I Wish You Joy_Jane Austen ~ New Start & Finish

Here is an adorable pattern I found on The Sampler Girl website!  I LOVE Jane Austen, so I bought this e-pattern which was very easy and enjoyable to make.  I started it on August 29th and finished it on August 31st. 

I used a 27 count linen banding 4 inches across in Natural color.  The designer of the pattern had suggested different types of thread from Crescent Colours to The Gentle Art & DMC, but also had the conversion to DMC of the former ones.  I decided to use the colors she suggested, but unfortunately, I couldn't find the Crescent Colours "Capri" (which was a beautiful blue) on 123stitch.com where I placed my order.  I searched the other colors, and comparing it to the picture of the finished piece, I chose "Tyler Boy Blue".  But sadly, when it arrived, it wasn't the color I was expecting... I used it anyway, and though I am happy with the results, I am not completely in love with it...

27 ct. Natural Linen Banding

2 strands over 2

Crescent Colours, The Gentle Art & DMC

Started August 29th, 2012

Finished August 31st, 2012

Here are some detail shots:

 

 I really love this linen banding!  It has very pretty pyramid designs on either side.


This is what the finished piece looks like.  I think the designer did such a beautiful finish!
So now I need to go outside and find me some little sticks, and then a lovely ribbon to tie it with!

Annie ^_^

Butterflies Galore SK WIP Update

After I finished "Love Cafe", I decided to continue stitching up Butterflies Galore Storykeep.  So here is the progress of what I have been stitching for the past 2 weeks:

I have almost finished the second page and I have done some on the third (and last) page.  I can't believe how much I have stitched these past 2 weeks!  This is what it looked like the last time I had worked on it back in May:

I just love stitching her and her butterflies up!

Annie ^_^

Love Cafe ~ Finished!

I finished Love Cafe earlier this week, and I just love it!  Here it is:

"Love Cafe"

by Soda Pattern Mall

Started:  Sunday June 24th, 2012

Finished:  Monday August 6th, 2012

18 count white Aida cloth

2 strands over 1

Here are some detail shots:

Even though I washed it and ironed it, the creases where the fabric was originally folded won't go away... Does anyone know how to get rid of those?  I'm still very happy with it, though!

Annie ^_^

"Spring Bunnies" start & finish_PLUS framed Jane, Heathcliff & Darcy!

I have this Gorgeous painting hanging on my wall called "The Bridge" by Tammy Mae Moon, which has a fox and a rabbit in it.  I already have a finished cross stitch of a fox (see it here on my blog) by Sewingseed, so I wanted to stitch up a pattern with a bunny in it.  I found the most adorable & the prettiest pattern on Etsy! It's called "Spring Bunnies" from a shop called PatternBird (click on link to go directly to shop).

I started it on Saturday July 28th and finished on Tuesday July 31st.  I stitched it on 14 count Sand Aida, using 2 strands over 1.  I changed the original color yellow to a mustard yellow (783) so that it could match the painting more.  Here is the finished and framed "Spring Bunnies":

I made a little mistake with the backing though... I cut the cardboard to small so it would not fit snugly in the back (OOPS!) But instead of undoing everything and starting over, I just glued the backing to the back of the cross stitch.  Still looks nice:

Here is a close up and a picture of it hanging next to "The Bridge" painting:

If you like "The Bridge" painting by Tammy Mae Moon, click on this link:  MoonSpiralArt to go directly to her etsy shop.


And now here are the framed Jane Eyre, Heathcliff, and Mr. Darcy I had done a while back by BookPilgrim (click on links to see them on my blog):

Annie ^_^

Love Cafe ~ WIP progress

I have been working on my Love Cafe cross stitch all this week, and I have made a bit of progress!  I decided to go ahead and do some of the backstitching around the couple and the umbrella + chair.  Here it is!

Apart from the hoop creases, I think it looks Super Adorable and Fantabulous!!! I haven't done any back stitching on the boy's legs yet and I still have to stitch the girl's legs, the kitty and all of the background stuff.  Here are a couple of close-up shots:

Annie ^_^

Love Cafe ~ New Start

Hi!  I was browsing through cross stitch blogs, and came across a lovely blog called Therapy by Thread.  In a June entry, I saw the most adorable cross stitch the blogger had made called Love Cafe!  Here is her blog entry.  She had included the link to the website she had gotten it from, so I went ahead and bought it too!  It's from a shop called Soda Pattern Mall!

Here is a picture of Love Cafe!

It is so Super Adorable!!! I printed the pattern, and started right away!  I decided to stitch it on 18 count white aida.  Lucky for me, my mom had some white 18 count aida left, and she is so sweet, she gave it to me! ^_^
I started it on Sunday June 24th while I was at my in-laws' chalet up north, celebrating St-Jean-Baptiste (a Quebec holiday)!  After 1 week of stitching, I had this:

It doesn't look like much, but the colors are so cute!  This is so fun to stitch!  I worked on this project for another 2 weeks, and this is what I have done so far:

It looks blurry without all the backstitching... But already it is looking Wonderfully Adorable!  I think that I will stop here and start doing some backstitching and then continue with the cross stitch.  Here is a close up!

Annie ^_^

The Raven - Finish

I have finally finished "The Raven" I had started last month.  I finished it last night.  Here it is:

"The Raven" by La D Da

Started:  May 13, 2012

Finished:  June 20, 2012

28 count Linen

2 strands over 2

HOORAY!

Annie ^_^

Blossoms & Blackbirds - Finish!

I just finished Blossoms & Blackbirds!  It took me 5 days (started Sunday June 3rd, finished Thursday June 7th).  It was very simple and lovely to stitch!

It really is so Pretty!  I would love to stitch more samplers from Little House Needleworks!

Annie ^_^

Blossoms & Blackbirds - New Start

I have been working on a new & adorable project for the last couple of days.  It's called "Blossoms & Blackbirds" from Little House Needleworks.  I just ADORE their designs!!! I have a few patterns from them, and I decided to start with this little one:

I am having such a Super Fun time stitching this one!  I am using a 28 count linen in off white.  This pattern uses DMC floss and I am stitching with 2 strands over 2.  Here is my progress after one day:

... and after two days:

It is SO CUTE!!! (sorry about the hoop marks)
I can't wait to finish this one!  It will be so lovely!!!

Annie ^_^

The Raven WIP

Here is a WIP of The Raven I had started last month.  I have completed the bottom half:

The little design under the writing looks bluish in the photo, but in actuality, it's gray. 
I had some trouble while working on the letters... I made a mistake, and had to undo what I had stitched (about 2 letters).  Also, I received a cortisone shot in my right arm, which gave me a lot of pain for about 3 days.  So progress has been quite slow.  Nevertheless, I think it's coming out pretty cute!

Annie ^_^

The Raven

I started a new cross stitch project!  I had the pattern plus materials for a while now, and decided I felt like starting it. 

The chart is called "The Raven" by La D Da.  I Love crows and ravens, and this particular chart has a phrase from my favorite poem, Edgar Allen Poe's The Raven!
I am stitching this on 28 count Linen in "Desert Sand" color.  I am using 2 strands DMC floss over 2.  I have been working on it for a couple of days.  Here is what I have done so far:

It's not much so far...I am still quite slow, but I just love cross stitching, so I am still enjoying the little bit that I can do!

Annie ^_^

Butterflies Galore SK WIP Update

During these past 3 to 4 weeks, I have been going back to work part time and still doing my physiotherapy.  I am having a very hard time with my work, and a lot of my pain has returned.  So I have not been doing too much cross stitching.  I have been stitching my Butterflies Galore StoryKeep.  The picture below is what I had done about a month ago, the same time I was working on the kawaii sushi.

I had some colors missing so I had to wait to get those before I continued.  About a couple of weeks later I had done most of her face.  She was starting to look really pretty!

A couple of weeks later still I had almost completed the first page, minus a few stitches and gone on to the second page with the butterflies!

She looks Amazing with her hair framing her face!  I am looking forward to finishing this piece, even though I am very slow, especially since my injury.

Kawaii Sushi Start & Finish!

There is a shop on Etsy called Wee Little Stitches where they sell the cutest little cross stitch patterns!  I loved this kawaii sushi pattern they had, so I bought it. The shipping was fast, and the pattern + explanations were super clear!  They also have a super cute blog http://weelittlestitchescrossstitch.blogspot.ca/ you should go check them out!!!

For this project I used a 14 count Aida fabric in Willow Green.  I used 3 strands for the cross stitch, and 2 strands for back stitching and french knots.  I started on Sunday April 8, and finished on Monday.  It was so much FUN!!!  Here are some WIPs:

The colors the designer had chosen were Perfect!  It even looks amazing just like this, without the kawaii faces!  But of course, I adore all things kawaii, so I added the faces, and the lettering, too.  Here is the finished Kawaii Sushi:

OMG!!! IT IS JUST SO CUUUTE!!!!!!!!
The finished piece is 4 x 6 inches.  I just love Kawaii Shushi! 

Annie ^_^

Liebster Award & Adventure Time Finish

Hi! First I am so happy to announce that I received a Liebster Award by the lovely Ali from Faerie! Thank you so much Ali, it so sweet of you and it feels so nice to receive one!

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 bloggers create new connections. 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 5 random facts about yourself that people don't know about you.

5 Blogs I give the award to:
1- Sewingseed :  A super lovely & talented cross stitch designer who has a shop on Etsy.  I have made a fox from her design which came out beautiful.
2- Kathy's Stitching Blog :  Beautiful stitching!  Her fairies are gorgeous and full of sparkle!!! She inspires me to stitch more!
 3- Melissa's Stitching Room :    I love how she stitches the faces of the beautiful fairies & mermaids she makes!  Gorgeous blog!!!
4- MrsDibble Cross Stitching & Other Threads : She does it all!  Beautiful cross stitch and gorgeous quilts!!
5- My Huuuge HAED Project :  She is stitching a beautiful cross stitch, and also draws gorgeous pics of animals!

Thank you to the Nominator:
A big thank you to Ali who nominated me for this lovely award!  Her blog, Faerie, is full of super beautiful cross stitching, mainly from Heaven and Earth designs.  ^_^

5 random facts:
1. I adore Japanese anime & everything kawaii!
2. I love reading.  If I'm not stitching, I have my nose in a book.  I especially love teen novels.
3- My favorite food is spaghetti with tomato sauce.  I can eat it every day, even for breakfast! Yum!!
4-  If I see something fluffy (like a kitty or a stuffed animal) I just HAVE to touch it!! It becomes a physical need!
5- I have no sense of direction.  I can get lost in my own backyard.  I get confused and frustrated with maps.  It's just hopeless!

And now for Adventure Time!  It didn't take me all this time to finish it.  First, my arm/shoulder pain came back.  My doctor wanted me to try going back to work to see if I had healed well.  I hadn't!  All my pain and numbness came back, so I could stitch for a while.  Then I started stitching a tiny bit every other day.  But then, just as I was almost finished, I ran out of the orangey-yellow color I was using for Jake.  My mom had some, but the lot is different.  You can see a bit on his hand that the color differs a bit.  Here it is:

So now I need to frame it.  I think it looks really cute!

Annie ^_^

Adventure Time_Finn & Jake (WIP)

So I have been working on my little Adventure Time cross stitch for the past couple days.  I finished all of Finn the Human, including the whites.  I also finished the black outline for Jake, and then I started to fill him in, but I did not like the color I had chosen for him.  So I undid it, and found another color which looks great, but I don't have a lot of it, and I'm nervous that it won't be enough... Here it is:

Finn is supposed to have missing teeth, since he gnaws things and fights monsters all the time, but I really didn't like how unclear he looked, so I decided to add some back-stitching to his mouth and teeth to make it look clearer:

I think it looks much better with the back-stitching!  Now I need to finish filling out Jake and then write "MATHEMATICAL!" above.  Here are some close-up details of before and after the back-stitching:

Annie ^_^

Adventure Time_Finn & Jake

Here is an Adorable cross stitch I started.  It's Finn & Jake from Adventure Time!!!  I just LOVE that cartoon! so when I saw the cross stitch pattern, I just had to have it!  I bought it from a shop called Stitchpal on Etsy.  Here is the link to the shop:  http://www.etsy.com/shop/Stitchpal?ref=pr_shop_more
I am stitching it on 18 count white aida using 2 strands.  They had suggested the DMC colors, but I didn't have some of them, and I decided to change a couple of them, too.  I started it on Monday March 5th.  So far, it's coming out so cute! 

This is as of Tuesday March 6th.  I did some of the black outline on Finn to start, and then started to fill out the colors of his backpack and his t-shirt.

This is as of yesterday, Wednesday March 7th.  As you can see, I have done most of Finn, except the teeth and the hat (white).  He is looking so cute!  Next I will continue the black outline for Jake the dog and then fill him in!  It is going to look ALGEBRAIC!!!

Annie ^_^