Small Frosty Forest update

I don't have much stitching to share, but I thought I'd post a small update before I head off to Columbus, OH for the Mirabilia retreat starting tomorrow. Part of the reason I don't have much to show is because I haven't actually done much stitching while I try to get ready for my trip. I did get my April Just Nan design finished, which I'll post on either the 27th or 28th--the post date is supposed to be the 27th, but after driving 9+ hours home from Ohio, I might not feel like blogging!

So what little stitching I did accomplish, aside from the Just Nan piece, was on part 5 of Frosty Forest, Bluebird Cabin:

Here is the whole design so far:

Part 6 will probably get to my LNS next week, so I'd better get stitching when I get home from the retreat if I want to stay caught up with this one. It seems like once I fall behind on a multi-part series, it's pretty much over!

I have to laugh at myself a bit, because as I was working on Bluebird Cabin, I realized that there is no doorknob charted. Raccoon Cabin and Snowman's Cottage both have one, so I knew I wanted to put one in. However, each of those two have the knob on different sides, and if the last house, Snowgirl's Cottage had one, I wanted to put it on the opposite side of that one so that there would be two on each side. And yes, I do have a "touch" of OCD! I actually emailed the designer, Nikki Leeman, to ask her which side the handle was on on Snowgirl's Cottage, and she was kind enough to reply to such an odd request. I know, I'm weird!

Heads up for Nora Corbett fans, she is going to have a design in the July issue of Cross Stitch & Needlework, Moonlight Laguna Mermaid:

I might have to stitch her on Lugana, instead of linen, just because it would be fun to say Laguna is on Lugana! ;)

Hope everyone is having a great stitchy week!

Ahhh, spring in Wisconsin!

Last week the temperature was in the 50s-60sF, so every day I tried to spend two or three hours in the morning working on trimming back our plants. This is what I woke up to this morning:

Lovely...NOT! On the plus side, I'll have more stitching time, since yard work is cancelled. ;)

Work continues on Red, and every detail that emerges makes me fall more in love with her:

I had to extend my Qsnaps, so I did some of the beading at the top before I did that:

I spent some time yesterday working on a small Just Nan design for this month's SAL entry. I can probably finish the stitching today, but then I need to finish it into a berry, so we'll see how that goes.

Hope everyone has a great stitchy (and snow-free!) week!

I'm in love with Red

Mirabilia's Red, that is (although I love the color, as well!). The more I work on her, the more I appreciate the amount of detail in this design, and I can't wait to see more appear. Here is where I left off last night:

I really need to get some yard work done in the coming weeks, now that the temperature is finally warming up a bit, so I'm not sure how much I'll be able to work on her. I also still have to pick out a Just Nan design to work on for the April SAL, and I finally picked up part five of CCN's Frosty Forest, which I should stitch soon if I want it to be finished before part six is released. It's frustrating, because I just love watching her "come to life" a bit more each day.

On another Mirabilia related note, the Mira Retreat is rapidly approaching; it will be April 25-27, in Columbus, OH. I'm dreading the drive, as it looks like it will be close to nine hours, but I can't wait to see everyone. I'll definitely be taking Red with me, but might not get much stitching done that weekend, with all the sharing and talking that goes on.

Hope everyone has a great stitchy week!

She's (and THEY'RE) Finished!!

The Kreinik I needed arrived yesterday, so Faerie Summer Love was finally finished last night:

The fabric is Shimmering Meadow Twilight, on opal Belfast, from Sugar Maple Fabrics. Here are a couple more pictures that show the pretty beads better:

What makes this finish even more exciting than usual is that she was the last of the four seasonal faeries that I wanted to stitch, so I now have the complete set finished. From left to right, Faerie Spring Fling, Faerie Summer Love, Faerie Autumn Glow and Faerie Winter Dream:

Sometime in the future, I'd like to send them to Jill Rensel for framing; guess I'd better start saving up!

Hope everyone continues to have a great stitchy week!

A Stitcher's Frustration!

I'm sure other stitchers can relate to this: last Thursday I would have been able to finish Faerie Summer Love, EXCEPT that I ran out of the Kreinik for the wings! And of course, there is none to be found locally, so I have to wait until today or tomorrow for some to arrive in the mail. :( Meanwhile, FSL looks like this:

Fingers crossed that the Kreinik arrives today!

In the meanwhile, I was able to assuage my frustration a bit by finally getting back to Mirabilia's Red, which I had started on New Year's Day, and then put away until now. Here is what I did the first day:

And here she is as of last night:

The fabric is Rainforest, on Belfast, from Enchanted Fabrics. I really think that if I HAD to choose a favorite Mirabilia, this one might be it. Hoping to get a lot more done this week.

Hope everyone has a great stitchy week!

March Just Nan SAL

For my March entry in the JN SAL, I stitched up Reindeer Game, and finished it in its WhimZi frame. Here it is before framing:

And framed:

It's amazing what a difference a little frame can make. By the way, can you spot Rudolph?

Here is a picture of the three pieces I've completed for this SAL to date:

I haven't picked a design for April yet; there is a new JN ornament on its way to me as I type, called Lorelei Lamb, and it looks adorable, so that might be the one I stitch next. Stop in next month to find out. ;)

Hope everyone has a great stitchy weekend!

Gimme Summer Love

Okay, I know the lyrics are Gimme Some Lovin', but I just can't pass up a good play on words!

This past week I have been working on Faerie Summer Love, and making good progress; here she was a week ago:                                                                                                                          

And here she is as of last night:

The wings are done except for the Kreinik, so I should be able to finish them up today. My guys have just left for the weekend; I went and bought some DVDs yesterday, and I intend to burrow down into my craft room this weekend and stitch until I can't stitch anymore! I might even be able to finish FSL by Sunday night, though no promises. ;)

Hope everyone has a great stitchy weekend!

Caught up, and a new start

Last Saturday I was able to finish up part 4 of CCN's Frosty Forest, called Snowy Friends:

I am now caught up with the charts released so far--woo hoo! The next block has another cabin in it, and the cabin blocks are my favorites to work on. 

I was going to get back to Mirabilia's Red when I got caught up, but I decided to start Nora Corbett's Faerie Summer Love instead. It is smaller than Red, so it should stitch up fairly quickly, and then I will have all four of the seasonal faerie designs finished. Here is where I am as of last night:

Her dress is supposed to be green, but I just really didn't like all of the greens in the design, so I decided to convert the dress to a nice, bright berry color. So far, I'm really liking it. I also played with her face a bit, as I didn't like the way it was charted. She looks a little bit snotty now, but it was the best I could do with it! Here's the chart picture, for the sake of comparison:

Hope everyone has a great stitchy weekend!

Getting caught up

During the push to finish Bucklebury Sampler over the past few weeks, I put all other projects to the side. Now, I'm slowly getting caught up with the Just Nan SAL and CCN's Frosty Forest. Yesterday, I finished my piece for the March JN SAL post, and am deciding what I want to stitch for April; probably another Christmas WhimZi, to continue with my "theme".

This past Tuesday I drove up to The Stitching Bee and picked up part 4 of Frosty Forest, Snowy Friends. Then I came home and finished up part 3, Snowman's Cottage:

I've made a start on part 4, and am now further along than the following picture shows:

I'm hoping to finish up part 4 over the weekend. The next entry, part 5, will be another cabin design, which are my favorite blocks in this series. I am having a lot of fun playing with colors on this piece, too, so it looks a bit different than the original.

On a stitchy side note, I recently had my Faerie Autumn Glow published in the letters section of Cross Stitch Collection, issue 233:

Gotta love free floss!

Speaking of free, Nancy at Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe is giving away one of her gorgeous sampler designs to one lucky winner; click here, and it could be you! I've fallen in love with Forget Me Not, as the colors are just beautiful.

Hope everyone has a great stitchy weekend!

Rosewood Manor's Bucklebury Sampler

I finally finished this gorgeous piece last Wednesday night at about 11:30, and the next day it was in the mail to Karen. Normally I can't share pictures, but because the chart has already been released, I received permission this time. (Karen does not want the pieces ironed before sending them to her, so please ignore the "bumpiness".) Here is the whole design:

And some close-ups, to show the beautiful details:

Now that I'm done with that one, I'm getting caught up with CCN's Frosty Forest. I should be done with part 3 today or tomorrow, and part 4 should be at my LNS any day now. Once part 4 is stitched, I'm planning on finally getting back to Mirabilia's Red (although I also have to finish my Just Nan design for the March SAL). So many wonderful charts out there, so little time...

Hope everyone has a great stitchy week!