The Finish Line

Two post in two days. That must be some kind of record for me. Well, I changed my mind and decided to bead Esperanza after I posted yesterday. She's intended as a Christmas present for my significant other. Thus, I'll be having her framed soon either way. So here she is in all her glory :D

Design: Angel of Hope
Designer: Lavender & Lace
Fabric: 32 count Silkweaver Skye Reflections Lugana
Fibers: DMC, Kreinik #4 Braid & Hand Dyed Fibers Silk
Embellishments: Mill Hill Beads

What's a happy dance without closed up, detailed pictures? So once, again, here we go ^.^
I just love the beads forming a halo around her head. For anyone who's interested, I attached the beads with invisible thread so in real life, they look like they're suspended in mid air.

Here's her harp. Another feature I absolutely love of the design. Heck, who am I kidding? I love everything about her. The sparkling metallic thread makes it stands out so much more.

Silk ribbons close up with more beads.

The result of the metallic swirls on the frills of her gown along with the flowers is gorgeous but they sure ain't too much fun to stitch.

More flowers, more beads, more of everything. Hehe...

Can't leave out the left side of her gown, can I?

Last but never least, she's been Esperanza to me for so long I had to embroider her name along with mine :)

Thanx for staying with me for so long. I hope you enjoy the pictures.

The Final Stretch

Here's the latest WiP picture of Esperanza. Let's compare my last WiP picture with the previous one... 10 days was all it took to finish the white on her dress. Now let's see how long it took for me to stitch the flowers and the metallic thread... one whole week! Now do you understand why I said they're a real PitA? Heh!

Anyway, notice that I mention that this is still a WiP? To anyone who is unfamiliar with the design, Esperanza is, in all appearance, completed. However, I assure you that is not the case. There are still some confetti stitches around her head and sides that I have yet to stitch. The design supposedly calls for DMC gold metallic thread which in my usual style, I've substitute with Kreinik 002HL Very Fine #4 Braid. In my opinion, it sparkles more ^.^ Now, can you believe I've used up nearly a full spool of it just on the harp and the strip of gold near her hemline? I'm afraid I won't have enough for the confetti stitches. Thus, I've decided to bead those stitches instead. I think that will give the design a more interesting depth. Since I won't be doing the beading until I'm ready to have her framed up, I guess Esperanza will remain a WiP for a while yet.

No More Frills

Finally! No. More. White. Yesssssss!
Yup, as you probably can tell, I'm trilled here. Why? What's so exciting about white? This, ladies and gentlemen, is why ^.^

Her dress is done and the frills is done. True, Esperanza is still far from being finished but other than the flowers, the strip of gold near her hemline and her harp, all of which will be a world of hurt to stitch due to the constant colour changes the flowers require and the metallic thread the strip of gold and harp demands, she's nearly completed.
You can bet that the next design I stitch will not and I repeat WILL NOT consist of any white or at best minimal white. So sick of white. I didn't keep track of the exact number of skeins I used on this design but five to six skeins is a good guess.
Anyway, gonna get back to her. The sooner I start on the pain... er... I mean flowers, the sooner it will be done :)

For Mikey

Yup, as the title suggests, this update is specially for my good friend Mikey who has been asking over and over again how Esperanza is going. So here you are, Mikey, a picture finally :)

What do you think? Not a whole lot of progress but still better than no progress. I'm a little concern about the yellow silk that bled some when I rinsed it a couple of weeks ago and stained the fabric a little around the ribbon's edge. Nothing too obvious but rather visible if you know where to look. I know, I've been boasting about the colourfastness of HDF silk and I still stand by my statement. Vikki never guaranteed that her silks won't bleed. Truth is this is a first. Thus, in my opinion, as far as the colourfastness of hand dyed items is concern, hers is still at the top of my list. I just hope when I wash it again after the stitching is done, I'll be able to get rid of the stain completely. Any tips on accomplishing that more effectively? Thanx in advance!

Silk Ribbons

Or more accurately, ribbons stitched in silk. I know, it's been a while since the last update on Esperanza. Finally, here she is again with the ribbons around her waist completed.

Remember I mentioned I had some changes in mind for the ribbons? As you can see, I've changed the colours to a brighter, more cheerful yellow. I reckon it's more striking this way. The reason why this update was so long in coming was because I had to frog and restitch it as my first conversion ended up being more brown than yellow. You know how much I love Vikki's silk so it's shouldn't be a surprise to you that I've opted to stitch it using that.
As usual, the picture does not show off the silk's subtle shine but I can guarantee you the texture difference is something to behold in real life, especially when cotton and silk are stitched side by side like this.
For anyone who might be interested of using this conversion as your own, here is the list:
DMC - HDF (DMC)
829 - Cerveza 4143 (783)
831 - Cerveza 4141 (728)
833 - Koi Gold 4219 (972)
834 - Koi Gold 4217 (725)
3046 - GoldRush 4225 (744)
3047 - GoldRush 4223 (745)
3072 - Haywains 4123 (746)
Hope you like it. I had wanted to take more close-up pictures but my camera batteries kinda died on me :( Now back on to the not-so-fun part... more white. Sigh!

Quaker Faith Hope Love

This is a quick post to show you my first Quaker project:

Design: Quaker Faith Hope Love
Designer: Midnight Stitching
Fabric: 32 count Silkweaver Desert Sky Belfast Linen
Fibers: Hand Dyed Fibers silk

It was a fast stitch, finished in only four days using the new variegated silks by HDF - the BE colours.
Faith is stitched using BeSmurfed. I was expecting this to be an all blue colour from the picture and description instead of blue/blue green that you see but as with all hand dyed products, dyed lots can varied so even though it wasn't what I expected, I'm not too fussed. I think it's rather pretty, don't you think so? I can assure you the colour is so much more vibrant in real life.

As mentioned last post, Hope is stitched with BeCreamed. You can see it more clearly in this picture compared to the last one.

Lastly, my favourite of all the three BE is BeRedded. I'm officially in love with this red. It's beautiful!

As usual, it has been a pleasure stitching with Vikki Clayton's silk. With this done, I really think I should be getting back to Esperanza. I've delayed long enough.

The Final Band

With that picture, can you guess what it means? Yes, you're absolutely right. After more than a year my kingdom of stitches is finally finished!

Design: Queen of the Needle
Designer: Just Nan
Fabric: 28 count Silkweaver Abracadabra Cashel Linen
Fibers: Soie D'Alger silk
Embelishments:White Pearl Beads, Rosaline Swarovski Crystal Pearls & Queen's Rose Antique Gold Visions Charm

Wanna see the entire kingdom close up? If you do, scroll down. Just a caution though, it's gonna be picture heavy ^.^
First, we have some beautiful flowers and a lovely rose charm:

Bluebirds and verse:

Every queen must have a crown...

And a couple of bunnies as pets.

What is a kingdom without butterflies and more flowers?

Aren't the pink Swarovski pearls pretty?

And how could I leave out my favourite tiny over one ladybirds?

I hope you've enjoyed your tour of my little cross stitch kingdom.
On another entirely different note, I need your opinion. I took a break from Esperanza and decided to start a small project - Quaker Faith Hope and Love by Midnight stitching. I've already finished Hope here:

As you can see, or rather can barely see, it is disappearing into the fabric. It's more visible in real life compared to the picture but it's still kinda bothering me. It's stitched on Silkweaver's Desert Sky cashel linen with HDF BeCreamed. I used the fabric because it was exactly the right size but now I'm wondering if I should have not done so. I'm trying to decide if I should just start over again or continue on with Faith and Love. What would you do? Help!
To Yin who asked where I purchase all my materials, with the exception of DMC floss, I buy them all online nowadays as the LNS here are sadly inadequately stocked to suit my needs. Hand-dyed fabrics are ordered directly from the company that produces them. The rest from various ONS. Needlecraft Corner, Wasatch Needlecraft and Handcrafts Online are a few of my favourites. Drema, Karen and Mary Kathryn from those respective ONS are absolutely wonderful to deal with and their shipping charges to Malaysia are very reasonable as well.

Esperanza Update

Wow! Thank you for all your congratulations. Haven't had that number of comments in a while, mostly due to my fault of not being a constant blogger. I've yet to claim my prize from Silkweaver but I'll be sure to keep you all posted on when I do :)
Not a lot to say except that it's way past time that I post regarding Esperanza's progress. In fact, she's been screaming at me to show her off to you for a while now. Rather justified, since she's about halfway done now and getting prettier by the day.

I was playing with my camera, trying to take some close up shots like I see on many stitchers' blogs so here they are. Just don't laugh at my amateur photo-taking skills, okay?

Her face:

Another angle:

Yes, yes, I know I'm not the greatest of photographers but you get the idea. I'm now so sick of white. However, nearly all the unstitched area is white. Argh! I think I'll take a break from white and stitch the yellow ribbons now. This should be interesting for I have some changes in mind for them. What those changes are, you'll find out soon enough. *Wink*

I Won!

Oh. My. Gosh! Remember my Voice of the Shepherd that I stitch it a while back? Indulge me and let's see it again.

Remember that I had entered it into the Silkweaver Showcases competition under the smalls category? The results were just announced and apparently, I won! I won, I Won, I WON! Thank you, Ee Koon for letting me know I was among the finalist. I had no idea. I found out that the winners had been announced here while lurking at the Mirabilia Stitchers forum.
I'm still stunned, speechless and in a daze. Everybody's stitching is so beautiful that it totally never cross my mind that I would stand a chance. A huge thank you to everyone who voted for me. It still hasn't sunk in yet. I hope it will soon so I can calm down enough to get back to Esperanza. LOL!

She Can Fly!

Her wings are done and in the process of growing them, she taught me humility. Why? Because I had begun to think that a Lavender and Lace angel is an easy stitch since I've been making pretty fast progress on her. How? By teaching me the lesson of always, always double checking your floss colour before stitching. Look closely at her right wing and then compared that with my previous progress photo.

Can you spot the difference? Notice that the light grey in this recent photo is more pronounced? Yes, you guessed right. Apparently I had stitched it with DMC762 instead of DMC3072 as called for in the chart. I have no idea how I end up with DMC762 since it's not even a colour listed in the key. This is the first time that I've made a stitching mistake of this magnitude before. Let's hope I never do it again. Frogging such a very light grey among a sea of white is NOT my idea of fun. It's worse than having to restitch it in the right colour again. Finally, that's done. Her wings are finished. Now on to the fun part - her gown.
P.S. I would like to thank you for your kind words and encouragement regarding Esperanza. I'm constantly surprised that there are still visitors to my blog since I don't exactly post on a regular basis.

One Winged Angel

Here's a quick post to give an update on Esperanza. As you can see, her right wing is now completed.

One more wing then I'll have the most complicated part (in my opinion) of the design finished. She's a rather fast stitch so far and I'm loving her. All in all, taking into account that I chose the fabric and design on a whim, the combination is working out pretty nicely, I reckon.
Well, she's vying for my attention again so I better be getting back to her. Who knows, maybe next time you see her again, she just might be able to fly.

An Introduction

With my last post, I expect you're all anticipating that this post will be happy dance related. That is, sadly, not the case. I'm sure you can all guess by now what happened. Yes, I've been naughty again and started another new project. I tried, I truly did, but what's a girl to do when there are so many other fun and exciting projects calling out my name? After all, you only live once...
Anyway, everyone, say hello to Esperanza, a.k.a. Angel of Hope by Marilyn Leavitt-Imblum of Lavender & Lace.

Her skin is stitched one over one. I just love how the different texture gives the piece a 3D effect. I think the extra work is totally worth it. To give you a better idea, here's a close up of her face.

I've been stitching on her for slightly more than a week now. Not too bad, considering, with all the extra over one stitching. With that done, it should go faster, I hope. I plan to finish her by the end of the year. Too ambitious maybe? She's a spur of the moment decision. I've been wanting to stitch one of the Lavender & Lace for a while now but have never quite make up my mind which one to pick as my first. She's stitched on Silkweaver 32 count Skye Reflections Lugana originally intended for Angelica.
Before I sign off, did you know that for one week only, from 21 July 2009 to 27 July 2009, Silkweaver's Colour of the Week is their discontinued Tutti Fruitie/Rainbow Sparkle Reflections? One of their prettiest colours, in my opinion. I'm considering stocking up some.
Till next time, happy stitching!

In A Just Nan Mood

Not a lot to say but I do have a couple of WiPs to show. Been working on two Just Nan designs at a steady pace so I'm happy. Thank you for your encouragement regarding my last post. I understand stitching can't be forced but it sure can be frustrating when you have the desire but not the patience. LOL!
Anyway, first up is Queen of the Needle. It's been more than a year since I started it. It was going fine until I got stuck on these blasted flowers.

I gotta tell ya, he countless colour changes sure ain't fun. I'm so grateful I'm finally done with them. One more band and beading left until it's finished.

The other project I've been stitching is High Hopes. Not a whole lot done on it but enough to warrant a picture, I guess :)

Stitched on a 28 count Silkweaver solo opalescent lugana, this one's intended as a gift for my best friend, Adeline though when she'll actually receive it remains to be seen. Hehe...
That is all for today. On a side note, have you seen the newest Mirabilia 2009 Cherub freebie?

I think she's sweet.
Till next time, happy stitching, all.

I've Lost My Mojo...

Can you help me find it please? I've tried everything, from looking at new releases to looking at your WiP pictures and lovely finishes to fondling my stash (which I had fun doing, by the way). Things that had helped in the past but to no avail now. I have the desire to stitch but not the drive. Does that make sense? I mean, I'll pick up something intending to work on it but few stitches in and I just cannot bring myself to continue on. I'm frustrating myself. Argh!
This is why, even after eons of absence, I have only one small happy dance to show. If you remember, from my last post, I was working on Little House Needleworks' Coffee Series. The first of the accompanying Tea Series is Spiced Tea.

I gotta tell you, it is not without struggle that I manage to finish it. For such a small design, it is quite a big accomplishment for me.

Design: Spiced Tea
Designer: Little House Needleworks
Fabric: Zweigart's Vintage Country Mocha (Marbled) 32 count Belfast linen
Fibers: Crescent Colours Belle Soie

Other than that, I've also managed to complete the middle section of my Little House Neighbourhood.

And that, ladies (and gentlemen), is all the stitching I have to show. Pathetic, I know :(
On to other stitching related (but not actual stitching) news :P look what's back from the framers.

I think my framer did a splendid job. He's my father's friend and all my needlework with the exception of Be My Valentine by Ellen Maurer-Stroh have been framed by him. I usually leave it to him to pick out the mats and frame which so far, he has yet to disappoint.

Check out a close-up picture of the gold-colored frame. I especially love the aged effect.

Oooh... the postman was just here and look what he left behind!

Cindy had a giveaway of charts on her blog couple of weeks ago to celebrate more than 10,000 hits. I was one of the lucky few who won something :) Thank you, Cindy, for your generosity. If you had not visited her blog before, head on over and you'll see why it had generated so many hits. I believe you won't be disappointed.
Till next time, take care and happy stitching.

Small, Simple & Sweet

I've been in a fickle mood lately, finding it really hard to stick to one single project, especially if it's a rather complicated one with tons of colour changes. Have you felt this way before? To avoid losing my stitching mojo, I decided to pick up some small projects for some quick finishes. At least this way, I'll feel as if I've actually accomplished something. Thus, digging through my stash and evergrowing WiP pile, I came up with this.

It's been nearly a year since I've stitched Cappuccino, the first in the Coffee Series by Little House Needleworks. The time has definitely arrived to stitch the last of the trio. After a few days working on it, Caffe Latte is finally completed.

Design: Caffe Latte
Designer: Little House Needleworks
Fabric: Zweigart's Vintage Country Mocha (Marbled) 32 count Belfast linen
Fibers: Crescent Colours Belle Soie

Here's all three of the Coffee Series together. Don't they look pretty lined up like that?

By then, I was already itching to stitch something else. Once again, I went through my stash and ended up with a mini Shepherd's Bush finish. This is in fact the first time I'm stitching a Shepherd's Bush design and I gotta say I enjoyed it thoroughly.

Design: she Tends
Designer: Shepherd's Bush
Fabric: R&R Reproductions Alabaster linen 30 count linen
Fibers: Crescent Colours, Weeks Dye Works & Sampler Threads
Embellishments: Shepherd's Bush Silver Garden Girl Charm

All in all, a very sweet design. I look forward to stitching the other three blocks but I have no idea when I'll get to them because once again, I needed another change. This time round, I stitched The Drawn Thread's Spot of Summer. The variety of designers and style I've rotated between so far certainly keeps it fun for me and prevents me from losing interest.

Design: Spot of Summer
Designer: The Drawn Thread
Fabric: 32 count Cream Italian Linen
Fibers: DMC & Weeks Dye Works

Two seasons out of four is now done. As you can see, I'm stitching them as a sampler in a row...

Hmm... What's next, I wonder. Well, my WiPs should keep me busy for a bit. Thanx for dropping by.

Still Alive...

My poor stitching blog has not been feeling my love lately. In fact, it's been flat out ignored and neglected. Rest assured though, I'm still here and well. To those of you who emailed/commented, thank you for your concern. Let's just say life, as usual has a way of sidetracking our intentions. Where, oh where, do I start? Let's see, as I mentioned, my partner came here again during Christmas and my dad finally went through with his heart bypass surgery (he is now well and fully recovered, thank God). Also, I am currently unemployed :( The upside to not having a job however, means I have more time to stitch but it also means I won't be able to join in exchanges as much or stash as often due to money constraints. Then again, I have enough stash to last a lifetime so... :P
Anyway, with all that said, the main reason you've not heard from me for so long however is because *gasp* I completely lost my stitching mojo. Not surprising with all that's been going on but it's no excuse either for being behind on my round robins. Thus, my sincerest apologies to Janet and Chris whose RRs I'm still holding. Good news is that I got it back recently and has been diligently working on them together with my other WiPs. I've finally finished my square for Janet's Seasonal Cottage RR.

Design: Summer Cottage
Designer: Maryse
Fabric: 32 count Natural Linen
Fibers: DMC

Just one more square to go then it'll be on its way home to its owner.

Janet, I've emailed you and will be sending it to Charlene once I get the go ahead from her. Chris, I'm still stitching on your RR and will send it back as soon as I finished. Once again, I'm truly sorrie.
Next up is something I've been dying to share with all of you. 3 years, 4 countries, 12 stitchers later, look what has returned home completed in January...

Design: 12 Days of Christmas
Designer: Margaret Sherry
Fabric: 28 count Cream Lugana
Fibers: DMC
Source: October 2005, November 2005 & Christmas 2005 of British CrossStitcher Magazine

Thank you, Thank You, THANK YOU! to Allison, Sarah and Marilyn from Canada, Angie, Lynn, Kirsty, Priscilla and Marion from UK and Chris, Dawn & Renée from USA. What started out as an ambitious round robin on the British Aion Needlecrafts forum (which is sadly now closed) was returned to me with three empty squares for I had to pull out halfway. It stayed in that state for more than a year until Renée decided to organize a round robin last year and they graciously let me use this as my RR. Words can't describe how I felt when I opened the package and saw the finished piece. This is why I love RRs because whether they realize it or not, every single stitcher leaves a part of themselves on the piece through their stitches for which I will forever treasure.
One last update before I end this post. Ladies and gentlemen, come dance with me because we have our first finish of 2009...

Design: Voice of The Shepherd
Designer: Told in A Garden
Fabric: 32 count Silkweaver Golden Promise Belfast Linen
Fibers: DMC

Yes, yes, I know it's already March but that's beside the point. I just love the fabric, don't you? I think I'm gonna submit it for the Silkweaver Showcase 2009. I've already submitted a couple of entries. Do you recognize them? Think I have a chance of winning? Good luck, to all participants :)

The Pumpkin Patch Exchange

Hi everyone, it's been quite a while and I must apologize for my long absence. As I mentioned before, I went on vacation. I spent a wonderful week in Thailand with my partner and he stayed in Malaysia for another week before heading back to Japan. You can check out our vacation pictures here, here and here. Then right after he left, I was horribly sick with food poisoning for about a week. I could only thank the fact that it didn't happen while he was here. At least he had fun on his trip here rather than having to take care of me.
Not long afer, my dad was admitted into the hospital for heart bypass surgery. However, the doctors decided to do another check up on him before determining whether to go ahead with it. He was released today and scheduled to go back on Friday for it. As a result, it has been a stressful (and unproductive) time for me.
However, here's something that I stitched before I left for vacation which I haven't had the chance to show you yet...

Design: Pumpkin Patch
Designer: The Sweetheart Tree
Fabric: 32 count Cream Italian Linen
Fibers: DMC
Embelishments: Mill Hill Beads & Charm

and also this...

Design: Proud Lil' Pumpkins
Designer: The Sweetheart Tree
Fabric: 32 count Cream Italian Linen
Fibers: DMC
Embelishments: Mill Hill Beads & Charm

which I made into my very first needlebook. Here's the front...

and here's the back...

finished off with some cute pumpkins fabric on the inside and some pretty orange shell pinkeep pins from Vikki......

for Andrea's SBEBB Pumpkin Patch Exchange.

For the same exchange, I received a lovely package from Gaby.

She had made me a long pillow from Heart in Hand's Little Pumpkin in the Patch (how fitting). She also sent me a lot of stitching and Halloween goodies. Special note that the wooden pumpkin is handmade by her son. How cute is that? Here's her perfect stitching up close:

I had also won Katica's blogoversary prize that she was offering. Not only did she made me the cutest pillow I had ever seen! (Gotta love the bear's fringe)

Here's what it came with. Thank you, Kati, once again, for your generosity.

I am now way behind on the couple of Round Robin I'm in and also the mailart exchange which sent date has already passed. Am trying to catch up so I apologize in advance :( I won't be around much until after new year as my partner is coming to visit again in another two weeks so I'll be rather occupied. I can't believe I'll be able to see him again in such a short time. I'm so thrilled. I'll post again as soon as I can. I know it's a little early but since Christmas is just around the corner, to those of you who are celebrating it, Merry Christmas! To those who aren't, Happy Holidays! And to ALL of you, Happy Stitching!

A Little Update

First, I'd like to start off this post with a huge THANK YOU! For the first time ever, I had 30 comments on one single post. Wow! I never knew there were so many of you out there reading my stitching ramblings. Thank you for making me feel special and appreciated. Also, to Jessie and Michele, I'm glad you like my new blog look. I didn't think anyone would notice :)
Special thanx too to Andrea. She had an Autumn Giveaway in September and she drew my name for one of the charts that's up for grabs. I'm now the happy owner of Country Cottage Needleworks' A Place We Call Home.

I almost never win anything so I was smiling from ear to ear when I found out. It made my day. The chart arrived last Friday and I've already ordered the overdyed floss it calls for.
Secondly, I have to apologize for it's been a long while since I last post - more than 3 weeks!
Yet, all I have to show for the time I went missing is this square for Paul's Dragon RR:

Design: Dragon of Water
Designer: Dragon Dreams Inc
Fabric: 14 count Off-White Aida
Fibers: DMC & Kreinik Metallics

If you know me, you would know that I'm usually not too keen on dragons but this one is too cute for words - the friendliest looking one among all four elemental dragons ^.^ Part of the reason I chose it is because it looks like a seahorse which is one of my favourite sea creatures besides dolphins. It also has the added advantage of being blue - my favourite colour.
It's not that I haven't been stitching. I have - some but I've been so restless with my stitching lately I can't seem to concentrate on one single project. Have you ever felt that way before? Here a stitch, there a stitch, the end result being that I have nothing much to show. It feels as if I've barely gotten anything done! What I actually have finished is for an exchange which I can't show until it has been received.
However, does that stop me from stashing? Never! The pictures below are proof enough...
Never in a million years did I think I'd find this magazine after so long and in Malaysia on top of that. Woohoo! Now I can stitch Nora Corbett's Trick or Treat Fairy too.

Silkweaver recently had a sale - 30% off their Classics line. I took full advantage of it...

Golden Harvest, Dark Tan, Heritage & Solo

The only fabric that I bought with a project already in mind for it is Golden Harvest. I'll be stitching my MM&IRR on it. The rest I bought just for the sake of... SALE! If that's not enough reason to buy fabric, I don't know what is :P I'm sure I'll find a suitable design for each one given the fact that they're all in neutral colours.
Since I've actually bought my fabric for the MM&IRR, you must all be wondering what I have in mind as I've never once mentioned anything more about it after joining up. No hint, no tips, no nothing regarding my construction plans. Well, that doesn't mean I haven't been thinking hard and working on it.
Finally, I've decided on a "Home Sweet Home" village. It'll have those words in the middle with quotes on home scattered all over it.
Just so you know what I'm talking about, let me show you a picture of my blueprint. Just don't faint when you see it for I've never claimed to be a gifted artist.

Ahem... have I stunned you into speechlessness? Don't say I didn't warn you. (I actually have another blueprint from my early days of playing with another idea but I'll spare you that) Anyway, now that you're recovering from the horror my "art" has inflicted on you, let me explain. I'll be using all charts from Elizabeth's Designs. I've left out "Home Sweet Home in the center but if you click on it, you can see the quotes I've inserted around each house.
To give you a better idea, here are the charts all laid out:

What do you think? Thoughts? Ideas? Suggestions? All are welcome!
P.S. I won't be online much from 1st November to 13th November. I'll be on vacation with my SO (Significant Other) which I haven't seen for more than a year. I'm so excited!

Winter Time

Living in a tropical country, it's so hot and humid here that even with the frequent heavy downpours (which don't help once they stop), one would gladly welcome any relief from the weather. Even when it comes in the form of stitching. Maybe that's why I've been so partial to winter theme designs lately, especially when it comes to round robins. Remember the Winter Cat square I stitched just recently for Renée? Well, here are two more:

Design: Winter Lady
Designer: Passione Ricamo
Fabric: 28 count Polstitches Hand Dyed Evenweave
Fibers: DMC

The recipient of this Passione Ricamo RR is a secret. Let's just say she's a wonderful lady that more than deserves this RR which 9 stitchers from all over the world will be stitching for her. Since I'm 99.9% sure that she doesn't read my blog, I don't mind revealing my square here. As I'm the first to stitch on it, there's really no point showing the whole piece with 8 other empty squares.
Then there's Dawn's Seasonal Snowmen RR.

Design: Winter Snowman
Designer: Stoney Creek
Fabric: 28 count White Evenweave
Fibers: DMC

The whole piece is adorable, isn't it?

Dawn's Seasonal Snowmen RR

Stitching this cheerful snowman does indeed help in fighting the supressing heat. Quick and easy design that I totally enjoy.
It has taken me a while after joining the Let's Stitch blog host by Becky SC to face what I've been ignoring all this time... my ever growing pile of stash and WiPs. Finally, I managed to summon up the courage to compile my WiPs and To-Do Lists. Like I mention in that post, if you happen to see a particular project in my lists that you're stitching or will be stitching, please let me know. I'd love to do an actual SAL with you.
To take it a step further, I've also joined in the Friday Stitch-A-Thon on 3rd October. I chose to stitch my neglected Queen of the Needle. I know, I know. I have older WiPs that are screaming for my attention but as QotN is already on my Q-Snaps, I predicted that would save me time and I could get more stitching done. Here's my progress during the 6 hour Stitch-A-Thon:

I managed to finish stitching Band 10 and I've got bunnies now in my kingdom. How cute are they? Finally, I'm done with the most challenging back stitch words I've ever encountered in my life!

As usual, I couldn't resist adding my own touches to a design. I love the effect of the silk chenille sheep so much that I ended up using it on the bunnies' tails too.

I think I'll stick with QotN for this week's challenge which is to *direct quote* 'stitch on any "sampler" type design you may have as a WIP'. Thus, you can count on more updates on it again soon.
*Edited to add* Chiloe, Dawn's RR is a Stoney creek design taken from Book 381. Hope that helps.

Cake!

... is done.

And you know what that means? Yup, ladies and gentlemen, dust off your glitter balls because we need you out on the dance floor doing the shimmy, shimmy happy dance with me ^.^ Here's Sweet Treats with all its buttons and beads attached.

Design: Sweet Treats
Designer: Country Cottage Needleworks
Fabric: 28 count Lakeside Linens Vintage Lenti Cashel Linen
Fibers: Crescent Colours
Beads: Mill Hill Beads
Buttons: JABC Buttons

Other than that, not much stitchy news today so this will be a short post. However, I did make some progress on Little House Neighbourhood.

Only managed to finish the middle tree. I'm now working on the blue house on the left. It's stitched with Vikki silk. Other than that, do you notice anything different? Look closer...

I had opted to stitch the sheep with silk chenille also by Vikki Clayton. It sure gives their woolly coats a more realistic look, doesn't it? I think they're too adorable!
I've also joined the newly created Let's Stitch blog by Becky SC. It's basically a SAL blog with no actual theme. We stitch what we like, UFOs, WiPs, New Starts, it's up to you. It exists purely for us stitchers to encourage and support each other so that hopefully, we'll get more stitching done. Judging from the success of my Sweet Treats SAL with Jessie and Carol (it's been a pleasure, ladies!), this will definitely be a huge help to me. I have quite a number of WiPs I have in mind for this SAL and also a couple of new projects I'm looking forward to starting. (Yes, yes, I know I must be out of my mind) Maybe a few of us could even agree to stitch a design which will make it an actual SAL. We'll see. Check it out and email Becky if you're interested.
I'm overwhelmed by the number of comments I received for my last post. Once again, for those of you who have taken the time to stop by for a visit, thank you, Thank You, THANK YOU!
Appologies to Sherry who asked me a question regarding my Seasonal Cats and Four Seasons Chairs RR. I hope you don't mind me answering your question one post later. (I seem fond of doing that all the time :S) All the cats in Seasonal Cats are designed by the same desginer - Donna Vermillion and published by Sudberry House. I'm not sure where exactly you can find the chart. You can try contacting Renée or perhaps someone here can help out? The same goes for Four Seasons Chairs which in this case is designed by Janlynn Corporation. This one is relatively easy to find. In fact, you can buy it here. Hope that helps. Do feel free to ask more questions if you need more information.
Last but never least, here's my S.E.X. (Stash Enhancement eXperiment for those who don't know :P) for this week.

Spot Sampler Victoria by Martina, yummy linens by Sassy's Fabbys in Spun Sugar and Desert Sandstorm, Vikki Clayton Silks (of course!) and charms from A Charming Place. Remember the $10 gift certificate I was given just for mentioning their website on my blog? Well, these are the charms bought with that along with a free shipping promotion on the day these were ordered... what more could a girl ask for?

Professional Procrastinator Posting Pie!

A pie that has been baked a week ago and which should have been displayed on Monday.

Still, better late than never, right? Lastly would be cake so stay tuned for a major happy dance soon.
I've also finished (finally!) Gingerbread Cottage. In my last post of it, I showed a lot of missing spots in my project and mentioned that I was playing around with some ideas. Here is the end product.

Design: Gingerbread Cottage
Designer: Country Cottage Needleworks
Fabric: 28 count Silkweaver's Sapphire Sky Cashel Linen
Fibers: DMC & Crescent Colours
Beads: Mill Hill Beads
Buttons: JABC Buttons

As you can see, I substituted parts of the design with buttons from JABC. I gotta give the credit to Jessie who suggested that I take a look at her finished Gingerbread Cottage. Isn't hers lovely? I sorta took her idea one step further and added more embelishments. Hope you don't mind, Jessie.
My LHN Mailart to Joanne has also been sent and arrived on Wednesday so I can show you what I stitched for her.

The design on the front of the mailart is taken from Ladybugs which is published in Leisure Arts' Joy In The Journey leaflet. For $3.99, it can be downloaded here.

As for the back, do you recognize which design it came from? I'm sure most of you can guess. If not, it's a portion of Necessities Sampler. The background fabric is what I used to line the inside of the mailart with as seen here:

Now for something a little different than cross stitch. Enclosed in the mailart is also a Butterfly Card handmade by me.

The design is a freebie from Stitching Cards It's pretty simple to make but the results rather stunning, in my opinion. The butterfly is stitched with DMC E130 metallic thread to achieve the effect I wanted - shiny and colourful. To echo the butterfly theme, the inside of the card has a pop up butterfly.

I gotta admit that my handwriting isn't the best here. The word "Hi!", written in gold, looked a little messy to me. Anyway, here's a closer view:

With the card, I had also put together a kit for Spot of Coffee.

I hope Joanne likes this exchange as much as I have enjoyed making it.
The fabric for Little House Neighbourhood has finally arrived too! Woohoo! Now I can actually start on the SAL Here's the floss toss for it... Vikki Clayton silks on Picture This Plus Legacy.

While we are on the subject of Neighbourhoods, don't forget to check out the MM&IRR and MM&IRR2. I've been thinking and thinking about my Neighbourhood but can't make up my mind on anything concrete yet. Luckily actual building doesn't start until 31st December so I still got plenty of time. Gonna go think some more...
Last but not least, here's a picture on my latest acquisition. I went crazy buying fabrics on Ebay. I think I might have developed another severe addiction. Help?

Ice Cream!

Once again, I'll start off this entry with another block of Sweet Threats. Yummy, yummy 'Ice Cream'.

Two more blocks to go! Being in a SAL really helps motivate me into stitching one block per week. Jessie, how are you getting on with yours? Carol, have you gotten yours frame yet? How are you feeling? How is your knee?
This past Sunday, 31st August, was Malaysia's 51st National Day. (Happy Independance Day to all Malaysians!) Thus, Monday was a substitute public holiday. One more day to stitch. Yay! So I started something else...

Design: Spot of Spring
Designer: The Drawn Thread
Fabric: 32 count Cream Italian Linen
Fibers: DMC

I know, I know, I shoulda work on my many and ever growing WiPs but at least I finished it ^.^ I consider it a happy dance of sorts even though I still have Summer, Autumn and Winter to go.
Speaking of WiPs, I've joined the Me, Myself and I Round Robins. What am I getting myself into?!
Anyway, I'm sure most of you would have heard about it by now. If not, it is basically a Neighbourhood RR with a twist. Rather than being passed around among a group of stitchers like a round robin usually is, it will instead all be designed and stitched by you yourself. Consider it an SAL of sorts. As of Vonna's last count, there are now (Dang!) 72 of us. Construction of your neighbourhood won't actually begin until 31 December 2008. So... (taken directly from the blog) there is still plenty of time to get your permits, blueprints and waivers needed to begin construction on your neighborhood. Come join us if you're interested but be quick for there are limited spots left.
I am constantly amazed by the generosity of the stitching community. Remember Dixie? who sold me Just Nan's Patience whom I now call my friend? She saw that I had High Hopes by Just Nan on my wish list. She had just finished stitching it and instead of listing it on Ebay like she had intended, she took it upon herself to become my wish fairy and sent the chart to me...

...along with a pretty hardanger chart/card. I've never tried hardanger before but this is the perfect pattern to practice with. I have no idea how to express my gratitue, Dixie, except to say a heartfelt Thank You!
I also received a USD10 Gift Certificate from A Charming Place all because I mentioned them on my blog. Wow! I'm speechless. Thank you, Hayley. Just for the record, I'm not affiliated. Just a satisfied customer.
More things to be thankful for...(You've probably already deduced that this is gonna be a very long post, no?) Look what arrived in the mail today:

It's a LHN mail art from Joanne (no blog) in Malaysia too. She's my partner for the Mail Art Friends LHN Mail Art Exchange. Isn't her stitching pretty? Here's the back:

And here's a picture of the fabric she used to lined the inside and some stash she sent me:

Feeling envious, anyone? I know I would be if I saw this on anyone elses' blog. I'm ashamed to admit that I'm late sending my LHN mail art to her. A first for me. I got it all ready but... I can't very well send it empty, can I? The postman still doesn't want to bring her present to me so I can pass it along to her >.<>Little House Needleworks Silk Threadpacks?

I think I'm in love!
Lillie honoured me with another blog award.

This time I won't nominate anyone. There are too many blogs out there that I love. If I have left a comment on your blog before, you know that I love it. If I haven't, it's probably because I've yet to discover your blog or didn't have time to do so (which I'm profoundly sorry). Just leave a comment and I'll be sure to drop by.
To Jean who asked me to recommend some nice evenweave fabric two posts ago, (sorry I neglected to answer you last post) I've only used Zweigart's Lugana and Wichelt's Jobelan so I doubt I'm the right party to ask about evenweaves. I mostly use Linen nowadays. However, I find jobelan a pleasure to stitch on as the floss goes smoothly through and thus doesn't fray much. Hope that limited information helps?
And to everyone that complimented me on my stitching, Thank You! *Blush*
Stash-wise, I don't have much to show this week except for the fact that...

I seemed to have gone a little completely overboard with charm packs purchases from Deb. I guess now is the time to try out all the pretty finishings ideas, eh?

Tart!

I've been slacking on my blogging. I know I said I'll update once a week especially with this SAL that Carol, Jessie and I got going. I finished stitching 'Tart' last week but didn't have a chance to post until now.

I'm now officially halfway through Sweet Threats. Ice Cream is next. My absolute favourite among all of 'em. I've yet to start it though. By the way, Carol has already finished her Sweet Threats. If you haven't already seen it, check it out here. Isn't her stitching beautiful? Guess I lost our mock SAL competition >.< Fair and Square #8 package from Michele.

I love them, Michele. The colours are so sweet. Thank you so much! Here's a close up of the square:

The design is 'I Love Cross Stitch' (how appropriate ^.^) from the July 2008 issue of The Gift of Stitching magazine by Maryse Dupont of Les grilles de Maryse. The website is in French so click here for the translated version from Google if you're as clueless as me.
Michele also sent me a card and a a pretty Seattle tin containing peppermints.

I received another blog award - Arte y Pico - this time from Noreen. Thank you, Noreen.

The first time I saw this, it was on Nina's blog which according to her, means 'The Best Art'.
As usual, the rules for every award:

1. Choose 5 blogs deserving to receive the award (conception, creativity, interesting equipment and contributing to the community of bloggers whatever the language).
2. Every award must contain the link towards the blog of his author so that it can be visited.
3. Every winner must show the award-logo and put back the name and the link towards the blog that attributed it for her.
4. The winner must show the blog link the Arte y Pico.
5. To Post the rules.

I've nominated a number of blogs before for the last two awards that I've received but I'm gonna go ahead and nominate another 5 more as per requested anyway because in my opinion, there are way too many stitchers out there with wonderful blogs who deserves some recognition.
Thus, once again in alphabetical order:

• Biblo's Blog ~ Wendy from Malaysia
• Kathy’s Designs & Kreations ~ Kathy from England
• Lil' Needlecrafter ~ Lillie from Malaysia
• Stitches with Camels ~ Mel from Dubai
• Xstitch - Christina ~ Christina from USA

Before you leave me to visit these talented stitchers' blogs, here's my latest update of Just Nan's Queen of the Needle.

Finally got through the dreaded band. Did I mention I don't like confetti stitches? >.<

Cupcake!

I got Cupcake all stitched up! Told ya I'll be more diligent in stitching and updating my blog when I’m in a SAL. So here it is…

I’m finally not too far behind Jessie and Carol. In fact, if I'm not mistaken, I think this brings me more or less to the same progress as Jessie. I've now started on Tart so watch it, Carol, I just might catch up to you ^.^ I know, I know, an SAL is not a competition... but hey, whatever drives you to keep on stitching, right? Then again, these designs are so fun and easy to stitch I doubt I'll lose interest anytime soon.
Now, you might have noticed that I left some of the brown French knots on the cupcake and white confetti stitches around the block off. Don't worry, I didn't forget. I'll be replacing them with beads later on. I reckon they would look nicer. Of course, that has nothing to do with the fact that I hate confetti stitches. Say you believe me?
I got a lot more done on Gingerbread Cottage as well. This picture shows a much truer colour of the fabric that the previous sloppy, last minute, close up picture I took of the house.

Once again, yes, I've left out some stitching. I guess you can guess what I'm gonna do about the confetti stitches at the top and bottom border. As for the other missing items, I'm still playing around with an idea I have. Nothing is concrete yet. You'll see soon enough what I have in mind :)
Last week, I mentioned that there were more stash that I might have forgotten to show you and since a number of you mentioned that you don't mind me raving about my stash, Here's more... :P

I think I'm addicted to band samplers. I mean, look at the collection I've accumulated since "discovering" them. It's getting out of hand. Here's another one - The Drawn Thread's Prairie Garden. Even though I've yet to start this one, I'm already contemplating getting the other 3 gardens in the set. Someone tell me, am I insane to even think about it? I bought it during Mary Kathryn's Handcrafts Online summer sale. Love her reduced postage bargain. I swear, some ONS just charges their overseas customers an exorbitant amount for shipping cost. And when the package arrives, it's actually only a couple dollars.
Rant aside, look what I found on Ebay:

Just Nan's Out of Print Patience. It says on her website that this design is limited to only 3000 copies. I'm so lucky to have won all 4 chapters with their embelishment packs still intact. And as an added bonus, a very huge bonus, I've gotten to know the seller, Dixie (no blog). Her Ebay name is dws1010 and she's an avid stitcher like me too. Not only is she very friendly, she went over and beyond the call of duty to have the package shipped to me at the lowest rate possible. Most sellers would have just charged an estimated amount that's usually more than the actual shipping cost and leave it at that.
My Vikki Clayton order arrived in record time as well. Seriously, these two are great examples of what I call excellent customer service. Many people just don't realize how much giving or withholding good customer service can affect a business. Never underestimate the power of word of mouth.
Back to the original topic, look at these lustrous silk - Vikki's conversion for LHN The Rose in Morning.

I've been naughty girl and started it. I'm stitching it on 32 count natural Italian linen. However, there's not enough progress to warrant a picture. Next time, perhaps.
The silk package for the Little House Neighbourhood that I've been going on and on about was in that same package too but I'm still waiting for the fabric to arrive. Will do a floss toss then.

F&S Exchange, RR, SAL, Stash!

To make up for not making an actual stitching post for more than half a month, be forewarned that this post will be a long one with tons of pictures. And now without any further delay, here goes...
My squares for my first Fair and Square Exchange to Michele W. arrived more than a week ago. I just didn't have the time to post until now. This is what I stitched for her:

Design: Heart and Home
Designer: Diane Williams
Fabric: 32 count Natural Italian Linen
Fibers: DMC

I've been reading her blog for quite some time now and knew that she loves sunflowers and LHN designs. Well, truth be told, this isn't exactly a LHN design but as I told her, it's designed by Diane Williams, so it pretty much qualifies ^.^ It was originally published in Leisure Arts' Joy In The Journey leaflet but sadly, it's now out of print. So how did I get my hands on this design then? Especially since it's not until recently that I fell in love with LHN. Well, my dear stitching friends, the good news is, this design along with most if not all of the other designs in the leaflet can be downloaded from the Leisure Arts Library for a small price. Isn't it neat? :D Here are both of my squares together.

Fair & Square Round #8 Exchange for Michele W.

I also remember telling you that I've been busy stitching on Renée's RR. Finally, I can now show you the result after three weeks working hard on it.

Design: Winter Cat
Designer: Sudberry House (Donna Vermillion)
Fabric: 28 count White Zweigart evenweave
Fibers: DMC

So what took me so long? Besides the fact that it is a rather large square (which I don't mind) with a lot of colour changes and quite a bit of back stitches (which I'm okay with), what really gets to me is the fractional stitches. Let's just say that fractional stitches are not my forté >.<

Renée's Four Seasons Cats RR

Looking at it... what can I say? I'm very satisfied :)
According to the title, two down, two more to go... On to the SAL, I first noticed Carol stitching Sweet Threats. As it is on my to-do list and I've already had it kitted up, I asked her if she would like to join me in a SAL. Knowing myself, having a stitching partner would go a long way towards helping me finish this a lot sooner. Carol graciously agreed to stitch along with me. Then, Jessie mentioned on the LHN Yahoo Group that she has just started hers so I invited her to join in too. Thus, our 3 members informal SAL is formed. We've agreed to update at least once per week so here's mine (better late than never, right?)

Anyone else who's interested in stitching this, you're cordially invited to join us. After all, as Carol said, the more the merrier.
The rest of my Sweet Threats thread packs arrived today too, just in time for me to continue on to the next block. Talk about perfect timing.

Just like the last item in my title suggests, for the past week or so, stash has been arriving in my mailbox at a pretty frequent basis.

My first Shepherd's Bush design - She Tends with charms and the recommended floss and fabric from Drema of Needlecraft Corner. I love that she kits it up at a discounted price. Huge savings, less trouble and great customer service. What more could a girl ask for?

Just Nan's Lady Scarlet's Journey I, II and III. Drema specially ordered these for me. So pretty... my hands are itching to start stitching >.<

Hi! My name is Veronica and I'm a LHN-aholic. Need I say more? Seriously, I didn't realize that most of the charts I've purchased are LHN designs until I had them lined up like this. The chart I'm most excited about however, is the one in the top row center - Little House Neighbourhood. Finally, the chart has arrived! Now if only the floss (I'll be using Vikki Clayton's silks) and the fabby will arrive soon, then I can start. I've got a lot of catching up to do on the SAL. The other items in the picture includes a Star De-Tailor which I can't wait to try and materials for various other projects I have in mind.

A variety of linens and charms from A Charming Place for various projects.
Hmm... I think I might be missing one or two pictures of other charts I've purchased. Oh well, I think you've had enough of my stash for today. I know some of you are probably sick of looking at stash pictures but I'm so excited I just gotta share.
'Til next time, Happy Stitching!

2 Blog Awards

Wow! Two blog awards in one day! Considering that I've never received any blog award before, this is a huge surprise.
First off, thank you, Jessie who nominated me for the Kreativ Blogger award. This is such an honour. You made my day!

Here are the rules for this award:

1. The winner may put the logo on her blog.
2. Put a link to the person you got the award from.
3. Nominate 5 blogs.
4. Put links to the blogs.
5. Leave a message for your nominees.

Now to comply with the rules, here are my 5 picks in alphabetical order:

• A Stitchinaddiction ~ Carol from USA
• Chiloe's Corner ~ Chiloe from France
• Lisa V's Lounge ~ Lisa from Australia
• Sew in Love ~ Elizabeth from England
• Stitching Cats ~ Jan from USA

And just when I thought my day couldn't get any better, I received the Brillante Weblog award from Sally. Thank you so much!

And the rules for this one...

1. The winner can display this award on their blog.
2. Display a link to the person you have gotten the award from.
3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs you like.
4. Set the links to the blogs on your blog.
5. Leave a comment on the blogs you have chosen.

...pretty much the same except that I get to nominate 7 other blogs which are (in alphabetical order too):

• An Italian Scot's Stitching Journal... ~ Tina from Scotland
• Blissful Creations ~ Bliss from Australia
• Needle Caboodle ~ Noreen from USA
• Stitched with Love and Pleasure ~ Charlene from Malaysia
• Stitching and Life in the Company of Pets ~ Sue W from USA
• Stitching Granny ~ Helen from England
• Tales From My Needle ~ Nicola from England

I wish I could pick more. There are so many of you whose blogs I really enjoy reading. I've tried to pick those that as far as I know has yet to receive these awards. Thus, head over to their blogs and check out their beautiful stitching.

WiPs Update

Oh my, time flies and it's been three weeks since I last post. I've been stitching but some I can't show you due to them being exchange pieces. Other than that, here are some WiP pictures...

Helen and JinxedChilde (sorrie I don't know your real name), as you can see, you're both right. The Told in A Garden design is indeed Voice of the Shepherd. Just the bottom part left and I'll be having myself another happy dance soon. Chiloe, I've contracted your fear of greens after stitching the trees. They are such a pain!
There has been more activity going on in my cross stitch kingdom as well. A couple of bluebirds have decided to move in.

I've also started another CCN design.

It was all Carol's fault. I saw her finished Gingerbread Cottage on her blog and couldn't resist starting mine. As you can see, Carol, I needn't wait to see yours framed up before giving in to the urge. It's stitched on Silkweaver's Sapphire Sky. The fabric is slightly lighter in real life. I'm loving the contrast of the colours on the fabric so far. Rather than stitching it on a neutral colour fabric, I decided on this because I think the blue really brings out the design. I've changed the colour of the flower into a deeper shade of cornflower blue however because the original colour is too similar to the fabric. In my opinion, it looks better this way.
I've also been working on Renée's RR but there's not enough progress to warrant a picture. I promise I'll post one next time.
Two posts ago, I asked for help in locating the charms used in The Drawn Thread's A Spot of Spring, A Spot of Summer, A Spot of Autumn and A Spot of Winter designs. Paula heard my pleas and not only direct me to where I can get them but she actually went to the trouble looking for them at her LNS and sending them to me, all at her own cost!

She also sent me a postcard describing Spokane, Washington a.k.a. "The Lilac City" where she lives and a skein of Weeks Dye Works' Lilac floss (how appropriate) ^.^ Thank you, Paula, for your kindness. It will never be forgotten.

Words That Start With F

Flowers, Farmhouses and Frappuccino. Now what does these words have in common? Well, they are what I've been stitching for the past week or so.
I've been eying this for the longest time, ever since I finished Cappuccino.

I'm sure you can guess what happened next. Yup, last weekend, I grew tired of fighting and gave in to the temptation...

Design: Cappuccino
Designer: Little House Needleworks
Fabric: Zweigart's Vintage Country Mocha (Marbled) 32 count Belfast linen
Fibers: Crescent Colours Belle Soie

There are quite a number of French knots in this one. I'm happy that I've not forgotten how to make them. Here's a close up picture (a lousy one, I know).

I grew some flowers in my cross stitch kingdom too besides finishing Frappuccino. Roses, Daisies and pansies are now blooming in abundance though my pansies are pretty shy and are trying to blend into the fabric but as I can still see them, I'm not too bothered :)

Carol R, the design is Queen of the Needle by Just Nan (which is why I've been calling it my cross stitch kingdom). Helen, thank you for suggesting to change the butterflies into yellow. I believe there are yellow butterflies further down the piece and since Sally, Joysze and Nicola said they can see them just fine, I'll just leave them as they are. Kathy, maybe we can have a Barbabee's Quest SAL once you finish your presents and I finish QotN.
Besides that, I've also started a Told in A Garden design.

Can anyone guess which one it is? ~.^ The fabric is Silkweaver's Golden Promise which, I think is a very apt name to go with the design. I love how the gradually disappearing stitches at the bottom gave the illusion of gently rolling hills. My favourite part is the white fences.
Anyway, on to other things. I've been tagged by Chiloe. I've answered the Meme here. This is my personal blog where I keep all my photos and other stuff which is a more suitable place, I think, to post my Meme answers. You're welcome to take a look around there if you're interested. By the way, Chiloe, I forgot to answer your question last post regarding my Lilliput Village new start. Yes, it's an Anchor design but as far as I know, it can only be found in the January 2006 Issue 126 of Cross Stitch Collection magazine. I blogged about it back in January 2006. Hard to believe so much time has past!
OMG! Noreen, you play WoW too? /cheer /hug That's pretty cool. My main is a 70 feral druid (I love tanking) on Bonechewer. I have a number of alts too on the same server... 70 lock, 67 (I think) mage, 52 pally, 42 shammy etc. just to name a few. Sorry to all those non WoW players who have no idea what I'm talking about >.<>

Gourmet Garden & More

Wow, first off, thank you for all your compliments on my first biscornu. I'm overwhelmed that you all love it.
Last week, I picked up another LHN design and in no time at all, I finished it. Okay, it actually took me a week but that's because I only have night time to stitch and I wasn't working on it every single night last week. There were times when I was too tired all I did was lie in bed and read. Anyway, on to the photo...

Design: Gourmet Garden
Designer: Little House Needleworks
Fabric: Wichelt Imports' Barely Blue 28 count Jobelan
Fibers: DMC

Here's a close up of the garden at the top. The fabric colour here is a closer match to the actual colour. I especially love the sunflowers on the left.

Three nights ago, I decided to start building my cross stitch kingdom. I didn't get far before the frogs attacked. I guess they decided they want a piece of it too. I ended up spending most of last night and part of tonight ripping out and restitching nearly half of what I had completed. Incredible, isn't it, how one small mistake can have such a huge impact? Well, at least I finished planting three urns of flowers though as I predicted, my butterflies kinda disappeared into the fabric, don't ya think? >.<

I'm so totally enjoying stitching this despite the frogging. This is the first time I'm stitching this kind of sampler and the amount of detail that goes into one band just amazes me. The silks I got for this design makes it even more of a pleasure to work on.
I added more stash to my to do pile. Got these off Ebay for a song!

Barnabee's Quest I, Barnabee's Quest II & Barnabee's Quest III by Just Nan

No idea when I'll get around to this yet but soon, I hope. I'm thinking of getting Lady Scarlet's Journey as well to accompany Barnabee ^.^

A Spot of Spring, A Spot of Summer, A Spot of Autumn & A Spot of Winter by The Drawn Thread

I'm thinking of working these four designs in a row like a bellpull. What do you think? Also, I'm hoping someone could help me. These charts came without the charms. I was wondering if any of you know where I can get them?
I kitted up two more patterns. One from LHN and the other a CCN.

Home of A Needleworker Too! by Little House Needleworks

Gingerbread Cottage by Country Cottage Needleworks

This one is only partly kitted up as I've not yet pulled the DMC floss for it. The fabric is Silkweaver's Sapphire Sky. I thought it would look more stunning stitched on that instead of a neutral colour due to the fact that most of the colours in the design are already shades of brown. Opinions appreciated.
Noreen, unfortunately there's no backstitch around the purple area and it would be pretty hard to work it into the design because that would mean I'd have to backstitch the other flowers beside the purple pansies but thank you anyway for your suggestion :)
Hmm... looking at what I just wrote, I realized how much my taste in designs have changed. I've... I guess you could say, expanded my "horizons" a lot more compared to a year ago. Before, I'd not have picked up any Just Nan or The Drawn Thread or even LHN and CCN designs. They're so different and yet I find myself equally drawn to both. I'm sure I'm not the only one experiencing this change. I'm curious as to who else is or has felt this way. Let me know if you're sharing your experience regarding this topic on your blog and I'll definitely drop by for a visit.

May Finishing Challenge - Biscornu

Last weekend, I was feeling pretty restless. I ended up starting something new. If you’ve read my blog since the beginning, you’d have seen me mentioned this design before. I even did a floss toss for it back in January. This was as far as I got...

The colour changing was killing me. So I set it aside and thought to meet the May Monthly Finishing Challenge which is to finish a biscornu. I’ve never done finishing of this kind before so this was a real challenge for me. However, that didn’t deter me from having fun with it.
These are the squares I came up with for my biscornu.

The core design is from The Victoria Sampler’s Gazebo Tuffet freebie and the border is modeled after the Pincushion Heart freebie. As you can see, I’ve added my own touch to it with some beads and specialty stitches. Do you like my first timer Rhodes Hearts and the combination of Eyelet Stitches and Satin Stitches for the flowers in the centre? The bottom piece is my own design.
After much head scratching, I finally figured out how to make a biscornu, thanks to instructions from Annette and Finishing School.
What do you think of my first biscornu? The buttons are from a local craft shop.

Design: Modified Gazebo Tuffet
Designer: The Victoria Sampler
Fabric: Zweigart Moss Green 32 count Lugana
Fibers: DMC, Anchor & Six Strand Sweets in Candy Cane
Beads: Mill Hill Beads

Here’s the view from the top down:

And here’s what the bottom looks like:

Yesterday was another great mail day. The silks for Just Nan’s Queen of the Needle finally arrived along with Sweet Threads from Country Cottage Needleworks

I fell in love with this design the moment I saw it and has been craving for it ever since. Drema from Needlecraft Corner offers a package for the first thread pack that includes a piece of 28 count Vintage Lentil Linen from Lakeside Linens which is what I will be using for it.

I hope you’re not sick of looking at floss tosses because after receiving the silks and another fabric from Silkweaver earlier in the week I just can’t resist seeing how the colours would look together.

Floss Toss for Angel of Grace by Lavender & Lace on Silkweaver Enchantment Reflections 32 count Lugana.

Floss Toss for Queen of the Needle by Just Nan on Silkweaver Expressions Abracadabra 32 count Belfast Linen.

I need some advice. Do you think the light purple floss is too similar to the fabric? I hope it doesn’t blend in too well until it’s barely noticeable when stitched.
Have a great weekend, everyone!