Part 2 completed. Check....

I have accomplished my goals for 2012. I'm so glad that there were really only two major ones that I had to focus on, because with the way this year has gone, if there were too many more it wouldn't have happened.

The first three pages on QS Curl up with a good book are finished. I will put the final three on my goal list for next year. Speaking of which, I must make another for the new year, I think I will keep it simple again and have just a couple of "Must Do" projects and then a separate list of "Would like to do" projects.

Until next time, happy stitching

Part 1 completed. Check....

I have been MIA for a while but life has settled enough for me to become interested in stitching again and thought the best place to start would be with the goals I had set myself for this year, so here we go.

I finally got SK Masquerade completed. It has taken a little while, approximately 2 1/2 years. OMG!!! I didn't even realize it had been that long. Anyway that's enough prattling on, let's get down to business. Here she is:

Started: August 25, 2010
Stitched on: 28ct Lavendar Lugana using 1 thread over 1, full cross stitch
Finished: December 3, 2012.

That is part 1 of this years goals completed. I am off to complete my second goal before the end of the year. Good thing the list wasn't too long.

Until next time, happy stitching

2012 May WiPocalypse update ....

Masquerade is really close to being finished. Hopefully I will get it completed for next months update.

Until next time, happy stitching

Thanks ....

Thank you all for the very kind wishes for my grandson. They are all very appreciated at this time in our lives. He is growing well and looks healthy despite having breathing difficulty.

On to other things in life, I completed my second assignment for one of my papers and now I can spend time focusing on the other paper. I should have three quarters of the final page on Storykeep Masquerade completed by the time I get around to posting this update, which means I will have a photo op - YAY!! I did finish the 3rd quarter of page 3. Now I would like to get it finished hopefully during this month. Full steam ahead!

Until next time, happy stitching

New Addition ....

I have been caught up in life and because of that I have been missing. Hopefully things will settle a bit and I can get back into both blogging and stitching.

Our daughter had her second child on Tuesday 24th April, 2012. Our second grandson, hopefully no more for a little while as it is possible that this little guy may have Cystic Fibrosis. We are waiting on the doctors. So, fingers crossed that all is ok.

 My two pattern choices for this month were Couch Dragon by Randal Spangler and QS Pick A Pumpkin by CC Kuik.

I decided that I would go back to University at the beginning of 2012 to get my degree. The way the economy is, its proving difficult to find work, and besides I would like to do something different. Since I decided to make this decision, it has affected my stitching. I'm half way through the 1st semester and I haven't had any chance to get to my stitching. I am trying to get time to work on at least one of my projects. I guess I thought that I would still have some free time, but that hasn't eventuated yet. 

Until next time, happy stitching

2012 April WiPocalypse update ...

Time for my next update. This is what I did get through ....

Until next time, happy stitching

Thank you....

Thank you so much to Adrienne over at TryllaCraft for giving me this award.

Here are all the details about the Liebster Blog award:

Liebster is a German word, meaning favourite, dearest or beloved, and the Liebster is awarded by bloggers to other, newer bloggers who have fewer than 200 followers, to spread the word and help the new(er)bies gain wider recognition.

The award comes with four conditions that each recipient must satisfy when accepting:

1. Choose 5 up-and-coming (with fewer than 200 followers) blogs to award the Liebster to.
2. Show your thanks to the blogger who gave you the award by linking back to them.
3. Post the award on your blog. List the bloggers you are giving the award to with links to their sites. Leave comments on their blogs so they know about the award.
4. Share 5 random facts about yourself that people don't know about you.

I am going the give the Liebster award to these wonderful bloggers:

1. Lauren at Ambitious Stitches
2. Tamara at Intricate Stitches
3. Beanie at Cross Stitch Crazy
4. Jolyn at Jolyn's Stitching Obsession
5. Xeihua (Sara) at My Cross Stitch Corner

Five random things about myself:

1. Chocolate Whiskey Cake is my biggest downfall.
2. I don't like men with long hair (below the shoulders).
3. I love family dinners at my in-laws.
4. We lived next door to my in-laws for the first 16 years of our marriage (and still married) and we have moved - now married for 21 years. 
5. My husband proposed after knowing one another for 4 weeks.

Until next time, happy stitching

2012 March WiPocalypse update ....

Time for my next update. Didn't get as much stitching done as I wanted to this month. But this is what I did get through ....

 

 SK Masquerade

 

 QS Curl Up

 

QS Teddy Bear Tree

Until next time, happy stitching

Please help me ....

I officially have more HAED charts than I would be able to stitch in my lifetime. So I really need to not buy anymore, (well for the next month at least), taking baby steps is a good way to start, that way it won't seem so hard.

My present from my family to buy two charts per month for the year has been completed, thanks mainly to the 50% off sale that HAED had for Leap Day 2012. So the two charts that I have earmarked for March are Seven Hearts by Jim Warren and QS Duckling Discovery by Hannah Lynn.

I will continue to look at the new charts, and probably add more to my Wishlist, but that doesn't mean I have to buy them. Does it?

I was going to show you all the most recent update of MSK, but with the 2012 WiPocalypse coming up in a few days I've decided to put it off until then. There is only the bottom half of page 3 left and I have enjoyed working on this again, maybe because I know that it is coming to an end, and when it is completed I can bring another project into the mix. Hmmmm??? What to do? What to do?

Until next time, happy stitching

Celebrations ....

 I have finished my QS Curl Up rotation and I have completed the bottom half of page 2. So next up in my rotation is Masquerade SK. The excitement is building with this one because I will have two more rotations of this project and it will be completed. My very first HAED finish. You've gotta love that.

 We have had 5 birthdays in 8 days, lots and lots of food and cake. Big birthday hugs to my Mum, DD, DD's partner, my nephew and my niece, and to top that all off our grandson has just started to walk, another wonderful milestone, and he is only 11 months old, so that will be another birthday next month. Woohoo!

 Until next time, happy stitching

February's prezzies ....

 For February via "The Best Anniversary Present Ever" (thanks to my wonderful family) I decided to choose one of Spanglers Houses that Michelle charted as Storykeeps recently, because I know that I won't really want to work on or have the full size chart and another design from Karen Middleton. I could not believe how many of her charts I have. I obviously love her style of watercolours. So I picked "SK Home is Where the Heart is", by Randal Spangler and "Rapunzal" by Karen Middleton.

QS Curl Up came up again in my rotation and it was great to finally start working on the candle. I was so excited about that (doesn't take much does it), because I am that much closer to finishing page 2 and another one page finish to add to my WiPocalypse tally.

I also found out what all the "hub-bub" about "SuperBowl" and stitching is. As we are not big American Football fans in New Zealand, I didn't understand it. Until, my sons decided to watch this years SuperBowl and YES! YES! I was able to sit and stitch for 4 hours. That was a highlight this month for sure.

Until next time, happy stitching

I was so happy ....

Woohoo!! I could not believe my luck when I went to the HAED website to pick charts for "My January present", that was when I noticed they were having a 25% off Valentines Day Sale through until 16 February 2012, I have already found 2 charts and they are

 "Kathleen" by Hannah Lynn

"Mini Chocolate, Chocolate and More Chocolate" by Randal Spangler

(I love his draglings, they are so cute). Now I only need to make my choices for my February present before the sale ends.

This is where I am at with QS Crabby Crush after this months stitch-in. It was my first time using DMC Light Effects floss, and I found it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. Just took a bit more patience to deal with it. But it was worthwhile in this instance.

Until next time, happy stitching
  

2012 February WiPocalypse update ....

I wasn't sure how I was going to do my updates but I think this could be ideal. I have a few projects that I want to make progress on, so they are all in my monthly rotation.

SK Masquerade

QS Curl up with a good book

QS Crabby Crush

Eldar

QS Teddy Bear Tree - New Start

Until next time, happy stitching

Time to join everyone else ....

I decided to participate in this years SaL on the HAED BB and my choice of chart is QS Teddy Bear Tree. The chart choices for this SaL were really wonderful, so my decision was not an easy one, I figure that is a good thing, because I want to be eligible to receive the other charts at the end of the year.

I have been a bit slow at getting started on my piece, but here is my quarter page update. I was surprised by the amount of detail and hesitant about some of the colours, but the mantra is "trust in Michelle's charting", and sure enough that is so true. My teddy is currently "winking" at me, next time I get to show him to you I hope to have his other eye completed.

Until next time, happy stitching

Double the joy ....

Thats right! I was so excited about my surprise from my last post that I managed to complete my rotation on two projects over the last week. Well I never!!!

I could not believe it this morning when I was contemplating what to write about and there they both were staring me in the face. First up, we have a quarter page finish on Masquerade SK. That means I have only 3/4 of page3 to go and will have completely finished this project. The excitement is building around this project because it will be very first HAED finish and it was the second project that I ever started by HAED.

My next project that I made progress on was Eldar. I have completed page 7, but I have really completed 2 pages of the chart. This means that I have made progress on my 2012 WIPocalypse project list.

Oh and, I haven't decided yet which charts I would like to choose for this month for my present from my family but when I do I will let you all know what I come up with.

Until next time, happy stitching

He's a keeper ....

Oh yes, he is!! Its was our wedding anniversary yesterday. 21 years and 19 of those were everything that a girl could want, but the last two have been trying. Within 6 months of one another we both lost our jobs and we have been muddling along since living off our savings mostly, but no ray of sunshine on the job front. That's okay we still have our family and each other. We got married beside a lake so every year because it is summer now on our side of the world, we have a family picnic at the same lake.

Anyway DH decided that it was high time I got a special treat and he has arranged with our three children (two of whom are grown and have incomes), a special present for me, for our anniversary and just because I am always doing for them, (it's what mothers do!). Anyway I digress.

My present (Oh Wow!!!) I am allowed to get "One full and one small chart from HAED each month for the WHOLE year", and the four of them will pay. YAY! YAY! YAY!!!

How am I supposed to enjoy a picnic when I have charts spinning around in my head saying pick me please. It's time to get the picnic ready so we can all head off. I will make my choice's about the charts for this month sometime over the weekend and keep you all informed with my decision.

Until next time, happy stitching

I found something that might help me ....

I found the 2012 WIPocalypse in the last week, while browsing some of the blogs I like to visit and it turned out that the deadline for being an "actual" participant was the 15 January. So, with 5 days to spare and absolutely no time to think I decided that I would participate.  Woohoo!!! If you would still like to be a part of the Stitch-A-Long you can visit here and all the details are outlined by Measi.

Joining this SAL meant that I had to evaluate the vast amount of projects that I currently have in progress and decide which of them I wanted to make the most progress on.

I am going to focus on my Heaven and Earth design projects, because I have so many patterns and I just love them so much. Which is why I had to come up with a short list and when those are done I can add new goals or extend the goals on the projects that I already have on the go.

Sounds good to me!!! If you would like to see what I decided on I have made a special page for the 2012 WIPocalypse to keep track of progress etc.

On with stitchy stuff. I have completed half of page 2 on QS Curl up with a good book. YAY ME! I have been struggling with a rotation for a while now, but I discovered towards the end of November last year that because I print out my chart pages in quarters;

• a) so that I can see them properly (blind as a bat), and
• b) I like things to be uniform, 

that it was easier to just complete a quarter page at a time. That way I made blocks of progress on all my projects and I have been really enjoying it.

Until next time, happy stitching

2012 January WIPocalypse - I just had too ....

I was allowed to start a new project once I had completed page 2 of SK Masquerade and this is it. QS Crabby Crush by Hannah Lynn from Heaven and Earth Designs.

From what I have seen so far Hannah's (paintings) designs are beautiful. I have always loved the vibrant colors that I have seen in the WIP photos of other stitchers that have worked on her designs and I took this opportunity to try one for myself.

I am really loving the way this pattern is working up. I also tried something new and began this project in the bottom left and I'm really glad I did because this is where the crab happened to be and it is so nice to start a project and actually see something materialize rather than have background or just an indistinguishable blob.

So page 7 is completed and now I just have to decide if I am going to work up the right side towards the top or just continue along the bottom row.

Until next time, happy stitching

It's a new year, time to re-evaluate ....

I think I need to start the year off small. So, I really want to finish SK Masquerade, so that will stay in my rotation. Now, I have come to the hard part, what other projects are a real priority for me. Eldar? QS Curl Up? QS Crabby Crush? Ok!! lets work with these and the new 2012 SaL project from HAED "QS Teddy Bear Tree".

I know that this will keep on morphing over the next 12 months because something is going to take my interest away, but I have to get on to stitching and stop pondering over what hasn't even come to light yet.

 As promised here is another update, this is for the 2011 SaL QS Curl Up with a Good Book. I really love the colors and want to finish this project. Maybe this will be "it's" lucky year. I have finally moved on to page 2. Next up in rotation is QS Crabby Crush.

Until next time, happy stitching

Happy New Year!!!

I would like to take this opportunity to say Happy New Year and I hope that your Christmas was full of wonderful blessings for you all.

I have a couple of updates to share and I will add those over the next few posts. In the meantime I have managed to complete 3/4 of page 7 on Eldar and here is a before and after shot.

I get so caught up in working on my projects that I forget to update you all on my progress. Since I got my new smartphone though I have been so much more proactive about taking the update photos, but I haven't been present to do my show and tell for you all.

But there is no time like the present to make a start.

 Until next time, happy stitching