New Stash

I've had my eye on this chart for awhile. I've been wanting to get more Halloween charts so I decided to get this one. I love all the banners in this collection. I would love to do them all. There is a Christmas one. And one that says "Believe " that's also Christmasy, and there's one that has a tropical theme and it says Paradise. We will see if I actually get them all, but now I have one! 

The next one I picked up is this:

I have liked this one for awhile so just broke down and got it. It's another big one... The pattern is 20 pages! I don't know when I'll get to this one. But I like just knowing I own it! So! If per chance I just feel the "need" to start it- I can! 

I really need to slow down on my stashing! I already have so much! I think I have spent at least 50 or more dollars on stash every month since Dec. between new HAED patterns and the fabrics I bought to do them and flosses as well, and I bought flosses (75 of them) when I got these two patterns, so yeah... I need to slow it down. I shouldn't need anything for awhile.

I've told myself I will not buy anymore stash until I finish a project!  So... We will see how long that lasts. 

Thank you for reading and I will be back tomorrow with an update on "Day Surrendering to Night". I think I've gotten quite a bit done so far the past couple days. I'm not sure how much I will get done today. I've got a little sickie home from pre-school today, so you know how that can be. 

Flower Bride Progress and New stash!

Well, I want to say that I am still enjoying HAED Flower Bride project....but, we fought this time around! I'm basically to the two worst areas of this piece (in my opinion) In the upper right hand corner is tons and tons of Kreinik Braid. and most of the rest of it is a lot of confetti. so I spent much of this time around trying to pick the lesser of the two evils! I did a little of each, and got some work in on it, but I must admit, I spent too much time just staring at the chart Thinking "Ugh"

 

So this is my progress the last time I posted on the 30th of Dec.

And here it is after working on it these past 5 days:

 



I do see progress, but it is SLOW going...I will push on! I will endure!!

 

I found out the Heaven and Earth Design site was having their 50% off Winter clearance sale, ( I think that's what it's called)  So I treated myself to three more new ones!!!  I got "Christmas Mailbox", "Queen of Hearts", and "Rose Angel".  And there were so many more I wanted to get! But I was good and only got these 3...Who knows when (if?) I will ever get to them, but I hope I do....one of these days. 

So, my weekend is off to a good start with the arrival of my new pretty patterns!  I have no plans for Super Bowl Sunday, but I hope those who do enjoy the game, and be safe out there.....Go Seahawks!!

 

 

New Stash!!

So! I've been stalking the Heaven and Earth design Site for about a week now. And I finally did it! I bought 4....yes! FOUR! new Patterns! They are all mini's as I'm gonna work my way up from a 20 page pattern to 45+ pages!  So, here's what I got! (Photos are from the Heaven and Earth Design Website)

 Red Riding Hood

Mini Mermaids Tale



Winter Rose

Forget Me Not

 

 

I think that these should keep me pretty busy for a LOOONG time! I told myself I would wait until I finished "Sea of Roses" before starting any of these....but I don't know that I'm gonna be able to! I know the minute they show up in my mailbox I'm gonna want to kit them up and start right in! I still need to get some 25 count Fabric, and of course all the flosses! That will definitely put a big fat dent in my pocket book.  But when these beauty's are hanging on my wall, it will all be worth it! Now if I can just sustain from looking at their site and adding to my wish list....which already has 80 things on it!!! Enough to last me 10 or 20 lifetimes of stitching!!! 



An explanation, some new stash, and some progress...

Well, I have not been around here on the blog much. I guess I can share my reasonings now. My husband was getting ready for a deployment, and he left on my birthday, of all days, about two weeks ago.  Sooo....before he left, I was stressed and anxious about his leaving, and wanted to spend as much time as I could with him, so the stitching and blogging suffered. Then he left, and I have just been in a funk!  I can't seem to focus on much lately. I have just been zoning out in front of the TV watching lots of shows on Netflix. So....anyway, THAT is what has been up here.

But! I have been reading lots of blogs still, and have recently been enamored with some of which the author stitches mostly HAED pieces or other rather large ones. So, I started thinking "I really should spend more time on some bigger, more detailed pieces as well."

For my birthday i got a little bit of extra cash, and I spent it on these three new patterns! This makes 7 Kustom Kraft patterns that are in my stash pile.  

 

 However, this is my FIRST by Mystic stitch. I was not aware that it would be a 15 page pattern.  I am aching to start ANY of these new ones, but! I have held myself to the promise that I will finish the Abbey first!  And you'd think that would spur me on to really work on it, but I only worked on it half heartedly as i watched TV. I have almost, just about finished the backstitching on page 5, and have started 4. (I thought I was done with 5, so went onto 4, only to realize I was NOT finished with 5 afterall, and had to go back and finish it.)

 And here is my progress on Winter Fun #5:

All that is left of him is to finish filling in the white and to finish backstitching. I have very little start on #6. Just about 35 stitches, so not enough to warrant a photo at this time.

So, anyway that is what is going on in my corner of the world. We are int he midst of a winter storm, lots of COLD rain, ice sleet so far, and they are calling for snow tonight and into tomorrow morning. So, maybe I will use this cozy time to sit and stitch. One can hope!  I will be back in a few days with an update of The abbey, and then I will share Web of Life's update as scheduled ont he 30th. 

I hope all my American readers have a lovely Thanksgiving. And if you are battling the winter storms, please be careful out there. My suggestion is you curl up on the couch with a hot cuppa, a nice fuzzy blanket and some stitching! (Or maybe a book! Or a movie!) Anyway, stay safe friends! And as always Joyful Stitching to you all!

A finish and two new starts!

So, last week, my black fabric that I ordered finally came in on Friday! And I couldn't resist! That night I started this piece, which has been on my "to stitch" list for a very long time. It is Mystic Dragon 2. And it is in the same Stitchery Magazine issue as is The Web of Life and Snow Valley Express. I don't remember which issue it is, I would have to look it up if anyone is curious as to exactly which one it is. I have looked around for Mystic Dragon 1, and I have seen photos of it online but have not found a place to purchase it. I would love to do it as well. But I think it is out of print. So, I will just try to finish this one. My goal for this one is to finish it by September 20th of 2014. That gives me a year. But, with so many other projects on the go now, I am not sure how that is gonna work out. Maybe after I finish The Abbey. But I was really thinking to fill that spot with one of my new Kustom Krafts pieces. So, lots of thinking and planning will be happening. 

 This is how it will look when finished. I have loved this piece since I saw it, and it always just seemed like a dream that I would ever actually start it, and now I have!!! It's gonna be sooo pretty when it's finished!

 And now for my finish!! Here is my finish on Winter Fun Ornament #3:

 Aren't these guys so cute! And love how colorful and bright they are!
And right after I finished them, just this morning, and started right into #4:

I only put one thread into it, which was just a handful of stitches as you can see here, but at least it's a start!

Also on an exciting note, my "Moonlight Bay" Pattern showed up in the mail yesterday!!! Oh! I want to start it sooooo bad!!! But, I shall refrain!!! I really want to finish The Abbey before I start any more truly big ones again. But! I am now the proud owner of FIVE Kustom Krafts patterns! Six if you want to count "Howling at the Moon". Now I just gotta figure out how to finish stitching them in my lifetime. Since I went back to the beginning of The Abbey here on my blog, and I started it 7 years ago! Although mind you, I took quite a few breaks from it, and took one LONG one between 2010 and 2012, where I didn't even touch it in all those two years. So even though I started it 7 years ago it hasn't been 7 years of steady stitching on it. But I am truly hoping for a finish on IT by years end! Good luck to me!! Ok, I'm done rambling now, thank you so much for reading and for all the lovely comments!! I love them all! I need to return the favor! I'm horrible at that. I love reading everyone's blogs. and do religiously, as they pop up on my feedly, but I usually just read and keep going. So, I am gonna try to be better about that!

Hope you all have a lovely Wednesday!

The Abbey Progress Update

Here is my crappy picture of The Abbey as it stands now! I am so close to a finish on page #9. I even started backstitching! There has just been lots and lots of confetti like fill in. It just seems to go on and on.

So, I made another order.  This time at 123Stitch. I needed 18 count black aida for a new project...which I will share more about that later. I have really been looking into buying more BAP patterns. I found a bunch I liked at The Angel Nook.com.  Has anyone ordered from them? Are they reliable? Also if anyone knows good Online stitching stores to purchase any of these big projects from let me know. I like HAED, Mystic Stitch, and Kustom Krafts.  Has anyone ordered from Mystic Stitch's website lately? Cause I am on their facebook page and alot of people were saying that they take a long time to ship out orders. Does anyone have any thoughts on this? Please let me know! And please leave your favorite online stitching shop in your comment.  Thank you!!! Oh yeah and if you have any complaints about a place and could warn me away from them that would be great. I moderate my comments, and if you have negative review of a place, I won't post it, if you don't want. Thanks!

I'm so excited!!

Today I actually bought some new stash.  I saw this at one of my favorite online store Kustom Krafts, and HAD to have it! So, I wasted no time!

I am realizing, after I finished "Howling at the Moon" last year how very much I really enjoy pictures with the moon in it! There are several more patterns I want to buy and stitch with the moon as well. There is just something so beautiful, mysterious and magical about moonlight. So, I cannot wait to get this in the mail! I probably won't start it right away, but I will own it, and that's half the fun! The thought that the option to start it is available is always such a comfort! I still have 5 other Kustom Kraft projects in my stash that need to be stitched up as well. If you are at all familiar with Kustom Kraft pieces, you know that most of them are very detailed pieces, usually about 9 page patterns that take quite awhile to stitch up. But, ever since I finished

"Howling"  I just fell in love with the larger pieces out there. I am even contemplating some HAED, and I never thought I would hear myself say that!  So, we shall see! I actually went through the KK site and made a wish list....I have 85 patterns I want!! I would never be able to stitch them all, but one can window shop and dream right?

Photo taken from the Kustom Kraft website!! Go check them out! They got some GOOD stuff!

The Abbey Update...SOOO close on a finish on page 8, but no cigar!

 I really worked hard on this one last month, and really tried to finish page 8 and I got far, but I still have a little fill in to do. mostly alot of white. So this is it in it's entirety...



And here is just the work on page 8!! I will definitely be finishing this one this month, and moving onto page 9!

I was so excited my pattern for Morning Song with the Orcas came in!!! But, of course it went into the stash drawer after I swooned over it, as I don't have the fabric I want to do it on, and I went online to try to order some, as I am running low on every kind of 18 count Aida (my favorite) that I need, and the store won't ship to APO addresses.  Oh well, their loss, since I will be moving in 2 and half months to a town that has TWO LNS's , so I'll just pour my money into their pockets! Works for me!

I am really getting excited for our move now!!!

And now something I am super late in posting: Goals!

Here were March goals:
STITCHING
-Finish p. 8 of the Abbey- Almost, but no
-Finish #'s 8 and 9 of Tiny Critters  
-Start #'s 10-12 of Tiny Critters Ornaments   Not only did I start, I finished them as well, and started the next series!
- Work on Snow Valley Express (AT least 3 hours worth!) 

READING
-Read 2 books  I read 4!

WRITING
- Write 20 letters Sadly, I only got 12 written. Too busy stitching, I guess! 


So, all in all, not too bad, but I could have done much better! I was REALLY hoping to finish Page 8 of the Abbey, but I am really close now! I will definitely see a finish on this page this month for sure! 

APRIL GOALS

STITCHING
-Finish Page 8 of The Abbey
-Finish First Ornament in "Winter Fun" series
-Work on "Snow Valley Express" (At least 5 hours!) 

READING
-Finish 4 books
-Get to page 550 in Don Quixote

WRITING
-Write 15 letters


Well, that's it for me! Joyful Stitching!!

The Abbey-2nd update for March...a bit late! Ooops!

First up I wanted to share a photo of the new stash that I ordered a few days ago!!! Isn't it gorgeous? I love those colors!!! I have wanted this for ALONG time, and I finally ordered it! From Kustom Krafts. I can't wait for it to arrive, not that I NEEDED it, but I've gone a long time without buying anything stashy, and I finally treated myself!!

Next up is my update on The Abbey. My goal for this month was to finish Page 8, and though I did get some progress in on it, I still have alot of work to go!!! I am still enjoying this one alot!

Well, that's it for me for now. I have not stitched for 3 days now! GASP! THREE DAYS?!?!?! I have been stuck playing Big Fish games. I love doing jigsaw puzzles, and have many, both that I've completed and still have yet to complete, but I have a toddler, and I just simply have no place to set up a puzzle in this small house where tiny hands cannot reach and destroy! LOL, so! Big Fish games have some jigsaw puzzle games for the computer!!! I used to have one installed on an older computer, like 10 years ago, but that comp has along time ago gone to Computer heaven, and I was so excited to find these games, I think I have been spending the majority of my time on the computer putting jigsaw puzzles together!!!  TODAY I WILL stitch!! It's Snow Valley Express time, and I really need to get working on that piece if I want to give it to dad when we go back home!

I hope you all have a lovely Easter this weekend!! I may update with my ornies in a day or two, or just wait and post about that, and the train all at once, we shall see!!!

Joyful Stitching!

Late update on Snow Valley Express!

I should have posted this on the 15th of March, but that apparently didn't happen! I am obviously quite a bit behind on my posting. I try to post every 5th day, after stitching on one of the 3 projects in my rotation for 5 days. So, I owe posts on all three of my projects! (If that makes sense!)

I was able to get quite a bit of work in on this one. I especially liked that I really started to put in a lot of the backstitching on the front of the engine!! It is really starting to come along!

So! What about all this hooplah about Googlereader, huh? I can't believe they are taking away this wonderful feature!!! I have been looking into new options (like many of us are!) I have seen many posts about "Bloglovin'", which I still have to check out! I do have "Feedly", which is much like googlereader, and I like it.  And if all else fails, there is always the "reader" in our blogger dashboard, but only the blogs that you follow will show up there.  I am sure I will still get plenty of enabling for my stitching addiction through these ways of keeping up with you all!

I have been reading blogs alot lately, just not commenting too much, I'm sorry! I have alot less time now to fritter around on the computer. My FB participation is practically nil, and I spend most my time reading blogs, or stitching and reading. And of course spending time with my little one!

Thank you to my new followers, and all the lovely comments you all leave, even though I have been lazy about it myself!!! I really appreciate it!  Have a great week, and I will be back soon with an update on "The Abbey" in a few days.

I also have some thing fun to share! I just ordered stash!! I haven't done this in SO long!!! A few years at least, other than the required smallish purchases of threads I've run out of, I haven't spent any money on any new patterns! But! I have been drooling over one at "Kustom Krafts" for a LONG time. It is called "Morning Song-Orca Whales" it depicts some orca whales in water, and The Aurora Borealis (Northern lights) In a backwash of light purple/lavendar light! It is gorgeous!!! I also bought the coordinating fabric that goes with it-light blue, and now I just realized, I may have made a mistake in doing so...shoot! Yes I made a mistake! I like to work on 18 count aida, and the piece that comes with it is 14 count! Dang it! Well, guess I will have to make another order...Oh well. I will share a photo of it in my next post!