finito!

i finished up the letters for the first candy cane (1 of 3 holiday gifts for my parents)

i tried the beads i have in my stash, but the size 11's weren't looking right. a trip to the lns will fix that! i'll save the bead-work for my two candy canes, since i'm not entirely certain my mother will know how to properly store these needlepoint creations, so i'm keeping it simple. 

1 down. 4 more to go! since i already have my purple and white thread out, i'm going to try busting through the other tcu cane this weekend. deja vu stitching anyone?

have a fantastic weekend!

progress!

while my progress is not as quick as it would normally be, i'm just fine with it. 

i finished stitching the center band and just have to bead the letters and this will be complete!

4 more to go!

i've been wanting to make a change in terms of my fitness routine, and this week i took the plunge...

i've started pure barre classes and LOVE it! i've been going every night and really enjoy the curriculum. i've made a commitment to myself that this is going to be part of my permanent fitness routine. 

so while the 55 minutes of pure barre every night takes away from my stitching time, i'm ok with it. needlepoint and stitching is definitely my favorite hobby, but unfortunately it keeps me sedentary. i have always been active and only until i really started getting into needlepoint did my activity level drop. while in no way am i decreasing my stitching or giving it up in any way, i  do want to take time every day to get my butt off the couch and get moving. and if that means it takes me a week to stitch a candy cane instead of 3 days, so be it!

it's all about balance!

starting the candy cane countdown

 this weekend found me switching gears from the nativity to this year's crop of holiday gifts!

i completed all the stitching for the candy cane "body" and now find myself in a quandary. i'd like to bead the letters, but i also want to switch white threads. do i save myself the trouble of trying to find the right shade of white and just continue with the silk lame? 

in other news, this stitched up remarkably fast, and i'm fairly positive that once i find the answer i'm looking for with the center portion, these canes will stitch up for the holidays in no time!

question for those of you who have stitched these before: did you stitch extra rows for the finisher, or leave as is?

tnna market love

so many great canvases and products have been coming out of the columbus market and with the speedy and up-to-the-minute nature of social media, we are able to enjoy everything much more quickly!

 there's more sorority swag to stitch!

 via Peacock Alley FB 

via What's the Point FB 

"i want a hippopotamus for christmas"

Labors of Love via What's the Point FB

via What's the Point FB

i've always loved these canvases

& more via What's the Point FB

beautiful!!!

sandra gilmore bell pull 

love the new melissa shirley heart tree!

what are your favorites so far?

le nativity (so far)

i decided to take a quick inventory on my nativity thus far...i can't believe it's 2/3 of the way done!

which one's your favorite?

happy friday y'all!

it's a finish!

my sweet little elephant is finished, and it's a bittersweet one for me. i'm going to miss stitching on this guy!

but nothing can compare to the feeling of taking a canvas off the bars! yippee!

only 4 more canvases left in this club! who will be next?!

sorority canvas love

 earlier this year i caught myself drooling over steph's precious little chi omega heart by painted pony. i knew i had to have one. lucky me when pocket full of stitches had a painted pony trunk show that i was able to snag this for a great deal!

let's also not forget that this little lady has been on my 2013 stitch list...

let's also try and forget that i graduated from college 5 years ago and have no business having 3 sorority ornaments on my christmas tree, but i can't help it. they're just too darn cute!

(first kkg ornament seen here)

ta-da!

ok ok, technically it's not a finish yet but i'm still going to "ta-da"

meet mr. elephant

isn't he a dreamboat?

i gave the basketweave background the ole college try last night, but nothing worth noting. this guy is just too cute! 

how was your weekend?

FAB finishing!

i do love getting that call from the lns saying i have a package! cricket's mini-stocking is back and is so precious! the cording is the perfect blend, and they did a fabulous job matching the blue on the back! 

i could not be more pleased, and will love hanging this alongisde our stockings this christmas!

follow the mini-stocking journey here!

working on the elephant this weekend! what are your plans?

sneak peek...

i'm not quite done with the elephant's skin, but i thought i'd show you a sneak peek in progress!

i went rogue and decided to bead the red dots on his headdress instead of french knots like the stitch guide called for. i'm a rebel :)

stitching the first layer of skin with dmc floss in the souffle stitch, then will go back and add kreinik to the remaining open canvas.

look at that cute trunk! let's hope i can get this finished up this weekend!

cuter than dumbo

i've been counting down the hours until i could finally get my hands on the next canvas in the nativity club! my hands could not stitch fast enough on this elephant!

finished his blanket and started on his headpiece. i cannot handle the black and white checks. i die!

the colors on the blanket threw me at first; the orange is so fluorescent and i worried about how it would look next to the rich purple and red, but i'm really starting to like the combination! especially when you look at all the pieces next to one another...

this project is moving too quickly already! i love it so much!

you ready for this?

is it just me or does that make you think of 2 unlimited from jock jams circa 1991?

ok but seriously...are you ready for the cuteness overload that is the next canvas in the princess and me nativity club?

he is so adorable i just can't stand it. this club has been so much fun and i just love all the animals in it! 

while we're on the subject of weddings...

one of my bestest friends got engaged this spring, and is getting married this upcoming january! i immediately knew i wanted to stitch something for her, but i'm indecisive on what...

last year i stitched this painted canvas for a lee jewelry box for my other friend that got married, and she loved it! it's always excited to get something with your new monogram on it!

but there are so many cute princess and me ornaments that i love too...

and these toppers by the studio midwest are just too precious...

what are your "go-to" stitched wedding gifts?

holiday stitching

instead of my usual ambitious holiday stitching (see last year's endeavor here), this year's holiday stitching should be a breeze!

while i LOVE the gratification of giving stitchy gifts to my family for christmas, it can get a bit expensive. so instead of trying to out-do myself each year and stitch for multiple family members, i decided that this year would be low key. 

voila!

these candy canes are so cute and festive, and i was green with envy watching all my cute blogger friends stitch them last year! i saved them for christmas 2013 which is perfect timing since my sister just graduated from UT, marking the end to my parents' "financial prison" as my dad so hysterically refers to it. 

the candy canes represent the schools attended in my immediate family. i think my mom will really love hanging these on the tree each year, or maybe on a garland!

don't worry, i bought the OU candy cane for my own tree. perhaps i sneak it in for this year?