Progress and Plans

Some progress on the Pitbulls.  

These are my colors for Save The Stitches.  This is the metallics and beads I chose.

These are the threads I chose.  I picked out 7 but I only need 5 and I am going to do it dark to light.  Right now I am leaning towards 910, 911, 913, 954 and 955. I think 3818 is way too dark and 912 looks the same as 913 so it can go too.  I can't wait to get this started.  I just need the fabric and I will have to order that from Because You Count.

Happy New Years everyone!!  My resolution is to get to bed earlier.  I hate waking up tired and I want to change that, but I am a night owl, always have been so this will be a challenge for me.  I hope you all and your families have a wonderful and prosperous new year!!  Happy Stitching!

A few little things

If you are somebody who likes doing Stitch-A-Longs (SALs), there is a group on facebook called Cross Stitch, It's fun!!! that you should join.  You do need a facebook account to join.   I think there is a SAL every month and maybe even 2 a month.  WonderfullyHopeless, who is a youtuber who makes stitching videos started the group and is really putting a lot of work into it to make it fun.  I am a member of other stitching groups and there are so many rules on what you can post, SALs, and pretty much everything that I am nervous to post anything in case I am breaking a rule, but this group is not like that.  Of course there are rules, like do not share copyrighted charts and don't be mean but that is just common sense stuff.  Anyway they are a really great group of people and I am really enjoying being a member.

And a little/big freebie.  BrookesBooksPublishing is offering a freebie Advent Animals.  Click on the picture of each animal to view the chart.  They are very cute and look like they would be quick to stitch up.  I think I might make them into tree ornaments and the kids could put one on the tree everyday until Christmas.

And to all a good night!!

I just wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays or Happy or Merry whatever you celebrate from my family and me.  Brayden woke up sick this morning and is snoozing beside me on the couch right now so we might just have a very quiet Christmas and that is quite ok by me!

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas....

But I am pretty sure we aren't going to have one. :(  The weather person says +14 and major rainfall!  Not how I picture Christmas day but we will make do.

Here are my loves playing on their Daddy's phone.  

 
My mom, sister and niece were over for a morning of Christmas baking and here is Elly "helping" her Nona.  Thomas was way to cool to be helping us bake... instead he was trying to sneak presents to his room to unwrap.

I received my last package from LizzieKate.  I am sad to see these come to an end but they were so generous with the prizes.  If you ever get a chance to enter a LizzieKate contest do it!  Click here to visit LizzieKate blog.  They are always showing new designs they are releasing and that is where I found out about the contest.

I have been stitching away on these Pitbulls for my nephew.  Wowzers there is major confetti happening!  But I am really happy with how it is looking!  I hope he will be too.

Once Upon A Time is Complete!!!

First off I want to say a very big Thank You to The Frosted Pumpkins!  This pattern was so enjoyable to stitch.  Secondly, sorry about the wrinkles, I don't own an iron and I literally just put the final stitches in and snapped a picture.  Next time I go to my mothers I will iron it up.  If I am going to continue on with this stitching business, I should probably invest in my own iron, I think.  Here it is complete:

And here it is by row.  This bottom row was my favorite!  And see the Fleur De Lis at the very bottom?  That is covering up that blue highlighter my boy "accidentally" made.  Haha lesson learned, I now lock everything up tight when I am not working on it.  

Now on to the Pitbulls for my nephew.  And to decide if I need to get this or if I should finish up some things I already have on the go.  I will probably buy it.  :)  Happy Stitching!!

Just call me The Mad Tatter

A few of us ladies from the stitching guild have decided to learn how to do tatting.  Below is my first attempt.  I don't have the proper needles, I am just using a longish "Carpet??"  needle I have from a "home repair kit"  I am quite resourceful when I need to be.  

This was super fun.  I think I will make a few up and give them for Christmas ornaments. 

  I learned how to do this from a youtube video:

The kiddos made this last weekend.  I am surprised there is any candy on it as they sure had their fill while they were decorating!

 My little loves decorating the tree.  Thomas just took an ornament and shoved his hand into the tree and let them go.  I am worried that I will end up throwing some out with the tree this year.

 They did a pretty good job though!

And I totally stole "The Mad Tatter" from another blog, With Needle and Thread, her mom does tatting and that is what she calls her :)  Happy Stitching! or Tatting now I guess!

1/6th finished of Cars!

I got the whole bottom of Cars done.  I feel like the most boring part is done... that road was hateful!  Brown, brown, brown and black.  

I started on December's block for Once Upon A Time and I can't wait to have it all done!

This is the new game in our house... at least Brayden just piles the toys high on one side and doesn't throw them all on the floor.   They make my heart smile.

Last night we took them to look at some Christmas lights and we went by a house that had a lot of lights and Brayden says "That is a disaster of lights"  

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!!   Happy Stitching!

carrie acutally

I found an interesting new to me blog, carrie actually.  She has a little cross stitch on there but she also has some interesting posts on using facebook and instagram and such as a way of promoting your business, if you have one.  She knew a lot of little things about facebook that I had no clue of.   She is also a consultant for Jamberry, which I think is just the coolest product ever!  If it wasn't Christmas season and I had some extra bucks I would be buying some right now!  Go check her out!

Small Micheal's haul

I had a good trip to Micheal's the other day.  I got a scrapbook case for 3.99 and they are regualar 9.99, some floss to make some Christmas ornaments and some Halloween ribbon to finish off my Halloween Town.

 All this ribbon was in a $1.00 bin!

And here is my 8x8 Q-snap to show how big this case it.  My mom and my sister also bought me a case for Christmas.  I think they will be awesome to store wips in.

I am almost done of this pattern page of Cars.  Hopefully I will get it done this week.

My boys!

Brayden helping shovel out the back of the truck.  He is such a good help and he is always doing something.  I don't think we shoveled off the front steps at all last winter, he was out there as soon as the snow stopped every time... some times even before the snow stopped.  I hope little brother enjoys helping as much as big brother does.

20% off entire purchase at The Frosted Pumpkin

If you were thinking about purchasing a Frosted Pumpkin pattern or two or three... now is the time to do so.  Until December 3,2014 use the code THANKS when checking out to get a 20% discount on your entire order!  The new Christmas Celebration Sampler is pretty hard to say no to.

Racing right along

Here's my co-pilot, and you can see big brother in the back, intently working on building something.

This is my progress on Cars.  I was watching a youtube video (you need to check this guy out, he is hilarious!) and he called parked threads Willie Nelson's braid.  This is a pretty straggly braid since I am doing this 1 over 1, this is more like balding Willie Nelson, with some age spots/stains on the right there.

I am stitching this in rows of 10 using the parking method.
Like this:
Row1            Row2            Row3           Row 4
lxxxxxxxxxxlxxxxxxxxxxlxxxxxxxxxxlxxxxxxxxxxl
lxxxxxxxxxxlxxxxxxxxxxlxxxxxxxxxxlxxxxxxxxxxl
lxxxxxxxxxxlxxxxxxxxxxlxxxxxxxxxxlxxxxxxxxxxl

So I go from the bottom of row 1 to the top then start at the bottom of row 2 and go to the top and so on.  I also read somewhere that you shouldn't stop in a straight line or it will show when it is finished so when I get to the last stitch in a row I will go into the next row if that same color continues on.

Anyway once I get to the top of this row I only have 3 more rows than this page will be done and I will be 1/6th of the way done of this whole project.  Yay me ?!?  Still a lot of stitching left on this one.

I hope everyone is getting some stitching in today and I am sending good stitching vibes to all of you.

Happy Stitching!

Parking

I watched a great video on the parking method.  There are many ways to park and this video is just one of them, click here to watch it.

A little Cars update

I spent most of the last week working on this, and Brayden sure is happy to watch this grow.  But it is terribly boring.  So much brown!  I just keep telling myself this will be a lot more fun when get into all the different colors of the cars later on.  One stitch at a time.  :)

I hope everyone had lovely stitchy weekends and Monday isn't being too hard on you.  

Dance Party!

We are dancing the days away.  Thomas will stop whatever he is doing when he hears a tune he likes.  

 I finished page 10 of my bunnies.

 Last night at stitching one of the ladies kindly taught us how to make these little snowflake ornaments on perforated paper.  I think she even designed it herself!  It was so much fun to do and I was able to try some new things, stitching on perforated paper and beading.  I enjoyed beading and love how it turned out but I don't think there will be a lot of beading in my future.  The needles are as long as my arm and as pointy as a cactus.  I pricked myself so hard that when I pulled my hand away the needle stayed in it.  Ouch!  But I can't wait to hang this on my Christmas tree this year!!  And I am totally counting this as a finish.

 Brayden was so happy when he got home from school today because I started working on the next page of his Cars cross stitch.  This is what it looked like that last time I worked on it.

And this is what it looks like now.  This is page 6 of 36.  I can't wait to get up higher and start using some colors besides brown.  

I am working so close to the Q-Snap because the fabric pretty well ends where the picture cuts off.  I started this one before I knew how big to cut my fabric and I am frugal (haha cheap is probably a better word) so waste not want not!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful day full of stitches!

Cross Stitch Chat

I just got done having a cross stitch chat with a wonderful woman from FlossTube, which is cross stitching videos on YouTube.  It was like skype but on YouTube.  Here is her channel.  I think you have to have a Google+ account to join the chat and all you need to do is comment on the live video and she will send you an invite and then you just chat and stitch away.  It is free and it was super easy to use.  She is planning on having another one Saturday and Sunday so if you have nothing to do and want to have a little stitchin over the computer you should check it out.  If you don't want to be videoed (because the chat is uploaded to her channel for anyone to see) you can just watch the chat live and stitch along silently haha.  

Almost there

This is page 10 of 30 and it is almost done so that means I am almost a third of the way through.  Yay?!?  Still a long way to go yet.  

Little Red Riding Hood!

Here she is, Miss Hood and her "Grandma".  I am rather sad there is only 1 month left.  Where did this year go?!?