#DamnFrog

Hello Everyone! ☺

Well, I have been working on the Yoga Frog and making some decent progress and then when getting nearly done with this first color, I discovered ... mistakes! Yep, that #DamnFrog has been wreaking havoc on my stitching ... and he brought a friend!!! So now time to try and find where this green little bugger started his crazy antics in my stitching! Hopefully, I won't be having to rip out too much. Thought I'd be safe since I'm actually stitching a frog that the #DamnFrog would leave me alone for this one. No such luck. 

Until Next Time,

♥ Margie ♥

A New Project!

Hello Friends!!! 

I am excited to be starting this new design by White Willow Stitching called Peaceful Frog. The image used for this design came from an online game called Glitch. This was a really fun and free game. My husband and I played and we made some great friends during the game. Sadly tho, there were so many players that they kept having to expand the servers, resulting in having to shut the game down as it got to be too costly. It was a sad moment for all of us that truly enjoyed the game. The game was shurt down a few years ago. So imagine my surprise when a few months ago, I see a post on the White Willow Stitching group on Facebook about this new "Peaceful Frog" design! In the game of Glitch, he was known as the Yoga Frog. Everyone loved the Yoga Frog. I had to share the link to this new pattern with the rest of my Glitch buddies. One of them asked me if they could design a pattern of her house from the game. So I talked to Jamie from WWS and we did some research. We discovered that every single image from the game, with the exception of the Glitch logo, are now open source images, which means they can, in fact, be made into cross stitch patterns to be sold! After letting my friend know, she was so excited that she bought me the pattern of the Yoga Frog (Peaceful Frog)! So of course, I had to make this my new project! 

So here is what my new project looks like! ☺

Namaste!

Until Next Time,

♥ Margie ♥

Second Gift for a Friend ...

Hi there Friends! 

Well I finally finished the large bookmark piece for the craft swap for my friend. It took longer than expected as the Stitching Frog kept wreaking havoc in my stitching. But it is all finished & I think it turned out great! I just love it. I might have to stitch one of these for myself! ☺ As I said in the previous post, there are full cross stitches, fractional stitches, back stitching, french knots and metallic floss all in these pieces. The bookmark is about 14 inches long by 3 inches wide. 

And here it is ... 

Now to put them in the mail! 

Next on my stitching list, I am going to be starting a piece called Peaceful Frog. I'll post about it in my next post! ☺

Until Next Time,

♥ Margie ♥

A Coaster for a Friend ...

Hello! 

I am taking part in a craft swap with some friends. One of the criteria is to include at least one handcrafted item. So I decided to make two little cross stitch pieces. One is picture below, a coaster. I wanted to use this design with the cat bcuz my friend has cats. The second piece that I will do, I am going to be making into a large bookmark. Both of the designs, although not very big, include full cross stitches, fractional stitches, back stitching, french knots and metallic floss. 

Here is the coaster piece as soon as I finished the stitching ... 

And here it is all finished and in the coaster. 

Now that this piece is done, time to stitch the bookmark! ☺

Until Next Time, 

♥ Margie ♥

Just a Little Update on Elemental Masks ...

Hi there! 

I hope you are all doing very well! I am doing well, just trying to survive this insane desert summer heat that I live in. I am originally from Southern California and I transplanted to Southern Arizona in 1999. People told me, "oh you'll get used to it once you acclimatize", Yeah, well, I'm still waiting for that to happen! LOL ☺ 

So I've been getting a little bit done on Elemental Masks. With the heat, I'm not stitching quite as much. I think pretty soon I might end up being up very late at night just to stitch in cooler temps. 

Here is my update for now ... 

This confetti stitching is quite the challenge. I'm sure there has to be an easier way to work on confetti stitching than the way that I am doing it. I have been using different color highlighters and light colored markers to mark off each and every symbol on my chart so that I know exactly where I have to stitch each color. I mark off a symbol on the chart, and then I stitch all the stitches on the page for that symbol, and then I do the same for the next symbol, and so on. Is there an easier way, my stitching friends? Please let me know! ☺

That's all that I have for now! 

Until Next Time, 

♥ Margie ♥

My Oldest UFO Back on the Frame!

Hello Fellow Stitchers, Crafters, Bloggers & Friends! 

One of the groups on Facebook that I am an admin for is having a virtual stitchalong event where we're bringing out our oldest UFO to work on and make some progress on. For those that don't know, a UFO is "UnFinished Object". My oldest UFO is Elemental Masks. It is a pattern designed by Tereena Clarke at Artecy. This is a design that is large, however it is by no means a BAP. And BAP is "Big Ass Project". BAPs are usually patterns designed by Tilton Crafts or Heaven and Earth Designs. In fact, Heaven and Earth Designs, or HAED, has come out with even bigger designs that they are calling "Super Sized" which are absolutely HUGE! Anyway, Elemental Masks is 167 stitches wide by 250 stitches tall, for a total of 41,750 stitches in total. And it is solid stitching. I started this pattern just over seven years ago and then put it away to work on other projects that were gifts for other people. And then more gift projects came up and so on. And eventually this one just sat in its bag waiting to be picked up again. Well then this stitchalong event came up and so I got it out to work on. When I took it out of the bag I was so excited to bring it back out and that I would be continuing my efforts to get it finished. And what did I find when I took it out of the bag? 

Yep, that's right, the fabric had stains on it, from what I have no idea. So I washed it in Woolite, cold water & hand wash. The stains were a little fainter, but still there. Then I tried using dish soap that some of my fellow stitchers had suggested. And the stains were still there. Now had the stains all been in the stitching area, it would have been alright. However, they were not. Some were outside of the stitching area and might be visible in the finished project even after framing. So with that, I decided since I was only about two thirds of the way through the first page, it would be better if I just restarted the piece on a new piece of fabric. And that is what I did. 

These are pictures of my progress so far ... 

The above picture was my official "restart" pic of the project. I don't think it is considered a new start really when it's a restart.

I am planning on continuing to work on this piece even after the SAL (stitchalong) is done. I will work on it until I receive the materials to start working on the George Washington project. If you'd like to know what the George Washington project is, click on the tab at the top of my blog to read all about it! It is a fantastic and awesome project that should be an incredible journey to making world history!!! ☺

Well that's all I have for now. I'll be posting an update to Elemental Masks soon! If you don't remember what the finished piece is supposed to look like, click on the tab at the top of my blog that says WIPs and UFOs. And thank you again for stopping by and reading my blog! I love hearing from you in the comments! ☺

Until Next Time,

♥ Margie ♥

Stitching for Charity

Hi Everyone! 

I've been working on a few little designs for an online stitching friend that is gathering small stitched pieces that will be used in comfort pillows in Poland. They are fun to stitch and really quick stitches. Plus they are going to a good cause. They are good for when I am out and about and can only carry a small project with me. 

These are the ones that I have made so far ... 

I'm sure I'll do several more before the end of the year. Since it's not the only project that I am working on, they will be ones that I work on in between other projects and when I need a break from the larger projects. 

Until Next Time,

♥ Margie ♥

Update on Tribal Teapot

Hello Everyone! 

Yes, it has been a while since my last post. We have been busy with fair and end of the year school activities and some other family matters, I just kept forgetting to post some update pictures. I have a couple to show since the last one that I posted of the Tribal Teapot. 

I haven't gotten very far on this piece, partially due to the above mentioned reasons, but also bcuz the color of the fabric has made stitching this piece a little bit challenging. It's like a blueish gray color. So I have discovered that the best way to work on it is in actual daylight, as in sitting outside to stitch. And where I live, we have been getting triple digit temps, and in the 90s for the last couple of months, so there is no way I''m sitting outside to stitch until the Fall. So I am going to put this one on hold for a while until it cools off and I can sit outside comfortably again. 

That's all I have for now. Thanks for stopping by! 

Until Next Time,

♥ Margie ♥

And the Results are In!

Hello to you all! 

Thank you for stopping by & reading my blog! So I have some happy news from the Pima County Fair! 

I won RIBBONS!!! 

For my Goonies Never Say Die ... 

3rd Place! 

The notes on the card said that they didn't like the way I chose to frame it. 

For my Rules for Life ...

2nd Place! 

The notes on the card for this one said they did not like the frame that I chose for this design. 

And last but not least, for my Let's Be Wicked ... 

1st Place! 

The notes on the card for this one said that the purple mat should have been a lighter purple. 

So that is my results from the fair!!! Not too shabby if you ask me! 

That's all for now! 

Until Next Time,

♥ Margie ♥

My Entries for the County Fair!

Hi there Everyone! 

As I said in my previous post, I have three fair entries this year. The first one is Rules of Life by Kincavel Krosses. This design, was the only pattern that a very dear friend of mine, who was really like a second mom to me, asked me to stitch for her. She passed away before I was able to stitch it for her. But I had promised that I would stitch it for her, and so I kept that promise. The second is Let's Be Wicked by Ursula Michael. This was just a fun design to stitch and it was the first bigger design that I stitched for myself. Before, the only thing I had stitched for myself was a very small ornament and a small magnet. And last but definitely not least, Goonies Never Say Die by Fiddlesticksau. This design, well speaks for itself. The Goonies is a movie favorite in our home. 

Here is the completed and framed Rules for Life ... 

Here is Let's Be Wicked ... 

And finally, Goonies Never Say Die ... 

I had so much fun stitching all of these designs. And also choosing the perfect frames and embellishments. I turned them into the fairgrounds this past Friday, April 10th. The fair opens Thursday night and that's when I'll get to find out how they did in the judging! Four more days!!! This is one of the very few times when I DO wish for time to go by very quickly! LOL! 

Until Next Time,

♥ Margie ♥

Whoa! Where Has the Time Gone?!!!

Hello Friends & Fellow Crafters! 

What a busy year it has been so far! Here we are already one third of the way through the year and I haven't gotten much stitching done at all. I have been super busy with my Bottle Caps crafts. It has been so much fun! Have you visited my Crafting with Bottle Caps page on Facebook? I have been making bottle cap jewelry, needle minders and magnet sets! They have been SO much fun to make! I am just trying to make some extra money since I am unable to work due to needing to be home for my daughter who has autism and epilepsy. 

I need to get back on working on some stitching. I have to get my Tribal Teapot finished within a month. These next couple of days I am finishing framing up and preparing my three entries for the local county fair. Plus my daughter is entering three pieces of her artwork! I am entering Let's Be Wicked, Rules for Life and Goonies Never Say Die. I have to turn them in on Friday. Then the first day of the fair is next Thursday, April 16th and that's when we'll be able to find out how we did. We are so excited! Once we get them all ready for the fair, I will post pictures. 

Here is my Tribal Teapot so far ... 

I will be making some more progress on it and hopefully get it finished in time for Mother's Day! 

Until Next Time,

♥ Margie ♥

Weekly Rotation #9 ~ Save the Stitches 01/01-01/07

Hello Everyone! 

I hope the New Year has started off fantastic for you all! I have started my weekly rotations with Save the Stitches Blackwork Journey. Although I am not stitching it with any black whatsoever. After the first week, I have been thinking that maybe I might try changing up the rotation a bit. And instead of a weekly rotation, I'll do a biweekly rotation so that I'm working on each project for two weeks at a time instead of just one. But since up until now, I have been doing the weekly rotation, I wanted to go ahead and share my small start on Save the Stitches. 

So I will continue this week with Save the Stitches! 

On a side note, we have a new addition to our family. A couple of days ago, we rescued a cute little puppy, that someone had left by the trash dumpster in the alley behind a friend's house. Our friends couldn't keep him, so we took our other furbaby over there to make sure they would get along. And with the exception that my Jack doesn't realize how big and strong he is, they get along fine. We will have to watch them when they are together until the new puppy gets big enough to be on his own with Jack so that Jack doesn't unintentionally hurt him. But other than that, they do like each other. The kids named the new puppy JJ. So now we have Jack and JJ. 

That's all I have for now. I appreciate you stopping by my blog! Don't forget to leave a comment and let me know you came by! 

Until Next Time,

♥ Margie ♥