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 stitched 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!