WIP Wednesday

Happy hump day! Yesterday sucked crazy hard for me but today has been much much better. In the last weekish I've gotten quite a bit done.

I have 6/10 blocks done on my HAED challenge. I still have a month to finish, I may try to do one or two this weekend. 

I spent 4 days working on Aurora Cabin after that. I'm still working away on all the half stitches in the sky, I kinda can't wait until I get to a point with full crosses haha. 

And finally, my will power failed monumentally and I totally started Stargazer. She's been my dream for so long. I started at the bottom and have no real goal or end point in mind before rotating out, I'll just play it by ear. This is 3 days work on it. 

I got my last issue of World of Cross Stitching today. I'm kinda bummed. I wish so many of the good mags ween't UK based. Or alternately I wish I was UK based. 

Xx

February already?!

Happy Groundhog day, hopefully the rodents won't be liars and we will get an early spring!

Got some mail, the final two pieces of my large Colour Cascade order! Now I can begin Stargazer but I'm trying to wait until I get down a wip or two. Here's my floss toss for it on Underground King opal belfast. 

I spent most of last week only working on my Lighthouse from Artecy, I finally got page 5 finished after starting it months ago and getting confettied out. 

One more page and I will have the top third finished. 

Hubby will be going away on exercise Thursday so while he's away I may take advantage of my quiet solo evenings and start flosstubing. I've been watching more and more videos and am really enjoying it, and I feel like it can be easier to verbally express myself especially since I always blog from my phone. So we'll see and maybe give it a go!

And since hubby will be gone that always means I get way more stitching done since theres no one nagging me to clean up haha. So I'm looking forward to getting lots of stitching done and maybe sneak in a few starts while he's away, every time I tell him I need to go to Michael's he asks why I don't finish some of my many starts before starting something new. *insert eyeroll here* He obviously doesn't get it.

Xx

Mail call

I got stitchy mail today, which always puts a smile on my face!

My newest issue of the World of Cross Stitching arrived, I only have one left before my subscription runs out :(

And my fabrics from Steph's sale are here! The Elizabeth on the left will be for Box of Delights blackwork and the Jack's Rum is for 99 bottles from Ink Circles. Can't wait to start them, 99 bottles won't be for a bit but I may start Box of Delights in the next day or two. 

Now I'm just waiting for a couple pieces from Colour Cascades and one more piece from Steph, plus I have my fotm from Dye Stitch Love and the new bewitching pixies but those haven't even been shipped yet. 

Xx

Time to rotate

Got lots done this week! I made it to the point I wanted to with Celtic Spring so now its time to switch it up. 

I never set a day/time limit on my rotations, I just start stitching and as I go I kind of map out which part of the pattern I want to get through before moving on. In this case it was the decorative panel on the right. I would've finished earlier this afternoon but I had a million loads of laundry to do and 4 beds to strip and remake. Adulting is the worst!

I have no clue what I'm going to work on tomorrow. I really should work on my HAED challenge and I need to get my butt in gear and work on my lighthouse. 

I'm hoping some stitchy mail will show up this week, I have I think 2 packages in transit so its mailman stalking time!

Til then

Xx

Resist the urge to start

I'm still here! I was fighting an upper resp infection last week and stitching this week so I'm working away. I did some filigree on the top of the Hogwarts crest last week. 

After that I rotated back in Sleeping Beauty. I started what I thought was the upper left corner, but things started not lining up. On closer inspection it was the bottom right corner. Thankfully the flowers are all similar on all four corner so minimal frogging was required to set it right. 

Now I'll be getting back to Celtic Spring. I had run out of one or two colours but I made a small Michael's run on the weekend and am ready to get some good progress made. This is my starting point. 

I'm also working on the Heaven and Earth Designs challenge, I've almost got 5 blocks done, I'll post a pic once they're actually done. 

I was so hoping to save some money this month but no. Mira fans out there will know that new designs come out every month on the 15th. I've been thankful that the past couple haven't been my style but they put out two new Bewitching Pixies this month and I just had to order the charts and bead packs. 

Next time I think I will start to show some of my fabric stash. I made a list of my current fabrics this afternoon. Several of them were bought with specific projects in mind but I have a few that are just part of my beginners stash. 

All I want to do right now is start Raven Queen from Mira but I'm trying to be good and wait until I have one of my current wips closer to being finished. 

Time to deal with my tantruming 3-year old. Til next time

Xx

My 2016 plans/goals

It's been a quiet stitchy Saturday for me so I had the chance to jot down my stitching plans and goals for this year. It'll be nice to look back in December and see if I've made any progress at all haha. 

STARTS

Sleeping Beauty - Mirabilia

Celtic Spring - Lavender & Lace

The Raven Queen - Mirabilia

His Way Home - Heaven and Earth Designs

Ana & Gigi - Nora Corbett

Elephant Birth Sampler - Cross Stitcher 292

Heart Birth Sampler - Historical Sampler Co

Storytime Sampler - Frosted Pumpkin

Winter Gorjuss - The World of Cross Stitching 222

99 Bottles - Ink Circles

Box of Delights - Elizabeth Almond

The top two in italics are started already, I just started Celtic Spring last night and am making good progress considering I ran out of a colour. 

I have Raven Queen and the Heart Birth Sampler completely kitted up and ready to start. I have fabric on hand for Nora's Bewitching Pixies, I paired up Mari and Luna on one piece of fabric last year and plan to do the same for Ana and Gigi. Everything else I have the fabric ordered its just a matter of waiting now!

Out of the WIPs I posted last time I need to have the Hogwarts Crest done by June, and it would be nice if the Artecy Lighthouse was done in time for xmas, but thats more of a dream than a goal. 

I have a few completed pieces from last year that need to be framed or finished as well. The Mari and Luna I mentioned need a frame. I also finished The Garden Party from Mirabilia and am hunting for a perfect frame. And lastly I did Lizzie Kate's Christmas Rules in the fall and have been trying to decide how I want to finish it. I went to Fabricville to get some festive fabric as a finish aid and they were having a huge sale so I got a bunch, so I would also like to do a few ornaments throughout the year to practice various finishes and get comfortable with my new sewing machine. 

Thats about it for me, I'll probably continue on with Celtic Spring tonight and tomorrow and then put in some serious time on Hogwarts starting Monday. 

Xx

WIPs from 2015

I finally got around to photographing all my current WIPs from last year. 

Up first, the oldest, Lighthouse at Sunset from Artecy started on May 13/15. This is going to be a gift for my mom if I ever get it finished, but the confetti is killer so I've taken a longer than intended break from it. 

Next up is another confetti filled nightmare gift, the now retired Middle Earth from Heaven and Earth Designs started Oct 28/15. This will be a gift for hubby who is a huge Tolkien nerd. I absolutely see this being a multi-year project. 

I just realized that all my current WIPs are gifts lol. Third is the Hogwarts Crest started Dec 7/15. This will be a wedding gift so this is the only one with a definite deadline which I feel comfortable that I will meet. 

 

Lastly is Aurora Cabin, my first Dimensions kit, started Dec 12/15. This one will be for MIL unless I fall too deeply in love haha. 

So there you have it, I am trucking away on these, some admittedly less than others. In my next post I think I'll go over my 2016 stitching goals including which of these I want to finish. Most days I feel like I have way more starts planned than I could ever possibly finish, but I guess thats motivational in a way. 

Til next time

xo

Hello stitchers!

Greetings stitchy friends. This is my project for 2016 and hopefully beyond. 

I'm Amber, 29 (yuck), stay-at-home mom to 3 gremlins. I've been stitching on and off since I was a teen but its something I really committed to as a hobby late in 2014. 

I'll be chronicling my ups and downs, starts and finishes, faves and first tries, and everything in between. Tomorrow I will try to get a pic of my existing WIPs from 2015 but for now lets finish my first post with my first start of 2016. Mirabilia's Sleeping Beauty on Emerald Dream opal linen from The Crafty Kitten.