almost finished!

the petei santa is almost done, and i love how it's starting to look!

after the final layer of the coat was stitched, i moved onto the fur and beard.

fur is a french knot/continental combination. super easy, and i love the effect!

now trying to find the motivation to continue basketweaving the background!

stretch before blogging...

i definitely feel like i need to do some serious stretching after my not-so-short blog break. this might be rusty, but i'm flying right in!

first, and most importantly, thank you from the bottom of my heart for your love and support. this has been an incredible journey, and thank you for giving me space to find my footing so this little bird could make its way back to the nest. 

^ that made sense....right? i was going for a bird-flies-back-to-the-blogging-nest metaphor there. 

more on my personal journey later. for now, i will give you an update and photo dump for what i've been working on lately!

i had this petei santa in my stash and luckily was able to snag a stitch guide and threads from the french knot! i'm on a big kick right now trying to work through everything that i have a guide and/or threads for before i move on to any new projects.

after completing the face, gloves and boots, i was ready to move on to the coat. the first layer called for an scotch stitch in alternate directions

there were some areas that were painted off-center, so i paid more attention to my counting.

the next layer was filling in the remaining red areas with a satin stitch in neon rays. it forms a cross-like shape, but i love how the different threads and shapes play off each other!

next came the silver layer, which called for a rice stitch combination in kreinik. 

his coat is starting to look so cute! 

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"