Happy Monday! AND Happy March :)

Today is a true milestone, it's my 100th post! Unbelievable! I've said it before and I'll say it again, I never imagined when I wrote my first blog post that both the stitchy world and the blogging world would become so important to me. I am so very grateful to able to write here every week and get to know my fellow stitchers of both the cross stitch and quilty variety! 

I'm also happy to say that the drought has ended on the stitchy front! Thanks to my contracting the cold and being quarantined for a few days last week. However, I'm on the mend! Feeling much better :) I was the last in my house to get this bug, which I had thought I had successfully escaped. Nope. I wasn't quite so lucky.

In any case it wasn't all bad. Being couch ridden, I decided to pick away at my cross stitching, considering that, besides moving your head to look at a pattern every now and then, no physical activity was needed. That meant no uncontrollable sick sweats, or exhaustion, or plain yuckyness ensued! YEY for being able to be at least a little productive while sick. Is there anything worse than feeling like a complete vegetable, laid up for days because you can't bring yourself to move a muscle????

I have finally managed to finish off part 2 of L*K's Holly and Hearts Sampler. Which has been tthhhhhissss close to a finish for just about forever.

The only thing that bugs me about Part 2 is the spelling of "honour." Not that I have a problem with Americanized English, but I've grown up with the British spelling. So things like the no "u" in honour drive the anal retentive side of me up the wall. I thought about changing the spelling having seen some people modify their's, but it always looked a bit too squishy. It was like two obsessive halves of me battling it out, one - the need to spelling things correctly (which given that I used to be a horrible speller would shock some of my childhood friends) and the other screaming that things need to look symmetrical.  In the end, the more symmetrical - artsy side of me won out, much to the chagrin of my spelling side. 

I also fished out Santa's Magic from my all but empty WIP bag (no stitched words in sight). I'm actually pretty proud of the fact that I really only have 2 WIPs. Santa's magic and LHNs Mystery Sampler (on which I also need to finish part 2... there's a trend here). Just before Christmas I had put tones of time in one Santa and needed a bit of a change in scenery if you know what I mean. But now he's strapped into the qsnaps and ready for some flossy love.

As you can see from the picture I've been using some lovely sparkly thread... At long last I have met Kreinik floss! Or can I say Kreinik sandpaper. As beautiful at this stuff is... it's horrible on the fingers. The tips of my fingers were near rubbed raw after only an hour of stitching. Ohhhh the trouble we go through to make things extra beautiful!

Anyway, I'm going to keep Santa on the stand and will myself to plug away at him for the next little while. 

Until next time!

Melissa

Happy Thursday!

No I'm not referring to that awesomely catchy song that melts hearts! Nope this is all about the stitching people.

So first things first... HURRAY! I have some stitchy progress to show you. Finally... It felt so good to take a couple of hours and stitch to my hearts content this past weekend. I haven't done this in FOREVER! I've mentioned this in previous posts, but I've only managed to pickup a needle here and there in between all my other holiday projects. 

Here's the progress I've managed with L*K's Holly and Hearts Mystery Sampler! PART 1 officially complete!

In fact, I'm feeling a little overwhelmed with all the projects. The problem is I wanted to put all my new sewing and quilting skills to good use and make Christmas gifts... yup I put WAY too many projects on the list.

It's starting to get more manageable now but I've still got 8 placemats to stipple/bind/finish and 1 blanket to put together yet!  Pewf... just thinking about it is giving me a little anxiety. BUT the comfort is that I'm in the home stretch! Once I've got these placemats donzo, I'll really be able to relax and cheat on my sewing projects with my stitchy projects :)  Or rather stop cheating on my stitching projects with my sewing projects! After all, my stitching will always be my first love ;)

Until next time!

Melissa

Happy Thursday,

I have a new finish and start to show you all today! I haven't taken part in IHSW for a LONNNNG time, despite my best efforts. It's easy to let life whisk away your weekend I find, so hermitting can be a bit of a challenge. This weekend past however I found myself with a little extra time on my hands than usual and decided that some quality time with my stitching and netflix was in order :) I stitched until my hands and fingers went tingly and watched a season and a half of Bones. Yup I think I'd qualify this as a successful weekend!

I finished another house in the Santa's Village series by CCN and have another waiting in my WIPs bag just waiting for a start. I have 5 out of the 12 in the series right now... and NOW CCN has announced another series called Frosty Forest! I'm going to have to speed up because I find myself already loving the concept of Frosty Forest... oh dear ;)

Santa's Stocking Store
Country Cottage Needleworks
Stitched on 32ct Opalescent Belfast

I also put a start in on L*Ks new Mystery Sampler, Holly and Hearts.

I've been dying to start in on this sampler and have had it waiting in the lineup for a while. But I was being very disciplined and made myself hang off on starting until I finished my Santa's Village WIP! YEY for willpower.

Unfortunately, Santa's Magic has been neglected over the past week or so... just because I'm working with Kernik thread now and I hate it.

I figure once I've put the last stitch in part one of the L*K mystery sampler I'll kick my but in gear and continue on with Santa's Magic. I find with large intricate projects I always like a little side project just so I can take a break from it from time to time. Anyone else do this?

Also, do you notice how everything I'm working on right now is Christmas related?! I must have an obsession subconsciously... 

Ciao for now!

Melissa

Hello again folks!

I would not qualify myself as an uber Lizzie Kate Designs lover... while I do like some of their stuff. It just so happens that I simply like other charts better and want to complete them first. But recently I picked up this chart by LK because I love the message that it brings. 

Eventually I'll work toward stitching the whole set but for now this message is perfect for me.

Anyway, in purchasing this chart I've opened myself up a little more to LK. Gotta have an open mind right? Well I think I've just gone crazy... I've just splurged BIG TIME on this:

I've been completely and utterly sucked into the idea of a MYSTERY SAMPLER CLUB. *SLURP*

Thankfully ABC Stitch is offering this club online, I didn't have a LNS to turn to you see. So THANK YOU ABC Stitch! Not only will I get the mystery sampler chart in 3 parts, 3 additional designs will be included, All the floss and fibres required, AND I'll be getting the appropriate weeks dye works fabric. YEY! 

Now all I have to do is hurry up and wait hehe.

One last quick thing - here's my June TUSAL report.

... nada! I've been merrily stitching away at my friendship sampler and not one of my ORTs have made it into the jar. Not that I've had many ORTs because I've been conserving my thread like a maniac because I'm terrified to run out of the floss I'm using... for fear of having to wait weeks to get more. 

Ciao for now!

Melissa