Tag: Mermaid

What I Was Up To When August Flew By
Fairies · Hand Dyed Fabrics · Mermaids · Mirabilia · Nora Corbett · Passione Ricamo · Pixie · Uncategorized

What I Was Up To When August Flew By

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:

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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:

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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:

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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.

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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:

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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?

cross stitch · knitted scarves · Knitting · Mermaids · Passione Ricamo · storage bags

New Storage and Stitchy Progress

My Time Stitching25 Comments

 

So I have been looking for someone to make me some bags and grime guards for my WIP’s and I finally found a gal that does an amazing job!  Her name is Deanna and you can find her Facebook page  at Deanna’s Frame Covers and Storage. Here is what I received in the mail from her yesterday:

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The coffee bag contains my 36″ scroll frame, with matching grime guards.  It was wonderful to see the Passions Ricamo SAL #3 again.  Can’t wait to get back to it :). The bag in front holds a 24″ scroll frame with matching grime guards.  I just love the colors in this bag and if you look closely, there are little pink owls in some of the squares.  Sweet!  These bags are so wonderfully made.  Lined with a matching fabric and zipper closure.  I am so happy that my projects are out of pillow cases and into some very beautiful, sealed bags.  I also asked her to make me a custom bag to hold all of my scroll frame parts when they are not in use.

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It is beautiful and quilted and perfect for storing all of my scroll frame parts :). Yes, I do have some scroll frames not in use, LOL. So if you are looking for some bags for your Q-snaps or scroll frames or grime guards for them and hoop frames, check out her Facebook page.  She is so sweet and she does an awesome job at creating these bags.  And she has a pretty quick turn around, too.  So check her page out and get some beautiful bags for your projects 🙂

Since finishing Aphrodite, I have been working on another mermaid, Passione Ricamo’s SAL #2.  It is good to be working on her again.  Here is where I left her last night:

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I love all the metallic threads in this one.  So pretty and sparkly.  I am nearing the bottom of this one and will have to go back up and add her face and hair and then hundreds of beads!

I am also working on trying to use up my scarf yarn stash.  I made a list of all the yarn projects I have and I have 2 pages worth!  The last scarf I made was for a friend and it is the prettiest one I have done yet.  I forgot to take a picture of it before sending it to her, but I did have a little of the yarn left and I made this swatch:

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Such pretty colors and so sparkly. These are my favorite colors for winter.

Yesterday I got a new phone, so I will be spending some time today getting to know it :). What are you working on this weekend?

Mermaid Progress
cross stitch · Fabric · Hand Dyed Fabrics · Hand Stamped Cards · Mermaids · Mirabilia · Nora Corbett · Stamping stuff

Mermaid Progress

My Time Stitching17 Comments

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I can’t tell you how happy I am to finally be finished  with Aphrodite‘s tail and that shell!  They are so big!  The entire part is bigger than my open hand with fingers spread!!  Wow, that took a while to do.  So now I am moving on up!  She is a skinny mermaid, so I am hoping she won’t take me too long to finish.  I am itching to start a Pixie!  Speaking of which…here are all the fabrics I have purchased from Fantasy Dyed Fabrics specifically for Pixies and a few witches.

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Just look at all those beauties!!  All except 2, have been matched with a specific pattern.  Most of the pieces are about 14 x 17, which is perfect size for a pixie or witch from Nora Corbett.  There are a couple of larger pieces that will be cut into 2 pieces for 2 pixies.  There is one large piece that is for a larger mermaid.  As you can see, I am addicted to Fantasy Dyed Fabrics.  The gal that dyes them is awesome.  She dyes one of a kind pieces and posts them on her Facebook Page and her Etsy.  And she is quick to ship once you purchase. Great fabrics, awesome customer service and quick shipping.  I have 2 more pieces on the way for 2 more pixies and that doesn’t even put a dent into how many Pixies Nora has come out with.  I may run out of wall space first, LOL.

And for you paper crafters out there, here is my most recent card I made using Stampin’ Up! products.

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I love birds, and the Best Birds stamp set with matching dies makes it so easy to create with.  So sweet!

So what are you crafting these days?

Good Things are Happening in June
Craft Room · cross stitch · Mermaids · Mirabilia · Stamping stuff

Good Things are Happening in June

My Time Stitching41 Comments

Hello my blogging friends.  It has been a busy month for me.  I don’t know if you know, but I am a demonstrator for a company called Stampin’ Up!.  I teach people how to create their own greeting cards and scrapbook their memories with stamps.  April 3, 2016 marked 15 years as being a demonstrator.  And on June 1, 2016 I reached $200,000.00 in career sales. It may not mean anything to most, but for me, these are  2 goals that I wanted to meet,  and I did.  And within months of each other.  And June 1, 2016 was the launch of the new Stampin’ Up! catalog, so I have been busy making new samples and planning a New Catalog  Open House which I had on Saturday.

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The Open House went well and everyone that attended had a great time seeing new products, creating a couple of cards using new products and getting freebies.  Now I can get back to a normal kind of routine 🙂  I also had another exciting thing happen this month.  On June 1, I received an email from a company called Stamp N Storage that my new craft room photos had won May Studio Showcase!  I won $75 which I chose as store credit because there are 2 more storage items that I want for my craft room.  You can read about my craft room win and see phots here.  I LOVE their storage units.  My room looks a little different even now, because I keep moving and adding things to better suit my stuff, LOL.  Once I get the last 2 items I will take a couple of more photos for you.  Hopefully that will be the end of rearranging.  I am having fun creating in my new space.  It is my own little piece of happiness 🙂

I have been so busy, and I had 2 little vacations in the middle of everything, that I haven’t been able to do much stitching. During vacation time I didn’t stitch at all!  Seven straight days with no stitching.  I thought I was going to lose my mind! This last week I finally had some time to stitch a couple of nights. But I was only able to put in 12-25  stitches before my eyes drooped too far to see anymore.  But here is how I left Aphrodite last night (my best stitching day in a long time 🙂

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Not a whole lot more added since my last post about her, but every stitch counts, right?  I am hoping to stitch a lot more this week. So sorry I have been out of touch, but what have you been working on lately?  I’d love to see 🙂

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

Pixie and Mermaid Progress

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:

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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:

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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?

There’s A New Mermaid on the Beach
cross stitch · Cross Stitch Patterns · Hand Dyed Fabrics · Mermaids · Mirabilia · Nora Corbett · Romanitc · Uncategorized · WIP

There’s A New Mermaid on the Beach

My Time Stitching42 Comments

Mirabilia came out with a new pattern on the 15th, and Nora did not disappoint!

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Introducing Aphrodite Mermaid.  I just love her!  And while I wanted her, I was going to refrain from purchasing her until I completed something.  But my wonderful hubby went and ordered her, the bead pack and the specialty threads and she arrived in my mailbox on Friday.  And while I tried to continue on with the Mira Mystery, Aphrodite was singing her Siren song and I couldn’t resist!

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Now we all know that I am weak when it comes to mermaids, so a new start it is! I started stitching her Monday night.  I am stitching her on 16ct Aida Kaleidoscope by Hand Dyed Fabrics by Stephanie.  Just love all the colors in the fabric and knew it would be perfect for Aphrodite.

So this is how I left the Mira Mystery:

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I spent so much time frogging this one the last few days I worked on it.  So it was time to put it down for a rest.  I am thinking I should put all of my WIP’s into a rotation so that I can get some finishes in.  I probably have 8 or 9 cross stitch projects going now.  Eeeek. I will tell you, working with DMC again is wonderful!!  The coverage is so much better than the Weeks Dye Works.

So, how many projects do you have going right now?  And does it bother you to have more than one project going at a time?

Accomplishing Alot
Crochet · cross stitch · Hand Dyed Fabrics · knitted scarves · Knitting · Mermaids · Mirabilia · Passione Ricamo · Passione Ricamo SAL

Accomplishing Alot

My Time Stitching24 Comments

Even though I haven’t been blogging a lot, I have been crafting and even have a few finishes.  First, I finished the Spice of Life afghan.

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It’s not perfect, but I am happy with it. It seems I got a little too relaxed with the last 10 or so rows and so my sides veered out.  I wanted to take the last 10 rows and the border out and re-do, but hubby wouldn’t hear of it.  He liked it just the way it is and has claimed it as his own.  He has even used it a few times :).   I learned so much crocheting this blanket.  Thank you to Sandra at Cherry Heart Blog and everyone involved for a wonderful Stitch A Long.  The pattern is still available on Sandra’s blog if you still want to give it a try.

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I also finished a couple of scarves.  The first one was a gift to someone at my husband’s work.  I thought I had taken a picture of it, but can’t seem to find it.  This morning I finished the fun fiber scarf I was working on.  It turned out so pretty!  Love all the different fibers.

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I can’t wait to wear it.  I really enjoyed kitting the pink/red/tan ribbon fiber on this one.

Last night I finished a beautiful little project that I worked on this week.

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This is Winter Whisper by Passione Ricamo.  I call her Winter Princess.  It is for a contest.  Now that I have finished stitching her, I have to turn her into some kind of finish.  Can’t wait to see what I come up with ;). I stitched her on 16ct Aida Ice Goddess from Hand Dyed Fabrics by Stephanie.  LOVE this color and I am so in love with this design.  My photo doesn’t do it justice.

I also picked up Under the Moonlight mermaid from the framer this last week.  I had the framing done at Joann’s and I must say, the gal there did a great job.  Aside from crooked beads, I am very pleased with it.

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Now I need to figure out where to hang her.  I have really run out of wall space.

I will be getting back to stitching The Raven Queen tonight.  I will post a progress photo soon.  I am getting close to finishing the stitching on this one.  What are you working on finishing these days?

 

Mermaid Coral Charms is All Beaded
cross stitch · Mermaids · Nora Corbett

Mermaid Coral Charms is All Beaded

My Time Stitching25 Comments

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I finished her last night.  Nora Corbett’s Coral Charms.  She is a little beauty and she sure has a lot of beads.  I am now working on mermaid #3 of my trio and hope to finish beading her tonight.  Then I can reveal the entire mermaid trio.  I am so excited about this piece!

Crochet · cross stitch · Mermaids · Mirabilia · Passione Ricamo SAL · Uncategorized

Still Here and Still Stitching

My Time Stitching18 Comments

So in between getting ready for and having a garage sale, going on vacation with my wonderful hubby and getting back to the real world, I have been stitching. In fact, I had a finish!

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Yep, I finished her.  This picture really doesn’t do her justice.  She is beautiful and she sparkles when the light hits her just right.  I absolutely love her and I am very proud of myself for keeping up with this one until the very end. I stitched her on 16ct Aida Nederland Sea from Hand Dyed Fabrics by Stephanie. The pattern is “Under the Moonlight” SAL.   If you would like to stitch this beauty up, you can purchase it at www.passionericamo.eu

I have also made some progress on my crochet baby blanket.  Not sure I am liking how the pattern connects the rows.  The holes seem a bit large.  I keep imagining a baby’s foot pushing right through, LOL.  I will continue on, though. Here it is so far.

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It is nice to work on while in the car or when I have a few minutes here and there.  And it is getting me reacquainted with crocheting.

I have also made great progress on Mirabilia’s Raven Queen.

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She really is a wonderful stitch.  I am enjoying every stitch of her.  So relaxing.  But I can’t wait to see her sweet face appear.

So that is what I have been spending my time stitching on.  What have you been working on lately?

Crochet · cross stitch · Mermaids · Mirabilia · Queen

Cross Stitching, Beading and Crocheting, Oh My!

My Time Stitching33 Comments

I have forced myself to put down Mirabilia‘s Raven Queen to get back to beading on mermaid.  This is how she looked last night after 10 evenings of stitching:

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I know it’s not much, but it is a pretty good start.  I have enjoyed stitching on her and will get back to her real soon.  Right now I am getting to the beading on PR Under the Moonlight.  Here is what I did last night:

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There are going to be a lot of beads on this project!  I managed to make them fit along the top border by omitting a few and and then taking my needle through the entire length to try to get them as straight as I could.  The corners were easy and look very cool.

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I hope to get a lot of beads stitched on tonight.  Over the weekend I started another project.  I know, like I really need another project.  But it’s not a cross stitch project.  It’s a crochet project 🙂

Crochet Stripey Blanket

I have been wanting to do a crochet project for quite some time now.  After seeing the Citrus Stripe Blanket on Not Your Average Crochet, I knew it was time to get started.  My Step-Mom taught me to crochet when I was 12.  And I was pretty good at making ripple afghans and over the years, a lot of Bed dolls.  But I wanted to get that hook out and do something current and have a “quick, go-to project, that can go anywhere”. The only problem is, I can’t remember a lot of how to connect rows and turning is the biggest problem for me.  So, I started with the peach stripe, and decided to sign up for a crochet class.  I go next week at a local yarn shop.  By then the other colors of yarn that I ordered should be in and I can continue on with this baby blanket.

So, that is all of my stitchings for this week.  What are you stitching on?