May 2013

1

Blogging and Stitching, week 3...

Posted on Saturday, May 25, 2013

And, once again, I prove how badly I FAIL at keeping anything updated!
I apologize for not posting an update last week, but my family was really, really busy and I didn't get much time to stitch. (Honestly, I think I sat and cross stitched for maybe 2 hours last week.)  So, there really wasn't anything to actually post...

I did get some time to stitch this week!




I only worked on this one piece the last couple of weeks, because I really enjoy it!  It is a relaxing piece for me, so I'm able to unwind a bit. (Its been a pretty hectic couple of weeks.)

I do have a funny story to share...
My husband and I went to the lake last Monday, so he could do some fishing...
I of course, took along my cross stitching.  Well, my husband caught a fish, so I had to drop my stitching, grab the net and bring it over to him...
I got back to my stitching (which was safely on my chair) and noticed that a bird poop had landed on my cross stitch!  Luckily, most of it was on the plastic bag, that I carry the pattern and floss in...
...but, a small portion did land on my actual piece of cloth! (Thankfully, it is on part of the cloth that will be cut away when it is time to frame it.)
Now, I've been going out to the lake for years with my hubby and I always take my stitching bag with me and I've NEVER had that happen before!
And, I really hope it never happens again!

Anyway, since I had so little to share in this update, I thought I'd add a few pictures from our yard!
(The verbena tree and lilac trees' blooms are starting to open...)
Can't wait for all the lilacs to bloom, the smell is just fantastic!
Anyway, I really hope everyone has a wonderful (and safe) Memorial Day weekend!  I plan on updating again next Saturday...fingers crossed! (Changing to Saturdays, because Sundays can get really hectic, with my husband's work schedule.)
See everyone later!

Oh, one last picture, that I had fun editing!

Happy Weekend!

4

Beautiful day...

Posted on Thursday, May 16, 2013

It is a lovely day outside and I had a few spare minutes, so I thought I'd seek outside and snap a couple pictures of the budding trees in our yard.
We even had one tulip in bloom! (Our poor tulip bed needs some work!  Hardly anything came up this year.)

Our lilac trees are getting ready to bloom...
(And I can't wait, I just love when all the lilacs bloom!)


So far only the purple ones are blooming...
I really hope the white ones start soon!

We purchased a type of verbena tree last summer and it survived the winter...
And is starting to bloom!


Once the buds open, the tree will be full of pretty white blooms!
(I did edit the photo a tad, just for fun!) :)

Lastly, a picture of our lone tulip...
(At least I think it is a tulip.)


Quite frankly, I think its a lovely little flower...
Planning to work on these beds this fall, so next spring there will be a whole bunch of tulips in bloom!

Anyway, off to work I go...
Hoping to have tons of new products to upload to the shop soon!

2

Blogging and Stitching, Week 2...

Posted on Sunday, May 12, 2013

Almost didn't think I would get this post up today...
...got busy working on new pictures for the shop and lost track of time.  Luckily, my hubby made it home from work and is making dinner for us tonight, so I have a few extra minutes to get this post written up!

Well, after finishing my post last week, I started this week all "gung-ho" to get stitching! (I really wanted to make some progress on my projects.)
So, I started the week working on my angel project and you can finally see the angel!



(I think the entire piece is coming along nicely.)

My hubby came home on Monday and we finally had a few nice days, so we headed out to the lake to go fishing. (Well, my hubby fishes and I sit and stitch or read.)
I had planned on stitching most of the afternoon, but I got busy reading through my cross stitching magazines (planning out future projects) and didn't get much time to actually stitch...
Thankfully, Tuesday was a lovely day, too!
And...I finished my first piece!

 I'd started this piece last summer, after coming across different "Keep Calm" patterns and adapted this one to suit my needs. 
I'm just happy to finally have it done!  Now I just need to clean it and get it framed!


(Looking through other cross stitch blogs, it seems customary to show a picture of the back, of a finished piece...which is quite scary for me!  Honestly, the backs of my pieces are usually a mess.  This one isn't too bad...good one to start with!)

Well, you'd think that with one finish under my belt, I'd set to work finishing other pieces...
Yeah, my brain doesn't think like that!


I started TWO new projects!

Thursday night, I started the kitty project...
I've had this kit for around 2 years, but just never got around to starting it.
Well, I wanted something bright and fun to work on, so I thought this would be perfect!


It doesn't look like much, but it is the start of the gray and white kitty.
This project is going to be a challenge for me...
It is full of quarter stitches, which I've done in the past, I'm just not crazy about them.  Plus, it has a ton of french knots. (I have a love - hate relationship with french knots...I love how they look, but I hate to trying to make them.) 
So, this project will probably make me pull my hair out, but it will probably turn out to be my favorite, once its finished!

Lastly, I ran into town and Friday and picked up the Live, Laugh, Love kit. (I never intended on doing that, but I just couldn't pass up the piece.)
I've only put in two days worth of stitching, but I think it is shaping up nicely...

 I'm having a lot of fun working on this piece and I'm quite excited to see it when it is all finished!
(Plus, I have the pattern now and I would love to try using different colors and see how it comes out.)

So, that has been my stitching week...
Managed to get my first finish, but I think I canceled that out, by starting two new pieces! :)
Either way, I'm excited to keep working and see what I'll have done for next week!

Hope everyone had a great Mother's Day and has a terrific week this week!
(See everyone next Sunday!)

10

Blogging and Stitching...

Posted on Sunday, May 5, 2013

Well, here it is May 5th all ready and I haven't posted anything in almost a month....
I completely FAIL at keeping a blog updated! 
Honestly, I was really, really going to try my best to post everyday, or at least once every week, but I just couldn't do it!  Why?  Because, I had no idea what to post!
I didn't want to bombard everyone with candle updates. (I don't mind posting a few, but I didn't want that to be the only thing I posted about.)  So, what was left...
What was left was my life in general and quite frankly, I'm boring!  My life is fairly boring (which is the way I like it), so I had no clue to write about.

Then a couple days ago I had a small epiphany...
I have trouble completing projects...especially large projects! (I do fine with the candles, because I can start a batch and usually have it completed, photographed and ready to post to the shop in about 3 - 4 days.  Some take a bit longer, but in general it is easy to stick with.)
Besides the candles, I love to cross stitch...
(I cross stitch mainly for myself and my family.)
But, I have a HORRIBLE time completing a project! (The larger the project, the harder it is for me to complete.)  So, I thought..."What if I start blogging about my cross stitch projects and post weekly updates?!?!"
That way, I'll have something to post on a weekly basis (obviously, I'll post more if something interesting happens or I release some really terrific new products) and I'll finally get around to completing some projects! (Plus, I'll get to post new projects, too!)

So here we go...
Since this is the first post, I thought I would open it with a few pictures of projects I am currently working on and projects that I would like to start in the near future...


(These are just a few of the kits I have, that need to get worked on.  I also have other projects from patterns I've found in magazines, purchased online or drawn-up myself.  I don't think my kitchen table is actually large enough to hold all my current W.I.P.s (works in progress).) 
I'm a cross stitch pattern junky!  I love finding new projects, even though, I never seem to finish them.

This is a cat welcome project, that I started about a year ago.  I've actually made pretty good progress on it, but just haven't gotten around to finishing it.
(Honestly, I get bored very quickly, especially if I'm working with the same colors, over and over.  I really like to work with new colors as much as I can!)

This is a kit, featuring the Serenity prayer and a lovely lighthouse motif. 
I'd originally purchased this kit, to make a gift for my mother-in-law for Christmas.(I believe that was 2 or 3 years ago!) 
I actually didn't start working on this until this past December...

This is one very special piece...
It is the Lord's prayer and was actually started by my mother.  She passed away 13 years ago and a few years back, I found this, along with the pattern and floss.  I decided to finish it myself.  I was making good progress, but just got sidetracked.  I would really love to complete it and frame it, so it could be displayed in our house.

And lastly, (I've probably bored everyone enough for one afternoon) my little angel!
I've been putting in a lot of time to this kit recently and I'm hoping this will be my first finish! (Not guaranteeing I'll get all washed and framed, but my fingers are crossed.)

Like I said earlier, I have other projects laying around and they're sure to make an appearance soon, because I can never work on one project for long.  I always have to be skipping around!
I'm planning to write up an update every week, more than likely on Sunday...
I'll post pictures of my progress and probably share little stories along the way!
I'm just hoping that doing this will help me post more often on this blog and keep me working on my cross stitch!