New Beginnings!

Officially, Christmas season has ended yesterday. Thank you Lord for all the blessings especially the gift of Love, Patience, Faith and Hope. 

Time for New Beginnings for all of us... not only from within but also physically and mentally. I remember my Mom and maternal grandmother would diligently clean the whole house (inside and out) and if we can afford it they will change old stuffs to new ones especially the ones from the kitchen or dining room. I was taught that new beginnings should start with cleanliness around you. And I'm glad I learned that from two important women and mentors of my womanhood. I believe on cleanliness not only from within you but also AROUND you. 

After the clean-up, I wanted to make some new beginnings on my crafts as well. How can I do such a thing? I still have 3 UFOs (unfinished objects) in my box. Well, I have a confession... I joined a Crazy Challenge 2012 on Facebook. We are a stitching group of crazy or obsessed cross stitchers/ needleworkers aiming to finish 15 projects on 2012. But one of the rules is to start 1 project at a time for 15 consecutive days. It means you will be starting 15 new projects for 15 days. Then on the 16th day onwards you are on your own to finish them. (I know it's INSANITY!) That's why it's called a challenge anyway. The good part is I'll be starting only 12 projects because I can include my 3 UFOs which I did. 

I wanted to show you my progress on these Part I of my new beginnings.

Day 1: Butterfly Fairy, a Joan Elliott design. You know I love butterflies... she is perfect as my first big project of JE.  

Day 2: Butterfly Fairies, a Lesley Teare design (another of my favourite fantasy designer). This will be a Christmas present for 2012. 

Day 3: Flower Fairies All Seasons, a Mary Cicely Barker design (who will forget a great earlier designer like her?).

 

Day 4: Fairy, a DMC design. You know her... I feel bad not having time on finishing her. 

Day 5: 99, an Ink Circles design. I need to finish this first because it will be Mr. D's birthday present. I know he will love this. 

Day 6: Angel of Cross Stitch, another Joan Elliott design (isn't it obvious I love her designs?).

Day 7: Angel of Spring, a Marilyn Leavitt-Imblum design (I consider her my best designer of all time). Why? Not only are her earlier designs beautiful but they are all unique, impeccably perfect, intricately made, and a challenge for us stitchers.  

Day 8: Futurecast, a Teresa Wentzler design. This will be the smallest project but the most challenging  because of the blending filaments and threads, specialty threads, and lots of beads. Good luck to me! 

Watch out for my remaining progress on these challenge. I am actually doing pretty good. *a pat on the back. 

Part 2 of my new beginnings...

I learned from other stitchers about "ort" jars. It is a jar where you fill it up with unusable threads or left-overs. When it's filled-up you can use it as an accessory for ornaments or you can leave it for the birds to build their nests. Wouldn't it be so cool and awesome to find colourful nests on your trees? I so love the ideas of having ort jars so I started filling up one. 

Part 3 of my new beginnings...

You see a familiar design. I started my year with new made to orders from my Etsy shop. I'll be making three customized pillows for a nice lady. Already paid in full so I started order #1 last night. *doing the happy dance

More new beginnings coming up.... Happy New Year everyone! I wish you all prosperity and happiness. Embrace new life, new beginnings. 

The Time of the Year

I have been listening to Kenny G's Christmas songs since yesterday inside my craft room. I need more than that to feel the joy of this festive season. I miss my families and friends back home.... it hurts me to know that some people around me don't believe on this Christlike season. A pity on them... I'm glad though that Mr. D believes on my stories of Christmas... from childhood to adulthood. It warmed my heart to see the sparkle on his eyes when he is happy because I am happy. We both decided to celebrate Christmas in Church then lunch out. I thank my parents for showing me the spirit of Christmas as I grew up. I still believe in Santa. I know he is now a very, very busy jolly old fellow. 

Oh, yes I was busy too with my handmade presents. I am happy to announce that I am almost done with all the presents. Some of them were already shipped a couple of weeks ago. No answers yet from the recipients and I hope they appreciate the efforts and love my husband and me poured on them. 

These are the Christmas towels I stitched as presents for Mr. D's relatives. I love his family in Illinois and Missouri. They are sweet and thoughtful. I added one baby bib for a newborn cousin. He is the youngest cousin. So adorable too! 

I used this book of Lesley Teare, 101 Weekend Cross Stitch Gifts. The designs are cute and quick to stitch. Just what I needed. 

This is the big project I stitched for Mr. D's maternal grandparents. They are Christians and we both believe that they will love this work hanging on their dining room wall. I hope we are right. This is called "Be Present at our Table" designed by Sandy Orton. On close-up photo, I used some specialty stitches like lazy daisy and French knots. I love stitching specialty stitches because they make your works look better and detailed. Took me 2 weeks to finish this. I enjoyed it! 


I also want to share 2 finished RR pieces I have stitched.

This is an adorable "Snowman" designed by Linda Bird from Treasured Memories book of Craftways. The RR piece is owned by Nikki from South Africa. She likes it. 

Finally, this is the finished "Rose" that I have showed to you before. Designed by Joan Elliott from Floral Minis leaflet. The RR piece goes to Janet from Arizona. She likes it too. 


Right now, I'm working on some Christmas cards... not the usual ones that you see. I know I can finish this before Christmas. The recipients would receive them late but I'm sure they will love it. 


It's the MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR!!! Merry Christmas everyone! God loves us and He gave us His only Son. Let's celebrate and be merry! 

Start of My Holiday Season

Life should be celebrated whichever way you want it to be. I want mine with my husband and our families. Birthdays are like Christmas. We can only give... and if we receive something back that's rewarding. Last Sunday was the beginning of Advent and since then I have been happier because I know I am going to make other people happy too especially the people I wanted to celebrate my life with. It is the season of Giving. 

Mr. D started giving away something for me. Last night he gave away his precious TIME. It's not that we are not together often... it's the way he gave it to me. Straight from work and tired, he drove me to town to view the Holiday Lights. He knows I love Christmas lights so much. It was a surprise. I know, I know... I'm a lucky wife. 

Hmmm... I hope even though I'm on my 30s now, my name is still on the list. I have been good Santa. Really I am! 

The joy of celebration involves intense preparation. And I am already stressed out. I still have a lot of stitching work to finish. I even postponed my holiday projects on my Etsy shop. If it involves needle and threads, I'm already happy and contented amidst deadlines. With respect to my clients, I have already shipped all my orders. So nothing to worry on that. 

This is the photo of my on-going project for the Tanners. I'm almost done. Just few more specialty stitches to add then it's ready to be rolled and wrapped. I have been rotating this project with another one. 

This project is for my current Round Robin. It's for Janet from Arizona. Her theme is floral and I chose to stitch a rose designed by Joan Elliott. It's almost done also. Just a few backstitching and french knots left. 

One of my Christmas gifts to myself is a subscription of cross stitch magazines. I started with Just Cross Stitch. Wow! After a few days, they sent me an awesome special issue magazine. 

Isn't it cool? Well, I love it. I only flipped the pages because I don't have reading time for now. And the designs are gorgeous and unique. I can only stitch one ornament for my 1 year old tree. 

I also subscribed for Cross Stitch Card Shop magazine. I still need 4 more subscriptions and Santa knows it, it's in my list. I won't be asking for some designer shoes and bags this time. It would be perfect to start the year with new subscriptions of your favourite hobby. 

Geez, tomorrow is the first day of December. 

Blues

The fall season is giving me the blues instead of orange and yellows. Insomnia came back to my life so I called my father... It's amazing how a voice from afar can give someone joy and peace. I thank God for all the graces, blessings, and LOVE He has given us during our dark times.

I want to share to you some of the views around my area or lane. Yes, we do have some lovely yellows that you can see by the road. It has been like this for weeks now. 

This one is my favourite spot. This meadow is owned by one of our neighbours. Every morning and afternoon you can see the cows grazing the grass or taking shelter. Such a lovely scene. We are so fortunate that we live in the country. 


I have been busy preparing the house for the holiday feasts... and I'm still not done. Stitching will never be a chore so I'm not complaining about it. 

Chinese Dragon is done. I already mailed it to another stitcher in Arizona. Now, I'm just waiting for 2 other pieces for me to stitch. One should be from Arizona and the other from South Africa. This will give me ample time to finish some Christmas presents. 

Sssshhh! This current project or WIP is a Christmas gift for my husband's maternal grandparents. It's called Be Present At Our Table. Designed by Sandy Orton. I found this from a new book I bought, Faithful Inspirations. The book is a keeper... lucky me! 

Here is my progress. I started this last Sunday, Nov 13. Yeah, I know, I'm a fast stitcher. I'm sure I can finish this week. I'm enjoying this so much because I'm only using 2 blue colours... light and dark. Hmmm.... best compliments my emotions. 


I still have lots to stitch before Thanksgiving because I'm sending them to Illinois. Wish me luck everyone! 


I'm going to bed now... it's already morning here I think. 

My Fairy and My Dragon

I know it has been a long time since I came on-line. We are still in despair and put everything in God's healing hands. This is the time when our family is asking for a miracle. I can not dwell more on it in my blog because I promised myself not to publish sad stories of my life. All I ask from you dear readers are prayers for my family back in the Philippines. Thank you. God is forgiving. 

Cross stitching is my refuge but I haven't reach my deadlines. It helped me a lot though. I focused my attention back on my Fairy. 

Finally, I'm done with the wild flowers around her. It was fun stitching with the specialty threads of DMC especially the silk. Thanks to thread heaven. Last night, I started working on her wings. So lovely! I can't wait to show you my progress. 


I remembered telling you about the other RR I joined and this time facilitated. Well, luckily we got another stitcher on board so we can complete 4 squares now on each. It's getting fun.

Above, is the borders for my recent RR. My theme is dragons. I'm getting ready for the water dragon of 2012. Hopefully, I can get this back on January. The pattern for the borders came from Joan Elliott's Crescent Moon Dragon. The book is Bewitching (one of her best books). It just looks perfect for me. The other photo is the progress on my first square. The design is called Chinese Dragon by Lesley Teare from her book, Fantasy Cross Stitch. This book is also worth the keep. Oh, yes, I'm almost done with him. He will be ready for mailing on Monday to another stitcher in Arizona. 


I feel bad for the delay of items being posted on my Etsy shop. Thankfully, Mr. D cooked a new festive candle. 

This new item is called Snowmen. Another gel candle made wonderfully unique and happy. We are accepting orders for customized designs. These snowmen are so adorable! 


I'm all set for a new item which is a unique holiday decoration for any home this season. Stay tuned... 


Have a blessed weekend everyone. 

Ups and Down!

Fruitful and emotional weeks are behind me now. Thank goodness! I learned a lot from other people and how they treat other people too. Tsk! Tsk! Tsk! Anyway, no more sulking. On the brighter side, I have accomplished a lot and made some clients happy. 

I want to start with the charity stitching I have joined in Facebook. The name of the charity group is SFPSFC & Rachels Place Orphanage. Thanks to a good friend and she introduced me to Jane Jibb, the moderator. 

I stitched this cute Letter T for turtle in 2 days only. It reminds me of Mr. D. He is my big tortoise. I got this chart from The Best of Margaret Sherry bookazine. We were asked which letter we can stitch from Margaret's Animal ABC. I chose letter T. I was happy working on it because I know it will be made into a quilt for a special kid. Now, I need to start on a Disney character for another square. Haven't decided yet which one. 

My RR group is doing well also. I'm done with the design. Just need to finish with the lettering. Then it will be off to Michigan for another stitcher. 

 

The design is called A Host of Angels. It came from Sue Cook's Christmas Collection. But for my lettering I got the chart from Enjoy Cross Stitch  Christmas 2011 magazine. I love how the round robins held the letters. So cute! I'm getting excited on receiving a fabric or project from another stitcher. Her theme is White Christmas and I got a chart for that ready. 

The excitement and the challenge on Worldwide Round Robin has just been added. Oh, yes! This time I'm facilitating my own group per request of a friend. It will only be the three of us. I call it RR for 3. It's starting to be fun. I'm getting ready for that too. 

Another good news will come from my Etsy shop of course. 

Do you remember when I told you about a recent MADE TO ORDER? Tadah! All done! My client is so understanding to allow me to use this photo as a sample item for my new listing Outdoor ABC. And she loves it to bits. I'm so happy because I made another Mom happy. 

I don't wanna flood this post tonight so I'll try to post again this week to show you more photos of my items. 

Oh, I'm saddened because I left 2 cross stitching groups. Anyway, there's still 4 groups I'm in. And I love these groups. A variety of people and cross stitch works. I fell in love with Nora Corbett's designs on one group. I just started collecting her designs too. Not to brag, but I only need one more book and my book collection of Joan Elliott's designs are complete. Then I'm ready for my very first cross stitch work of her. Funny thing is the first design I'll stitch will not be coming from a book. It will be a chart pack. I'm still waiting for it in the mail. You will know soon enough. 

Happy weekend everyone!!! 

Be a blessing to others.  

Almost 3 Months!

Because of my craft business which keeps me busy, I consider myself as a working woman. It was affirmed by my hubby. Yes, my shop and/or office is at home but still I earn $$$. I'm so proud of myself. 

My family and friends kept on asking if I'm going back to my second love which is my career in nursing. I said YES! Certainly, I won't give up the 10 years experience of being an RN. I'm just taking it slow right now. Review. Volunteer. Then NCLEX-RN. Thanks to an old friend and Mr. D and they gave me the moral support that I badly need. They are helping me on my decisions and choices. 

You can not always get what you want just by dreaming. You have to be a part of that dream in order for that dream to become a reality. Work it out! 

... And so my craft business is almost 3 months old now. This keeps me busy and focused. Also, I gain more friends and skills. 

You wouldn't believe this but I joined 9 active Facebook cross stitch groups. I noticed it just now. Yay! Anyway, those stitchers make me feel normal and involved. I learned a lot from them too.... about life, family, friends, and other hobbies. They are my community. 

We officially started our Worldwide Round Robin last Oct 1st. 

I'm using Sue Cook's Christmas Cross Stitch Collection book. I got the chart of my borders and project from here. My theme is Spirit of Christmas. I love Sue's designs because they are so colorful, happy and Christmasy. I'm using a hoop because my fabric is huge. It will enable me to stitch only that one big square. My floss are DMC.

This is the first progress of my RR as of October 4th. Aren't they charming? I can finish this next week. I have to so that I can go back to my Fairy. 

Good news! I got a new client for my needlework service. She is nice and knows what she wants. I'm already working on her order. It will be a name plaque for her son. I'm sorry I can't show pictures because I respect my client's privacy. All I can say is that she made better design choices than me. I'm glad we agreed on the current design. It was another challenge for me but I love every bit of it. 

I wanted to show you the latest listing in my Etsy shop. 

Item is called Christmas Teddy gift tags. This trio makes me laugh. They look like little children who wanted their gifts opened ASAP. 

I'm hoping to finish a Halloween item this weekend. I have the lay-out and materials but I need TIME. Maybe I'll get lucky. I'm a night owl who works hard at night after all. 

Have a fruitful weekdays everyone!!! Smile!!!

Back to my Fairy

I'm enjoying my late lunch of reheated baked pork ribs. It's a routine during weekdays - eating alone on lunches or brunches because Mr. D is not home. Might as well enjoy good, instant food. 

Days passed by so fast and the holiday season is in the air. My family in Seychelles are busy with their retail business so Mom kept on traveling in Asia for goods. While I'm busy at home staring and wondering when my "clean-up Fairy godmother" would show up. Sigh! There's a lot to clean and I have to if I want to beat the cold weather who is coming soon. And I still don't have a theme for Christmas. Think, think, think. 

I know talking about domestic lifestyle really sucks sometimes. I kept on reminding that to my husband. Might as well direct you back to my favorite thing in the world. Cross stitching. 

I guess it has been a long time since I touched her. She's my Fairy. I want to give her a name. Maybe I'll name her when I'm done. She inspires me a lot. Because of her I met a lot of cross stitchers worldwide. And some of them are good friends now. So I'm keeping her to remind me of this passion I'm not ready to give up. Thanks to the posts of other stitchers in Facebook and it inspired me to finish her once and for all. I can always make a rotation between her, my items and my RR. 

So what's new with my Etsy shop? 

These are my Red Cheer ornaments. I'm so getting ready for Christmas. I have inserted a lot of Lavender scents inside so it smells so good. I love the red feisty color of the fabric and ribbons. Of course the cross stitch works were stitched well. My favorite is Santa. 

 

This week, I'm going to start ahead of my RR. It will be my first square. Today, I'll create new items for my shop. 

Happy Weekdays everyone!

Just chilling....

"It's a Wonderful Life", my new journal peeked. It helps a lot! It gives joy in my heart and smile on my face. 

Just like this butterfly. There are three of them playing and eating around my golden lantanas. I have been reading and lazing around the whole day inside my craft room. And these beautiful fairies are beckoning me to take their photos and enjoy the sun. While writing this blog, I can still see them outside my window. Are they telling me that it's never enough? That life needs to be fed constantly.... with sweetness, patience and love.

Understandably, we are no machines. We just don't need oil for maintenance. We need to rest and play too! And I'm doing just that. I have this weakness of pushing so hard to finish a goal.... even without sleep or water. Now, I'm learning from mistakes. Take a break or you won't reach your goal. 

Last week, I was able to post new items in my Etsy shop. 

It's called Christmas Flower. A tea light holder for Christmas season.  It will be an attractive piece on a buffet table, a dining table, or even a coffee table. It was my first time to stitch on an Aida band. And it was a rewarding experience which means I'm doing it again and again. 

In line with my shop, I was able to finish another Fairy ABC order.

Everybody just loves Bella! I'll be working on another order for the same client. She is just so sweet! 

Didn't I mention that I joined a Worldwide Round Robin? Well, I did! I'm ecstatic about it! 

This is my 100x100 fabric. All done and ready for my first square. Thanks to a new-found friend and I got invited to join. It will be my first. My theme is "Spirit of Christmas". I used a single heart and stitched it in the middle because for me the spirit of Christmas starts from one's heart. The borders that I used are from Sue Cook's Christmas Cross Stitch Collection. I'm going to use another chart from that book for my first square. Yesterday, I met my group members. They are all so sweet, helpful and excited. They are from South Africa, Canada, and Michigan. Cool! 

See...  isn't Life so wonderful? I guess I'm not alone on this. Smile everyone. There's always a butterfly outside your windows or on your shoulders.