Best. Project. Ever.

I've finished the Zenbroidery!  I really thought it was going to take like 6 months to do, and it only took a little over 2 months.  

Let's recap.  This was after I started on February 22.  This was a test of different flosses and techniques just to see how it would look.  

March 1

March 16

April 20

DONE! April 30!

While most of the colour combos are just randomly selected, I did do some in specific colours to represent things that have meaning to me.  You'll find a blue and bronze flower and paisley, for Ravenclaw.  I couldn't get It's A Beautiful Day's song 'White Bird' out of my head while I did that dove.  Gold & red for Gryffindor of course.

There's a green and silver paisley near the black star, for Slytherin.  The dark blue flower with the light blue and white beads are our high school colours.  The black star represents a Grateful Dead song called 'Dark Star'.  

I stitched a white lightning bolt with red & blue in that heart for the Dead.  

Bluebird of happiness.  There's a neon green & blue heart which are for the Seahawks.

There's a yellow and black paisley for Hufflepuff. 

Really enjoyed adding all the beads and sequins too, even though I stabbed myself quite a few times, and once even drawing blood.

Those two stars were the last bits that needed to be done today and I was so eager to finish.

Now I just need to find a frame, although I'm thinking about having it professionally framed.  And now comes the really hard part:  Finding room on the wall for it!

Well apparently winter decided to make a March appearance this year.  I was hoping we were home free but alas, putting away the winter boots bit me in the ass.

How cute is Sagan sleeping under his stuffed puppy?

Here he is looking very sorry for getting into the trash and eating half a boneless pork roast and some mashed potatoes, plus coffee grounds all over the place including a coffee ground footprint on the rug.

I put him in the craft for about 20 minutes so I could clean up and he didn't make a peep, then spent the rest of the day not looking at me.  The funny thing is, I didn't even yell at him when I saw the mess.  Just said, 'Sagan!  Bad boy!'

Gnomey's had about enough of this.

The flamingoes have just given up.

Did everyone get out to see the pretty full moon?

I didn't make these....I got them in Salem.  They looked pretty in the late afternoon sun.  Man alive my windows need washing....

Most of the eastern seaboard got killed with a huge snowstorm on the 14th.  It turned to rain around here so we actually ended the storm with far less snow than at the beginning.  It was a nice, cozy day, listening to the wind and driving rain.  So I worked on my zenbroidery with some new rainbow floss I just got and just LOVE.  Also added a Grateful Dead themed design in the heart.

Finally got a long overdue day to myself where I didn't have to leave the house at all, so I broke out the beads and started filling in the top.  I was going to wait till the end but I just couldn't stop myself.

The sequins and beads really make it pop.

As of March 16.

Seriously hard putting this one down.

March Projects

Winter has apparently arrived.  We had a couple of mild days but overall it's been chilly.  We had snow the other day and a blizzard's on the way.  Ugh.   I'm still chipping away at a new cross stitch that is very tedius, and I needed a craft that I could do in order to get fast results.  Decided to try the Alum Crystal Candles .  I got the alum off of Amazon, not the food kind but a more 'industrial' kind cause I read that they formed better crystals.  Everything came together pretty quickly and then I just had to wait overnight till it was done.

I used a can lid for my project.  It was supposed to be able to be used as a tea light holder.

It came out pretty but the crystals are really crumbly.  More than borax.

I was kind of underwhelmed with the results.  It needs way more crystals grown inside the lid.  

Crystals grew on the bottom which I didn't expect and it's very uneven.

The paper towel on which it was drained looked pretty.

I'm not sure if I'm going to keep it....the blue crystals are so pretty and sparkly so it's hard to part with it.

I'm making really great progress on the zenbroidery!

This is so much fun!  If you embroider, I highly recommend getting one of their patterns.  Even if you don't, it comes with an instruction sheet of different stitches.

Variegated floss is the best.

I'll be adding beads and sequins at the end, although it's tempting to do them now, but I am afraid they'd break if they get crushed by the hoop.

Spring Fever?

I think spring fever is definitely setting in around here after a series of clear days that were in the 50s.  We're all hopeful that we've seen the end of the snow for the season.  It makes me feel like doing more stuff like socializing, crafting, baking and going for walks.  One of my friends spent a few lovely hours of laughs and chatting on a Sunday afternoon.  She said she felt like something cakey so I whipped up a batch of funfetti vanilla cupcakes with homemade cream cheese icing.  I sent her home with most of them cause I will EAT THEM ALL if they are in the house.  hahaha  I kept 2.

Beads were half off at Michael's so I picked up a few strands to match some new pendants.  My stepdaughter gave me two beautiful fairy pendants.  One is on this pretty coloured stone.

 And one on abalone.

This purple dyed druzy pendant is from Fire Mountain Gems.  It's a bit too big for me though.  I don't wear pendants that big.

I'm not only a sucker for all things celestial, I'm a sucker for Venetian glass.

I've been a bit lax on my stitching lately.  I started a cross stitch kit but I haven't worked on it in weeks.  But I did start this Zenbroidery pattern.  It's going to take awhile to finish this but it'll be pretty neat when it's done.

I'm using different kinds of floss/threads as well as beads and sequins.

We had 2 days of 70 degree weather!  It was so nice to feel the warm breeze.  I took Sagan out for a walk wearing shorts and a tshirt!  In February!!!!  

Puppy enjoys all the sniffs.  So. Many. Sniffs.

From a distance, all I could see was the cross and I thought someone left their Halloween graveyard scene up.  When I got closer I was blown away.  

Still trying to shake this exhaustion by forcing myself to get out.