July 16, 2016

June & July Projects

I spent the month of June stitching my brains out.  It's all I want to do.  I've gotten so many projects done.  

First let's start with the yummy stuff.  I did Canada Day and July 4th cupcakes.  I was too lazy to make them from scratch so I used a mix but made my own cream cheese frosting.


I did these strawberries dipped in chocolate for Marsha for her bday.  I used crushed peppermint candy, nuts, coconut, sprinkles and red sugar on some of them.

Also decided to try my first banana cream pie.  It was really tasty but next time I'm going to make a graham cracker crust instead of the Pillsbury pie crust.


On to the crafting portion of our program.

This beaded cross stitch took 2 days.  It's a Jim Shore design.

I also got the Hummels design completed for my friend Fernanda.

Got this paisley needlepoint done too.  Not sure what I'm doing with it but I'm thinking of going the pillow route.

This beaded cross stitch gave me a lot of trouble. It was just 'one of those projects' that went wrong right from the start.  I didn't realize till I was half done with the stitching part that I was supposed to be using three strands of floss instead of the normal 2.  I made tons of mistakes that required ripping out sections to start over.  The top row stitches didn't meet...one side was a row higher than the other so I had to try and figure out what I did wrong.  It is pretty though and I'm glad I stuck it out.

I picked up this small needlepoint in a thrift shop a couple years ago.  The center four leaf flower was stitched, as was the gold border around the blue.  It took about 3-4 days to finish it up.  Not sure what to do with it.  Kind of an odd shape for framing.  Maybe I'll make a coaster or something.  Or sew it to the back of a jean jacket.

I had hoped to feature my peacock needlepoint but they didn't include enough fiber in two colours I ran out of.  Then I requested they send more, and I got a completely different dye lot of fiber and it was too light.  They are trying to match it now and hopefully will have enough for me to finish.  I've also started a Halloween themed beaded cross stitch that will be very colourful!

17 comments:

  1. You are far more ambitious than me. Your goodies all looked yummy. Fun and festive. Your stitching is admirable. I would create a knotted mess. Good post

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Joanne! I was under so much stress in June that all I could do was stitch to try and keep busy.

      Delete
  2. Goodness you've been busy. All lovely as always.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Anne! I really need to get off my duff and start walking but watching TV and stitching is so much more enjoyable. And less painful.

      Delete
  3. Phew, I am worn out just reading this. You really have done a lot of work on your cross stitching. How come you did Canada Day cup cakes? Strawberries looked good.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you!!! I always observe Canada Day and Victoria Day. I love Canada. I didn't try any of the strawberries cause I had 16 of them (she has a family of 4 so I was thinking 4 each, if she shared. lol), but Marsha said they were really good. I had to work fast as my chocolate was starting to seize when I had four berries left. I ended up having to use a knife to spread the chocolate on the berries.

      Delete
  4. OMG that banana cream 'peace' pie looks yummy! and that paisley needlepoint is AMAZING! I love it

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much! The pie was yummy. We polished it off in 2 days. lol

      Delete
  5. You have been one busy, busy lady! Your treats look good and I do admire your needlework. Love the paisley tapestry and the Hummel cross stitch is darling.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks SJ! The Hummel project has special meaning for Fernanda. The design reminds her of growing up w/ her 3 sisters in Italy. They are all in their 70s now.

      Delete
  6. That last needlepoint is the universe's signal that you need to start a dollhouse, as it'd make a wonderful oriental rug for one.

    My theory on life is that cupcakes are supposed to be made from cake mix. The results are so much more reliable, plus the light texture is very hard to duplicate from scratch.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Would you like to have that little needlepoint for one of your dollhouses? I'll send it to you if you like. You're right about the mixes being a bit lighter than my scratch recipe. Probably cause there's way more eggs plus oil.

      Delete
  7. You have been very busy. I love all your projects. your pie looks like to die for banana cream pie, top on my list of favs... Hugs, LJ

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Lady Jane! Oh I'm definitely going to make the banana pie again. Probably soon too...it was that good.

      Delete
  8. LOL, I got such a kick out of that "Peace" pie--you relentless hippie, you! ;-)

    Hey, I super heart that beaded cross-stitch winter scene! (Sorry it gave you so much trouble. If you're thinking of selling it, I'd be interested in paying a fair price for it. Msg me on Facebook to let me know?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Mina! I'll be in touch on FB....I'm not sure I want to part with it yet. But I also don't have any room for it either, even at Christmas.

      Delete
    2. Tee-hee--I totally get it. No rush, take your time deciding how you feel. I think part of my initial gut desire for it was how much I'd like the weather to be like that right now, rather than what it is. :-) But I'm definitely interested. No pressure.

      Delete