February Hermit Update and Goodies

My pitiful IHSW update!!    I totally didn't stitch as much as I had planned!  Darn real life! :)


I worked on my Wedding piece....here's my before:

And my teeny tiny after progress:

Now to share some goodies I received recently!!


Here are some GORGEOUS fabrics from Leslie LaFleur of Under the Sea Fabrics

That's some definitely eye candy if I say so myself!  The names of these are (from left to right):  Cosmos, Sugar Plum Fairies, Marshland and Atlantis.  And the one in the middle front is also Sugar Plum Fairies.  

I plan to use these for the Lavender and Lace Season Fairies (Winter, Autumn, Spring, Summer).

Check out her site and her FB group!!    She has "jewel sales" on her FB group....lovely pieces at a discounted price and the first one to say "me" gets to buy it!  (careful...it's ruthless sometimes....us stitchers go crazy about how quickly we can type ME!)




Earlier this week I also received these lovelies from Stephanie Bishop of Hand Dyed Fabrics by Stephanie

This fabric is Ice Goddess, which was the February fabric of the month and the pretties are froggers...made by Steph!!   Aren't they just adorable!!??


Ok...I'm wiping my drool up.....I just love all my new stash items!


Wishing everyone a great week of fun, family and stitching!


-lesli

February TUSAL

Why yes, I'm late....I wouldn't have it any other way! :)


My February TUSAL:  

Sitting next to my Valentine's gift to my hubby....he loved it!



It's a HERMIT weekend!!  WOO!   Let's see what all we can accomplish in our stitching!




-lesli

Alice Enchanted Winner!

Ack!  Sorry for the delay....I intended to draw the winning name on Friday, but this cold I have has had me out of sorts!

I tossed all comment's names into the randomizer and the winner is......

Congratulations to Lija!    Check out her blog ...Stitching in Crosses and More to see some beautiful stitching!   Can't wait to see you start Alice! :)



Thanks to everyone for entering!!  

(it's TUSAL time too, isn't it?   late late late! :)  )



-lesli

OOOOPS!

I recently RAKd some Heaven and Earth Design charts to friends...and accidentally sent the wrong one to the wrong person!   Long story short, I now have an extra chart to give away ....

The chart is Alice Enchanted....you can click this link to get details about the chart.  Here is an image:

If you're interested in receiving this chart, via download from the HAED site....post a comment!  

I'll randomly choose a name from the posts as a winner some time this Friday (February 8th)!

Thanks!  :)

-lesli

January IHSW and TUSAL

I felt like I got a good amount of stitching done this IHSW...and then I realized that I added in an extra day. Since Monday was a holiday from work, I sort of counted Monday into my stitching too! (sorry about that!)

My results:

The Wedding before (this was a new start):

The Wedding after:

Cathedral before (was working on the rest of page 5):

Cathedral after (finished page 5 and 6 and started page 7):

And my ever so late, January TUSAL:

My son made me an adorable "Perler cup" for my ORTs, but they were kind of difficult to see, so I tossed them into a jar for a better view.   (info on how to make a perler cup can be found here)


Thanks for stopping by and checking out my projects!


-lesli

ORTs and Coffee

My first official post for 2013...and it's all over the place! :)


First off....ORTs!!  (Old raggedy threads)   What did everyone do with their ORT jar from 2012?   I took a picture of how full mine was, and I just couldn't bear to toss them...so I put them to good use!

My pretty ORTs in my vase (I put a votive candle next to it so you could tell the size of the vase):

I stitched a little pillow and stuffed it full of all the colorful strands....

And voila....my finished little 2012 ORT pillow!!  I used a scrap of dyed fabric and some DMC variegated floss and searched through various ABC books and this is what I came up with.

Guess I'm starting a new tradition of ORT pillows!!


Now for the....coffee!!  Among all my wonderful Christmas gifts this year, my hubby gave me a Keurig (K-cup) coffee maker.

It's one of those things I'd never get for myself, because I'm the only one that drinks coffee.  But OH MY GOSH....I LOVE THIS THING!!  I can't imagine how I lived without it before!!

It came with a sample of coffee flavors, and hubby gave me another box of samples too.  My new favorite is, Golden French Toast!  The kitchen smells like maple syrup each time I brew it...sooo yummy!!

So, question for any of you that have a K-cup maker...what are your favorite flavors, and why?  I'm on the hunt to try some new ones (because I'm obsessed with coffee now!) and I'd love to hear some suggestions!



Oh right...this is a stitchy blog, isn't it? 
Some of my latest progress pictures, not in any particular order because it's been so long since I posted any updates!


Middle Earth, Day 14:

QS Nostlagy (HAED Bulletin Board SAL), Day 6:

Paradise Found, Day 4:

Think I need to have a giveaway soon....I'm feeling the itch!   :)


-lesli

The Bad News Is, Time Flies.........

......... the good news is, you're the pilot."    

- Michael Altshuler

A big thank you to all of you for being fabulous passengers on my flight through 2012.  Wishing each of you the brightest and best in 2013.  


I had planned to post a year-end review of my stitching but instead of looking into the past (you can check out my WIPs in the tabs above!).... I'd rather focus a bit on the future!


What great things do you have planned for the new year?  As per my modus operandi, I've resolved to eat healthier and exercise!   Let's see if I can hold out longer than I usually do before this resolution falls apart!  :)

What else.....  putting some plans together to try to get our family moved from Florida to Utah...back where I grew up and where my family still lives.   Maybe we can do it in 2013!!!

Can't forget....I also have some ideas of stitching goals for the new year.  Not so much finishes (because they're all such big projects!) but more of what I want to start and how much I want to get done.   I've updated my rotation plan.... I'm working on each piece for 5 days.  I tried this out starting in November and I really like it, so I'm sticking to it!


Anyhow....this was meant to be a short post (yeah, right, lesli!).......  again...thank you for your support this year....looking forward to the next!

-lesli

***hangs her head in shame*** (IHSW post, too)

I can't believe it's been almost a MONTH since my last post!!  

I feel so horrible for leaving all of you hanging!!     After Thanksgiving I was out of town for a week for work and then I've just been busy with the usual...work, kids, family, holiday shopping....and stitching....sigh...I'm sorry!!

Obviously I've missed the last few TUSAL and WIPocalypse updates...so I'm just going to plan to do a New Year's shabang and post a review of everything!!

But....I did manage to take part in the IHSW this past weekend...so that's what I'll be sharing for today:


TamLin Before:

And After (almost finished the half page!):

I also started a new piece on Sunday - Paradise Found by Janelle Nichol, designed by Heaven and Earth Designs.   Here is one day of stitching:

Here's a picture of what the finished piece will look like (in 20 years):

I'd like to wish everyone an incredibly wonderful holiday and Christmas!!   I hope everyone gets to enjoy time with their family and friends. :)

I promise I'll be back at the end of this year for an official final 2012 post.    I soooo promise!



-lesli

November EVERYTHING!

Ok..I've seriously become a blogging SLACKER!!   

I'm combining a little of this and a little of that in this post...because I'm late on my postings!  (knowing me, I'll miss the date for WIPocalypse again and post November's in December!)

Warning - Lots of pictures....this is what happens when my lazy butt only posts about once or twice a month!!


November Thanksgiving TUSAL:

November IHSW:

Before the weeekend, my QS Dream of Dahlia by Heaven and Earth Designs

After the weekend:  Finished! :)  This is stitched on Brandied Apple dyed fabric from Silkweaver Fabrics.  Had to get this one done so I had time to have it framed and shipped for a Christmas gift.

Other Updates:

Before IHSW, I was able to finish another one of my pieces, Blue Lanterns.  This is also going to be a Christmas gift:

I am SOOO happy with myself that I made my Christmas gift goals this year!   Now I can focus on ME ME ME stitching!  :)


I also wanted to share my "secret stitching" from last month.

 I stitched and finished this little needlework travel kit for Ewa using the beautiful silk floss she sent me.  Here's some pictures:

the Front

the Back

and the Middle! :) 

I think Ewa and I are in a gifting war...which is WONDERFUL!  And...we shall see who wins! 

She soon followed the receiving of this gift with RAKing me this fantabulous HAED chart, Paradise Found by Janelle Nichol:



I've already purchased all the floss and put  my order in for some Magic Guide.....I plan to start this baby SOON!    It's so different from anything I've stitched and I love love love the colors!!

I was also recently gifted the adorable QS Dragonflies also from HAED by Ching-Chou Kuik.  A generous stitcher from FB, Margo, sent it to me.:

With the stash I've developed from my new found love of dyed fabric, I'm very sure I have something perfect to stitch this piece on!



For those of us in the US....WHO'S READY FOR BLACK FRIDAY!?  I'm ready!! 

I've taken the day off from work and I have my stitching ready for me to sit and enjoy all day while the crazy shopping takes place without me!!    I do plan to do some online shopping, because of some dyed fabric sales <sigh, addict addict addict>  and some stocking stuffers for the family.


As always, a huge thank you to all of you that take the time out of your day to read my LONG posts!! 

This has been a wonderful, wonderful stitching year for me, and I couldn't have enjoyed it like I have without all of your support!


-lesli

WIPoca-LATE

Why yes, I am posting my October WIPocalypse update in November!   What's the saying...better late than never!?


Before I post all my progress I wanted to share a beautiful little design I started recently from By the Bay Needleart.   They started a Fall Mystery SAL at the beginning of October, which came in 4 parts.

Here is my progress on parts 1 and 2:

All of the floss is from Nancy at Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe (except the white) and the fabric came from a multi-pack/grab bag from www.dovestitch.com

This has stitched up quickly, so I hope to find little bits of time here and there and finish it before the year ends.


Now, onto my lateness.......  My WIPocalypse update!

Cathedral Before: 

Cathedral Now:

New Starts for October:

QS Seasons 2:

QS Dream of Dahlia:

Middle Earth Large:

I can't believe it's already November!!   I have so much to do to get ready for the holidays  :( 

I hope everyone out there is safe from Sandy, I've read some updates on blogs of those in the areas that were hit...thankfully they're all well.


I'll catch up on blogs through today, when I can!! 



-lesli

Hermitting..... and stashing....

I didn't think I'd get a chance to hermit much this past weekend because we had a ton going on.  My son had a karate clinic that was out of town on Saturday (but I sat and stitched while I was there!) and then a birthday skating party he attended on Sunday (I did not sit and stitch while I was there!).


I worked on 2 pieces, the first was Cathedral.  I started my weekend on the bottom half of page 4:

I was able to finish the page!   Here's a picture of all 4 pages:

I was also able to work on a piece that I'll be giving as a Christmas gift, so I'm only giving you a sneak peek:

This was my first use of silks, courtesy of Ewa.  I'm so loving silk!   The stitching part is finished, now I just need to decide how I'm going to put it together for the gift.   I'll post a picture of the finished product after the holidays.


I'm also so VERY happy to share some images of charts I was recently RAKd/given.   I've said it before and I'm sure I'll just keep saying it...but stitchers know how to spoil each other!!

A wonderful lady that I've met via FB, Karen, sent me QS Elfland Sleeping Fairy.  I just love how all the golden hues and greens meld together...and my favorite is the little lizard in the bottom corner and the flower with the blue center!

I also signed up with some FB fellow stitchers for an October RAK event, partially to help sales for Heaven and Earth Designs, but mostly because it's FUN!!   You are given the name of a participant to send a chart to, and then someone else is given your name (sort of like secret santa).  Kathy from the group sent me these two GORGEOUS charts from my wishlist:

Dragonfly Cottage - I love the watercolors of this piece...and who doesn't love dragonflies?

and Changing Seasons - Fall is my favorite season and I love the colors of the trees with the beautiful green of her dress

I don't know how I'm going to keep from starting all of these beauties!!   I need more than 24 hours in a day so I can work on all my charts!!


Finally....I just want to share that....the Lord of the Rings SAL that I'm participating in is starting in TWO  One and a half Days!!   I am SOOOOO EXCITED to start my Middle Earth Map!!


Thank you, as always...for stopping by and reading through my updates!  I just adore all of you!!


-lesli

Totally Useless......

That's right....it is TUSAL time!  

My October-themed TUSAL jar:

Not too shabby if I say so myself!   I feel like I've been productive!


In other news.... I've been stressing out over my WIPs!   I keep starting new pieces and new SALs.....so my original rotation plans are shot.  A few of the new stitch-a-longs that I'm in run by time versus finishing a page (which I'm used to), so I've taken a shot at coming up with a plan that fits both timed stitching and finishing pages.  I think WIP planning is tougher than rocket science!!

I've also decided to put a few pieces on hold, which you'll see on my On Hold tab.   Once I get caught up on some other items, I'll put these back into rotation (I think!).
I've posted my updated plans in the right side bar (I left what I've finished so far this year and will delete those once 2012 is over). 


Now, I know I mentioned some new pieces I've started.....here's some pics!

QS Seasons 2 - I met a wonderful stitcher, Michelle, on the HAED FB Groups and she RAKd this chart to me a few months ago.  We decided it would be fun to stitch it together as a SAL, which we work on the first week of each month.   Here's my progress from our first week, in October:

Also, I purchased my first hand-dyed fabric from Silkweavers a bit ago, and once I recieved them I just had to get some floss in one of them!   I started QS Dream of Dahlia and here is my progress after 1 day:

I'll take a better picture for her next update...so you can see the gorgeous fabric better!


-lesli

"The board is set, the pieces are moving......

............. We come to it at last, the great battle of our time.” – Gandalf

It's a Lord of the Rings SAL (stitch a long) !!!

Kim of Scully's Cross Stitching spoiled me with a RAK of the hugely gorgeous chart, Middle Earth by Heaven and Earth Designs.  

This chart was re-released in a larger format, to show the details of the map clearer. 


And for an early HAED All Hallows Exchange, Samira from Facebook RAKd me the beautimous The Eternal Promise by Matt Stewart

This chart is also a re-release of the chart that was previously retired.  Michele updated it and it is a bit larger than the original.


The ever so fantastic, Ewa from Cross Stitch and other Musings had the brilliant idea of having a Lord of the Rings SAL!  

We plan to begin on October 25th, as this is the day that Frodo decided to begin his journey of taking the ring to Mordor. 

Anyone is welcome to join us!!  Any HAED LotR themed chart counts (Middle Earth, Eternal Promise, Burden, Gandalf at Bag End...etc...and I see that The Lady of the Mirror was JUST charted!)

No set rules!  I plan to stitch for 5 days, beginning on the 25th of each month.  You can stitch on just the 25th, rotate every week...whatever you like!  Post your updates on your blog site, and/or the HAED Facebook groups.


Now....to get everything ready to start!



-lesli