Stitch Along Week 2

That little goldish bit, that's it for week two. I believe week three is small as well but with two colors, if I remember correctly :)

Stared a new cross stitch. I wanted to cry last night when I realized I messed up BIG and had to frog out A LOT of stitching. I made a point of undoing all the mistake before going to bed because I knew if I left it, I wouldn't go back to it, I was so disgusted with myself. It's all good now so continue I shall!

Teacup Progress And Something New

I plugged away at this, this past weekend. Even my husband was shocked how much I did.

Started another pieces as well. This is for a Stitch Along and this week is week one. I am now breaking my own rule and have FOUR projects going on at once. Insert cheesy saying about rules here :D

Now For The Back Stitching

This is one of those pieces that I will admit the back stitching is necessary. That doesn't mean I have to like it. Some of it won't be so bad, it's just when I get the faces that it gets harder. I will try very hard this time not to get sloppy or impatient, make it good practice for later since this one is going on my wall.

New Cross Stitch

I put my Ocelot aside for a bit and started working on this. Since the Ocelot is a personal piece, I had to remind myself that it doesn't need to be finished right away. So I started on this piece that is for a contest. Stitching Pirates on DeviantArt run contests through out the year and I decided to give it a go. Butterflies are beautiful and I like them but can't ever find a reason to include them into a piece of art. Also, beads. I like beads, now I have an excuse to put them in a cross stitch piece ^_^

Cross Stitch Progress

Even though I didn't get to work again this week, it wasn't so bad. I got to walk the dogs almost everyday and visit my husband's niece and her step mom who was amazing and gave me all her cross stitch goodies. My cross stitch hoard is amazing and ALL MINE!

I really can't wait to finish the blob with the ducky, it's the cat's belly but right now it looks like nothing. Seriously not taking another progress shot of this piece till I am about to do the back stitching.

I don't see the progress on this one till I compare it to the previous progress shot. I originally was going to take my time on this one but I already know what my next big project is going to be and I can't wait so I'm pushing on this now. I will only let myself work on two cross stitch pieces at once because I know I won't finish them if I keep starting new ones :D

I get to work next week which means I probably won't post at all or only once. SO yeah back to regular schedule :)

Cross Stitch Progress

I'm trying a different method, instead of sticking to a spot and working out from it, I am now sticking to one color as much as I can do in the part I have framed. It just may be going a little faster that way. Only problem with that is if there is a lot of the color (like there was with the black and white) I start to go a little crazy and antsy to work on another color. I honestly don't know why.

Look at the cute ducky blob! Besides it being on sale I think I got this cause of that darn cute duckling!

You have posted everyday this week, what is going on?!
No work, all week. I really hate how slow summers are, August needs to hurry up and get here so I can WORK. Because next week, no work all week AGAIN. So I might try to post Mon.-Fri. again.

New Small Piece

Looks like a funny little blob right now but when it is done it will be a kitten and duckling duo. Found it for 60% off at the craft store and was like yes please! The only regret will be when I have to do the large amount of back stitching at the end :/

Wordless Wednesday

Spot the Ocelot?

Okay I wouldn't really name it Spot but that was the only thing that popped into my head for a title :D

I am super excited that it now has a full face. Canvas wise I am half way done but stitch count wise I probably am not because the bottom half is fuller then the top. It is also possible for me to say I am done but it would bug me knowing there was more and didn't do it.
So I'll do it.

Dragon WIP

I want to say it was about two weeks ago I took my dragon cross stitch outside on a sunny day to get a picture. This did not help bring out the copper fabric at all.

I think it looks horrid there. So the other day I tried lighting in a different room and got this:

Next I am going to stick it in the blasted scanner and see what happens. There is no win with this fabric and this recent photo may be the closest you'll be able to tell it's color.

Dragon Cross Stitch

The lighting in my house is terrible for photos, when it isn't raining out (like it is now) I will have to take the next picture then so you can really see and appreciate the lovely copper color of this fabric. It breaks my heart knowing they don't make them shimmery like this anymore (that I have seen). This is the guy that it will turn into:

It is a 12in x 18in. sooo it might take me a bit :D

Ocelot Progress

Very close to a fourth of the way done. I really like how the pattern was made for the ocelot as the colors do seem to blend very well. It just makes me that much more excited to see it finished.

I've had dragons on the brain lately (pffft please, when do I not?!) and I have a pattern made and ready for another tribal/silhouette dragon. I can't wait to start on it so I can take a picture of the cloth as it is an interesting burnt copper color ^_^

It Begins!

It didn't take long for me to break down and start my next cross stitch piece. This one is going to be a 8in x 10in and I am in no hurry to get it done. Definitely taking my time on this one after pushing myself so hard on the last one.

The weather is unpleasantly cold right now. We received two inches of snow, people acted like it was something totally new and now it is a toasty 8 degrees out. Been hiding under the blankets most of the day :D Come on spring!!

Two Weeks Already?!

It really feels like time is flying for me. I had to double check the calendar this morning to see if it really was time for me to make another progress post. Maybe two weeks is to often?

Maybe I will have the center finished in the next two weeks and I can start the circle. Something tells me I'm not going to like the circle :D

Just Keep Stitching...

Finally made it to the skull. I really wanted to do the skull, I feel like it is the half way point for the middle :D I have found that the large black areas around the white parts are the most mind numbing. It makes it feel hopeless in reaching the end. Now I try to switch back and forth from white and black to break it up a bit, seems to be working so far :)

New Q Snap And Petite Frame Holder

After serious consideration (Because I do not go into any purchase without careful thought) I bought the Q Snap a few months ago and the frame holder just a few weeks ago. I have to say they are both VERY good investments. The Q Snap is easier to hold then a hoop but of course you will still get hand cramps and fatigue. My hands are abused enough as is at work so I looked into the lap frames. There is the petite one which is the one I bought, the Z arm for more distance adjust-ability, and of course the floor frame that the base sits on the floor.

This petite frame is the best thing EVER. I can sit here and cross stitch all day long if I wanted to with no hand fatigue. Best $50 spent on Amazon! Also I can position it so that I will sit up straight and not slouch my back and hurt it. I probably could talk this thing up all day long but to end it here, if you are a serious cross stitch/embroidery fiend, get a lap frame.

So supposedly next month is Dinovember. This sounds awesome and fun but I really don't want to go and buy plastic dinos so I am seriously contemplating doing my own little dino drawing a day thing as my way of "participating". I even have a new dinosaur drawing book I stumbled upon!

Two Weeks Later

I had totally meant to post this last week, but things just, happened and I never got around to it.

If nothing else, I love that this blog sort of forces me to make progress shots because sometimes it amazes me to see how much gets done. I developed a system the past two weeks that if I can keep it up, I can get a good bit stitched each week and just might get this bugger done at a decent time :D

Sadly I can't wait to finish it so I can A. take a break and B. start a cross stitch kit because I miss having 30 different thread colors to keep up with. Besides the kit I have is an ocelot and who doesn't like those little cuties?!

Oh! A co-worker totally asked me to draw a tattoo for them! *fist pump* Incentive to let my pencils see the light!!

Don't Know What To Put Here, Sorry

My wrist got really sore this weekend so I am taking a break from cross stitching this week and figured I would do an update on here.

From the looks of it, I will have this done waaay before November! I am hoping to finish it by the end of June so that I can start on the husband's request which he wants done by Christmas.

Some beautiful tulips made it out this spring that we had planted in the fall. We were surprised at some of the colors we got.

We expanded our garden this year to twice as long and had no trouble filling it! The two I really hope come out well are the carrots and the red butter crunch lettuce, yummy!!

Also I recently got my first tattoo! A bit sad what my first had to be but this way my fur baby is with me forever.

I took a copy of his actually paw print with me and that was used for it. I will most likely do this for all my pups when they pass, they are my children :)

Since I won't be cross stitching myself to death this week, I will be working on drawings. I have a tattoo design to make for a co-worker, and I really want to draw a dragon. I'm getting the dragon itch again.

Back on Track

I am hoping I am back on track now after teetering the past few months, not being mentally able to work on art. Before spring is my worst; I have to wean off my winter meds, cabin fever is running rampant, and you can't do anything yet cause it is still too damn cold.

Now though I have been working on art a little here and there till I start to get the feel for it. Right now my big deal is that I am disappointed in myself for letting so many decent drawings go unfinished. So my goal at the moment is to finish them and I am surprised which one I went back to first.

Even though it is so small, it is taking me so long because there is so much detail in the piece. I have never done something like it before.

If I loved HTTYD art before, my respect for it has escalated tremendously since working on this piece. Getting closer to the dragon has really shown the attention and love that went into making these dragons and my heart almost aches with envy. The creators are so lucky to be part of something so fantastic.

It was suggested to me to spray my "Eye of Toothless" piece with gloss fixative simply because they thought it would look better glossy.

Glossed

Before Gloss

I was shocked to see the difference it made, I really had no idea the fixative could improve the way it looked.

Of course I am also working on a cross stitch piece which happens to be the largest one I have ever taken on.

15in x 18in and it's going to have somewhere around 36,800 stitches. I have a rough guesstimate that it will take me till the end of the year to finish it :D

Art Update And New Toy

This is as far as I got with it before I got...bored? Restless? Something. Maybe I'll go back to it, really don't know.

So I have had these urges to do fanart. I think I have been looking at too much of other peoples art and now want to do my own. Contagious I guess but I also look at it as a way from me to explore with drawing as some might present challenges. Of all things I have started with Pokemon, yes I still play the games and no I don't watch the anime. So a few of them are going to show up till I get this all out of my system and move on.
Here is the first one:

"Plusle and Minun"
6in. x 6in.
Colored Pencil on Bristol smooth

I read this interesting article on using mineral spirits on colored pencil. I loved the demonstrations they gave and had to try it myself. I used mineral spirits on the background of this and love how it looks. I think it did a better job of blending the two colors together then if I had done without or used a blender. So I will definitely be exploring more with the spirits in other drawings.

Today I got my new colored pencils I ordered super early. This is the first time since I started using Prisma pencils that I have bought any other brand of colored pencil.

They were on clearance with free shipping so I thought they were calling to me :D I am now going to go use them on my next drawing!

Oh and I have twitter now! *points to right side bar*