Bella Filipina Designs · cross stitch · Fabric · Hand Dyed Fabrics · knitted scarves · Shannon Christine · yarn

Good Bye 2024, Happy 2025!


Hello my blogging friends! How have you been? I have missed you so much! It’s been a while and 2024 is over! I can’t say that it was all bad, but I am happy to welcome in 2025. My biggest highs of 2024 came near the end. In October my husband and I celebrated our 40th anniversary. We chose to spend it at the zoo with our kids. It was there that our youngest son and his wife told us that they were expecting their first child. We are going to be first time Grandparents in June 2025. We are over the moon. We had a wonderful day, being all together at the zoo. And about a week before Christmas, we found out the baby is a girl! We can’t wait to meet our Granddaughter this summer ❤ And just a fair warning, there will be even more pink things to come 😉

So how were your holidays? What have you been crafting on? Did you finish all of the projects that you wanted to in 2024? I am happy with what I finished in 2024 except for 1 project. I will talk about that in the knitting part of my post. Even though I haven’t been posting, I have been crafting and I plan on sharing the things I have worked on in future posts.

I do have a new word for 2025 and that is PATIENCE. I definitely need to have more patience in my life with what I am crafting on, what I need to get to, with healing, learning new things, and with myself. Something I am definitely going to work on this year.

So let’s get to what you are really here for…My Stitching. What am I stitching on?

I have pulled out the Black Water Sirens SAL from Bella Filipina Designs. This SAL started on October 31, right in the middle of the fabric with a Treasure Chest.

I am stitching this on 16ct Aida Epically Evil Fairy Godmother from Those Missing Stitches. It only took me a few days to get this Treasure Chest stitched up, minus the beads which I will add at the end of the SAL. After finishing this first part, I stitched on other projects and couldn’t wait to get back to this one. On Christmas day I pulled it out again to get stitching on part 2. And this is where it is as of last night.

Part 4 came out on December 30, so I have some catching up to do. But I am so happy to be stitching on this one again. It is going to be amazing. My fabric is actually green and not yellow like in the photo above.

Yesterday I picked up a couple of pieces that I had put in for framing. This one I put in for framing in early December. When I brought it home, it began puckering more and more.

The frame I originally chose was not deep enough for the spacers and the beads and the ribbon on the headband were pressed up against the glass. I took it back and had to pick a different frame. Picking a frame takes me so long. And this time was even more difficult because I thought I had already chosen the perfect frame.

The first frame I chose is a frame that I often go right to. I love this frame and didn’t know if I could find another one that I really loved. But I did find one that I thought would be a good fit and when I picked her up yesterday, I knew it was the right one.

I love how it looks; like a shadow box with the deeper frame space and the extra spacers. I love it! The pattern is The Frog Princess from Brooke’s Books Publishing. The fabric is 16ct Aida Friendship Greene from Fabrics by Steph. Eventually I want to stitch all of the Princess dresses from Brooke’s Books Publishing and maybe this frame will be perfect for all of them.

The second piece I had put in for framing is Winter Snowfall.

I finished stitching this piece back in February of 2022 and was so happy to finally put it in for framing. I did have a difficult choice though. Picking the perfect frame is so hard! But I did make a decision and this is what I chose.

It is really is so beautiful. The frame really picks up the gold beads in person. So immediately after taking this photo, the Christmas picture was pulled down from the wall and this one put up in my dining room. It is the space that I am always changing out my framed pieces. Right now my dining room is decorated in a pink and white winter theme, so this piece is perfect!

Again, the pattern is Winter Snowfall by Shannon Christine Designs. It is stitched on 16ct Aida Valyrian Steel from Fabrics by Steph. There is a companion piece to this that I would love to stitch some day.

The last stitch I have to show you today is a knitted piece.

This is the Lothian Scarf I finished for my husband. I had hoped to get it finished before Christmas, but that didn’t happen. I finished it a few days after. It still needs blocking and I will take a better picture of the pattern in it then. The pattern is a free pattern on Ravelry by Home of Cords. I couldn’t get the edge stitches to be tight so I changed them to garter stitch. The pattern is charted on a graph and was very easy to follow. It was a really relaxing knit. The yarn is from Passions Yarns. It is their Baby Weight Fingering in the color Go Your Own Way. It is 70% Bably Alpaca and 30% Silk so it is really soft and was easy to knit with. Hubby picked this yarn out when we went to a Fiber Fest in October.

So that is all I have to share with you today. I hope that your holidays were wonderful and that your 2025 will be filled with Love, good health, happiness and of course, lots of stitching. Tell me in the comments what you have been crafting on. I want to hear all about it.

Happy Stitching!

cross stitch · Shannon Christine · Shannon Christine designs

Snowflakes and Pink Trees


The temperatures started out in the negative today. Brrr. I had a few errands to run but only did one and then came back home. It is supposed to get into the 30’s tomorrow, so I will try again tomorrow before the snow comes. I would much rather deal with the snowflakes on my cross stitch. So what am I stitching on?

Pretty pink snowflakes

I started Winter Snowfall in December 2020. The pattern is from Shannon Christine Designs. The entire pattern has 3 thread colors and 2 colors of beads. The snowflakes are done in B5200 and then you can choose any 2 colors you want to add. I chose to use 2 shades of pink. She does suggest a couple of colors on the pattern if you are undecided.

Winter Snowfall

I think this is where I was when I picked this up on New Year’s Eve. This one is the next WIP in my “work on it until finished” project. There are only 2 more Scroll frames with projects on them after this one, but I think I have 2 additional projects that are started. But I am getting them down. This one is going to be so pretty when done. I just love all the pink trees and snowflakes that form a big tree. And that sweet little pink reindeer will look even cuter when I bead his antlers.

Lots of white

That is a lot of white snowflakes at the top! I didn’t think I would ever get through it. And then I noticed that not all of my skeins of B5200 match. What?? How can that be? They were all in the project bag together. Ugh. But you know what? I am leaving it. It is what it is. I am not tearing it out nor am I starting over.

Snowflakes and ornaments

This is what I have completed so far. I am moving the scrolls so I can start on the lower section. You see all of those snowflakes across the top? I have to do the same at the bottom. Hopefully I can get through it without getting too bored. I want this to be a finished project this year.

Winter Snowfall

I am stitching on 16ct Aida Valyrian Steel from Fabrics By Stephanie. Threads are DMC B5200, DMC 818 and DMC 3354. Beads will be white and gold, but I haven’t decided on exact ones yet.

So that is where I am with this piece. Shannon Christine has a new companion piece to this one called Falling Snow. I would love to do that one in Red and white. But I have to get through this one first.

So that is what I am up to. What are you stitching on?

Afghans · Craft Room · Crochet · cross stitch · Hand Dyed Fabrics · Mermaids · Mirabilia · Nora Corbett · Passione Ricamo · Pixie · Shannon Christine · Shannon Christine designs

So I Visited The Crochet Expert


Wow!  Another post so soon from me?  I’m on a roll, LOL.

So on Wednesday, I went to my Local Yarn Shop for a session with the Crochet Expert, Jen.  She was amazing.  I feel like I learned so much.  Not just for my blanket, but for crochet in general.  So here is my blanket how I left it Wednesday night:

Spicier Life blanket 2

Not a whole lot added since my last post, because I now have tendonitis in both of my elbows.  Ugh.  Too much knitting and crocheting the last few weeks.  So I am wearing a brace on my right arm, which is the worst.  I could barely dry my hair yesterday 😦  But, I do have the correct number of stitches and I am using  stitch markers to mark the first stitch of every row.  It appears that I have left some stitches unstitched on my ends.  And Jen is going to help me with my border when I am ready so that it looks evened out since I opted to just continue on rather than rip it all out.  So I am more confident going forward from here…when my elbows stop hurting.

This week I stitched the October mermaid on the SAL and even started beading 🙂

Mermaid SAL Oct

This piece is going to have so many beads!!  I was so excited to start beading, being that I am on the bottom row, that I forgot that I still have January to do since this SAL started in February.  So I didn’t put the rest of the bigger beads on October since I am using a scroll frame.  The biggest bead, at the top of October, gave me such a tough time.  I just couldn’t get it to lay properly.  It took me about 40 minutes to finally get it the way I wanted after putting the other white bead on, so I am not taking them out.  I will put some felt or batting on top of the beads before I roll it up when I do January.  So for now, I will skip the beading.  It was fun putting all those gold beads in.  I love beading.

So last night I pulled out my Pink Princess.

Pink Princess progress 1

It is really called Dawn, the Fairy Spirit of Grace, by Passione Ricamo.  But I am going to stitch her without the wings, so I call her my Pink Princess.  I am stitching her on 16ct Aida Tintagel from Fabrics by Stephanie.  And when I pulled this out, I saw in my notes that I started her in March of 2015!!!  What?  It just could not have been that long!  Where does the time go.  There is no way I should have these things as WIP’s for this long.  I will stitch on her until the next section of the Mystery Sampler comes out on Oct. 31.  Hopefully she won’t be put away for too long.

A couple of weeks ago, I hung some stitchings in my craft room.  I was reminded by a blogging friend that I hadn’t shared photos.

Ella framed and hung

Ella, the Frog Princess.  I love seeing her when I am crafting in my room.  Which obviously isn’t enough as my plant is dying.  No worries.  I did water it after taking my photos.  It should be all perked up tonight.

pixies on the wall 2

I added the White Angel Trumpet pixie to the other pixies I have stitched.  They all look so cute hanging together.  I don’t have much wall left though.  I can fit one more to the left of Iris.  I’ll have to figure out which one that will be.

And lastly, I hung the Mystery Sampler 2017 right beside my desk.

Mystery Sampler 2017 hung

While I am working at my desk, I can look up and see this one.  This was my very first Sampler and I am happy that it is hanging when I can see it when I am at my desk.  Oh,  I was in my craft room this week.  I put together an 8 x 8 travel scrapbook which is where I am planning on putting my pictures from my trip up north last weekend. So I guess I can say that I am in there at about once a week.   I love seeing my stitchings on the wall when I craft 🙂

So what are you up to this week?  Any stitchy plans for the weekend?

 

cross stitch · Mermaids · Nora Corbett · Passione Ricamo · Passione Ricamo SAL · Poison Pixie · Shannon Christine

Stitching and More Snow!


Hello friends!  Happy March!  I have no idea where February went, but I do hope that March slows down a bit.  And it is coming in like a Lion!  This is what it looks like out my window right now:

IMG_2596 (2)

Really?  After all of our snow had finally melted and we have had temperatures in the 50’s the last 3 days.  We are expecting 4-6 inches today.  It has been snowing steady for the last 4 hours and starting to pile up out there.  Good thing I have no plans to be out today or tomorrow.  Enough about the white stuff.  Let’s get to the stitchy stuff 🙂

First, I brought this adorable little pixie home from the framer a couple of weekends ago.

White Angel Trumpet framed

She is the White Trumpet Angel by Nora Corbett.  I stitched her on a one of a kind hand dyed fabric from Fantasy Dyed Fabrics in 16ct Aida.  If you haven’t checked out her fabrics, you should.  She usually posts new fabrics on her Etsy on Monday’s and you can purchase what she posts right away.  She has great customer service and super fast shipping.  She is so sweet!  I have yet to hang her in my craft room, (the framed piece, not Johanna, LOL)  but I will.  She will join the other 3 pixies I have hanging in there.

I have been stitching on the Passione Ricamo 20th Anniversary piece and finished the first block a few nights ago.  Sorry for the crooked picture.

PR 20th anniversary progress 1

This piece is going to be amazing when it is finished.  Here is a close up of the block I just finished:

first block on PR SAL

It was so much easier stitching this block than it was that Fairy to the right.  It probably took me about a week of evenings to stitch her.   I hope all of the blocks go as quick, then I can have this piece finished in a few months.  Wouldn’t that be awesome!

And I have a new start!  When you see what it is, you will know why I couldn’t resist…

Treasures of the Deep

A year of mermaids!!!  WOW!  As soon as this was released, my BSF (Best Stitchy Friend) sent the link over to me and I caved almost immediately.  She is such an enabler, LOL.  But I love her and she knows me so well.  So this is a year long SAL designed by Shannon Christine and put out by Fiberlicious.  I have received all of my supplies and started it the other night.  Here is my progress:

Start on Mermaid SAL

The mermaids are birthstone mermaids and the SAL starts with February.  Isn’t she just the sweetest little mermaid?  And boy is this piece full of bling!!  But my beads and crystals will have to wait until the very end.  I am stitching on 16ct Aida Maldivian Dream from Fiberlicious.  It is a beautiful hand painted fabric.   If you are interested in this SAL, you can order through Fiberlicious.

Well, that is what I have been up to.  What are you up to these days?  Do you have any new starts?   What WIP project are you trying to get finished?