What's on the Needle Wednesday - WIP - The Satsuma Street Garden Cat continues to blossom

Nothing else aside from Garden Cat is being worked on right now.  Not that I've gotten a lot of time to work on even my Garden Cat.  SIGH, life has intervened.  But that's okay, I still find bits of time here and there to work on it and so I have progress to share.  The bottom is nearly done which would leave just the clouds and sun.  Then finis!

Rosalie the kitten is truly feeling at home now and she's made a good friend in Ben, who really seems to be taken with her.  

What's on the Needle WIP Wednesday - Satsuma Street's Garden Cat (Post #2 progress)

I loved kitting up this project, the colors are so happy, so joyous, so darn....COLORFUL!!!!!  They make you smile just seeing them splayed out.  Stitching this on the Irish linen has actually been fun, my only quibble (and it's small, so it's a quibble, smallest on the chain of issues) is that the slight variations in the weft (the crosswise threads) can sometimes make it a larger looking area of a stitch.   But that's not a big deal, hence, a quibble.

Otherwise, I'm just stitching and loving the picture emerging from the end of my needle.

Here's the latest addition to our family, a little rescued calico kitten we've named Rosalie.  She's just 12 weeks old and so sweet, feisty and lovable.  She might be a stitching buddy if she can just get over wanting to capture the needle and thread...her presence has done wonders for our cat Ben, who loves all of her attention, he has a buddy now!

Another finish - Mill Hill Beads Paisley Pumpkin

I'm not sure if I love working with perforated paper but this was a fun pattern to stitch, lots of color, lots of style, and plenty of texture with the beads.

What's on the Needle WIP Wednesday ***New project in Progress - Garden Cat***

There are great things about belonging to a stitching group - via Facebook - encouragement, help, and often inspiration.  The downside?  Your wallet might scream a lot.  Ignore it.  bwahahaha

Case in point, I've seen some adorable, bright, and whimsical Satsuma Street projects shared.  They are inspired by the art of Mary Blair, Disney artist extraordinaire, and are sold as immediate digital downloads via Etsy.  Oh my, such cuteness all around.  I've downloaded a bunch and am so looking forward to stitching them.  

This is my first and it is Garden Cat.   I'm not sure if I'll make it into a very large throw pillow or frame it or even hoop frame it....decisions decisions...

A finish - the first of 2015

This was a fast project, needed to be as I dilly dallied thinking I had more time before I took this on.  Which isn't a good idea when it's a  Teresa Wentzler pattern.

This is a freebie entitled, "Celtic Cross," from her blog.  I changed up the colors for this as it was a gift for my niece's confirmation, her confirmation name is Mary and the Blessed Mother is associated with the color blue so hence, this was worked in blues.  I'm finding the best way to change a color scheme is pick out the original choices, then use that color hue selection to make the change with other shades.  The hardest part was couching the gold cord over the finished stitching.  Needed a sharp needle to make these work.  It looks off in terms of the stitching but I do think that's the photography.  That's my story.

She loved it and put the framed piece right on her wall.  Ah, a finish!

WIP - Prairie Schooler booklet - Home Words

There is no place like home.  Home Sweet Home.  The soft place we have to land when life is tough.  Home might be a traditional family of Mom and Dad (you might be either), 2.5 kids, minivan, and a nice home in the suburbs.  Your home might be a partner and three cats or three roommates and one cat.  But whatever it happens to be, I hope that you have a safe place to land where there is someone or something that loves you and comforts you.

I would like to make a wall in our dining room set aside for wordy cross-stitch - the samplers, the sayings, and so on.  My dream is to paint it a warm, buttery yellow that will just make those who enter feel embraced and cozy.  That's the plan and I hope to make it happen this summer.  Then I can add more and more wordy cross stitch projects to the wall.  Perhaps seasonal changes or perhaps not.  That's the beauty of thinking about it and having options.

So, here's a work in progress.  It's a Prairie Schooler, because I love my Prairie Schoolers and it is from a booklet entitled Home Words.  The one I'm working on is Home Sweet Home.  It's on 18ct. Aida, but you know, I have to get back to you on the color.  It's kind of an oatmeal shade...and I like it with the style of the sampler, it has a rustic but not primitive feel.  It makes me think of a happy place for me, aside from home, Colonial Williamsburg.

 I think the pet on the left is supposed to be a dog, but I'm thinking for me it should be a second cat, we always have at least two in the home at any given time.  

Surprise through the mail

Isn't it wonderful to come home to happy mail?  A handwritten letter or postcard?  Yes, it beats little bill window envelopes every time.

Imagine my joy and surprise to find this beautiful stitched postcard in my mail.  It came from Virginia Beach unscathed from my darling friend Jana!

She's the bestest!

I hope to have something new to share with you soon, I've taken up the needle once again!