Winter Projects

How is it possible that it's almost February????  I finished up this cross stitch in just 3 days' time. I love easy 'instant gratification' projects.

This was messed up from the get go.  I miss counted so much that I ended up just finishing to see how bad it'd look.  My friend Hannah loved it so much so I sent it to her.  I loved the design and colours but by the time I was done, I knew I wasn't going to keep it.

I found capiz shells on Amazon and made a couple of windchimes.  This is the one on a starfish.  I have another that I did with the shells descending in a spiral but I don't have a pic yet.

People were posting these cool pics of bubbles with pretty frost forming in the sub zero temps so I gave it a try but it didn't work that well for me.  

It just mostly fogged up.

This project is extremely challenging.  Building the Hogwarts Express out of teeny tiny pieces of metal, that have microscopic tabs that fit into microscopic slots.

Penny there for scale.  There are about 70 pieces that have to be carefully punched out and assembled.

You have to follow these instructions which are actually pretty easy if you go slow and make sure of each step before you commit.  I've had a lot of trouble keeping ahold of the super small pieces, even with tweezers and needlenose pliers, and a few pieces have broken.  Thank god for E6000 glue and toothpicks.

So far I've got the coal tender done and now I'm working on the engine.  Each piece feels light as a feather but put together it's surprisingly heavy.

One of my friends asked me to make this for her.  It was a quick workup....a few hours one afternoon.  I used four strands of rainbow floss for the lettering since it's on 12ct Aida.  I was going to outline the letters but it didn't look right so I took it out (thankfully I'd only done the M).  

Just waiting for him to be born so I can finish this one.  

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!

I May Have a Problem, Part 2

Cross stitch.  I'm addicted.  That's all I wanted to do last year and it's all I want to do this year.  I've already featured some projects I got completed this year, with the baby announcement being the largest.  I do, however, take solace in the fact that I'm not as addicted as some of the people in the Stitch Maynia Facebook group I belong to.  They amaze me with the Heaven And Earth Designs that they tackle.  They are beautiful but sooooo detailed and using hundreds of colours.  I'm very intimidated by HAEDs so I don't see myself ordering one.  They have a beautiful Ravenclaw-themed one but it has 88 colours, all in blue, bronze & grey.  I'll just have to admire that on the internet cause I'm not ordering it.  

This is my longest work in progress (WIP).  It's so old that my dad was still alive when my parents bought it for me for Christmas in 2002.  I worked on it all that following spring but the frustration level with all the colour changes forced me to put it down by May 2003.  I picked it up again in 2005 and stitched the whole sky, then I did the bottom border so that at least I could see how much left I had to do.  I'd really like to finish it though.  Now that I don't live in Washington anymore, I'd like to have a reminder of the mountain I so desperately miss.

I just started this one for my friend Fernanda.  I made the other Hummel design for her last summer and she asked me if I would do this one for her.  

I haven't made much progress on the dragon because I've messed up the count so bad that I got frustrated and put it away about 3 years ago.  I'm not even sure where I messed up anymore. 

Just started this one too and I've messed this one up somehow, where the thread is trailing from.  I put it away to start the baby announcement before I figured out where I miscounted.

Four beaded cross stitch kits to do.  One Halloween themed and 2 winter themed.  These shouldn't take too long to do.

The hippie pattern won't take long either.  I want to make one for me and one for my friend Miki.  I am also eager to start the orcas.  I have all the floss for it but I need a larger piece of Aida cloth than any I have in my stash.

I can't remember where or how I scored the Butchart Gardens pattern but there is more than just that inside that little booklet.  There are at least 3 Victoria designs and I want to do them all.  I also couldn't resist that nature pattern on the right.

Two more Victoria BC pattern books with 3-4 inside each one.

And of course I had to buy patterns of all the states I've lived in (Maine was for my first two years of college).

I want to do all four pretty much as they are laid out in the two pictures, but it's going to require some math calculations that I'm not sure I can do without a lot of mulling, a calculator, pencil and paper.

Here's another one I bought about 10 years ago and forgot about.  I was surprised to see it surface in my needlework box as I dug for Mt. Rainier.  

These are embroidery patterns.  I got the small one in a thrift shop.  It was started and has all the yarn in it but I'd like to finish it.  Marsha found the bottom runner (it's longer than shown) in her mom's stuff and asked if I wanted it.  I'd need to get all the yarn but I bet it will be pretty.

So many kits, so little time!

March Miscellany

As I suspected, I was unable to keep up a daily, finished craft project all month.  I did, however, work on some kind of project every single day, so I did make stuff; it just need to be finished.

Another painted birdhouse done on March 14.

This one, which I call 'Celestial House', took both March 15 & 16 from start to finish.  There was a lot of drying time involved.  I got that large circular pin somewhere in my travels.  I snapped the pin back off it, and was saving it for a special project. This one is definitely not for sale.  I also like that 3D Saturn charm and was saving that as well.

I really, truly cannot get enough of the celestial motif!

The weatherpeople got everyone all whipped up into a frenzy about a 'big storm' for March 21st, with around 8"-10".  I woke up to this....it was barely snowing.  And it was melted by late afternoon too.  I am hoping this was the last gasp.

I'm a sucker for heat activated mugs.  

I'm also a sucker for all things Harry Potter.

We went out to dinner w/ my stepson & his g/f for Russell's bday, then they came back to the house for his fave pineapple upside down bundt cake.  

Decided to give casting resin another try.  One thing I am learning, paper does not do well in it, despite all the photos I've seen of resin jewelry with pretty paper.  I'm using what I thought was heavy paper but maybe it's not.  I hope that they lighten up after the resin dries.  I put some marbles in the mold on the right.  Also beads and glitter. 

Another ongoing project is this Create Your Own Calendar which I've been meaning to do for years. 

I wasn't sure just how many years, till I came across this page at the back of the calendar.  I'm going to guess I purchased it in 2006.  So far I have all the pictures processed and mounted on 12 pages.  I still have to put the day numbers for the year too.  I have no stickers for it so it looks like I'll have to use a stencil.  After that it will be a matter of filling in bits and bobs and birthdays.

I'm cranking away on this cross stitch.  I've worked on it every day, for hours at a time, since about March 16 or 17.  If I can keep up that pace, I should have it done by the weekend.

Kind of a crazy month....hoping that winter is over though.  It wasn't near as bad as people were expecting and definitely the best one since 2012.  Looking forward to spring and warmer weather!