January's Over?

I don’t know where the month went, but I do have something to show for it.

There are two things I don’t normally do.  Metallic floss and beading.  I made an exception to the bead part for this.

 

An Ursula Michaels design from the book, “A Cross Stitcher’s Countdown to Christmas”.  I still won’t be going out of my way to do any beading on a regular basis, but I was pleased with the results.

Did I mention that everything I finished this month I meant to finish last month?  You know how that goes.  The first thing I actually completed was a Lucie Heaton pattern from Cross Stitch Crazy #209.

Someday it will make a perfect coaster. J

And because I do intend to complete this set, I give you

December.  That just leaves January to stitch and 10 months to finish into pillows.

Happy stitching World

Smalls SAL - November

The holiday season begins.  Happily the stitching continues.

 

Lots of plans for December.  We’ll see what happens.

Happy stitching World

October SAL Update

Stitch from Stash

Spent $0

Earned $4

No progress on any large cross stitch projects this month.  But at the last possible moment, I did finish this.

 

The wedding gift I’ve been working on for my nephew.  From the story I heard after, they seem to like it. J

Smalls SAL

October is finished.

 

Next: November and a Christmas ornament.

Happy Halloween!

Happy stitching World

September SALS Update

Smalls

Stitch from Stash

Spent $12.00

Earned $4.00

There was stitching this past month.

I finished September.

 

I put together a biscornu.

 

Plus, I started on October and put a few more stitches on my HAED SAL piece.

There was a detour to crochet land.  It proved to be more distracting than entertaining.  I think I have my problems about worked out now.  This would be a good thing because I need it for a wedding present next month.

Oh yeah, I got the world’s greatest birthday present.

 

Happy stitching World

SAL Updates - August

It’s one of those “never seems to fail” moments.  Again.  When I should be working on my SAL projects, I’m busy stitching on anything else.  As a result, my stitching progress looks like this:

Stitch from Stash – August

$ spent $14.80

$ earned $8.00

Biscornu Days here at the Tiki Hut.  I’ve finished ½ each of a green one and a purple one.

 

The green one goes with the part I had done before.  The purple one still needs the bottom.  The designs come from Au Pays des Biscornus, a fabulous blog with hundreds (really) of biscornu patterns.  Also worked on (but not pictured here) were the Retro Cat, Santa’s House (Country Cottage Santa’s Village #1), Christmas Presence (HAED SAL), and A Day at the Beach.  The beach picture is a kit I won in Crafty Rahenna’s giveaway earlier this year.  The rules were that it had to be started, not stashed.  My excuse for not starting sooner is that the kit came with a nice piece of linen, which I don’t work with much.  In honor of Disneyland’s 60^th Anniversary, I bought a pattern on Etsy, which I started.  It’s the Opening Ceremony poster pattern from New York Needleworks.  So far there are two (nearly complete) red lines.

 

 

 

 

 

My other purchase was this:

 

Pretty sweet right?  Especially at 60% off.

Smalls SAL

This one is coming along well.  August is done.

 

Only 5 more months to go!  I have to go back and finish/do January at the end.

So on to September.  May it be full of progress, finishes and not too many new starts.

Happy stitching World

July SALS Update

Christmas in July Sales.  I’d be so much richer without them. J  Still, I did pick up these.

 

The Halloween issue I got a discount on by signing up for the Christmas issue.  The Santa’s Village patterns finish off my set, so it seemed like a good investment.

London is starting to break out in words.  Either that or it’s the top of a train that’s making a trail of white puffy clouds. J

 

I didn’t finish a Christmas piece for the Smalls SAL but there are these.

 

The palm tree design is from the book, Rainbow of Stitches.  I used some old stash floss.  This is J & P Coats Pastelles #557.  Good thing I didn’t run out of floss because I only bought skein way back when.  Next I have my eye on a floss color by Six Strand Sweets called Chocolate Covered Cherries.  So the big question is – cupcake or ice cream design?

With a little luck and a lot more stitching, I’ll be back on Saturday with a YOTA update.

Happy stitching World

June SAL Updates

Here we are at the end of June.  With an epic burst of speed stitching and an extra day off, I have something to show.

Stitch from Stash
Spent $25                                                                                                                           Earned $6

Yes, I picked up the two magazines I was after.

 

So now I have the 3^rd part of the dollhouse Maria Diaz did for CSC.  I also have this cool beach picture she did in Gold.  Jeez, you’d think I was a fan or something.  But just to prove it, I stitched down to the start of the letters in London! (M. Diaz, CSG USA Issue #37) And the center top is finally finished.

 

I was so pleased; I almost kept working on it.  But then I never would have gotten this post written.  As for what I earned, it came from these.

Smalls SAL

 

The sun piece I finished earlier this month.  June I finished earlier today.  Then I started on July.  I may try to do a Christmas piece next month too.  If I can decide on one in time. J

CSC SAL  

 

Not breaking any speed records with this one, but there is progress here too.  More on the fireplace and above.

That's all for now.  Hope it's a good week for everyone.

Happy stitching World

 

 

 

May SALS Update

This was a month full of good times and shopping.  But not a lot of stitching. 

I did finish May.

 

This keeps me current and gives me $4 credit towards this.

SFS – May

$100 spent (!)

$4 earned

Seriously, I did not think I had that much to spend.  But when it goes out in smaller chunks I guess you don’t notice.  And no, I’m not sorry because I ended up with this.

 

The balance was floss to start some of the patterns in them.  Possibly Baked Alaska as well, if the Threadworx floss I ordered looks half as good in person as it does on the computer.

Speaking of new patterns, Mother’s Day was nice.  I got 4 patterns total.  Two from Artecy : Hawaiian Beach and Space Rocket.  The other two were HAED: In the Sunshine and Get Your Kicks from Route 66.

I’m off now to gaze at my patterns, sort through my floss and see if I can stitch any faster.  Have to try to fill in the hole I dug a little.  There are two more magazines I want to look for next month. J

Happy stitching World

SALS April Update

Stitch from Stash
$42.00 spent
$10.00 earned
After I bought Baked Alaska, I kept looking for the other pattern I “needed” Rainbow Parfait.  Thanks to one of those magical EBay moments I found it.

 

And along with it I got these.

 

For the price of two patterns.  Like I said, magical. J

Now I haven’t started any of these – yet – but there has been some stitching.

 

My stitching fingers led me to work on the left hand side while the rest of me wondered why I wasn’t finishing that middle section.  No matter, sooner or later it will all get done.

There was another purchase.  I bought this issue of Cross Stitch Gold for the Italian picture by Maria Diaz.

 

In addition to the little bunny I finished earlier and the Smalls piece below there was one more finish.

 

This is the First Doctor as designed by Dork Stitch.

Smalls SAL

I have a finish!

Cross Stitch Collection

A few more columns on the fireplace.  Moving along. J

Happy stitching World

My SALS Update for February

It seems like just yesterday I had enough time to make all these poses separately.  I think all the snow lately has been too distracting.  Or at least hard to drive through.

SMALLS SAL

I’m working on what I call my seaside calendar.  March is finished.

 

Hopefully before next month is over, it will end up looking like these.

 

I haven’t found the right trim to use as hangers for the monthly pieces yet.  Meanwhile I think the mini easel works well.

 

Stitch from Stash

February spent $16.00, earned $4.00.

This month I spent $16.00 buying some Anchor floss on EBay.  I credit this purchase to not being outbid as much as wanting it.

There’s a little more progress on London to show.

 

Once I realized I wasn’t going to get to the lettering this month, I tried to finish more of the sky across the top.  Here’s what it’s meant to look like when finished.

 

This is part of a series by Maria Diaz that was published by Cross Stitch Gold.

Cross Stitch Collection

For this SAL, I’m supposed to be working on my Ballroom picture.  You may not be able to tell, but there was some small progress this month.

 

There’s some light gray running down the side.  Still looking for the bottom.

Random Things

There were a couple of other things I finished this month.  One was this piece.

 

It’s part of the Redwork Santas series by Prairie Schoolar, Book # 102

Last, but not least.

 

This little bird perches on top a purple mason jar.  It is part of a design by Linda Gillum from the book, 99 Cross Stitch Luvable Pets.  Lots to learn about finishing yet, but I like it.  So does my daughter, which is handy because I gave it to her for Valentine’s Day. J

One last spending note.  I decided what to get with my Christmas gift certificate!  Thanks to the sale at 1-2-3, I’m getting the new Ink Circles Reflections of London, a Whispered in the Wind quilt pattern, a Lizzie Kate Easter pattern and some Threadworx floss that might mean a new start!

Happy stitching World

Smalls SAL January 2015

This year I decided to make a calendar of sorts.  These designs are all from the book “Sand, Sea and Cross Stitch” by Anna Field.  In the book the designs are in groups of four.  I’m going to do one at a time.  Here’s February.

My plan for starting here is to turn them into pillow ornaments and hang them up in the proper month.  I’ve even found some backing fabric.  This might just work. J

Happy stitching World

Happy New Year

Christmas magic!  I finished these in time to give away.

 

 

Mickey is from an issue of Cross Stitch Card Shop and the cactus is from Cross Stitcher’s Countdown to Christmas.

The end of another stitching year.  I think it was a pretty good one overall and hope 2015 will be just as good for me and everyone else.

Happy stitching World

Happy New Year!!

Smalls SAL November 2014

In preparation for Sprite Pattern December, I give you this.

 

The 9^th Doctor as designed by Dork Stitch.  Her annual pattern celebration starts tomorrow, so be sure to check it out.

Happy stitching World.

Smalls SAL - October

Here’s my finish for the month.

 

It was part of a free kit that came with the July issue of Cross Stitcher last year.  Angela Poole’s design has a little more backstitch than mine, but I like my funky flower.

Happy stitching World

Smalls SAL September

Na na, na na, na na, na na, na na, na na, na na, na na

 

Batgirl.

Design by Dork Stitch.

Happy stitching World

Smalls SAL

Figures right?  You get everything moved and you’re ready to sit down and stitch, when you find out you’re expected to unpack.  Geez.  Still, the new place is looking pretty good.  There was some small progress on a couple of things.

 

Why that sprite isn’t done I don’t know.  Mostly because the colors I needed were not in the box like I thought.  There’s a three day weekend coming up and then I might find the rest of the threads and a finish.

Happy stitching World

Smalls SAL and Stitch from Stash June 2014

Wow is June almost over?  I have to say I had a pretty good time.  Hope you all did too.

Smalls SAL wise, I have more small starts than finishes.

 

The explanations/excuses for this lack of finishes could go on forever.  Now on to more fun stuff.

Comic Con (the local one, or as they’ve taken to calling themselves DCC) was two weekends ago.  I decided that would be a good time to start on one of my SFS purchases for the month.  This is also my first ETSY pattern purchase.  I’m making it for my nephew. (If not this one, the next oneJ),

 

I also did some shopping on EBay.  I found a deal and purchased some Ivory 18 count. 2 yards for less than $10.  I’m planning on using it for a Mystic Stitch pattern and one from Witchy kit Designs.  Both are solidly stitched in, so I didn’t think the fabric color would matter.

 

My other EBay purchase for the month was some 16 count fabric.  Not quite the deal as the 18 count, but I did get free shipping.  Don’t have that in yet, so no picture.

Last Saturday was fun.  There was lots of stash building.  I picked up 2 magazines I wanted.  Then I used a gift card and coupon I had for Michaels to get another piece of 16 count fabric, some needles, floss and floss box.  The floss and box I’m dedicating to my future sprite stitching.

 

 

 

But the epic find of the weekend came when I was out to lunch with my friend.  I noticed there was a craft store on the corner, so after lunch we went in.  Nice place, but it wasn’t until we left that I found the cross stitch in this cart on the sidewalk.  And the best deal I may find in a long time.  Because in the bag with this sticker:

 

Was all of this.

How cool is that!!  Those pieces are still folded too.  Trust me, they’re large and I’m excessively pleased with myself.

So, Etsy, EBay, Michaels, the LNS and my new favorite craft store.  And thanks to Mel’s extra $50 bonus for the month, my total came to $72.57.

Not much stitching, but as I said, a pretty good time.

Happy stitching World