February Smalls Check-In...

Good afternoon!

It is time again for a Smalls SAL check in...

(The smalls SAL is hosted by Heather from Stitching Lotus.)

I once again picked a project that was just a tad too big for this challenge, but I had a wonderful time working on it...

There is Mr. Owl, next to what he'll look like when he is finished.

(The pattern is from the Cross Stitcher magazine, issue number 300.)

I actually got quite a bit more done then I thought I would...

-where I left off-

-where I am now-

So, he will move into my WIP pile.

(I do hope to finish him soon, because I absolutely love the colors of floss used in the project.)

Well, I have picked a new Smalls piece for March and I think I did a much better job picking an actual 'small' piece...

...crossing my fingers that I will actually get it finished!

Back to work for me...

...hope everyone has a fantastic day!

February WIPocalypse...

Happy Monday everyone!

I hope the week is starting off great for everybody.

So, it is time again for a WIPocalypse update...

I'm afraid I don't have a lot to share, since I made so much progress in my last update...

...but, I do have a few things.

First, I am counting my progress on my Christmas ornament SAL for the wipocalypse, since I am planning on working on ornaments all year long.

And, I have another finish!

The theme for this month was "snow" and this cute polar bear came from the Cross Stitch Favourites magazine.

He was stitched on 14 ct, natural colored Aida.

I really do love how he came out.

I had to make a few adjustments, because I missed a stitch here and there...

...but, he still turned out cute.

And, my big wipocalypse project, the Star Wars alphabet...

-where I left off-

-and where I am now-

Another character finished...

Only 9 characters left!

And my son asked me last night if I will make him a Star Wars alphabet, once I finish this one.  I don't know if I'm ready to tackle this piece for a second time, but it is hard to say no to your child. :)

I will probably be starting another soon!

This month's question:

 If you have any of your pieces on display in your home which attracts the most plaudits?

I actually don't have many pieces displayed in my home...

I currently have only a few Christmas ornaments and I don't think anyone has really noticed them. (We have a lot of ornaments.)

Hoping to change that this year, with all the ornaments I have been stitching. 

Well, the dinner bell is ringing...

...hope everyone has a great week!

Gifted Gorgeousness - February...

It is the 15th of the month, so it is time for a 'gifted gorgeousness' update...

(The gifted gorgeousness SAL is run by Jo at Serendipitous Stitching and you can find all the information about this SAL there.)

Again, my rotation of projects has been pretty small and the only piece that I am currently working that is set to be a gift (or gift related) is the Star Wars alphabet...

So, on to the pictures of the characters from a galaxy far, far away...

-where I left off-

-and where I am now-

Four more characters are finished!

(I was so excited to stitch the Ewok, because he is just so darn cute, but boy did he give me a headache...

...the head and body stitched up just fine, but that little silver, spear top was a pain in the butt!

I think I stitched those 6 stitches (2 full stitches and 4 half stitches) 4 times, before I just gave up and called it good.)

And lastly, a look at the entire piece...

There are 28 characters (26 for each letter of the alphabet and 2 extra for the "C" and "L") and I have stitched 18 of them...

...only 10 more to go!

Well, I must be off...

...time to paint more jars, so I can pay for more stitching stuff! (LOL!)

Hope everyone has a great week!

Saturday Update...

Happy Weekend!

I hope everyone is having a good one.

I have been busy today actually finishing a cross stitch piece...

"Frankie" is now a completed ornament!

I used the lid for a mason jar as my ornament frame.

(As you can probably guess, I have a ton of mason jar lids and rings laying around my house, so I decided to put them to good use.)

Up next, I had purchased a tutorial about decorating a wooden hoop, using embroidery floss...

...and, I finally finished decorating my first hoop.

This Christmas themed, 4 inch hoop is all set and awaiting a cute cross stitch piece.

(If you are interested in the decorative hoop tutorial, you can find it here: Decorative Hoop Tutorial)

I do have a few stitching updates to share, too.

This months Christmas ornament...

-where I left off-

-where I am now-

And, I have been working on a new project for the smalls SAL...

The pattern is "Woodland Folk", by Felicity Hall and you can find it in issue 300 (January 2016) of Cross Stitcher.

There are 2 owl patterns, one large and one small...

...I just adored the smaller owl, the minute I saw it and I just had to start stitching it.

(Again, I think I picked way too big of a project for the smalls SAL, but I just had to work on it.)

Well, that is all from my little corner of the world.

Hope everyone has a great day!

February TUSAL and a Finish...

Happy Monday!

Time again for another TUSAL update...

(If you are interested in more information about the challenge, you can find it here.)

My ORT jar is certainly filling up!

All the pretty floss colors!

And, I was able to finish my Halloween ornament!

As a reminder, this month's theme was "monsters and mummies".

The pattern is from The World of Cross Stitching magazine (October 2015 issue) and the designer is Durene Jones.

I think he came out really cute and I'm hoping to finish/finish him this weekend.

Well, I am off to pick up my son from school.  

Hope everyone has a great week!

February Stitching Update...

Happy Friday everyone...

...I hope everybody had a great week.

I have to be honest, it was pretty long day today...

...This cross stitch pattern sums up my day!

(This pattern is definitely on my list of ones that I would like to complete.  If you like it, you can find the pattern at SpruceXStitch on Etsy.)

Anyway, on to some actual stitching...

I started my February ornaments and have made some pretty good progress.

 Up first, the Halloween ornament...

 This month's theme is "Monsters and Mummies"...

...I chose Frankenstein's monster from The World of Cross Stitching magazine (October 2015 issue).

And my Christmas ornament...

 The theme this month is "snow"...

...might be a little hard to tell what it is, but is going to be a polar bear in the snow.

(The pattern is from the Cross Stitch Favourites magazine.)

And lastly, a Star Wars alphabet update...

-where I left off-

-where I am now-

...three new characters have been added...

I think the piece is coming along nicely...

...my only issue that a few 'mystery' stains have appeared.  I tried cleaning a couple of the more noticeable ones and I think I got them, so I am hopeful that the project will still turn out well.

Well, I am off to get dinner ready and work on some more stitching (I think I will start on my smalls SAL piece).

I hope everyone has a great weekend.