A Finish for Autumn

I had a small finish recently. As you've probably guessed, I love HAED. Since this post mentions a "small" finish, that rules out it being a HAED.

I also have a "thing" for band samplers. I like the challenge of using different stitches plus the relative speed at which I can finish them. (Relative to a HAED at least.)

Since I opened my Etsy shop, XedStitches, I've included a couple of freebies when I ship out purchases. One of the freebies really intrigued me.

Since it is a freebie, there isn't a color photo of what it looks like when it's finished. Any pattern that uses floss with the names: Dried Thyme, Cidermill Brown and Melon Patch has to be great, right? (BTW, those are all Sampler Threads from The Gentle Art.)

Well, I finally broke down and decided to actually stitch this small sampler. I started it on Sept. 6 and would have finished it on the 7th but I didn't have the beads I needed. (I didn't think that was possible considering how many beads I have in my stash!)

Drumroll, please...here is the photo of the finished (and framed!) project:

The frame is a cheap, 5" x 7" WalMart frame that I painted black. The "mat" is scrapbooking, acid-free, cardstock that I cut to size.

Happy Stitching!

Stacy

A Finish!! (cross stitch)

Woo-hoo! I have another finish! Last night I finished my second HAED. It is QS Hummingbird by Ching-Chou Kuik.

I stitched it 1x1*, full stitches on 28ct. fabric. The fabric is from Silkweaver. I'm sorry to say that I don't remember the color name. It was Spring something-or-other. I know, I know but that's as close as I can get. I did look on their site and couldn't find it.

Drum roll, please. Here is the picture of the finished project.

* 1x1 means 1 strand of floss over 1 fabric thread.

Happy Stitching!

Stacy

Another Pinterest Craft

I've been wanting to try the Sharpie on a mug idea for a few weeks now.  After reading a bunch of different posts, I found out that you either need a Sharpie Paint pen or else a porcelain paint pen.  I was doing some online craft shopping anyway, so I bought myself two of the porcelain paint pens - one black and one red.

For my first attempt, I thought I'd do a mug for my secret sister (S.S.) from church.  Off to the dollar store I went (bummer, more shopping!).  I got the mug...and a bunch of bins to use for my scrapbooking supplies.  There will most likely be a post about my scrapbooking stuff later.

My S.S. has her kitchen done in French country style so I figured the red pen was the best choice.  Also because of the French theme, I made my own stickers using the French Script font.  Here's where I have a confession to make...I have access to some pretty sophisticated equipment and I don't hesistate to use it!  In this instance, I'm referring to a laser engraving machine.  This is one of the perks of owning my own trophy shop; another perk is that the shop is attached to my house.

I fell in love with the "negative" look I'd seen on several different pins so I went with that.  This means that the initials I was going to create would be blank, the design is around them.

A couple of things that I learned on this first project:  make sure your stickers are firmly fastened down; and make sure to remove them before the paint dries!  I found that using an xacto-style knife works really well for removing the stickers.  You'll notice that the edges around the letters are a little wonky.  That's because I had to do some touch-up after removing the stickers since the paint had dried before I took them off.

The instructions with the pen for the baking process were to put the item in a cold oven, let it heat up to 375°, then start the timer and bake it for 40 minutes.  Once the 40 minutes was up, I turned off the oven, opened the door and let the oven and the mug cool down (according to the pen's directions).  This process should make the mug dishwasher safe.

Here (insert drumroll) is the finished mug:

Items used in this project:

• plain white mug from my local Dollar Tree
• DecoArt Glass Paint Marker from CreateforLess.com
• Windex to clean the area to be painted
• Letter stickers - while I made my own, any stickers would work

Will I do another of this type of project?  Most definitely, yes!  It was fun, inexpensive and easy to do.  I'm already thinking about Christmas gifts!

Happy Stitching and Crafting!

Stacy

Hummingbird WIP update

Here is my latest progress photo for my QS Hummingbird from HAED.

This is pages 1 & 4 done.  Those are the only two full pages of the six pages in the chart!  I would say that this puts me about half way done with this project!

Happy Stitching!

Stacy

Pinterest ~ WIP ~ Animals

Yes, I know that's a wide range of topics that I'm planning to cover!

First of all:  Pinterest.  Unfortuately, I've discovered that evil website.  ;-) 

Just kidding about it being evil...addicting does apply though.  If you would like to follow me on Pinterest, you can find me listed as stacy27c.

Now here are a couple of ideas that I discovered on Pinterest and have actually done.  The first is an ornament that I did as a small present for my niece's wedding.  The curls are created by slicing the wedding invitation up.  The only thing that I did differently from the original post is to use a knitting needle to wrap the paper around.

The second is a box made out of paper strips.  I actually made this to hold the ornament.  The post for that one I think is in Japanese but easy enough to see how to do it.  I used scrapbooking paper to make mine.  It took two sheets of 12" x 12" paper.

 


Next comes some WIP progress!  I worked on what is now my focus piece:  12 Days of Christmas from Teresa Wentzler.  I finished off Days 5 and 6 which puts me at the half-way mark!

Since that was my goal for this turn in my rotation, I've put it aside for a bit and my randomizer chose Rapunzel from HAED as my next WIP.

And now for the animals mentioned in the title.  I live in the beautiful Pacific Northwest of the United States.  On the way home from church last week, my husband and I were treated to this sight:

For those who might not know what these lovely creatures are, they are Roosevelt Elk.  These are all cows (females) and calves.

Happy Stitching!

Stacy

Updates/Rotation

I haven't done much stitching or anything else in past weeks as I was spending time with my father who had brain cancer.  He passed away June 21 and his memorial service was July 2.  I miss him but am glad that he's gone to be with the Lord.

Now for some stitching updates.  I just finished the third page of the Sistine Chapel from HAED.  Here's a progress photo.

I've also decided to change up the way I do my rotation, slightly.  Since I want to eventually finish something, I've decided to have one focus project (FP) and rotate the others.  What that means is that I will be working on my FP, then a random WIP, back to the FP and so on. 

I chose my 12 Days of Christmas from Teresa Wentzler as my FP.  Since I finished a page on the Sistine Chapel, I've now gotten back to work on 12 Days.  Days 1-4 are completely done and days 5 & 6 have all the border work done.  I'm going to finish the centers on 5 & 6, then rotate to a different project.  The next time 12 Days comes up for its turn, I'll do all of day 7 then switch to another WIP.

For the WIPs, I will still use my randomizer app to choose which one is next.  The only difference now is that 12 Days will get worked on every other turn.

Happy Stitching!

Stacy

Another WIP photo

I have so many WIPs that it's not even funny (fun, but not funny).  Anyway, I have one from HAED that I can work on pretty much any time, anywhere since it only has one color:  black.  I just finished the first page out of six.  Of the six pages, only the first two are full pages.  Here's a photo of my progress:

• QS Hummingbird by Ching-Chou Kuik
• Stitched with 1 strand of floss over 1 fabric thread
• 28ct. Spring something-or-other from Silkweaver

Happy Stitching!

Stacy