What I Was Up To When August Flew By

September 1, 2016 My Time Stitching19 Comments

Hello friends! Are you feeling like me and wondering where in the heck August went? I blinked and it was over, sigh. I did get to stitch, but first let me show you Aphrodite, back from the framer:

She turned out so beautiful. She is Mirabilia’s Aphrodite and I stitched her on 16ct Aida Kaleidoscope from Hand Dyed Fabrics by Stephanie. Sorry about the light spot on the first photo, but it does show the frame better. But don’t like the frame too much. When picking this piece up, I was informed that the frame has been discontinued. Too bad, as I really like it. I tend to pick the same frames over and over, without realizing it. I guess I won’t be picking this frame again. I haven’t hung her on the wall yet, but I think I have a spot for her.

After I finished Aphrodite, I pulled out Passione Ricamo’s A Journey Into the Deep. I worked on it until August 21, 2016, which is when I couldn’t resist a new start any longer. (No pictures of A Journey, sorry) I started Nora Corbett’s Iris Pixie. Here she is after about a week of stitching:

Lots of browns and golds on this one. I am hoping to finish her before I get so bored with these colors. Can you see a bit of a leg on the right of the design? I am happily moving over to the right side of her dress. She will be a beauty when I finish her. And hopefully I can finish before I get the urge for a new start. Passione Ricamo just came out with her new design “Guiding Fairy”, which I have already purchased and have fabric on the way.

Speaking of fabric…I know, I know, I am addicted. Here are my recent purchases from Fantasy Dyed Fabrics:

All are 16ct Aida and all of them except the top right one are small cuts for pixies or witches. The top right is my chosen fabric for Mirabilia’s Rapunzel. Another one I can’t wait to start 😉 Did you see those cute tags, attached with a button, hand-stitched to the fabric? How sweet is that? Johanna is doing an amazing job at dying beautiful fabrics. If you haven’t visited her facebook page, do so by clicking here. She only sells one of a kinds, so what you see is what you get.

Another fabric I received this week is Tropical from Hand Dyed Fabrics by Stephanie.

This is 16ct Aida and is the August Fabric of the Month. Don’t worry; if you love it, she will probably add it to her website soon so that you can order it. I just love the colors. Maybe because they remind me of summer and I am trying to hang onto the last little bit. Some day, a very special design will find it’s way to this fabric.

And last week, this little fellow came to visit:

The first hummingbird I have seen at my house this summer. It was during the rain and he fed from every remaining flower on all 3 of my hanging plants. So he was here for quite a while and actually visited 4 times that day. He even flew over to my sliding glass doors where me and a friend were standing, watching him. He hovered in front of us, as if to say hello and went back to eating the sweet nectar. I haven’t seen him since. But I was able to get some pretty good photos for my scrapbook 🙂

So what have you been up to during that speedy month of August?

Black Forest Pixies · cross stitch · Fabric · Mermaids · Mirabilia · Nora Corbett · Pixie

What I Am Up To

June 29, 2016 My Time Stitching30 Comments

It’s been a busy summer so far, but I have still managed to fit in the things I love to do. Over the weekend I picked up this little beauty from my local needlework shop, Stitches N Things, where I had her framed by Juanita, at Way Cool Mats:

I love her! The frame is perfect for her. She is Blossom Collector by Nora Corbett. I stitched her on a One of A Kind fabric from Fantasy Dyed Fabrics, 16ct Aida. And she is even up on the wall in my craft room, along with Queen Anne’s Lace.

I can’t wait to see what Pixie I will do next…I have lots of wall space. I have been purchasing fabrics from Fantasy Dyed Fabrics for all of the pixies I want to do. Just look at all the beauties:

I have 2 more that arrived since this photo and 3 more on the way. All but 2 of the fabrics have plans to have something stitched on them. Just love her fabrics and can’t wait to see what pixie will get my attention next. But it won’t be before I finish Aphrodite. Here is my progress on her:

The shell seems to be taking me forever! I did some major stitching on it yesterday but it still seems far from finishing. But I am determined to finish her before switching to another project or starting a new one. Once I get past the shell, I am hoping going upwards will be much faster.

And since a few of you have asked to see some of my stamped creations, here is one of the make N take cards I had at my Stampin’ Up! Open House a couple of weekends ago.

So that is what I have been up to lately. What is taking up your time these days?

Black Forest Pixies · cross stitch · Fabric · Hand Dyed Fabrics · New stash! · Nora Corbett · Pixie

A Pixie Finish and More Fabric

May 31, 2016 My Time Stitching21 Comments

Isn’t she a sweetie? I finished her Sunday night. She was a pretty quick stitch, taking me only 19 days! I just love her and can’t wait to get her framed. She is Blossom Collector by Nora Corbett. She is one of the Black Forest Pixie’s and my first Black Forest finish. I stitched her on 16ct Aida one of a kind by Fantasy Dyed Fabrics. Here are a few more pictures of her:

Speaking of Fantasy Dyed Fabrics, I picked up a few more of her beautiful fabrics:

This one is a beauty! 16ct Aida in Blues and purples with a hint of brown and cream. Love it! I have plans to stitch Nora Corbett’s Sweet Pea Pixie on this one. I also picked up this one:

This one is 28ct Monaco, beautiful blue and white with a hint of purple. I do love the colors, but this fabric looks like linen to me and not sure I would ever stitch on it. I do not like linen at all.

I also special ordered this one:

I think that this has to be my most favorite color combination; pink, blue, green all in pastels. I do keep coming back to this combination. This 16ct Aida piece was a bit small for what I wanted, so I have re-ordered a 2nd piece 🙂 And I am keeping this one. I just couldn’t send it back! I LOVE it too much. This one I plan on using for 2 of Nora’s beautiful Pixies: Lily and Rose. The other larger piece that I will receive is for a Joan Elliott mermaid. If you haven’t checked out Fantasy Dyed Fabrics, or haven’t visited this week, check it out! She is always adding more beautiful fabrics and this week she added some gorgeous Opals!

So now I am back to stitching on Aphrodite mermaid and still loving her and her colors. I will post an update photo of her this week. So what project are you working today?

Black Forest Pixies · cross stitch · Mermaids · Mirabilia · Nora Corbett · Pixie · Uncategorized

Pixie and Mermaid Progress

May 18, 2016 My Time Stitching10 Comments

So last week I told you I put down Aphrodite to start stitching on Blossom Collector. I was going to switch back and forth, stitching on them both. But I have been smitten with Blossom Collector and have stitched solely on her for the last week. Here is where I am with her:

She is going rather quickly. After just one week, I am about halfway done with her. I just love the Magenta hues. The strands of what I think are the blossoms she is collecting, are stitched with Caron Waterlilies and I just LOVE stitching with them. So soft and silky and the strands just glide through the fabric so smoothly! I think it would be fun to stitch with them all the time. If they just weren’t so pricey. Oh well, I will enjoy stitching them when I can 🙂

And here is how I left Aphrodite a week ago:

She is another sweet stitch that was going quite quickly. I can’t wait to get back to her and her gorgeous colors. I was just starting on the shell when I put her down. She won’t be abandoned for long. I miss stitching on her. Wouldn’t it be cool to stitch on 2 things at one time?

So what are you stitching on these days or what can’t you wait to get back to stitching on?

Black Forest Pixies · cross stitch · Fabric · Hand Dyed Fabrics · Nora Corbett · Pixie

A New Fabric Dyer Has Emerged!

May 11, 2016 My Time Stitching16 Comments

My very best stitchy friend has decided to give dying fabrics a try. She knows what we all want in a hand dyed fabric; We want what we see and we want it quickly. She sells one of a kind fabrics on her Facebook page and Etsy shop. You can find her on Facebook at Fantasy Dyed Fabrics. And she will ship to you within 3 days! Now that is service! So go check her out and join her group so that you will see when she adds new fabrics to her page and check back often as she will post photos of new fabrics as she dyes them.

I received one of her fabrics in the mail yesterday and couldn’t resist stitching on it right away. So this is my new start on her fabulous fabric.

This is a 16ct Aida pale blue fabric with gray and magenta. I thought it would be perfect for Nora Corbett’s Blossom Collector. She is another one of Nora’s sweet Pixies from the Black Forest Pixies.

So go and check out Fantasy Dyed Fabrics and let me know what you think.

cross stitch · Hand Dyed Fabrics · Nora Corbett · Pixie · Uncategorized

Pixie Anne All Framed Up

April 4, 2016 My Time Stitching36 Comments

I picked this sweet thing up from the framer this last weekend. I was really surprised at how small she is. I think it is the smallest thing I have ever had framed! I think the frame is awesome! A little different than what I have chosen in the past, but I think it really sets Pixie Anne off beautifully. I can’t wait for hubby to hang her in my craft room tonight. I am having a problem picking exactly where I want to hang her. I have so much empty wall space to choose from 😉

In case this is your first time seeing her, she is Queen Anne’s Lace by Nora Corbett. This pattern was in the April issue of Just Cross Stitching Magazine. I stitched her on 16ct Aida Carmel Macchiato from Hand Dyed Fabrics by Stephanie.

Believe it or not, Queen Anne’s Lace was my very first Nora Corbett Pixie that I have stitched. I don’t know why. I have just about all of her Pixie patterns, but haven’t stitched any until now. At one point I was going to stitch 9 of the flower pixies on an afghan. I have since abandoned that idea since the beads would not be a good idea on a blanket and I just couldn’t stitch a pixie without all the beautiful beads and metallic threads. I wonder which Nora Corbett Pixie I will stitch next???

Who is your favorite cross stitch designer or what is your favorite subject to stitch? If you are a knitter or crocheter, what do you most like to stitch?

cross stitch · Elegant Ladies · Fabric · Hand Dyed Fabrics · Nora Corbett · Pixie · Romanitc · Uncategorized

She is Pink and She is Finished!

March 17, 2016 My Time Stitching29 Comments

Isn’t she a beauty! I finished her last night and couldn’t be more happier with her. She is Queen Anne’s Lace by Nora Corbett. She is featured in the current issue of Just Cross Stitch magazine and is a FREE download on their site. I stitched her on 16ct Aida Carmel Macchiato from Hand Dyed Fabrics by Stephanie. And while the stitching above is more true to the colors, the fabric is a bit washed out. Below is a better picture of the fabric.

This picture was taken last night after I finished her. The first photo I took this morning in natural light. What a difference. But I am so excited to have her finished and can’t wait to get her in to be framed. I am thinking something silver, to match my new craft room (which I love, by the way). So I stitched a little bit more on Ella last night after finishing Pixie Anne, and here is where I am with her:

She is coming along, but I am afraid that something else has caught my eye (as if we didn’t think that would happen, sheesh!)

I was going to wait until this Stitch Along was finished before investing in all the materials and the patterns, but I saw someone on the Wherefore Art Thou Facebook Group stitching it in pink, and that was all she wrote! The colors looked so lovely on her fabric. And I knew I had some kind of pink fabric in my stash. So while out last weekend, I just happen to run into the patterns and couldn’t resist! And I am going to stitch it in all the specialty hand dyed threads instead of DMC. As you can see, I picked up sections 1 and 2. Section 3 will be released on March 31, in Italy, where Nora Corbett will be attending the Casa Cenina shop. They are probably having a big party to celebrate the beauty who will come to life when the stitching is finished. Can you guess who it will be? Once I returned home with pattern and threads, I began the search for the perfect pink fabric. I had only one that I thought would compliment the lovely floss colors. Here is my floss toss. What do you think?

The fabric is 16ct Aida Pink Impatiens by Silkweaver. The recommended fabrics are Chocolate Milk and a Gray linen. With all the rich dark colors, I think it needs a lighter, prettier color fabric. I am so excited. I think I may be starting it this weekend if not tonight. I will be sure to post photos of my start. What new project are you looking forward to starting or what project are you enjoying at the moment?

Craft Room · cross stitch · Nora Corbett · Pixie · Uncategorized

My New Craft Room, Injured Back and Pixie Anne

February 24, 2016 My Time Stitching37 Comments

So my new Craft Room is pretty much finished. I still have things to move in and some organizing to do, but I have a new room! Here is a before picture of my sons room before we had it painted:

And here it is after the walls were prepped and patched and painted:

My husband worked very hard putting all of my furniture together and set up. My first desk went in on move in day on Feb 7. And then the rest of the furniture arrived and started going in. My space kept getting smaller and smaller and I realized that everything I wanted to put in this room was not going to fit. But that’s ok. It’s going to be wonderful.

My other desk went in but when we opened the carton with the corner piece, it was shattered, so we had to wait for a replacement. And it came rather quickly and the decorating began!

I just love it! I have even created in it already. It is not finished. I am still waiting on some organizational shelving and I still have drawers and cubby’s to fill. But last week I injured my back-first last Monday night and then again Tuesday, bringing in boxes of furniture the UPS guy delivered. It was the worst back pain I have ever had and I have had a few. It’s still not 100%, but getting better a little bit everyday. I am hoping to get back in my new room tomorrow and fill up a few drawers 😉

I couldn’t even stitch last week, but in the last few nights I have put a few stitches into Nora Corbett’s Queen Anne’s Lace. She is so sweet and will be the first thing I hang in my new craft room when I get her finished and framed. I am stitching her on 16ct Aida Carmel Macchiato, a hand dyed fabric by Stephanie. Here is my progress on her:

Once I get the metallic pink portion of the right wings finished, I will have to put her down until the rest of the supplies I have ordered for her come in. I have had the silk thread and the rest of the beads on order for 2 weeks or so. She must be a very popular design. She is so sweet and I cannot wait to get her finished.

I worked on some knitting while my back was hurting, but I guess I couldn’t concentrate as I had to rip out many times and re-work. I hope to work on it a bit more this week and then I will post a picture.

So, while I was moving into a new craft room and nursing a hurt back, what have you been up to?

Craft Room · cross stitch · Nora Corbett · Pixie · Storage · Uncategorized

It Was Only A Matter Of Time

February 5, 2016 My Time Stitching28 Comments

Warning, this is a long post, so grab your favorite beverage and hang out for a bit 😉 I have put Ella down to make a new start. As the title says, it was just a matter of time before some beautiful design captured my full attention, making me want to put Ella aside. Here is my new start!

This is Nora Corbett’s new design, Queen Anne’s Lace. Right now it is a FREE PDF from Just Cross Stitch Magazine. Gotta love that! It will be in the April issue of the magazine but for now you can download it from JCS magazine site. It will be the first piece to hang in my NEW craft room when she is finished. More on the NEW craft room in a second 🙂 I am stitching little Miss Anne on 16ct Aida Carmel Macchiato from Stehphs Fabbys. Can I say I am already tired of green and want to get to the Pink? I am not a fan of green, but there is not as much as the yellow in Ella. Here is how I left Ella yesterday:

She is coming along, but not fast enough for me. So Pixie Anne is the perfect distraction.

OK, so I mentioned a NEW craft room. A few years ago, hubby was encouraging me to take one of our boys’ bedrooms for my new craft room. Our oldest moved out 3 1/2 years ago, and while the thought of a new craft room sounded wonderful, I couldn’t take over my son’s room. So last year, my youngest said I should take over his room, he will move into our oldest’s room and I can have my craft room. So I decided I would do it in the Spring of 2016. The last few months hubby has been pushing the idea and I have been thinking about how I would like to decorate it. I will be losing quite a bit when I leave my current room; like a desk, shelves above my head, cupboards to the right of me. You see, my current craft room is a narrow space in my laundry room, which also contains the furnace and water heater. Here is a glimpse into my current space:

I have made great use of the space I have had for 17 or so years. But I have really outgrown it. And the floor is concrete and is very cold. Here is the other end of my current room:

So a couple of weeks ago, hubby and I were at the office store and I ran into some furniture that just blew me away! I was originally thinking a new desk would be white, to match my current cube furniture. But this furniture I fell in love with is glass! And silver frame. So I thought about it for a few days, had taken measurements and went back to the store on the last day of the sale to take a final look. I even gathered some things from the store to put on my desk to see how it would all feel. LOVED it and ordered the furniture. That was on Jan. 30. That day, hubby also called a painter to come in and give us an estimate. The painter said he could start on Wednesday and be done by Sunday! What??? That only gave us 3 1/2 days to box up one room and move the other room in! It was moving way too fast. I thought I had until Spring to start on it. So, hubby and I began the move on Sunday and the painter arrived on Wednesday evening to an empty room that needed some patching and a border removed and prep for painting.

So I am SOOOO excited about my new room! I want the walls Pink (of course) and the trim gray. The carpet is a light gray, even though the photo looks like it is purple. After many times changing my mind, I made my final decision on paint swatches last night:

So many pinks and grays to choose from (there really are 50 shades of gray, or more! LOL) but I finally decided: Impatiens Petal pink and Software gray. Sorry for the blurriness on my color choices. So by Sunday, I think the painter will be done and sometime next week we can start putting my furniture together, which were delivered this week. I plan to have all of my stamping, scrapbooking, cross stitch and knitting and crocheting all in this one room instead of spread throughout the house. The room is not really that big, but bigger than the space I have now so I am looking forward to decorating and organizing it. My wonderful husband is totally responsible for this happening. If it wasn’t for him, I still wouldn’t be getting a room. Spring would come and I would still have reasons not to move the boys’ things. My boys are perfectly fine with what I am doing and my youngest was even here earlier in the week going through his things, and helping me move stuff. I am feeling better about the whole process and can’t wait to move in next week 🙂

If you are still here, thank you for listening to me go on and on about my craft room. Do you have a special place where you like to do all of your crafting?

Mirabilia Round Robin · Pixie

Cherry Blossom

October 10, 2012 My Time Stitching11 Comments

I finished my block on Johanna’s Round Robin over the weekend.

I chose to do Cherry Blossom on her piece. Here is the completed piece:

Isn’t it just gorgeous? It is now complete and I am thinking of keeping it for myself. Ha! ( I know you are reading this, Johanna.) I will send it on. It is so beautiful. She is going to be thrilled with it when she gets it.

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