with the quick turnarounds and high demands that i encounter at my job, the weekends are my time to recharge my batteries, wash my makeup off and chill out. 

stitching has become so much more than a hobby to me, it has become an effective tool in helping me "come down" at the end of the day. it helps me be quiet, focused and calm.

this weekend i made more progress and more x's

one pumpkin down...two more to go!

what does stitching do for you?

greek trunk show purchase

did you or a gal you know go greek?

then you will love the all-greek trunk shows happening this month! i snagged a hinged pin box by funda scully and painted pony 

what a stylish way to keep my sorority pin safe! these would be the perfect gift for a graduate or a recent new member!

go kappa!

weekend progress!

i had every intention of starting a new needlepoint ornament this weekend, but this cross stitch keeps pulling me back in! 

i can't stop!

here's where i picked up saturday...

and here is my progress after 1.5 days...

i'm going to finish all the outlines and borders before picking back up with the lettering and pumpkins (saving the best for last)

what are your thoughts on cross stitch? i know this is primarily a needlepoint blog, but i love cross stitch too (albeit my cross stitch stash is no where near the size of the needlepoint one)

do you like the cross stitch updates? should i continue with it or just wait to post until i'm back with needlepoint updates?

hope you had a great weekend!

halfway there!

i'm really loving this cross stitch piece, and to be honest, it's helped give me a much needed needlepoint break. 

here's where i left off previously...

and here's my progress as of labor day weekend (minus the time i missed due to le stomach flu)

it's halfway done! now on to finish the other side and frame this guy up!

and because i thought it was cute, here's a vintage cross stitch treasure i found while antiquing this weekend...

"if mother says no - ask grandmother"

weekend progress

still waiting on my next nativity canvas to drop in my mailbox, so in the meantime i'm having a ball stitching this!

(excuse the wrinkles)

i just adore the little crow in the corner...isn't he cute?

petei!

the needlepoint community received wonderful news when Painted Pony announced yesterday that they are now the distributors for Designs by Petei!

i am so excited that Petei's wonderful designs will flourish and take over my Christmas tree for years and years!

talk about a coincidence that i just received a Petei santa in the mail this week to add to my stash!

Scottish Santa via ebay (partially worked, but a French Knot stitch guide/threads is in the mail!)

to show my excitement, here's a glance at my current Petei stash - stitched and unstitched

Celestial Santa

South Pole Santa

Whirling Dervish Santa

Kiss Me Santa

TCU Santa

OU Santa

Huzzah!!!! Petei's back!

what have i been stitching on?

last week i posted a sneak peek of what i've been working on recently. i wanted to switch gears and get my hands on some cross stitch!

enter...

by country cottage needleworks

the linen is dark cocoa (it's darker in person i promise, apologies for the bad lighting and shadow). i adore this sweet sampler! the simple message and clean color palette really speak to me. while i love fall, i'm not a huge fan of the orange pumpkin thang.

something about the impending cooler weather always makes me want to curl up with a big piece of linen and a bowl of chili. 

what do you think?

new friends for le stash

i recently came across a few lovies on ebay that i instantly knew had to be mine. first, remember this darling heart by raymond crawford that is currently languishing in my stash?

i spotted 3 more colors from the same collection!

eek! i love these hearts for so many reasons...namely, the red bows and harlequin mackenzie-childs feel to them. 

what a happy little family!

the last two colors in this family are pink and purple. should i go for it?

special thanks to margaret for generously selling me her raymond crawford hearts xoxo

a new start...

can you guess what i started working on?

have a great weekend!

fabulous finishing!

there's nothing like a box of finished needlepoint to make the week better!

earlier this year i stitched crab salad, and ballooning santa (both by the princess and me) 

take a peek at the stitchy finished goodness!

(images via adornment needlepoint facebook)

 a huge thanks to adornment needlepoint for the spectacular job! i love them oh so very much!

NOW it's a finish!

i am beyond thrilled to have this little piggy completely stitched!

i fretted over how to finish this, frame it? pillow? stand-up?

in the end, i think i'll hang it on a cabinet or a door, maybe with a fun tassel underneath?


my next nativity canvas hasn't arrived yet, so i feel like sinking my teeth into another new project...what should it be?

a piggy (almost) finish!

ok ok, technically it's not a finish since i'm still working the background, but it's serious progress!

instead of beating myself up about all the "coulda, woulda, shoulda" aspects of this piece, i'm just going with the flow and taking deep breaths.

i'm glad i was able to practice more of my ribbon roses, i think they turned out ok!

i went back and forth on background options. but at the end of the day, there is so much going on that i didn't want to distract from that. thoughts on the pink? love it? hate it?

i'm alive

not a lot of time for stitching this weekend, so i'll leave you with a few pictures of my progress on the pig's body. hoping to finish the last component tonight, but who knows

sorry for the lack of posts this week. hoping that my life can get back to normal soon.

piggy progress!

when we last saw this little piggy, i had only completed the face and ears..

i picked it up this weekend and put in the kalem stitch in two colors on the saddle, followed by alternating tent stitch on the saddle strap (outlined in kreinik)

(body stitch is still a work in progress)

this is why i love stitch guides and stitch suggestions. in looking at the painted canvas (below), i would have never thought to do alternating tent on the saddle strap, but i'm in LOVE with it!

what do you think so far?

a new start!

while i await my next nativity canvas, i decided to pull out an 

old friend that i've been dying to start!

so far i've completed most of the face and this weekend i hope to make serious progress

huge shout out to amy's golden strand for the beautiful threads and stitch suggestions!

what are your weekend plans?

a manger finish!

baby jesus is stitched and sleeping soundly in his manger!

i made some small variations from the stitch guide, and i love the finished result!

what do you think? only 2 more to go! any guesses as to what i'm starting in the meantime?

baby jesus

this is arguably the most enjoyable canvas to stitch up because it's the smallest and therefore the fastest which is just what i needed after languishing over the background for the angel

the big scotch stitches were a breeze, followed by the alternating stitches for the manger

this might be finished sooner than expected! dare i start a new fun project from le stash?

meet my new office mate for the week...

lots of snuggle time with this girl!

a friday finish (finally!)

i was able to finish this up last night, and now i'm happy dancing my way into the weekend!

the background seemed to plague me this time around. not sure if it seemed longer because i was traveling, or because there was more space to cover. in any case, i was more than happy to trade the navy floss for memory thread!

here's how my girl first looked after i tacked down the memory thread...

 and after i curled the thread around my needle...

 i'm purposely keeping the hair longer until it comes back from the finisher when i can trim it and fluff up the curls. the great thing about memory thread is that you can play and bend to your heart's content, so this will be ongoing fun!

what do you think?

bald beauty

this is my progress from all the in-flight stitching this weekend. it looks meager, but it never ceases to amaze me just how time consuming basketweave can be! 

the good news is that i'm over the hump. the top part is the most daunting of the background stitching, and it's blue skies and rainbows from here. poor girl is dying for a trip to le salon for her memory thread hair. hah. 

as i sat stitching at the gate last night in phoenix waiting to board the last leg to new orleans, a mom with a newborn leaned over and said "oh wow, that is so beautiful, do you paint it or follow a guide?" i showed her my baby jesus canvas and said "oh, it's painted and i stitch over that."

she replied with "oh. (pause) 'cause i was going to say that's really good"

but it sort of felt like the subtext she implied was "it would be a lot more impressive if you had stitched this without a painted guide."

oh well. 

have you ever had a instance like this happen to you?