a finish from the road!

typically i don't take my needlepoint with me on car trips, since looking down for a long period of time tends to make me a lil queasy. but luckily i only had a bit more of the background to complete so i powered through took frequent breaks and watched for deer and navigated and eventually i lazily limped across the finish line from the car!

green wiseman

i need to make 1 tiny adjustment on the robe, but this is still a finish in my book! 

for mason's birthday, we took a little trip down to fredericksburg for a weekend of wine and relaxation. our cottage was 10 miles outside of town situated on the most beautiful piece of land, and we were surrounded by wildflowers, hill country views and lots of furry friends. 

it was the perfect way to unwind and relax, before the looming threat of work and responsibility kicked back in this morning. boo. 

little bit of progress!

i was really motivated to get the weekend chores out of the way early on saturday so i could devote my afternoon to this guy, and getting a head start on the robe.  

i'll be trying to make some serious strides towards a finish this week since we're going on a weekend getaway for mason's birthday! yippee!

at least he's cute from the neck up?

my hand cramps subsided yesterday, which gave me a small window to try and get the momentum going again!

every time i look at this canvas i only think about mardi gras, so it's a fun reminder of new orleans. this canvas marks the halfway point in the series, so i'm determined to keep the momentum going and finish strong!

have a great weekend!

i finished...and my hand is still cramping

the sand and background came together fairly quickly over the course of sunday (after our ritual weekend trip to starbuck's!) 

i was highly motivated to cross that finish line, and made the final touches while there was still daylight outside!

red wiseman

i love his beard! nativities are synonymous with beards, so it's always fun to learn new techniques!

on to the final (and very green) wiseman now? jury's still out. my hand is still a little crampy and i'm not sure if it's from my speed round on sunday, or a combination of needling, computer, and scrolling through instagram. 

backgrounds are for the weekends

so i powered through and was able to get this guy ready and prepped for some background stitching this weekend. 

i've noticed that the downside to stitching a nativity set is that i always begin to dread stitching the background. the pretty canvas stitching goes by so quickly in comparison to the more drawn out background time. 

maybe it's just my attitude. i reach the point where the only thread left in my kit is the background, and immediately i'm like "nooooooo i just DID THIS!"

here's the thing - i always appreciate the background after it's done. i can look at the whole canvas and say "wow, that really came together nicely, what a great complement to the design"

hopefully i can put this one in the finish pile soon! #tgif

how do you store your needle treasures?

ever since i first started needlepointing, i've definitely been guilty of paying more attention to the beautiful canvases and wide array of fun threads. once a canvas was stitched, i would haphazardly throw it back into a plastic bag until it was time for finishing. as my stash has grown, so has the number of finished items. i really wanted to reorganize my nonexistent storage solutions for my finished items, and am really pleased with my new system!

an acid-free box, lined in acid-free tissue paper

similar boxes found here

lovely kreinik acid-free tissue

wrapping up the finished nativity in the tissue, then keeping the set together in acid-free plastic bags for easy access

end result: everyone is securely tucked in and has their own place

i'm curious to see what everyone else does for storage solutions. i'm still fairly new (6+ years) to this world and am slowly working my way up to building my dream home office/needlepoint sanctuary. but until then, what's the best way to go about it? 

the red wiseman (and some personal news!)

i finally got around to starting the next wiseman this past weekend and i took my sweet time trimming his crown/turban combo before moving on to this gown. 

next came the gift, the velvet lining on his robe and the bottom hem pattern. i'm trying to milk this for as long as possible since they're so much fun, but then i start getting into my groove and just as soon as it began, it ends! 

i might end up eating my words because there's going be a few more unexpected projects on the horizon!

still in shock!

mason and i knew for a while that we both wanted a future with one another, and that was cemented after we moved to dallas together for our new job opportunities last year. i obviously was in no rush and wanted to take my time to make sure that the right foundations were set in our relationship. so maybe the silver lining of going through a divorce at 26 is that it gives you laser focus on the qualities that you need from a partner, and the red flags that you won't ignore. i feel very lucky that we found each other, and i don't regret anything i went through, since it brought me to a better place within myself where i could truly love. we are so happy to start the next chapter of our lives together, rich with love (and needlepoint!)

purple reign

(see what i did there?)

i really had every intention of finishing this guy sooner, but something came up :)

(more on that later)

robe lining and bottom hems completed

the finished product!

purple wiseman

should i continue stitching these one after the other, or should i move on and start something else? i'm usually a "one-at-a-time" girl with my stitching, but maybe it's time to branch out?

the purple wiseman

the nativity canvases have taken a turn for luxury! all 3 wisemen in this series are super fancy and the stitches are so creative and really bring these to life!

after getting the face and hands out of the way, i started at the tip top and worked on that gorgeous crown! i must admit, there's a TON of different kreinik sizes and colors that are going to be incorporated into this, so i really have to stay on my game to make sure i'm following the stitch guide instructions.

i'm itching to dive into all the luxurious purple threads, eek!