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 Tama, 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!

My First LHN

Last Friday, the mailman brought another package to my house. This time, it's five thread packs from Little House Needleworks' Coffee and Tea Series that I won on Ebay.

I'm pretty sure everyone has seen them around by now. When I first saw them, I didn't take much notice but these designs just sort of grow on you don't they? I couldn't wait to get started on them. I decided to stitch the Coffee Series first as I'm still missing the Herbal Tea thread pack (which by the way I've ordered from Mary Kathryn's ONS eHandcrafs). I chose Cappuccino for it's the first design in the Coffee Series.

The thread pack contains Crescent Colours Belle Soie silks. This is the first time I'm stitching with these. I love the subtle variegated colours. In my opinion, the effect of it is pretty stunning when stitched. What I didn't like, however, is that every few stitches, the silk keeps getting tangled up. Is it just me or is everyone else facing this problem? It gets pretty frustrating after a while. Luckily, the smooth texture of the silk makes untangling it easier. Had it been cotton... Gosh, I don't want to imagine how that would end up.
Anyway, this past weekend was a long one. Monday was Wesak Day - a Buddhist celebration. I was supposed to meet up with my SO (Significant Other). It's been more than a year since we last saw each other. He's with the US Navy now based in Japan and like last year, the ship he's attached to was gonna stop by Malaysia during the weekend. We were so looking forward to it. Then he found out, just last week, that unlike last year, his ship wasn't stopping by Port Klang which is near to where I live. Instead, they stopped at Kota Kinabalu which is at East Malaysia. I'm in Peninsular Malaysia aka West Malaysia. East and West - separated by South China Sea. Talk about a huge disappointment.
So... I immersed myself in my stitching. I'm sure you all can relate, there's no therapy like stitching. And this is the result:

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

I'll be stitching all of them on separate pieces of fabric. I think they'll look nicer framed individually. That also gives me the added advantage of being able to rearrange them on a whim. Now that I've stitched one, there's no going back. LHN designs are addictive...