a new week, a new finish and a new start

new week. new start!

almost a finish...

i was able to finish the electric blue paint that is so iconic to Commander's Palace. i love how it looks like the wood slats on the actual building. 

Just a few finishing touches and this one will be moved to the finish pile! Have a great weekend!

half-way there!

typically a smaller project like this wouldn't take me so long, but we went on a little mini vacation to LA for a wedding, so progress halted!

i decided to tackle the roof and outlining first. i switched from floss to ribbon for the columns and the awning at the bottom to give it more of a sheen. had to rip out the black outlining since i wasn't paying attention and used the wrong color. 

can't wait to dive in to the turquoise and create the siding!

a new + flavorful start

continuing on with the small canvases, i pulled this friend out of my stash for some play. this will be a fun reminder of life in Louisiana, and one of my favorite fancy restaurants!

if you've ever spent time in New Orleans, or are familiar with the city, you have probably heard of Commander's Palace!

"Commander's Palace has been a New Orleans landmark since 1880. Known for the award-winning quality of its food and its convivial atmosphere, the history of this famous restaurant offers a glimpse into New Orleans' storied past and has been the go-to destination for Haute Creole cuisine and whimsical Louisiana charm. Originally built by Emile Commander as a wedding gift for a daughter who never married, Commander's Palace has evolved into a culinary legend."

a patriotic finish

this was a "blink and you missed it" kind of project

i liked the star so much more without the beads that i decided to stick with an open stitch and let the shape speak for itself. while this might not be my favorite project i've ever done just kidding all my projects are my favorite, it is my dbf's fave, and that makes it even better. it feels good to have a needlepoint cheerleader, lol.

what's next you say? i'm still stitching through my stash, although it has dwindled significantly. next up is another small canvas, but packed with lots of culture and flavor!

the stars at night...

are giving me more trouble than i would like!

after completing the blue section, i tried a little beading from my stash. not really the look i was going for...

but ripping out beading is the worst so i just stayed in denial kept it in and continued on to the other sections

by the time i finished the red portion, i finally came to terms and ripped it out

at this point i'm toying around with the idea of doing an open stitch and letting the star's shape come out naturally. stars can be tricky, and i don't want to overcomplicate this piece.

#help

deep in the heart of texas!

i started on this little canvas (and i mean little) after the gumdrop house threads were put away and the canvas was safely taken off the stretcher bars. what a weird feeling to go from a large canvas to a teeny tiny one, i have to re-adjust my hand placement while stitching!

i consulted about 3-4 books trying to find the most perfect little stitches for this flag. i tend to try and over-complicate simple canvases because there's just so much to be left up to the imagination. it's a red, white and blue block and initially my mind wants to do something completely innovative and never-before-seen. 

i don't want to over-complicate this. i want to let the canvas speak for itself. i love our Texas flag, and i don't want to take away from the simplicity of its design by going off the grid with sparklies and ribbons. i did however, know that i wanted to bead the lone star, so i chose the mosaic background as a nice supporting piece to showcase that. 

coming off of a project that involved lots of frills and threads, it's sometimes hard to detox and get in the right mindset for a completely different kind of canvas. I equate it to dog breeds. each project is different, with its own personality. some don't want to be sparkly and frilly. and some want every single kind of trick in the book!

i'm going to stop now before i become "the canvas whisperer"...but i'm really liking how this is starting to take shape. 

have a great weekend and be sure to take time to do something that you love!

a sweet finish!

the gumdrop house is officially done and i am doing a major happy dance!

yes yes i know, it was only the bottom square that i needed to finish, but taking this guy off the stretcher bars felt pretttttttttyyyyyy amazing. this is easily one of my most favorite projects that i've done, it was a fun one!

for my next project, i decided to pull out something smaller that would be less detail-oriented. how apropos that i also started this new canvas on flag day? 

stay dry out there friends! 

gumdrop walls pt. 2

i honestly can't believe i've been working on this thing since April! i've been used to completing smaller projects in about a month, so this guy seems like it took forever!

i tackled the white/grey areas between each of the walls in floss, and then moved onto the last remaining candy components for the house.

i used memory thread for the lollipop sticks to give it some more dimension, but also it looks more realistic...

once the memory thread was wrapped in ribbon, i used a combination of kreinik and splendor silk to tent stitch the green portion as painted. then i used kreinik to french knot all of the red. 

i really wanted them to be lollipop topiaries, so i hope that's how it reads!

technically, the house is complete, but i still have to basketweave that pesky bottom square, so i'll be back to post an official "i'm finished" update. i also need to decide what my next project will be....

stay tuned!

gumdrop walls pt. 1

we had a lazy weekend that was mostly centered around work (his) and stitching (hers). i made some real progress on the gumdrop walls so i'm doing my best to organize each layer that i've been adding on slowly but surely!

this is what i started off with on saturday morning

there was a "paranormal activity" movie marathon on TV so i would stitch for a bit, then take a brief pause to tune into the ghost action

here's some leg action for you too 

i was able to start on the dark pink outline before petering out. my hand was also starting to cramp too. 

enter sunday:

i successfully completed all the dark pink outlines, and the tiny little continental stitches amidst the hesitation background stitch. it reminds me of peppermint ice cream, with the peppermint flakes mixed into the minty pink ice cream. 

it's still a lot of pink, but i love how the stitch came out, and am also glad to be rid of the neon rays and start the long cross to the finish line!

a special delivery, and a special finish!

i love being able to use needlepoint as a special gift for life's little occasions. one such occasion is the birth of a new family member! once my cousin and his wife confirmed the gender of the baby (boy), and once i had a few details on the nursery décor, i set to work!

i knew i wanted to use the j. child "baby sleeping" canvas because of the sweet little giraffe (and the fact that the nursery had multiple giraffes in it)

but i knew i wanted to incorporate a different background. the mommy-to-be had decorated in lots of navy and white stripes, so i based the background off of that. i covered up the star, and changed the color of the writing to coordinate.

(picture above was taken before giraffe's body was complete, but you get the idea!)

i was able to use most of my stash, with the exception of the navy neon rays. i forgot i had done this canvas once before for a friend wayyyyy back when, remember?

here's a horrible picture of my lap because we were racing to get to the hospital to see this sweet little face!

eek so cute! i love transforming a canvas to make it uniquely yours, and i know that it will have a special place hanging in baby boy's room. 

think pink!

is an understatement....

ok so i've made some headway with the walls in the hesitation stitch (will go back over and fill the gaps with a darker pink)

too much? i actually really like the color and think it plays into the whole "candy house" theme we've got going on up in here, but it can be so hard to use your imagination to envision what it will look like once completed!

i'm in a friend's wedding this weekend so unfortunately my progress will be scarce, but who doesn't love the opportunity to eat and drink for free and show off your crazy dance moves?

creating the candy house

ok so roofs are nice and all, but i've been anxiously awaiting my chance to stitch on the scrumptious candy for this cute house!

first items were the lime wedge windows. i set about beading them in the appropriate shades of green...

next were the candy canes. these were fun.

i padded them in frosty rays and kreinik to give them a little shape. the gauzy frosty rays makes them look almost real, right? gumdrops were a quick stitch in sparkle rays and i love how simple but effective it is!

so last night when i was showing my progress to dbf, (dear boyfriend) he pointed out that it was difficult to make out the lime wedges because the beads were a tad overwhelming. as much as i hate to admit it, he was totally right. (the perks of loving an art director, huh?)

so i tested out what it would be to only remove the inner beads but leave the outer perimeter. and i love the result! it makes it look more like a window, while still maintaining the character of the lime. what do you think?

next up is the hard candy shell of the 4 walls. 2 words: THINK PINK. 

(reminds me of Funny Face, n'est-ce pas?)

hello! is it me you're looking for?

hello out there! (if anyone is still reading this) lol

so my babe and i survived the move from new orleans to dallas in march, and we've been settling in with our new home and new jobs. it's so nice to be closer to my family and friends, and we love exploring everything this big city has to offer. new orleans will always have a special place in our hearts though, mine is probably a little more bittersweet. 

thankfully i was able to unpack all the boxes and find some moments to steal away and begin working on my gumdrop house! 

i purchased this canvas through a special trunk show from pocket full of stitches, so i also went ahead and ordered a few stitch suggestions along with it. it's nice to use the suggestions, but also make it my own with a few embellishments!

first up was the doors and windows. i had a great gingerbread-colored dmc thread in my stash that i used, and then added the window pane outlines in 1 strand. the shutters are slanted gobelin in frosty rays (i hate working with the thread, but love the effect it produces). since i had the frosty rays out already, i tackled the kreinik wreath in french knots, and added the bow. 

i wanted to tackle the roof next (and this took probably about 2-3 weeks since i wasn't very motivated). the first layer was the white ribbon "frosting" in an upright stitch. 

next was the darker shading in stranded splendor, followed by the brick stitch in the lighter gingerbread color. took longer since it required a laying tool and the canvas is a little larger so it felt clunky. 

so far i like the results, it gives it a little textured look, almost like a graham cracker or a waffle. in any case, i'm glad to be moving on to the rest of the candy house...maybe some beads will be next?

a friday finish!

what a treat!

i had extra downtime this week and was determined to go into this weekend with a sweet little finish.

i really love how the ice blue background makes the santa the star of the show and enhances the reds, creams and whites. this guy finally gets an upgrade from the stash to the finish pile. 

next up, i'll be starting work on this beauty, but progress will most likely be slow due to packing and moving.  

can't wait to be back in the great state of texas!

background progress, and some exciting news!

i was able to get about 1/2 of the background stitched between plane rides this weekend to and fro Santa Barbara for a bachelorette party weekend! i chose this ice blue vineyard silk (called "cumulus") and really love the results! it doesn't distract from the stitching but adds a nice enhancement to the coloring.

trying to power through and finish this guy this week because i'm about to get really busy...

we're moving to Dallas! 

my boyfriend and i were fortunate and lucky enough to both receive offers from 2 amazing ad agencies in Dallas, TX and could not be more thrilled to be moving to the Lone Star State! for me it will be a nice homecoming, and i'm excited to share it with someone special. we'll have friends and family nearby, and it will be a great start for us together. 

needlepoint progress might slow down a bit due to all the moving madness, but i'm excited to be closer to many more LNS'. if you have any recommendations, lay them on me!

xoxo

stitching my way through mardi gras!

happy belated valentine's day, and happy lundi gras!

i was so bad at blogging last week so i'm including lots of pictures as an amends. let's start with my progress on mr. santa.

the sweater is stitched using gumnut "tulips" in kalem, with diagonal knitting for the sleeves. i like how textured it looks, like a real cable-knit sweater!

i originally thought beads for the "OU" and then once i started it i completely had a change of heart.

so i pulled out the sparkly neon rays and love it so much more!

also tested out a mustache/beard option in angora. 

finishing up his hat with fuzzy stuff, and then onto the background. his beard is so white-white against the cream of the sweater, so i'm having to wrap my mind around that. but i think he's cute. what do you think?

here's a glance at our weekend!