Crazy Happy Dance! October Stitching Goals

Well when I finally sat down to work on it, it didn't take me long to finish up yet another Crazy Challenge piece.  Actually most things never take that long when you actually work on them!

Sun Dragon

c2005 Teresa Wentzler

Stitched on 28ct Natural Linen

Stitched with DMC & Kreinik #4 Braid

With this latest finish that just leaves me one Crazy Challenge piece I will actually finish this year, and one I won't.

Yesterday saw the start of a new month, its October and fall is now here!  Its a beautiful time of year here in the Ottawa Valley.  I should take some time this upcoming long weekend to get some pictures and share our beautiful part of the world with you.  Its also time to recap what I've gotten done stitching-wise in the last month and what I hope to do this month.

September Goals - Recap
Stitch One Ornament - Yes
Finish Seasonal Mandalas - Yes
Stitch Autumn Exchange - Yes
Work on The Accolade - Yes
Start Cirque des Cercles - Yes
Work on Crazy Challenge Pieces - Yes

October Goals
Stitch two exchange ornaments
Finish Delightful Dragon Fob
Work on The Accolade
Work on Cirque des Cercles

Crazy Challenge 2012

In one of my recent post I eluded to the Crazy Challenge I started in January of this year.  The goal is to start 15 new projects in 15 days.  You can read about each of those starts here in my January posts.  I managed to successfully start all 15 projects in the first two weeks plus a day of January.  There were a few frogs in there but I dealt with them.

I have currently finished all but 3 of my Crazy Challenge pieces, but I still have 3 months of stitching time to finish those up!  One of these 15 I don't plan on finishing this year, my goal was just to get this piece started because its been on my "to be started list" for a long time.

Here are the finished projects so far:

 Polar Friends - Day

 Polar Friends - Night 

These two are on the same fabric but they didn't photograph the same

 Eat, Sleep, Stitch

 French Country Scardey Cats

 Salmon

 Seasonal Mandalas - Counts as 4 items in the challenge

 Snowman 2010

 Snow White

 Mill Hill Beaded Ornament

My projects that are still WIPs:

Teresa Wentzler's Sun Dragon, this is my current focus

Teresa Wentzler's Delightful Dragon Fob, next on the list to be finished

 The Big Red - This will be the unfinished project

So like I recently mentioned I've enjoyed this challenge I've gotten so many of those smaller pieces I keep putting off stitched!  I'm going to do this again in 2013 and its time to start thinking which projects will become next year's challenge pieces!

Summer Happy Dance!

Well, it took me until 1am but I FINALLY finished the Summer Mandala from Ink Circle's Seasonal Mandalas.



Today, I can start fall!


- thanks for reading!

April WIPocalypse Report

The full moon is here and the World is coming to an end so its time to kill those WIPs!  Here's my progress report for what I've worked on in the last moon cycle.

I have been VERY good and I have worked on The Accolade every day.  Each day before I've picked up my focus project, I've completed a 10x10 area on The Accolade.  This BAP has been moving along nicely since I've started doing this religiously.

 The Accolade - March

 The Accolade - April

Since my last report I've started working away at Ink Circles Winter Mandala.  The filling in is taking longer than I thought it would.  I honestly thought I would fly with this piece once all the black was stitched.  For some reason I'm having trouble "getting into" this project.  For some reason the colours came out very faded in this picture.

Seasonal Mandalas - Winter

I've also puttered with Spring as well, putting in the odd thread length of black outlining.

Seasonal Mandalas - Spring

I had a Happy Dance today!  This project was one of my January 15.  I had been carrying it around as my travel project and suddenly had the urge to get this one out of my stitching bag/purse!

Gone Fishing - Kit

cJane Greenoff

Stitched on: Mystery Fabric

Stitched with: DMC

Since the last report I've also finished the following:

 Count Your Blessings

 Reindeer

Prairie Schooler Freebie

Wow, I had a productive month!

I Survived The Insanity!!!

Today, is the day!  Its DAY FIFTEEN of the Crazy Challenge the final day of madness, starting a new project every day for the first 15 days of the month.  I have collected quite a pile of WIPs now that this is over which my good friends know is quite unusual for me... I'm usually a one at a time stitcher and that's what I'm heading back towards.  Tomorrow I will re-focus all my stitchy energy on Enchantment of Winter.

The Big Red by The Silver Lining

Stitched over one on 25ct Summer Khaki Lugana

I saved my biggest new start for today, the final day of the challenge!  Today's new start was The Big Red by The Silver Lining.  This piece is 274 stitches wide by 440 stitches high!  I'm stitching it over one on 25ct and the design uses a combination of DMC and Anchor threads giving you a wider pallet for shading.  Since I've  had so many mis-haps during this challenge I decided to start in the very center of the 16 page chart.  From the center point I worked my way up and to the left, so that I would be in my "happy place" the top left hand corner which is where I prefer to start.

Does it look like a bunch of poppies yet?  Nope just a purple blob, a red blob, and a pink one!

I wont' be finishing this piece this year, I'm not sure if I'll get back to it any time soon either... but I had been dying to start it for a very long time!  Now its started.

Crazy Challenge Day 14 (Almost Done!)

Saturday was the second to last day of the Crazy Challenge (15 starts in 15 days), today is the last and I've got my final start (and my biggest) well underway.  I'll either blog about it before bed tonight, or tomorrow after work.

Sun Dragon by Teresa Wentzler the colours aren't very rich in this picture

Stitched on mystery fabric using DMC

My last "small" piece to be started was Teresa Wentzler's Sun Dragon.  I can't remember if this was a class or a freebie we were given one year at the Creativ Festival in Toronto.  This one was a companion to Jennifer Aikman-Smith of Dragon Dream's Moon Dragon which I had stitched some time ago, back in 2007.

Moon Dragon by Jennifer Aikman-Smith of Dragon Dreams

Stitched on mystery fabric using DMC floss and Kreinik #4 braid

Companion to TW's Sun Dragon

Zeus was being a cutie again, so let me share some pictures with you!

PhotoHunt - Circular & Crazy Challenge Day 13

First of all its Saturday which means its PhotoHunt Day!  Today's theme is "Circular"

I took this picture back in 2007 I think its looking down the stairs at the National Arts Center in Ottawa.  Not only do I love how the stairs go round and round as they go down but the sculpture that echos that circular motion.

Friday the 13th was day 13 of the Crazy Challenge and turned out to be a good day for me.  Yesterday evening I started this cute little sheep Mill Hill kit that Dee sent me as a gift (thank Dee!).  Surprisingly with even a break for a run on the treadmill I finished it before 11PM last night!  So this is my 13th start, my 2nd finish for the year, and my first ornament!

Christmas Ewe

c1995 Mill Hill

Mill Hill Kit, beads attached with DMC floss onto perforated paper

Today will be my 2nd to last start before this challenge is over!

Crazy Challenge Day 12

Welcome to the final days of the Crazy Challenge.  Last night I wanted to work on something small but not beady so I pulled out Teresa Wentzler's Delightful Dragon Fob.  This is a class I took a few years ago at the Creativ Festival in Toronto.

I really love TW's stuff, the complexity and her use of colour is wonderful.  Not much of a dragon yet is it... and yes he's stitched over one!

I'm looking forward to the weekend and wrapping up the Crazy Challenge I'm saving my biggest start for Sunday, the final day where I can work on it the longest!

Crazy Challenge Day 11

Oooh!  We're counting down the final days of this challenge, tick-tock!  Also I'm running out of projects to pick from!

Gone Fishing by Jane Greenoff

Stitched on Mystery Fabric

Stitched with DMC

Tonight's new start was Jane Greenoff's Gone Fishing.  It was a little chart and thread kit a friend sent me years ago and had to meant to start it... years ago LOL!  So I'm using a random fabric for this piece, I couldn't tell you what it is just "mystery fabric" as I like to call it.  I think this is going to stitch up quickly as I got quite a bit done of this salmon with distracted stitching (this means I alternate between stitching, reading blogs and playing silly games!  Todd's an obsessed fisherman (like I don't understand obsession...not) so this little Salmon is for him.

I decided tonight to join in on the WIPocalypse fun over at Mesai's Blog!  Since the full moon was two days ago, I'll post my update tomorrow... of course a lot of my WIPocalypse list is going to look quite familiar!!!  Oh my all these SALs and Challenges what a fun year this is going to be!

Crazy Challenge Day 10

Another quick, fly-by post... late and time for bed!

JBW French Country Scaredy Cats

Stitched on 32ct Jungle Boogie Opalescent Fabric from Silkweavers

Stitched with DMC 310 and 4124

Today's new start was JBW's French Country Scaredy Cats.  The chart calls for either stitching the letters in dark orange with medium orange cats or, in all black.  Well I'm not a normal girl, so I went for this great dynamic combination!  The colours are a little dark in this picture it was either a dark picture or washed out colours.  It'll be better in a daylight shot... not just before midnight!  What a fun fabric (its sparklie!!!) with a fun colour... and well of course black cats, its like stitching lots of little Hutners!

Crazy Challenge Day 9

Just the briefest of entries for Day 9 Of the Crazy Challenge, we're nearing the end of this... only 6 more new starts to go!

It was  a full day today, first day back at work after the holidays and on top of that I was teaching at Taekwon-Do tonight.  So I had only an hour (if that) of stitchign time after I got home, had a shower a snack and a cup of tea.

Snow White from Little House Needleworks

Stitched on Navy Blue 28ct Lugana

Stitched with DMC B5200 (booyeah love this white it rocks!)

Today's start (and a poor one at that) was by Little House Needleworks... which I swore I would never own one of ther charts that it just wasn't my taste.  I do have a weakness for monochromatic designs if you haven't noticed and this one jumped into my hands and came home with me sometime last year.  So may I present to you Little House Needleworks Snow White.  Please excuse the very poor picutre, the colours aren't right and the white is blown out, but I'm too tired to go try to shoot it any better!




I want to say a HUGE THANK YOU to all the fantastic comments I've received in the past 24 hours!  Its been overwhelming!  Its a true sign of how much you all support me and the life of this blog!  I was surprised by how many of you clued into the fact that my blog was gone (for a short while thank goodness!) and that you persisted and came back when it turned out to be only temporary.  Its going to take me awhile but I will eventually visit you all back at your blogs and leave lovely comments (who dosen't love comments?)  The Stitching/Crafting Blogging Community is just an amazing group of people who to me aren't just names but faces, and personalities too!  I hope in the coming months and years I'll get to meet more of you in person, I have been lucky to meet some of you and treasure each in person meeting!  I also appreciate the time people have taken to meet me when I've been in their neck of the woods and made a day or a trip very special!

Crazy Challenge Day 8

Sadly I won't be able to dedicate as much time as I'd like to stitching.  Its time to get back to the real world, and things are going to be busy this month!  I'm sure I'll find the odd moment of sanity here and there through stitching.

Eat, Sleep, Stitch

c2010 Cherrywood Design Studios

Stitched on : 28ct African Daisy Joblean

Stitched with : DMC floss

When I finally did pick up my stitching on Sunday I felt more like finishing something instead of starting a new project (which I did, just in the evening).  Eat, Sleep, Stitch was just a few short hours away from Happy Dance status, so I decided to focus on that first.  I am proud to share with you my first finish of 2012!

As you can see, I was a little challenged in the measurement department when I started this... heck I didn't measure, I just started.  Pretty close to the edge eh?

Polar Friends - Day

Stitcher's Habit

Stitched on 32ct Ocean Fantasy Linen from Silkweavers

Later in the evening I stated my project for this Day 8 of the Crazy Challenge.  It was another small one, Polar Friends - Day, I started night earlier in the week.  This pair is a pleasure to stitch.

Yesterday afternoon, it was Zeus's turn to find a lovely patch in the sunshine.  Very pretty!

Finally on Saturday our replacement treadmill was delivered, and Todd put it together on Sunday morning.  I took it for its inaugural run that evening.  I have to say after a month of not running, plus having a remnant of my cold boy, my cardio, endurance, and speed were all GONE!  How frustrating.  It took me quite a bit of effort to put in about 15 minutes, and I had to do it in a run/walk.  Prior to this whole circus I was running for on average 20 minutes on the treadmill at 5.7... today 5.4 was challenging.  Oh boy... I've got a lot to get back.  There's work to do before my first race in May (Ottawa Race Weekend 10K).

I use the Nike+ GPS app when I run and I got this neat little re-cap of my running year.  I'm quite happy with these results!  I guess I should aim for 500 KM this year?????

Crazy Challenge Day 7 or The Day I Conquered The Frogs!

First of all I'd like to retract a previous statement I may have made, that griding was a waste of perfectly good stitching time.  Well in my opinion it always was, I mean if you count and count carefully, double check yourself against your other stitches technically you don't need to grid.  Boy did the outlines on the Ink Circles Seasonal Mandalas taught me otherwise!  I had frogs so many times that I finally gave in and pull out the thread I bought for griding years ago (and never used) and started griding.  Honestly that griding saved my life, saved my sanity!  The last two seasons went off without a hitch once I had my grids in place.

So here we are!  All four seasons, outlined!!!  Once this Crazy Challenge is done and I've finished Enchantment of Winter (which has had no love for a week now!) this will be my next focus piece starting with Winter.

Last night when I wrapped up my outline, it wasn't quite bedtime yet so I whipped out Eat, Sleep, Stitch and gave it a little more love, got a few more letters done.  I think I may take the time to wrap this one up today before I start my day 8 project.

Yesterday, late in the afternoon I went into the kitchen, and looked out into my backyard.  The weather had been a mixed bag, a little bit of rain, overcast, moments of sunshine, etc.  It seemed almost magical when I looked outside and saw the sunshine touching only the willow tree and nothing else.

On March 20, 2010 the PhotoHunt theme was "three"

Three stitching ladies with three new stitching bags... we all match and if you look closely we're in alphabetical order!

Photo Hunt & Crazy Challenge Day 6

First up, its PhotoHunt day (for real) and today's theme is "Bling".  It was a bit tricky to find the right shot, in the end this is what stood out the most.

This image isn't "bling-y" itself, but this mosaic certainly depicts bling.  This is one of the mosaics on the floor of the Cathedral at St. Anne-de-Beaupre just outside of Quebec City.  Why it was there, and exactly what it represents I'm not sure.  However, a treasure chest full of gold and money certainly is bling.

Ink Circles Seasonal Mandalas - Winter, Spring, Summer

40ct Linen

Summer

Yesterday for day six of the Crazy Challenge I started Summer on my Ink Circles Seasonal Mandalas, with the fabric already gridded and ready to go!  What a different that made, I didn't make one mistake or counting error!  I'll definitely be continuing the griding on for my last season, Autumn.

 JBW French Country Bear for Chelsey

 Me & Chelsey this September

JBW French Country Bear for Logan

Logan with "SantaBlaskie" in December

Not only did I stitch yesterday, but I did some framing.  I finally picked up a couple of ready-made frames at Michael's earlier this week.  Yesterday I took the time to stretch and pop these pieces into their new frames and they look great!