An Update on Henry

Hi there Stitching Friends! 

So I've been working on & off on Henry and I have an update to post. I have been having fun with it! I'm really looking forward to getting this piece finished. The backstitching, when I get it finished is really going to make the piece pop I think. Plus when I add the beads to the center of the flowers and the eyes of the bird and Henry. 

So here he is so far ... 

So what do you think? The blue half stitches are supposed to be going the opposite direction. But I didn't realize that until after I had already started stitching them. I had gotten about half of them done on the right side and then I looked at what the finished pattern is supposed to look like in the picture and that's when I saw it. I asked the opinion of several of my stitching friends on Facebook what they thought I should do, and based on that I left the stitches and just kept going, rather than take them out and start the half stitches over. 

So that's where I'm at! 

Until Next Time,
♥ Margie ♥

Time to Get Back to Henry!

Hi there Friends! 

Yes, believe it or not, this is my third post TODAY! I am so happy to report that my stitching bug is BACK and in full force!!! So now that my bug has come out of hiding and back with a vengeance, I have a plan to get some things done that should have been done long ago. 

First and foremost, ya'll remember Henry, right? If you don't remember Henry the Snowman, well here is a picture of what he will look like all finished ... 

Poor Henry has been in the works for way too long (about a year and a half) and it's way past time to get him finished. So I am taking full advantage of how strong my stitching bug is right now to get this piece finally finished and back to it's owner. I know she will be so happy to finally get it back and see it. :~) She is an amazing person and friend and has been so patient during everything that has kept me from finishing Henry up until now. I just hope she loves it. 

So the last updated picture that I posted of Henry was this one ... 

There is a bit more that has been done since this photo. But I want to get a lil bit more done before I post a new update photo. 


So this will be the last post for today and I'll post again really soon with a new and updated photo of Henry the Snowman!!! :~) 


Until Next Time,
♥ Margie ♥

First Non-ATC Finish of 2011

Hi there Friends!!! 

Well, as you can see, stitching beat out sleeping lol!!! I just couldn't resist finishing this cute lil frog piece when I was so close to getting it all done. :~) So now all I have left is washing & ironing the piece, then put it back inside the hoop and trim off the excess aida and he's COMPLETELY FINISHED! :~) 

I can't wait to get this sent off to my niece and hear if she likes it. So here he is ... 

 

It was kind of weird stitching the 2011. I have been trying to come up with some cute way to do my signature on my finished pieces, but so far haven't found the right way to do it that I really like. 


Well, that's all for now bcuz now I really am off to get some sleep lol! Thank you so much for following! 


Until Next Time,
♥ Margie ♥

Update on First One to Smile

Hi Stitching Friends! 

How are you all doing? I am doing pretty well! :~) I got a little bit of stitching in on Thursday and Friday nights after running around getting everything together for my son's birthday party. I stitched the rest of the X's on the frog. Then Saturday was the party and by the time we got home, I was WIPED OUT! So Sunday and Monday I didn't get any stitching done, but tonight I sat down and did all the backstitching on the frog. Now all I have left is the lettering and he'll be all done! :~) I think he's turning out really cute and I just hope my niece likes it and it makes her smile every time she looks at it. :~) 

So here is what he looked like before I did any backstitching ... 

And here is what he looks like right now, with all the backstitching done on the frog. 




When I look at this frog, he looks to me like he's being mischievous or up to something and it makes me laugh. :~) 


So what do you think so far? It's nearly 3am and even though I really think I should be heading off to bed, I also want so much to get this lil guy finished. So I'm torn between my comfy bed and catching some good Zzzzz's and getting some good stitching and quiet time in. Do any of you ever have that problem? 


Well, I'm off to decide ... stitching or sleep ... 


Until Next Time,
♥ Margie ♥

A New Quick to Stitch Project for My Niece ...

Hi there Stitching Friends! 

I hope you are all doing great! I seem to have found my bug again, forced that little bugger out of hiding I did! LOL! I found the cutest little frog pattern that I'm stitching for my niece. Her favorite color is green and she likes frogs and with all that she has been thru I am really hoping that this helps to bring a smile to her face every time she looks at it. It's so cute! It's called "First One to Smile". 

Here is what it will look like all finished ... 

And this is where I am at so far on it ... 




I just started the piece a couple of days ago, and I think I should have it finished by the weekend! :~) I really hope my niece likes it. 



Well back to stitching! Happy Stitching Everyone!

Until Next Time,
♥ Margie ♥

Just a Little Finish ...

Hello Friends ~ 

I forgot to post this before but wanted to share with you my first finish of the year. It's just a small ATC, but at least it's something. I think it turned out pretty cute and I hope the recipient likes it. The theme was Irish for March. 

So what do you think? Think she'll like it? The backstitching of the letters is in DMC Light Effects to give it a little bit of flair. 

So that's it for now. 

Happy Stitching, my friends! 

Until Next Time,

♥ Margie ♥

All Mistake Stitches Removed ...

Hi again ... 

Ok, it took two hours, but I removed all the mistake stitches on my piece for the fair. My goal for Monday was to finish all of the cross stitches of the outer boxes, but with the mistakes issue, that's definitely put me behind. I should be sleeping right now but I only have 3-4 days to get this piece completely finished and ready to drop off at the fairgrounds. 

So here is where I am now as I'm about to re-stitch a bunch ... 

Obviously, you can still see where the stitches were, but soon that will be all different. Hopefully by morning (it's 2:45am here) I'll be back where I was before I had to take all those stitches out lol. 


So here we go!

Until Next Time,
♥ Margie ♥

An Update on Today is Not Your Day ...

Hello Again Everyone ~ 

I wanted to post a picture of the progress that I made so far since last night. I actually made some great progress I think with nearly all of the actual cross stitching done. But then I noticed something ... I noticed the mistake that I made and how now I have to take out nearly all of the stitches in the bottom left corner. I'm so frustrated about it, but have to push forward if I want to get this done in time to enter into the fair. 

So here's where I'm at ... 

If you look closely, you can see where along the frame around the words along the bottom, it's not going to line up like it's supposed to. It took a little while to figure out where the mistake was that I made. In fact, my husband helped me look at it to figure it out. And the red box on the left side just above the blue box, I stitched one square too low. I left one extra space between the red and pink boxes. 

So I'm off to take out some stitches and will post another update picture tomorrow night. 


Happy Stitching!


Until Next Time,
♥ Margie ♥

Change in Plans ...

Hello Stitching Friends ~ 

So the plan for finishing Elemental Cosmos in time to enter it into the county fair didn't work out. When I posted last time on March 21st, I was very optimistic and excited about working on that piece in time for the fair. About a day or two after that post, I asked my husband what he thought and if he thought I could get it done in time. He said he didn't think it could be done. And in his defense, as disappointed as I was with what he said, he wasn't trying to deflate my enthusiasm, but was being realistic about the time frame left until it had to be turned in. I did work on the piece for a couple of days, and friends, I'm here to tell you that stitching white on white is hard enough, but stitching black on black evenweave is INTENSE!!! However, I have to admit it does look really good. After a couple of days I began to lost my enthusiasm and kept thinking about what my husband said. So back to the back burner Elemental Cosmos has gone. And then a few days ago, I remembered a piece that I had started for my mom. I keep this piece in a ziploc back in my purse so that I always have something to stitch for like at the doctor's office or any place where I have to sit & wait. The piece is probably about halfway finished and it's only a 7"x5" piece. It's a simple design and on 14ct white aida, so I think to myself "I can do this!" It's not a big or fancy piece by any means. But at least it's something. And since the piece is for my mom, I know she will be happy with no matter how it does at the fair. Sometimes simple is best right? 

So here is what the piece will look like when it's finished ...

And here is where I'm at with the piece right now ... 






The reason that I've already stitched the backstitching in the middle is bcuz that was the easiest way for me to find the center of the design on the fabric. So just a few more two-toned "squares" and then back stitching and I'm done! I am giving this to my mom to hang in her office at work. I think it's so perfect for her office and I know she'll get such a kick out of it. :~) 

So it's Sunday night ... entries must be turned in either Friday between 3-8pm or Saturday between 10am-3pm. Of course the ideal goal would be to have it finished and turned in on Friday. So ... 5 or 6 days ... do ya'll think I can do it? Please send support! I can definitely use it. 

Happy Stitching, my friends! I'm off to stitch my tush off lol! 

Until Next Time,
♥ Margie ♥

Countdown to the County Fair!

Hello my fellow stitchers & friends! 

So yes the county fair is coming to town! And it's just around the corner (yikes)! Time goes by too fast and here it is now just 18 days until entries must be turned in (gulp). I don't know if I'll get anything done in time, but I've decided to give it a shot. Along with entering something into the fair, I can also purchase 2 tickets that will give me free parking and entry all 11 days into the fair for only $20! That's a great deal. 

So, what piece am I going to scramble to get finished in time? Well, I decided working on one of my WIP/UFO's would be best. Do you remember Elemental Cosmos? Here is a picture of what it will (mostly) look like finished as well as where I was when I picked it back up again just a couple days ago ... 

So what's left is filling in all the sections within the star and circle. Where the stars are I'm planning on adding some iridescent beads to give that little something extra. The challenge with this piece is stitching on the black evenweave fabric. And in some places it's black floss ... so stitching black on black is a HUGE challenge. But I have to admit I really like how it looks. :~) So I'm starting with the bottom section and will work my way around. Do you all think I can get it finished in time? I sure hope I can. Just 18 days (maybe 19) to get it completely finished, washed, ironed and framed. The entire design is 135 stitches wide by 146 stitches high. That doesn't sounds like a whole lot, but it's solid stitches. And like I said the black evenweave is a challenge. 

So that's the agenda for the moment. If you see me on Facebook, please send me a shoutout to get back to stitching so I keep on track lol. I can use all the support & encouragement & motiviation that I can get to get this finished in time lol. 

Thank you my friends!!! 

Happy Stitching!

Until Next Time,

♥ Margie ♥

A Great Surprise in the Mail for ME!

Hello My Friends! 

I hope you are all doing well and that the year so far has been very productive and fun for you. I myself haven't done any stitching since my last post. My bug has just disappeared completely. Well that's not completely true. I did do an ATC a couple nights ago. I can't believe it but it only took me 2 nights to do it. And it was a blackwork/backstitch design. It was a lot of fun. I used a variegated red. 

Here is how it turned out ... 

I put it on a foil/metallic card stock which I think really helped bring out all shades of red in the ATC. So what do you think? 

So ... my great surprise that came in the mail for me today! :~) You might remember a while back when I posted about my missing RR piece of the cute lil stitch devils. Well one of my online stitching friends that was part of that RR, who was also very upset that mine never made it back to me, she got three other ladies to help her out and together they stitched a new lil stitch devils RR piece for me! It made me feel so special and good inside. What a wonderful surprise and totally made my year. :~) 

Here's what they made for me ... 

How cute is this?!!! And you can't really see bcuz for some reason my scanner doesn't pick up on it, but the three other than the one with the basket all have sparkly floss in part of them. The blue floss has sparkles, the scissors have sparkles and the sewing machine too. And on the one with the sewing basket has 3D floss in the basket and real buttons just below it. Didn't they do an awesome job?!!! :~D I'm so excited about it and can't wait to get it framed and hung up. I have to measure it, but if it fits in a 12"x12" frame, there is a red metallic frame that I think it will look perfect in. :~) 

I am so thankful and lucky to have such wonderful stitchy friends like them. Thank you to Peggy, Cei, Carol and Kitty!!! 

Until Next Time,

♥ Margie ♥

And So We Begin 2011 ,..

Hello Friends ~

Here we are nearly three weeks into the new year. How are things going with your crafting goals for 2011 so far? As for me, while my kids and I were visiting family for Xmas, I started working on the red rose pattern that is my brother's artwork and the pattern created and colored by White Willow Stitching. Since visiting family always seems to be a busy venture, I wasn't able to get a whole lot of stitching done on it while I was there. But I did at least get it started. I don't have a picture of what it will look like when it's finished to show you. You see, when the pattern was designed with the red colors, the picture would come out blurry. So the designer needs a finished model in order to create the cover page picture and also the picture for the WWS website. However, if you'd like to get an idea of what it will look like just click HERE, and you will see the roses that have been released so far. Just picture one of the same roses that you see there but in red. And that is what I'm working on. As much as I would like to have this piece finished and sent to WWS so that she can post the pattern for sale for her February 1st release, I think it will be more along the lines of her March 1st release instead. She has some other patterns that she is working on from my brother's artwork, as well as a few more rose colors, for a total of nine, that she can post in the meantime. Jamie has some amazing patterns on her site and the prices are excellent!

It seems to me that just when I think I have gotten past all the gift giving type holidays then another one is right around the corner. And then I have something else that must get made. Or life gets chaotic or my stitching/creative bug runs and hides. These times always seem to get to me. And then I tend to get even more discouraged. So what to do to avoid those feelings?

I have some WIPs that I'll post some pictures of sometime soon, as well as some must do pieces that I'll need to get started. I'd like to get at least one, maybe two, pieces finished in time for the county fair, which starts in just 87 short days. It sounds like a lot, but if you or your life is anything like mine, it will fly by in a flash.

So here's to a most successful and productive year for all of us!

Happy Stitching & Crafting!

Until Next Time,
♥ Margie ♥

... 2010 ...

~ 2010 ~

Wow. So here we are just 13 short days until the new year. For me 2010 has been both eventful and uneventful. It has been eventful in that so much has been happening with family and with friends. And uneventful in that all the eventful parts have kept me from being productive in my stitching, my sewing, my painting, my scrapbooking, etc. My only finishes for 2010 were ATCs.

My year started with the saddest of occasions. One of my best lifelong friend's son had died in a motorcycle accident and I attended the funeral just a few days into 2010. He was a good kid and so young. He was one of her twins who are the oldest of her kids. I've known him since he was born. It was a very hard time. The accident took place on Xmas eve and he passed on December 28th of last year. It was a terrible tragedy. I think of him often and I keep them all in my heart especially this time of year.

This time of year always makes me sad. This was my dad's favorite time of year. We had family traditions. Dad & I always went shopping together just him & I for Mom. We loved going shopping for the tree and there was a tradition to that too. But my Dad passed away 12 1/2 yrs ago. I know that is a long time. But this is the time of year when I miss him most. Lots of holiday movies bring tears to my eyes. And it seems that each year it takes me longer to "get in the spirit". Here we are six days till Xmas and I just don't feel excited about it. I think it's a combination of a few things, but I know missing my Dad is part of it.

Something very exciting that has happened is that my brother, who is a very talented artist, has been contracted with White Willow Stitching!!! :~) I'm very excited & happy about that. I emailed Jaime and asked her if she was interested in having a new artist to design patterns of and she wasn't looking for any new ones at the time, but she agreed to look at his artwork. Once she saw it, she absolutely wanted to sign him to a contract. As of right now, there are six patterns so far. But she's working on several more. Take a look at the patterns of his artwork HERE. There is also a red rose pattern, however she needs a model stitched of it first for the picture before she can post it up for sale. So as soon as I found out that she didn't have anyone to stitch the model, I quickly volunteered! :~)

Ok, so 2011 ... my main crafting goal is to have more finishes than just ATCs (including one of two pieces to enter into the county & state fairs), to at least ten aprons and stockings made and posted up for sale, and to get two more sections of my daughter's afghan crocheted. I think that I set my goal list for 2010 way to high. I mean of course I didn't expect so much chaos to take place. But honestly , do we ever. This time I'm going to plan for chaos and maybe it WON'T happen lol.

Well since it's nearly 2am, I am going to take myself off to bed for now.

I hope you all have an absolutely wonderful holiday season and get everything you asked Santa for! And the very best wishes for an amazing 2011! :~)

Happy Stitching & Crafting!

Until Next Time,
♥ Margie ♥

PS ~ I have a few more ATC pictures that I need to post so I'll get that up a little bit later on. :~)

September ATC Finishes & One Received ...

Hi Stitching Friends!

Yes it's me again, coming to you with my September ATC finishes and also a picture of the one that I have received so far.

So the themes for September were ...
Cross Stitch ATC's ~ Letter 'B' and Flower Power
Addicted to Cross Stitch ATC's ~ Pigs

For the Letter 'B' one, I wanted to do something different than just a pretty girly typical letter B. So I have this book with kids theme alphabets. And there is this one alphabet they call "Creepy Crawly". I saw that and thought to myself, "oh yeah this is the one".

So here is how it turned out ...



It was my husband's idea to add the "splat" stickers LOL. The lady that received it thought it was great and said that her son REALLY loved it! LOL!

Then for the next theme, Flower Power, I knew the second I read that theme exactly what I was going to do for it. The only problem was I knew the pattern was larger than normal. But it was such a perfect pattern that I HAD to make it work.

And here it is!



In order to make this design fit on the 2 1/2 by 3 1/2 inch card stock, I had to stitch this piece on 22 count aida. The smallest I have ever stitched on before was 18 count, so this was definitely different. I used only 1 strand of floss for each X. And the main green color called for 2 different colors of floss combined. So what I had to do for that was I did the first half of the X in one color and the other half of the X in the other color. The second color was a DMC Light Effect light green color. The silver on the piece was also a DMC Light Effects floss. I hadn't used that before, but believe me, my Thread Heaven came in very handy. So what do you think of it? I had to admit, I wanted to keep this one for myself LOL! A lot of the ones that I have been seeing others post are just of flowers, which are all very beautiful. But to me, "Flower Power" is best represented by stuff from the 60's. :~)

The other theme, Pigs, seemed simple enough. But when going through my leaflets and books, I was surprised to see that I had hardly any pigs patterns. But I went online and found a pig that I thought was both cute and different.

And here she is! ...



I think she turned out pretty cute, don't you? After stitching with 1 strand of floss on 22 count aida, switching back to 14 count aida with 2 strands was really weird lol! I wasn't sure at all how to embellish this one, so I just added the pink rhinestones. My husband said I should have mounted the piece on some "mud brown" cardstock, but I didn't have any, so this was the next best thing I think. What do you think?

So those were all the ones that I have done for September. My favorite out of all three is definitely the Flower Power one. But I did have fun stitching all of them.

So far, I have received the Flower Power one for the month of September. It is absolutely beautiful!



The lady that sent this one to me crocheted the flower in the top right corner herself! Isn't it cute?! I couldn't do that in a million years lol!

So I have still to receive the Letter B and Pig for September. And then the Pay It Forward exchange once it gets around to me. And then sadly, I have still yet to receive an Oriental theme ATC from back in May. Apparently there was some sort of a mix up when the emails were sent out and one lady received two Oriental theme ATC's and I received none. :~/ But it's ok. I really do love all the ones that I have received! :~)

So now I am all done with ATC's until Octobers themes come out. I am REALLY looking forward to those! :~) October is my favorite month of the year and Autumn is my favorite season!!! Should be lots of fun! :~) With this ATC break, I'm going to get busy on finishing Henry since I've had to put him off for so long with my MIA glasses issue and such. I can't wait to get him back home to his owner.

And with that I'm off to do some stitching!

Happy Stitching Everyone!!!

Until Next Time,
♥ Margie ♥

August ATC Finishes & Ones Received ...

Hi there Stitching Friends!

Yes, I am still here, alive & kicking. I have been stitching away on the cute lil ATC's. And sadly, been neglecting my poor blog. But no more! I have A LOT to post for you! :~) First in this post I will add my August ATC pieces that I did and also the ones that I received. Then I'll add another post for September. Sound good? Well here we go then!

So August's theme was Mother's Day and Father's Day for the Facebook Cross Stitch ATC's group. And for the new ATC group on Facebook, Addicted to Cross Stitch ATC's (yes I definitely fit right into that group!), the theme was Birds of a Feather.

Ok, so for the Mother's Day and Father's Day themes, it could be anything that you would basically stitch for your own Mom and Dad, because not all the women or the one guy in the group are moms or a dad. So I found a couple of cute patterns and started stitching!

Here is what I stitched for the Mother's Day and Father's Day themes ...





After I had finished and mailed the Father's Day one off, it wasn't until after the person received it and I had the pic posted up on Facebook, that I realized ... uh duh, football season is not in June! Ok, so I had a blonde moment lol. The ladies that received both these pieces really liked them. Out of the two, the I ♥ Mom one was my favorite. I think I might have to stitch another one to send to my Mom next year for Mother's Day! :~)

For the Birds of a Feather theme, they said it could be any kind of bird, real or imaginary or cartoon. So, being the Looney Tunes type of girl that I am, the first thought in my head was, you guessed it, TWEETY BIRD!!! :~D I really had fun with this one and I just LOVE LOVE LOVE how it turned out. As of today, the recipient still hasn't posted if they've received it, so I really hope this one isn't lost in the mail. It was going all the way to Australia, and I'm not sure how long first class mail takes to get there from here in the states.

Anyway, here's Tweety!



Isn't he just way too cute?! All the ones that I've seen people posting, all of them are real birds. I was surprised that I didn't see more people that did Tweety or any other cartoon birds for their ATC.

So those are the ATC's that I stitched for the month of August. And now I'll show you the ones that I received for all three themes ...









They're all very cute and I just love the way each person chose to embellish them! :~)

Oh and in case, any of you are wondering, the Pay It Forward ATC exchange is still going. Although no one seems to be admitting who has it at the moment. I haven't received any messages yet asking if I'm participating in it or not. But when I do, mine is all ready to be mailed out! :~)

So that's it for August ATC's! Thanks so much for reading my blog!

Happy Stitching!

Until Next Time,
♥ Margie ♥