Tribal Butterfly Update 2

I've been stitching like a madwoman lately -- I figure sleep is a fair trade for stitching time. :)

Made some great progress on my Tribal Butterfly by Sparklies. I'd like to have it finished and framed before October, which should not be a problem at all. I am really enjoying stitching this!

The fabric is a much more obvious pinky purple in real life, but the camera doesn't ever seem to do it justice.

Metamorphosis Update 2

I didn't mean to get stuck on this project, but for some reason I just couldn't put it down after finishing the first motif. So I finished the second motif as well!

The picture looks all askew, but I assure you that the motifs do line up perfectly. It'll look fine once they are all done and properly stretched for framing.

These aren't colours that I'd normally choose to work with, but I am loving them! I can't wait to see this piece finished ... this year, I promise!

Onto to something else. :)

My 3rd UCJC Finish!

As promised ... I finished Carolyn's Garden Poppy by Serendipity Designs yesterday afternoon.

I'm very glad to have 3 of 31 finished ... on to the next one!

March TUSAL and a Mini Finish

It feels so good and so right to be stitching. I don't know what was wrong with me at the end of February, but I'm glad everything is back to normal and I'm a crazy stitching nut once again!

It's TUSAL (Totally Useless Stitchalong) time and my jar of ORTs looks like a clown threw up in it. What a mishmash of colours! On top, there are purple threads from Metamorphosis, then some red and white threads from Drama Queen, then more red and green from my other poppy kit, and under all that, you can even see some of the gorgeous purple silk from the Oh Bugger Subversive Sampler.

It hasn't felt like I've done much stitching, but it sure sounds like I have! LOL

I popped on over to my LNS on Wednesday for their monthly Open Stitch Night (which I haven't been to in almost a year!) and I had a delightful time. It's been ages since I stitched with other people, and I forgot how amazing it feels to have people get excited about your work and to have so many great WIPs around to inspire you. I love seeing people work on projects that I would NEVER do. I get the satisfaction of seeing it grow without having to do it myself. :) Anyway, for a change of pace, I pulled Metamorphosis out of my "UCJC drawer of starts", and did a little work on it.

And now, my mini finish ... the first of eight motifs from Metamorphosis by Ink Circles, stitched on 32 ct Heritage lugana, 2 over 2 with the recommended GAST threads (this one is done in Grape Arbor).

I don't want to put this down, but I have a real finish on the horizon, so I'm going back to work the poppy kit some more.

Oh ... and even though I started 31 new projects in January, and already had 2 big projects on the go, during my visit to my LNS this week I bought MORE stash. Seriously, as if I need more patterns. But I LOVE the dragon signets designed by Firewing Designs, so I picked up 2 of them, Messenger and Samurai, (and will likely have my LNS order in a few more).

A pretty poppy update

Not a lot of time to stitch lately (what a surprise!), but I've made a little progress on my next potential finish (fingers crossed) -- Carolyn's Garden Poppy from my UCJC.

Anyway, on to the picture ...

I kind of have it in my brain that I need to finish one small every month, and then anything else is a bonus! :) I'm hoping to have this done by the weekend.

What a surprise!!!!

Who ever would have thunk it?!?! I just received the Liebster Award (which is a blogging award) from a great blogger and wonderful supporter during my Ultimate Crazy January Challenge -- Debbie from Debbie's Cross-Stitch! I'm in awe at receiving such an honour … thank you Debbie!!

Here are all the details about the Liebster Blog award:

Liebster is a German word, meaning favorite, 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 five up-and-coming blogs (with fewer than 200 followers) 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 five random facts about yourself that people don't know about you.

I am giving the Liebster Blog award to these great bloggers:

1. Ewa from Cross Stitch and Other Musings

2. Rebecca from Rebel in Ontario

3. Kim from Scully’s Cross Stitching

4. Kirstin from Stitchin’ Addiction

5. Helene from Little Miss Stitchy Stitch

Five random facts about myself:

1. I used to be heavily pierced and tattooed. I had 17 holes in my ears, 2 eyebrow rings and a tongue piercing. Now I just have the standard one hole in each ear. I do still have all my tattoos – 10 of them in total.

2. I can’t whistle. I’ve tried to learn, lots of people have tried to teach me, but I just can’t.

3. I love reality TV (but only the good competition shows). I love Survivor, Amazing Race, Top Chef, The Next Iron Chef, So You Think You Can Dance, among others. I can’t stand celebrity reality TV like The Kardashians, Real Housewives or Jersey Shore.

4. My most favourite meal in the whole world is steak and potatoes. I am a sucker for really great steak. Everywhere I travel, I eat steak, looking for the very best.

5. I am a full time doctoral student, and no matter how crazy and stressful it gets, it is, by far, the best job I’ve ever had. I am so fortunate that I get to spend my time learning about things I really care about. It’s a pretty cool gig (plus I get to sleep in most days AND I get to work in my pyjamas).

Oh Bugger Update 2

I've finally gotten my stitching mojo back ... if only I had the time to stitch!!

I did get a little bit more accomplished on my Oh Bugger Subversive Sampler by Kincavel Krosses.

I just love silk. Look at all that shiny, inky purple goodness!! Love it!

But I need a finish (even a small one) this month, so it's time to switch it up and pull out something else from my UCJC list.

March WIPocalypse

I must say I'm sorry -- I've been MIA for a few weeks now. Mostly it's because I haven't really done any stitching. :( I've been suffering quite badly from stress headaches, and so what little painfree free time I've had has been spent on less strenuous endeavours.

Alright, time for a few updates!

First off, my WIPocalypse update for March. I spent a few hours at the end of February on Oh, Bugger (one of my UCJC pieces designed by Kincavel Krosses). Not a ton of progress, but it's something!

The majority of my time lately has been spent on a new crochet project. It's a Baby Bobble Blanket for a friend who's expecting her first baby later in April. I'm about halfway done the main part of the blanket (only another 12-14 inches to go), then I will add a white/cream ruffley border to finish it off.

I've actually really enjoyed this project. It's travelled all over southern Ontario with me and has been a joy to work on. Very low concentration, low stress! Plans for my next project (a full-sized blanket) are underway.