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!

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?