Recap:
Read:
1. Princess Knight 2 by Osamu Tezuka
2. The Snow's Queen Shadow by Jim C. Hines
3. Sailor Moon Volume 1 manga by Naoko Takeuchi
4. Sailor Moon Volume 2 manga by Naoko Takeuchi
5. Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare
6. Sunlight and Shadow by Cameron Dokey
7. Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami
8. So Long and Thanks for All the Fish by Douglas Adams
Stitched:
1. Dentelles de Roses (initial 'A') by Reflets de Soie
Started:
1. Block 3 of Anagram Diffusion's 4 Saisons Sampler
Crafts:
1. Jang Geun Suk magnets
2. 2 Onigiri felt cell phone charms
3. Puzzle piece felt cell phone charm
4. Happy cloud felt cell phone charm
5. 'A' initial jar pincushion
6. Steampunk resin charm
7. Candy resin charm
8. Steampunk octopus felt cell phone charm
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Sunday, January 29, 2012
French pincushion
Design: Initial 'A' from Dentelles de Roses by Reflets de Soie, JCS Jan/Feb 2012
Fabric: 32ct Cream Belfast Zweigart
Threads: DMC 304 and 815
Start/Finish: 1/1/2012
Finish as pincushion: 1/29/2012
This week I was searching the web for cute ideas for making one my cross stitch finishes into a pincushion. I ran across several tutorials for glass jar pincushions and thought I'd give it a try. I had some jars left over from my jam making adventure last year.
What do you think? The only downside is the fact that the lid does not screw all the way down because of the fabric's bulkiness. Otherwise, it's a fun way to finish a small cross stitch design.
Hope you are enjoying your weekend!
Until next time ^____^
Felties
A few more felt cell charms this afternoon. The jigsaw pattern is from Tammy's blog and the happy cloud is from an image that I saw online and thought would make a cute cell charm :)
Until next time ^___^
Until next time ^___^
Saturday, January 28, 2012
I ♥ Onigiri
My first attempt at making a felt plushie. I was looking up onigiri pillow tutorials on youtube and found a felt onigiri tutorial instead! I couldn't help but try it out :)
Most of the ladies and gents in my audience will already have alot of the supplies you need to make these plushies. The only thing I needed to buy was some felt as I already had cell phone lanyards in my stash of jewelry stuff. Felt is cheap too, only 25 cent per sheet! Go wild with colors!
The young lady who uploaded the video also has a blog as well :) I can't wait to make more felt cuties! The onigiri tutorial is easy for beginners so why not give it a try as a gift for those onigiri lovers in your life >____<
Until next time ^____^
Charms, anyone?
After a week of dismal weather with rain and clouds in abundance, the sun finally decided to put in an appearance yesterday and this weekend. With warm weather and sunny skies I was able to use some resin that I had bought at Hobby Lobby several weeks ago.
I saw an interesting freebie craft flyer for resin charms. One of the projects was making a translucent charm using a jewelry frame. According to the directions, all you needed to do was put invisible tape on one side of the frame to secure the resin before pouring.
Here are my results from my first attempt at using Magic Glos resin.
A candy charm. I used some old sprinkles we had in our kitchen cabinets for this experiment. I'm not in love with the results as I should have poured resin first, let it harden, and then applied the sprinkles. As it is, one side is rough with the texture of the candies, while the front is smooth. Hmm.....note for the future!
A steampunk charm. Can you see the imperfections in this charm? When the flyer says 'invisible tape', it really means a large piece that covers the entire surface in one strip. Otherwise, you get a line from the tape wherever you joined the tape at the back to seal the frame for the resin.
The other drawback to using tape is the fact that it traps moisture and you'll have a sticky mess when you peal it off after the front of your charm has dried. When I pealed off the tape, I flipped it over and let it dry on that side in the sun, but it still looked yucky on the back after doing so!
Another lesson, this one pertaining to the frame idea. Since the frame is suppose to hold the glass panel included, there are grooves around the edges for the frame to fit.....which makes for potential problems when your resin dries. This charm looked like it was completely dry, but then the resin that got trapped in the grooves decided to seep out and dry....
So things to avoid in the future:
1. Buy 'clear' frames without grooves if possible.
2. Pour resin first when using candy in a 'clear' frame.
3. Use a larger size of invisible tape to seal frame back when pouring resin.
4. Immediately peel tape off and dry back of piece to avoid stickiness if possible. If the problem still persists, use a bezel setting charm instead :)
5. Do not pour resin out like a mustard bottle, you will get bubbles. Let the resin drop out of the bottle like it is suppose to!
Here ends the lesson!
Until next time ^_____^
I saw an interesting freebie craft flyer for resin charms. One of the projects was making a translucent charm using a jewelry frame. According to the directions, all you needed to do was put invisible tape on one side of the frame to secure the resin before pouring.
Here are my results from my first attempt at using Magic Glos resin.
A candy charm. I used some old sprinkles we had in our kitchen cabinets for this experiment. I'm not in love with the results as I should have poured resin first, let it harden, and then applied the sprinkles. As it is, one side is rough with the texture of the candies, while the front is smooth. Hmm.....note for the future!
A steampunk charm. Can you see the imperfections in this charm? When the flyer says 'invisible tape', it really means a large piece that covers the entire surface in one strip. Otherwise, you get a line from the tape wherever you joined the tape at the back to seal the frame for the resin.
The other drawback to using tape is the fact that it traps moisture and you'll have a sticky mess when you peal it off after the front of your charm has dried. When I pealed off the tape, I flipped it over and let it dry on that side in the sun, but it still looked yucky on the back after doing so!
Another lesson, this one pertaining to the frame idea. Since the frame is suppose to hold the glass panel included, there are grooves around the edges for the frame to fit.....which makes for potential problems when your resin dries. This charm looked like it was completely dry, but then the resin that got trapped in the grooves decided to seep out and dry....
So things to avoid in the future:
1. Buy 'clear' frames without grooves if possible.
2. Pour resin first when using candy in a 'clear' frame.
3. Use a larger size of invisible tape to seal frame back when pouring resin.
4. Immediately peel tape off and dry back of piece to avoid stickiness if possible. If the problem still persists, use a bezel setting charm instead :)
5. Do not pour resin out like a mustard bottle, you will get bubbles. Let the resin drop out of the bottle like it is suppose to!
Here ends the lesson!
Until next time ^_____^
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Monday, January 16, 2012
I Spy!
Wait a second! What's wrong with this picture? Someone has infiltrated our display of art magnets!
Wow, it's Jang Geun Suk! How did he get on my fridge?
LOL I made these magnets this afternoon as an experiment in the use of glass marbles and Mod-Pod glue.
They are going to be for my friend Kristina as JGS is her FAVORITE Korean actor/singer. She's obsessed! >___<
I had made a run by Hobby Lobby this morning and bought a bundle of supplies to make glass magnets. Unfortunately, I got the wrong size hole punch as they didn't have a 1/2 inch hole punch. I thought the 1 inch would work. It was too large and I had to trim the images....which makes it look sloppy. I'll have to go by Michael's or Joann's Fabric this weekend and see if they have the correct size ;)
Until next time ^____^
Another weekend and more progress!
My progress this weekend while watching many episodes of Dark Shadows with my mother. We're addicted!
Until next time ^____^
Monday, January 9, 2012
A weekend's progress
Good morning! I have one question for everyone. Is it Friday yet? That's how I feel this morning. I stayed up last night to watch the season premiere of Downton Abbey. I also stitched a bit as well.
What did you think of the first episode of the series? Did you know that the show is so popular that they are filming a third season? Will we ever see the ending of the story with Matthew and Mary?
At the request of my friend Amanda, I've taken a photo of my WIP project, Sampler 4 Saisons by Anagram Diffusions as well as a photo of the progress I made from Friday night to Sunday night.
Not a major amount of stitching finished over the weekend, but it isn't too bad for all the interruptions such as laundry, housework, and grocery shopping ;)
Have a great week everyone!
Until next time ^____^
What did you think of the first episode of the series? Did you know that the show is so popular that they are filming a third season? Will we ever see the ending of the story with Matthew and Mary?
At the request of my friend Amanda, I've taken a photo of my WIP project, Sampler 4 Saisons by Anagram Diffusions as well as a photo of the progress I made from Friday night to Sunday night.
Not a major amount of stitching finished over the weekend, but it isn't too bad for all the interruptions such as laundry, housework, and grocery shopping ;)
Have a great week everyone!
Until next time ^____^
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Masterpiece Classic
Are you ready? Masterpiece Theatre's Classic season starts tonight with Downton Abbey.
(pictured below: Downton Abbey, Dicken's Great Expectations, Dicken's incomplete novel The Mystery of Edwin Drood, and Faulk's Birdsong.
(pictured below: Downton Abbey, Dicken's Great Expectations, Dicken's incomplete novel The Mystery of Edwin Drood, and Faulk's Birdsong.
A Change of Decorations
My new display of decorations! I changed out the poinsettias for hydrangeas in the ceramic pitcher. I brought out the bunnies! I decided to keep the basket that I got for my cross stitch pillows, etc. for my Christmas display out so I could use it all year. You can untie the liner and take it off, which will be great for when the fall rolls around and you want just the wood of the basket against fall themed pillows!
I also included my felt pom pom cupcakes ;)
The pillows included are for Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, Easter, and my Downton Abbey pillow since Masterpiece's Classic season starts tonight!
Until next time ^_____^
Cupcakes, anyone?
Design: Pom-Pom Valentine's Kit by Valentine Crafts/Hobby Lobby
Materials: felt, pom-poms, cupcake liners, and pipe cleaners
Start/Finish: 1/8/2012
Yesterday morning after taking all our boxes of ornaments and decorations and our tree to storage I stopped by Hobby Lobby. I had to pick up some DMC B5200 thread since I was out of it. While browsing the Valentine's Day section, I found a cute pom-pom kit that allows you to make cupcakes! It was only $2.99 and you can't go wrong with a price like that for an hour of fun!
I have them displayed on a teacup saucer and a porcelain tray. They are currently sitting on the set of drawers in our living room along with my new display of seasonal decorations ;)
Until next time ^____^
Monday, January 2, 2012
Baking Goodies!
Silly me! I forgot to show you the pans that my mother had bought me for Christmas! I didn't take a photo of them, but I found images of them on Williams-Sonoma's website.
First of all, she got me a Brookster baking pan. It makes an unique combo of a brownie and chocolate chip cookie dessert! I didn't get the Brookster mix, but you don't need it to make these brownie/cookies. Just use your favorite brownie recipe and chocolate chip cookie recipe! I can't wait to use this pan ;) With it's large size, you can make jumbo muffins and other yummies!
She also got me a teacake baking pan!! It makes 30 small teacakes in various shapes! How adorable is that?!
I'm definitely going to have fun baking this year!!
Until next time ^____^
First of all, she got me a Brookster baking pan. It makes an unique combo of a brownie and chocolate chip cookie dessert! I didn't get the Brookster mix, but you don't need it to make these brownie/cookies. Just use your favorite brownie recipe and chocolate chip cookie recipe! I can't wait to use this pan ;) With it's large size, you can make jumbo muffins and other yummies!
She also got me a teacake baking pan!! It makes 30 small teacakes in various shapes! How adorable is that?!
I'm definitely going to have fun baking this year!!
Until next time ^____^
French 'A'
Design: Initial 'A' from Dentelles de Roses by Reflets de Soie, JCS Jan/Feb 2012
Fabric: 32ct Cream Belfast Zweigart
Threads: DMC 304 and 815
Start/Finish: 1/1/2012
My first stitching project of the year. It was a quick stitch since I only stitched the first letter from the pattern. I stitched it up last night while my mother and I were watching Dark Shadows.
It uses a specialty stitch, which took me a bit to maneuver at first, the spider web rose. The illustration in the magazine wasn't the clearest on how to position the long stitches to make a base for the rose so I did what I thought it looked like. The pattern actually calls for silk ribbon (which would be pretty), but I used DMC 304 thread instead for the rose.
The pattern comes from the January/February issue of Just Cross Stitch and it quite lovely. If I had the time, I would definitely stitch the entire thing.
Until next time ^____^
Greenman
Design: Greenman pattern by Aimee Ray in Doodle Stitching
Fabric: cotton tote bag
Threads: DMC 704 and 905
Start/Finish: 12/31/2011
My first attempt at using an iron-on transfer! I received Doodle Stitching from my uncle for Christmas. I went through the book and found a pattern that I liked. I ended up printing it on iron-on transfer paper with the idea of decorating a tote bag that I had in my stash! The first picture shows you a better idea of the true color of the bag and the embroidery.
I could have used a split stitch for the pattern, but I opted for the trusty backstitch as the split stitch and I are not friends when it comes to uniform stitches! :P
What do you think? I would try my hand at using tracing paper to transfer patterns, but my skills at drawing are nil.....so I don't think my tracing would be good. LOL How sad is that?!
Until next time ^____^
A Bundle of Gifts
I thought I'd share my stash of goodies that I got for Christmas from my family ;)
This one was a surprise. My mother got my sister and I an art piece from a local ceramic artist in Mississippi named Alisa Holen. This piece is called Chopstix Bowl. The Ohr-O'Keefe Museum of Art in Biloxi, MS is hosting a trio of ceramic exhibitions and Ms. Holen is the curator of one of them. I'll have to find a place for this ceramic piece!
Lots and lots of books. I received a good majority of them from my sister as she knows I'm a bibliophile. The book on samplers and 19th century embroidery were from my aunt. Not pictured is Doodle Stitching by Aimee Ray that my uncle had gotten me. I was using the book for a project so I forgot to take a photo of it! O_o"
Movies! And not just in any movies....lots of Sherlock Holmes, fairy tales, vampires, and BBC drama! I am currently watching Shelley Duvall's Fairy Tale Theatre. I remember seeing a few of the episodes from this show when I was a kid. Do you remember when HBO/Showtime, etc. used to be free for a little while on TV as a preview to buy the channels? That's how I saw this show as a kid.
I've already seen Berkeley Square from BBC. I rented it from the library earlier this year. I was quite sad to see that they stopped producing the episodes on this show as it had a great plot. I'll definitely be watching these DVDs while cross stitching ;)
A Holmes' fan can't go wrong with more Sherlock movies! I'll be breaking those out soon ;)
Dark Shadows! My mother and I have recently started to watch the show as the Johnny Depp movie will be coming out later this year. We are currently on 63 of 1,225 episodes (yes, there are that many)! We've got a long way to go, but we are hooked on the show. (As evident by the two of us screaming at the screen when something doesn't go the way we thought it would in the episodes!) My mother said that she used to watch it as a kid in the 1960s. I had added it to my wish list for Christmas, but didn't realize that I had added the wrong set, which starts with episode 209.....O_o" Well, at least we'll have those to watch when we get that far ;)
Jewelry from my aunt and uncle. A bracelet and earring set and a set of earrings from Honora! The earrings are in various colors of pearl.
*SQUEAL* A knitted set from my aunt! Isn't it lovely! Perfect for chilly mornings and evenings in the South as you really don't need something too heavy (or itchy) to wear!
Close up of the beautiful variegated yarn that my aunt chose for me!
Socks for work! You can't forget the practical gifts! Socks are a must! Who would have ever thought I'd be happy to see socks in my Christmas stash!?! Also a set of travel-sized purses.
Some yummy smelling Philosophy pear shampoo!
Thanks for all the great gifts everyone!
This one was a surprise. My mother got my sister and I an art piece from a local ceramic artist in Mississippi named Alisa Holen. This piece is called Chopstix Bowl. The Ohr-O'Keefe Museum of Art in Biloxi, MS is hosting a trio of ceramic exhibitions and Ms. Holen is the curator of one of them. I'll have to find a place for this ceramic piece!
Lots and lots of books. I received a good majority of them from my sister as she knows I'm a bibliophile. The book on samplers and 19th century embroidery were from my aunt. Not pictured is Doodle Stitching by Aimee Ray that my uncle had gotten me. I was using the book for a project so I forgot to take a photo of it! O_o"
Movies! And not just in any movies....lots of Sherlock Holmes, fairy tales, vampires, and BBC drama! I am currently watching Shelley Duvall's Fairy Tale Theatre. I remember seeing a few of the episodes from this show when I was a kid. Do you remember when HBO/Showtime, etc. used to be free for a little while on TV as a preview to buy the channels? That's how I saw this show as a kid.
I've already seen Berkeley Square from BBC. I rented it from the library earlier this year. I was quite sad to see that they stopped producing the episodes on this show as it had a great plot. I'll definitely be watching these DVDs while cross stitching ;)
A Holmes' fan can't go wrong with more Sherlock movies! I'll be breaking those out soon ;)
Dark Shadows! My mother and I have recently started to watch the show as the Johnny Depp movie will be coming out later this year. We are currently on 63 of 1,225 episodes (yes, there are that many)! We've got a long way to go, but we are hooked on the show. (As evident by the two of us screaming at the screen when something doesn't go the way we thought it would in the episodes!) My mother said that she used to watch it as a kid in the 1960s. I had added it to my wish list for Christmas, but didn't realize that I had added the wrong set, which starts with episode 209.....O_o" Well, at least we'll have those to watch when we get that far ;)
Jewelry from my aunt and uncle. A bracelet and earring set and a set of earrings from Honora! The earrings are in various colors of pearl.
*SQUEAL* A knitted set from my aunt! Isn't it lovely! Perfect for chilly mornings and evenings in the South as you really don't need something too heavy (or itchy) to wear!
Close up of the beautiful variegated yarn that my aunt chose for me!
Socks for work! You can't forget the practical gifts! Socks are a must! Who would have ever thought I'd be happy to see socks in my Christmas stash!?! Also a set of travel-sized purses.
Some yummy smelling Philosophy pear shampoo!
Thanks for all the great gifts everyone!
2011 Yearly Recap
Good afternoon everyone! I hope you are enjoying your holiday from work, if you have one, and if not, then hopefully making a good start to your 2012!
I had the day off so I headed to the mall to get my haircut as it was getting too long for my tastes. I had to wait for a bit because a girl was getting her hair highlighted and it ran over into my appointment time. Luckily, my hair stylist gave me a free conditioner treatment while I waited so my hair is nice and soft ;)
Afterwards I ran by storage to pull out the Christmas boxes to take down our tree and all the decorations scattered around the living room. It's a shame that we have to take the tree down at all, it adds a cheery brightness to the day when you turn on the lights.
Having stuffed all the boxes I could possibly fit into my car, I headed over to Target to do my grocery shopping for the week. I must be naive, I thought surely it wouldn't be busy on a Monday.....I was wrong! People, like myself who were off from work, were stocking up on groceries, last minute Christmas supplies, and/or enjoying the sales.
On the whole, I think the year went well in terms of all my reading and crafting. Here's the breakdown:
178 books read, 40 projects completed, and 24 of those projects 'finished'
Not bad if I do say so myself. I need to concentrate on more 'finishing' this year and possibly getting one of two of my WIPs finished! I said this last year and I didn't work on them at all. I'm sure they feel neglected >___<
Hopefully I'll be able to do that this year. I will be busy this first half of the year getting ready for a convention at the start of the summer. My friend Kristina and I will have a booth set up there. We'll be selling our crafts such as cell phone charms, tote bags, etc.
Wishing you lots of luck in your crafting, reading, and other projects this year!
Until next time ^____^
I had the day off so I headed to the mall to get my haircut as it was getting too long for my tastes. I had to wait for a bit because a girl was getting her hair highlighted and it ran over into my appointment time. Luckily, my hair stylist gave me a free conditioner treatment while I waited so my hair is nice and soft ;)
Afterwards I ran by storage to pull out the Christmas boxes to take down our tree and all the decorations scattered around the living room. It's a shame that we have to take the tree down at all, it adds a cheery brightness to the day when you turn on the lights.
Having stuffed all the boxes I could possibly fit into my car, I headed over to Target to do my grocery shopping for the week. I must be naive, I thought surely it wouldn't be busy on a Monday.....I was wrong! People, like myself who were off from work, were stocking up on groceries, last minute Christmas supplies, and/or enjoying the sales.
On the whole, I think the year went well in terms of all my reading and crafting. Here's the breakdown:
178 books read, 40 projects completed, and 24 of those projects 'finished'
Not bad if I do say so myself. I need to concentrate on more 'finishing' this year and possibly getting one of two of my WIPs finished! I said this last year and I didn't work on them at all. I'm sure they feel neglected >___<
Hopefully I'll be able to do that this year. I will be busy this first half of the year getting ready for a convention at the start of the summer. My friend Kristina and I will have a booth set up there. We'll be selling our crafts such as cell phone charms, tote bags, etc.
Wishing you lots of luck in your crafting, reading, and other projects this year!
Until next time ^____^
December Recap
December Recap:
Read:
1. A Bride's Story: Volume 2 by Kaoru Mori
2. Princess Knight by Osamu Tezuka
3. Vampire Empire: The Rift Walker by Clay and Susan Griffith
4. Red Hood's Revenge by Jim C. Hines
5. The Restaurant at the End of the Universe by Douglas Adams
6. Life, the Universe, and Everything by Douglas Adams
7. A River in the Sky by Elizabeth Peters
8. Lover Unleashed by J.R. Ward
Stitched:
1. Greenman by Aimee Ray
Finishes:
1. Let It Snow pinkeep
2. Dec 25 cube
3. Love and Joy pinkeep
4. I love Japan applique tote bag
5. Greenman embroidery tote bag
Read:
1. A Bride's Story: Volume 2 by Kaoru Mori
2. Princess Knight by Osamu Tezuka
3. Vampire Empire: The Rift Walker by Clay and Susan Griffith
4. Red Hood's Revenge by Jim C. Hines
5. The Restaurant at the End of the Universe by Douglas Adams
6. Life, the Universe, and Everything by Douglas Adams
7. A River in the Sky by Elizabeth Peters
8. Lover Unleashed by J.R. Ward
Stitched:
1. Greenman by Aimee Ray
Finishes:
1. Let It Snow pinkeep
2. Dec 25 cube
3. Love and Joy pinkeep
4. I love Japan applique tote bag
5. Greenman embroidery tote bag
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