Memorial Day Giveaway

"True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic.

It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost,

but the urge to serve others at whatever cost.”  

 -Arthur Ashe

I had planned to do a giveaway tomorrow, in honor of Memorial Day....but since there is a tropical storm heading for me, I thought it be best to post it today (in case I have no power or internet tomorrow!)

I'm giving away a beautiful Heaven and Earth Designs (HAED) chart along with the fabric and floss needed to finish it.

I sifted through all the fantabulous (I think that's my favorite non-real word!) charts they have and I finally decided on this one:



QS Yesterday's Gone; artwork by Molly Harrison



I chose this one for a few reasons -

• This is one of my favorites....I love all the watercolor looking background colors and the colors in her wings. 
• I also chose it for it's name "Yesterday's Gone"....which I felt kept in-line with the idea/meaning of this holiday. 
• I decided on the "quick stitch (QS)" version of this chart, as I know many of my blog followers have not stitched a HAED before and I didn't want anyone to run away (like I did the first time I saw them!)

The chart's stitches are 175 W x 161 H, so it isn't nearly as large as the "regular" charts!

Along with the chart, I will send the winner all the floss necessary to complete.  I'll be sending full skeins of DMC floss, as I'm lazy and can't bring myself to measure, cut and wind them all!  (this way you can also use whatever floss is leftover for other projects!). 

Aren't the colors puuuuurty!

The chart calls for 032...some stitchers choose to use a Krenik braid, but I've substituded with DMC Metallic floss.  If this isn't your preference, I apologize!  Krenik braid isn't so easy to get my hands on around here!

I will also include fabric for this chart in the following choices
(I don't have any 14 count left in my stash....but if you REALLY want 14 count, let me know and I'll get some!) :

28 Count Cream Linen
28 Count Cream Evenweave
25 Count Cream Evenweave
22 Count White Hardanger
18 Count White Aida
16 Count White Aida

The fabric will be cut to allow for a minimum of 3 inches on each side for a border (in some cases it may be bigger...again...because I'm lazy and don't want to cut the fabric!)

 

How do you enter?

• Be a follower of my blog
• Enter a comment on this thread
• Include your email address
• Let me know which fabric you prefer.

That's it!! 

This giveaway will end at midnight EST, Friday, June 1st.  The winner will be chosen using Mr. Random Generator and will be announced Saturday, June 2nd. 

P.S.: The chart will be in the form of a PDF file.  It will be sent to you via the Heaven and Earth Designs "RAK (Random Acts of Kindness)" program, which means you will receive an email from HAED which will contain a weblink created just for you.  When you click on the link it will take you to their site and a download button for you to download and save the chart.  If you have any issues getting through this process, just let me know and we'll walk through it together!!

 

-lesli

Epic Stitching Giveaway!

Mel, from Epic Stitching is a complete sweetheart and sent me one of her beautiful bracelets!!  (She posted about them on her blog and I asked her some questions about what they are made of...and *poof*...just like that, she sends me one!)

I am SO IN LOVE with it!!

Some pictures:

Close up...look at the purty colors!

those veins in my hand look weird, don't they?

My daughter Kella asks me everyday, "Mommmmm, where is mine!?"

And if you're wondering..... "Where is yours!?"  ..... you can check out Mel's Etsy shop and pick one, or two or three out!   (I've already chosen another one for me and of course, the one for Kella)

Here's a sneak peek of some of the pretties she sells:

While I was checking out her shop, I thought to myself., "Why not give one away too!"


So without further ado...adieu?.... anyway.... let's give one away!


How to enter:
Post a response with the following info:

• The name of the bracelet you'd like from her Etsy Shop
• Your wrist size (inches or cm)
• Your email address (so I can contact you if you win!)

I'll draw a winner sometime on Monday, May 28th....and they'll win whichever bracelet they named!


p.s. - If you haven't already, check out her stitching blog Epic Sitching!  She won the HAED contest in December where she gets a free chart each month...I LOVE checking out what she's chosen!


-lesli

May IHSW & TUSAL and other updates

I'm such a slacker!  It has been over 2 weeks since my last post!   I've been busy with work and having to travel, as well as family stuff going on.   I have so much to update on, but I'll really try to keep it short and simple  :)

Here is my May Hermitting update:

I worked on two new pieces over the weekend, one was Moonlight Immersion.  This is my first attempt with 28 count, using tent stitches.  I've been wanting to try all the different ways people work their HAEDs, so here's on of them!

Here is the before the weekend pic:

And my after shot:

I also started working on QS Blue Butterly by HAED this weekend.  A good friend of mine chose this chart as her first HAED and I thought it would be fun to stitch together, to keep her motivated and help her through getting adjusted to HAEDs

My progress from the weekend:

I also did some gridding for other new starts, but I didn't take any pictures of those...kinda boring! :)

In other news.......

My QS Motherhood by HAED came back from the framers....I LOVE LOVE LOVE how it turned out!

The piece itself has some light hues of purple floss used in it...so the purple matting really brings that out.

The outer matting is a linen fabric, which I thought looked great with the stitching.  Here's a close up, you can sort of see it:

I sat down and updated my rotation/task list (located on my right sidebar).  The list is long, and I'll probably change it as I go...but my mind needed to lay out all my current goals.  I'll be working on two pieces just a few hours per week (SK Blue Moon and QS Blue Butterfly) as those are stitch alongs and then I'll be working my other pieces a page at a time. 

Eventually I'll need to add in the SAL from Papillon....Around the World in 80 Stitches, but I'm still waiting on my fabric to get here <sigh>.
I've also listed a "secret stitch" in there....this is something I am stitching as a gift and the recipient sometimes checks my blog...so just to be safe I won't post pictures until it is finished and given.

I was also asked to do a review of one of Yiota's Cross Stitch charts....and it just arrived...so I'll be woking on that this week!

Finally....I just wanted to share how proud I am of my son Sebastian.  Over the past few weeks he tested for his Blue Belt in Karate (Tang Soo Do).  This was a big deal for him, because this is the belt where he had to test and pass on EVERYTHING he's ever learned since he started.  It is also the belt just before Junior Blackbelt. 

HE PASSED! :)  He worked so hard to remember everything and do everything correctly, over the past 3 months....for a 10 year old, that can be asking a lot!  I'm a proud momma!



(edited to add my TUSAL)
After typing this up and posting it, I realized it was also TUSAL time!  <another sigh>  I'm so behind!

I took a quick snapshot of my monthly TUSAL jar and the big vase I'm using to gather everything for the year.  Pardon the Tony Hawk skate toys...my son took over my dining room table!





Whew! Sorry for the long post!   Have a great week!


-lesli

May WIPocalypse

Heeeeeeeere's my update!


Nature's Beauty by LHN - I LOVED stitching this piece!!  I see many more LHN WIPs in my future!

Before:

After:

QS Motherhood by HAED   (My second HAED finish!)

I stitched this as a gift, so I didn't post any pictures of it on my blog until now (I haven't given it yet either, but I'm crossing my fingers that the recipient misses reading my blog for a bit!)

Cathedral by HAED - Finished page 2!   Hoping my next WIPocalypse update brings a few more pages of this piece!

Before:

After:

Now...off to check out all of your updates!!  :)

-lesli

Nature's Beauty - Finished

It's 2:20 am for me...and I'm up waiting for a work meeting that starts in about 10 minutes.

Thought I'd make a quick post while I'm waiting.....to keep me from falling asleep!


I finished my LHN piece, Nature's Beauty!  I'm so happy with it!


This is my first time finishing a piece as a pillow, and I think it turned out perfectly.   I used fabric from my stash and made up the pattern as I went along


Here's pictures of the front and the back:

My thanks goes out again to Bekca for this wonderful pattern :)


Happy Friday to everyone!



-lesli

My Late April TUSAL and My On-time IHSW Update

I'm lazy.....so I waited to combine my TUSAL and IHSW update together!

My April TUSAL:

I found the cute birdie material as a remnant...only cost me $0.25 for 1/3 of a yard!   I'll make something with it....eventually...right? :)


What a wonderful weekend I had!  I spent most of Saturday with girlfriends...with the intent of working on my stitching, but of course I spent more time snacking on the yummy goodies everyone brought, watching movies and chit-chatting it up!  I did manage to get a few X's in......but the bulk of my weekend stitching was done on Sunday.  I also did some shopping at some craft stores and  I found an outrageous deal on these Thomas Kinkade Disney kits!

I've seen these before, and they are usually around $40....but I think these 2 were mismarked at $8.99!  Only the Tinkerbell and Pinocchio ones were at this price.....but I had some 50% off coupons....so I got them for $4.50 each!  My niece is working on the Cinderella chart so I'll give these to her to add to her collection.

I worked on 2 pieces for IHSW, my LHN piece Nature's Beauty and also a small HAED piece that I'm doing for someone special that is also in blog-world...so I won't post those updates until I'm done and have given it to her.

Here's my IHSW update for Nature's Beauty:

BEFORE IHSW -

AFTER IHSW -

This means I get to mark off task #6 from my rotation schedule!!  I started into task #12 and just might finish it off today....to finish off the entire piece.  


What else did I do this weekend?  Why.....I took part in the HAED half off coupon sale...of course!!!  

I know some of you out there did too!!  If you did....what did you get?   

I decided to keep my purchase small....I already have so many charts I've purchased and a good handful of them are already kitted up and ready to go!!   So I only purchased 3 ....I'm such a good girl (though, the coupon is good until the 24th!)

I just had to get Middle Earth...my husband glanced over my shoulder one day when I was reading through blogs and he saw the WIPs Ewa has...one of which is Middle Earth.   He then shouted, "I want you to stitch that next!"    He also threw in a, "I'll help you on it, I'll do some pages and you do the rest...it looks like there are only 5 or 6 shades of brown, right"?    Right honey.....5 or 6 .........  I will probably never get to it, at least not anytime soon.  But I bought it just in case it became retired.

Here's a pic of it:

I also purchased 2 charts from SPML's tarot series.   I've always wanted to finish a piece for mine and my husband's zodiac signs, but I haven't found one that I liked for both of us that were from the same artist.   But...I ran across a tarot site that tells you your tarot card based on your date of birth, so I entered ours in and mine is the Queen of Swords and my hubby's is the Knight of Swords....and you know what...I LOVE both of these charts by SPML, so ka-ching....I bought them!

Knight of Swords:

Queen of Swords:

This of course gave me the opportunity to let my husband know that I'm the QUEEN and he's just the Knight :)

If anyone is interested in looking their tarot card up, here's the site I went to:  Raven's Tarot Site


I'm starting to get a non-cross stitchy itch....so I'm thinking after I finish Nature's Beauty I'll work on a quilt for my son, or some knitting/crocheting.... then come back to my cross stitch rotation plan.    This doesn't help me get more of my HAED's done, but it will help me make a dent in my crafting stash!

Sorry for such a long post.....hopefully I didn't put anyone to sleep for the start of the week!! 


Can't wait to play catch up today on everyone's blogs!



-lesli