Monday, February 23, 2015

February IHSW Update...

Happy Monday everyone!
I hope everybody had a nice weekend...
...mine was filled with freezing cold temperatures and lots of stitching!
(There are benefits to being stuck inside, because of the weather.)

So, this weekend was the 'International Hermit and Stitch Weekend' and boy, did I stitch!

I started on Friday, with 'Sugar is Sweet' Sampler (from The Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery) and made some good progress...
 I was able to finish the entire alphabet!

Here is a reminder of what the finished piece will look like...

I will let you in a little secret, I actually started this piece 3 times...
I was planning to stitch it on evenweave/linen and did try 2 different types of fabric, but I just couldn't get it to work right. (I was having a really tough time keeping the stitch count correct.)  So, I put the 2 different pieces of linen away and went back to Aida fabric, since I knew I could get that one right!
I will definitely come back to my linen pieces, but just not as gifts! (At least not until I get some more practice under my belt!

On Saturday, I moved to the Disney Princess piece (by CloudsFactory)...
...this is where I left off on the piece...

And, here is the progress I made...
Almost have a complete castle!
(I should have made it farther, but I kept ripping bits out, because the stitching just wasn't laying correctly.  I think I've become too much of a perfectionist with this piece!)

Then on Sunday, I worked on the Star Wars Alphabet (by CloudsFactory)...

I'd actually finished Anakin (the character on top) last week, but forgot to post an update.
Here is a close-up of him...

Yesterday I started on (and almost finished) Boba Fett...
Hope to have him finished today...
...then I'll have 2 characters down and only 24 more to go!

Well, that was my weekend...
pretty productive, if I do say so myself!

Hope everyone is doing well and staying warm!

Saturday, February 21, 2015

Happy Caturday....

I hope everyone is having a good weekend!

This week has been quite the week...
...it has been freezing!
So, our house has been pretty quiet.

I do have a few new pictures to share, though...

Big Hoss, finding some sunlight!

And finally, some pictures of Ziva...

Doesn't she look thrilled!
(I apologize for the litter box in the background, but when it comes to photographing Ziva, you take what you can get.)

Couch potatoes!

I always love when the cats actually get along!

And lastly, Cooper...
He refused to show me his face!
(Stinky Kitty!) ;)

So there you have it...
....everyone,  including the cats are just trying to stay warm!

Well, I am off to make some candles for my son.
(They are for his science fair project.)
And, I hope to get back to the international hermit and stitch weekend...
...I've made some great progress so far!

Anyway, see everyone again on Monday!

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

TUSAL, Update #2...

It is that time again...
...time for another TUSAL check-in.
(Still not sure what the TUSAL is, then head on over to Daffycat's blog and find out!)

I've been stitching a lot, since my last update, so...
...my ORT jar is very full!

Look at all the pretty threads...

I wish I could say that those are all from stitching (a lot of them are), but I ended up with a bunch of frogging issues this month...
So, there is a lot of extra floss in there, that just didn't want to cooperate with me.

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Well, I am off to do some more stitching...
(My last order arrived yesterday, so I can start the last 2 patterns, that I posted about.)

Hope everyone has a great week and stays warm!

Sunday, February 15, 2015

Gifted Gorgeousness, Update #1....

I don't know how I missed this SAL last month, but I did...
(I must not have been playing very close attention to what everyone was posting.)
Anyway, I caught it this month!

I saw so many wonderful post about the "gifted gorgeousness SAL", that I just had to check it out...
...and, am I glad I did!  This SAL is perfect for me, since I have lots of stitchy projects, that are going to be gifts.
I'm sure this SAL will help keep me motivated to stitch till my fingers fall off!
(If you would like more information about the Gifted Gorgeousness SAL, please check out the blog Serendipitous Stitching.)

So, since is the 15th of the month...
...it is time for my first post!

I've been working quite a bit on the Disney Princess piece and have made some good progress on the castle...

And, a close-up...

I think is is shaping up quite nicely!

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Last night I started work on one of the Wild Things pieces...
(This is what the piece will look like when it is finished.)

And, this as far as I got...

Not a ton of progress yet, but it is coming along!
(I had a blast stitching this piece, since I've never worked with black fabric before.
I'm really glad I read other stitchers' blogs before I started, because I knew I would need lots of light, in order to see the holes...
...saved myself a huge headache!)

Well, that is it for now...
...now, to decide what to work on tonight....

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Saturday, February 14, 2015

All You Need is Love...

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!


Hope everyone has a wonderful day, filled with lots of love...
...family...
...friends...
...and loads of chocolate! ;)


Happy Caturday, too!

Thursday, February 12, 2015

The Dream Castle, that turned into a Nightmare...

Happy afternoon everyone...
...hope you all are having a wonderful Thursday!

As you can probably tell from the post title, I've run into some trouble...

In my last post (February Turtle Trot Update), I shared photos of the Disney Princess project that I have been working on for my niece.  I had been making some really great progress on the piece...
However, I realized that evening (the evening I posted my update), that I hadn't allowed myself enough excess fabric for the finishing of the piece.
(Honestly, I don't know what I did!  I swear, I measured the fabric 3 times, added extra inches to it and still, it is not large enough.)

So, I had to decide what to do...
...continue working on the piece and cross my fingers that it would be okay, or start all over.

I decided to start all over!

I have been putting quite a bit of work into it the last couple days and I think it is looking pretty good...


There is a castle!
I did end up using white, 14ct. Aida fabric this time, but I think it is going to look just fine.
(I also used the B5200 white thread, since I finally bought some and wow...
it makes quite the difference.  I honestly didn't think there would be much difference between regular white floss and B5200 (white) floss...
boy was I wrong!)
I also bought some metallic white thread, that I am going to use for the clouds...
...so, all-in-all, I'm kinda digging the new start!

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I am also declaring that I am officially crazy!

As you may be aware, I am planning on giving a lot of cross stitched pieces as Christmas gifts this year...
Well, I have just added 2 more pieces to list!

I am going to make the 2013, Woodland Sampler, from The Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery for my son's tutor and former 3rd grade teacher. (She has become a very good friend to our family, too.)
Here is a picture of the piece...
(Picture courtesy of The Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery.)

--I am really excited to start this piece, it so adorable and I know the woman that will receive it, is going to love it!---

And, I am going to stitch Sugar is Sweet Sampler, by The Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery, for my son's principal. (Again, she has become a very good friend to our family, as well.)
Quick picture of the piece..
(Picture courtesy of The Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery.)

So, how in the world do I plan to work on all these projects?
Well, I will be replacing 2 of my turtle trot pieces (2 projects that have not been started yet), with the above patterns...
...and, I am planning on having a 'primary' rotation of projects, which will include all the Christmas gift pieces and a 'secondary' rotation of projects, which are pieces that are for myself.
Most of my time will be spent with the primary rotation, but I plan on giving love to the secondary rotation, too!

At least I won't have any time to get into any sort of trouble this year, because I'll be too busy stitching!

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So, the fact that I have all these projects planned as gifts, I have a very important question to ask my fellow stitchers...
Have any of you used a 'finishing' service?
If you have, which one have you used and would you recommend them?
(If you would rather share this information with me privately, you can email me at: curiouscarrie81@gmail.com.)

Thanks so much for any suggestions!
I know I won't be able to finish all the pieces and would love some ideas of people that can help.

Well, it is that time of day, when I have to head out to pick up my son from school...
...hope everyone has a wonderful evening!



Tuesday, February 10, 2015

February Turtle Trot Update...

Well, it is the 10th of the month, which means...
...time for a Turtle Trot Update! Yay!
(If you're not sure what the turtle trot is, or would like to join, please hop over here for more information.)

I wasn't able to work on all 10 projects, but I did manage to get a bit done on 4 of them...

1) Disney Princess Clock (by: Cloudsfactory)
(Picture of the finished piece.  The picture is courtesy of Cloudsfactory.)

My progress as of 2-10-2015:
Almost finished with one whole princess!
(The piece is being stitched on 14 ct. antique white aida cloth.)
The piece is going to be a Christmas gift for my niece and I'm not going to finish as a clock, I'm just going to frame it...
...probably in a wooden hoop.

2) "Christmas Surprise"
by: Wendy Darker
(From the Christmas 2011 issue of Cross Stitch Favourites
 (Picture of what the finished will look like.)

My progress as of 2-10-2015:
I love snowmen and really liked this pattern, but was a bit leery at first to work on...
...because I don't usually do large projects.  (I tend to stick to smaller pieces.)
But, I just had to give this one a try!
I'll be honest, I've fought with this piece!
I started stitching it on 18 ct. aida cloth and messed up the carrot so bad, that I decided to scrap it and start over on 14 ct. aida cloth.  The nose has continued to be a source of aggravation, but I'm trying my best to stick with it!

3) Santa's Village 1 - Santa's House
by: Country Cottage Needlecrafts
 (Picture of what the piece will look like.)

My progress as of 2-10-2015:
Unfortunately, I haven't made any more progress, since I posted a couple weeks ago...
...but, I am looking forward to working on it more soon!

4) "Cat-O-Lantern"
Calico Crossroads - Kats by Kelly
 (Picture of what the finished piece will look like.)

My progress as of 2-10-2015:
Not a lot to show yet, but the border is complete and I have a start on a pumpkin!
(I am impressed by this piece, since I started with the lower right corner, which is something I never do!  I was inspired by reading other blogs, to try something different.)

So there you have it...
...lots and lots of stitching!

Hope everyone has a great day!

Saturday, February 7, 2015

First "Caturday" of February...

Good afternoon everyone!
I hope you all are having a great weekend.

Well, everyone knows what day it is...
...it is "Caturday"!
So, let us get straight to the kitty pictures!

My lovely companion on the couch...
Dahlia...

 (She is never far from my side.)

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

WIPocalypse Update #2...

The time has come for another WIPocalypse update...
This month's question (talking point) was...
How do you overcome that feeling that you’re in a rut with a particular project?
Usually, when I felt in a rut, I would set the piece aside and come back to it at a later date. (Honestly, there are some projects I just gave up on all together.)
But now, I've begun rotating projects (thanks to all these wonderful challenges) and that has really helped me to keep working on all the pieces I want to finish.
Having this blog is also helping to motivate me through the rough patches, because I really want to be able to write up new posts...
In order to due that, I have to stitch!

WIPocalypse Finish:
Earlier this month, I finished my Scooby Doo project!


My first finish of the year!
I can't wait to frame it and hang it my craft room, whenever I get my craft room finished! ;)


Sunday, February 1, 2015

A castle in the sky...

Well, happy February everyone!
Hard to believe that the month of January has come and gone...
...where does the time go?

I have to say, I think I'm going a bit crazy...
(Okay, I'm being kind, I know I am A LOT crazy!)

Whenever I start crafting projects, I can never just stop at one.
(Hence my business, I couldn't just stop at one batch of candles!)
So of course, my cross stitching hobby has exploded!

It pretty much started with the Disney Princess project, which I like to call my "Castle in the Sky" project.
This piece is going to be a Christmas gift for my niece. (My husband's younger brother's daughter.)
Well, my niece has a younger brother (my nephew), so of course I can't just stitch something for her and do nothing for him...
...so, I started searching for something I could make for a 3 - 4 year old boy.

I had an idea pop into my head...
...I should find a "Wild Things" pattern!
(Then we can send the book and a couple stuffed animals to go along with the stitched pieces.)
So, I started searching Etsy...
...and I found these patterns.

(Picture courtesy of TinyNeedle.)

(Picture courtesy of TinyNeedle.)