Progress updates

I filled in a couple more squares on the HAED and I've decided to put it up and pick up another WIP.  Here's what it looks like now.

I pulled another WIP out of mothballs.  You may recall me blogging about it last year on Stitching the Night Away.  It's called "Do Not Meddle" and is by Dragon Fire Designs.  

I decided to avoid the pitfalls I made on the right hand dragon by gridding the left hand part of the fabric.

It has really made things easier to stitch and he's what it looked like when I finished stitching on it for a little bit this morning.

Remember, you can always see what the final design will look like by clicking on "Long Term Projects" in the tabs at the top of the page!

I also stitched a bit on God is Love as well this morning. 

Some Update Pics

Somehow I've managed to get some stitching in.  I am not sure how because this semester is not going to be easy.  Educational, yes, but definitely not easy.  Sooooooo much reading!

Anyway, I've been merrily stitching along on my HAED.  I think the stitching over one on the green linen has made this "easier" on my eyes.  It might be the new needles too.

Speaking of stitching over one on 28 ct. green linen, I managed to get a few more letters stitched on that one as well.  I have until February 20 to stitch it (that's my goal -- my wedding anniversary).  I am hoping to make it.  Still waiting on that order from Needle in the Haystack.

Some HAED Work

Part of Stitch from Stash is going back to WIP and UFOs so I decided to pull out my HAED for a little work.  The only issue I have with this piece is that the edge is really really boring and mostly the same colors so I am thinking about gridding more of the fabric so I can move toward the center where the action is.  I am extremely happy I gridded this piece.  It takes a little time to put the lines in but it saves you stitching time (especially frogging) in the end.  You can see I jumped down to the bottom corner just to get a different colors of blue.

I forgot to update Traveling With Santa

I haven't been stitching lately since school and has started and I glanced at "Traveling With Santa."  I noticed that I had made significant progress which was not reflected in my "Stitch from Stash" Update.  So, here's what it actually looks like...

Stitch from Stash - January Update

It's a few days early to be posting this but I am up anyway (at 2 am) with Adèle so I might as well get it taken care of.

Coming into January, I continued work on my WIP, "Gardener's Cottage" by Elizabeth's Designs.  It is finished except for needing to have the Mill Hill treasures and By Jupiter! charms added (still waiting on those, sigh).

I had two starts from stash.

The first is "God is Love" that I am hoping to have completed in time for my anniversary next month.  As you can see from the picture it is about half way done.  I have had the book in my possession for about a year (it was less than 50 cents at Dollar General) and I bought the linen and Silk Mori last fall.  I am waiting on two colors of Silk Mori to finish it (in the same order as the By Jupiter!).

The second is "Traveling with Santa," another ornament for Emily's box, out of the JCS Ornament issue.  I am using perforated plastic instead of paper because that was in my stash and I had to purchase two skeins of DMC for it.

A bit of stitching

I wanted to share a picture of my latest progress on God is Love.  It is over half finished but I will have to work on the petite stiches on the words (which are a bit tedious).  I've decided to do the beading at the very end.  The centers of the roses will be stitched when I get my two missing colors of Silk Mori.

Giveaway shipments

Hello everyone!

Just wanted to let everyone know that I haven't been able to ship anything yet.  I have several packages ready to go but it is hard to get to the post office with two toddlers. Hoping to get the first batch in the mail soon.  I will email the winners individually when the packages ship so you will know when to start watching your mailbox.

Also, mindcreativity has yet to email me their address.  Please do so when you get the chance!

The Horror!

I haven't been stitching a lot and there are a few reasons why.  The first is that my semester has started and I'm started on school work.  The second is that my husband says I am stitching too much so I have decided to cut back.  The third is the worst:  my four year old stabbed our new leather couches repeatedly with my embroidery scissors!

The short version is that the scissors should have been out of her reach but there was a distraction and she got a hold of them and gleefully discovered that she could stab the couches.  At least it wasn't her sister.  I think I can seal the punctures but it will take a lot of work and the girls will have to be gone for me to do it.  Grrr.

My husband did drive me all the way to Plano to go to the stitchy store.  Then he was surprised when I informed him that I was on a $25 budget and that I really didn't need anything but I ended up picking up two Just Another Buttons to finish the poor snowman I stitched up and some new needles that I hope will thread better than the DMC 26s.

I am up to $6.02 for the month.  And I'm still waiting on that order from December.

A New Start and God is Love Progress

I started a new ornament for Emily's box yesterday to work on alongside God is Love.  God is Love has a lot of petite stitches so sometimes I need a break.  Plus, I'm working on it when my husband isn't home since it's an anniversary present.

The new ornament is "Traveling with Santa" out of the JCS Ornament issue from last year.  It calls for perforated paper but I'm stitching it on perforated plastic because that's what I had in my stash.  I'm short two colors of DMC (never fails, just when I think I have most of it....) but I don't think 80 cents for the two skeins will break my monthly budget. ;)

I got quite a bit done on God is Love today.  I had to do a bunch of crown stitches in #8 perle ecru cotton.  It goes all the way across so I'm not quite half done with them.  I also put a bunch of the roses in.  The centers are missing because two skeins of Silk Mori are in that order of stash that hasn't shipped yet.

Framing Work

I stitched a piece over 5 years ago that's just been sitting waiting to be framed.  I found a frame at Goodwill for $2 a few weeks back and I decided that the two would work well together.  So, while the girls were napping, I did some framing work.

I added some tacked herringbone stitch today.

Kitchen Gadgets

I've been doing a lot of cooking lately.  Here are some of my favorite gadgets.

This is my stand mixer that I bought a few months back.  It's a KitchenAid Profession HD.  Unlike the Artisan, it does not have a tilt head but has a bowl lift instead.  

This is my new OXO sifter.  I don't sift often but I needed one for making angel food cakes.  It has both a top and bottom lid and you sift by shaking it side to side.

This is my favorite oil for baking.  It has no flavor so it does not affect your baking

My Mistos.  You can put any cooking oil in them and they turn it into a cooking spray.  I have Safflower in one (for baking) and Sunflower in the other.

The secret is that you have to "pump" the bottle to prime it for spraying.

My new gravy seperator.  I have yet to use it.

This is my newest gizmo.  It's a KitchenAid 13 cup food processor.  I has a 4 cup bowl that nests inside.  It comes with a nifty storage case for the blades and wheels.

I think the only thing I really need now is a regular stainless steel mixing bowl.  I have gone through 6 attempts now and still no decent angel food cake.

Waiting on Embellishments

I finished stitching on the cottage today.  I'm just waiting on adding the embellishments.  I have three Mill Hill treasures and three By Jupiter! charms (I'm still waiting on those). I think I will set it aside until I get all of them and iron it right before I put everything on.

Some stitching

Last night, we had a party at our house.  I spent most of the week preparing for it.  Made some zucchini bread.  Tried and failed another two times to make an angel food cake (it just won't rise!).  Also made homemade soft pretzels that turned out amazing.  The Kitchenaid has definitely been getting a workout.

The World Market by us is also closing.  We picked up some glasses, a gravy separator, and another Misto (it's a spray bottle for cooking oil, I have one with Safflower oil, this one is for Sunflower oil).  The one thing I wanted was the nesting owl measuring cup set but they were out.

I did get a little stitching in today.  I added the arbor and started on the trees.  The grapes are petite stitches.  The tree leaves are stitched in WDW Blue Spruce so they should have nice color variations after they are all done.

Some petite work today

My husband was out working today so I spent a little time on the piece I'm hoping to have stitched by February.  It has a lot of petite stitches so it goes a little slow. This is technically a stash piece.  I've been buying the materials for it little by little since the fall and I've had the book for awhile.

God is Love
Kreinik Silk Mori Milkpaint and #4 braid on 28 ct Waterlily linen

A Shot off the Q Snap

All that remains is the sun in the upper left corner, a tree and trellis in the right corner (it's a big tree so that could take a bit) and adding the Mill Hill treasures and By Jupiter charms.  I have the Mill Hill pieces.  The By Jupiter stuff is in the bunch of stash I am expecting, except for one that they are going to have to order so I won't see it until February most likely.

A New Year and the Start of Stitch from Stash

Happy New Year everyone!  Last year went extraordinarily well for us so I'm hoping the blessings will continue into this new year as well.  If all goes well, at the end of the year I will have a Masters degree and I'll turn 30.

I forgot to post the giveaway winner of number 8, so it is: mindcreativity!  Please email me so I can get you address.  I have not shipped anything out yet, but I do have several things packaged and ready to go.  Hoping to get the U.S. packages out next week and I'll stagger the international ones a little.

I have been working on framing one of my older pieces.  I finally got the piece that formerly occupied the frame out and all the staples.  Next, I'm going to have to cut my foam board and mound.  Wish me luck.

Today is also the first day of the Stitch from Stash challenge hosted by Mel of Epic Stitching.  I will be stitching out of my stash with a $25 budget for the month.  As we enter 2014, I'm still stitching on the Gardner's Cottage by Elizabeth's Designs.

I am hoping to finish the stitching this week.  I am still waiting on some By Jupiter charms.  I put in a large order with Needle in a Haystack in San Francisco at the beginning of December and unfortunately, they were out of stock on a lot of stuff.  But they said 2-3 weeks so I am hoping to see my ordered stash in the next week or so.