New Start Owl Growth Chart #2 Part 1

Hello out there!  A few of you may remember that I stitched the Owl Growth Chart by Dimensions way back in 2012 for my daughter.  Well since we move around so much I also wanted to do a stitched moveable growth chart for my son as well.  I looked around and couldn't find one that I liked so I decided on redoing the same design I had completed earlier.  I wanted to use different colors though and have them match his baby blanket below.



Since I already had the chart for this from the first time I stitched this design I was hoping to just buy colors to match and find the right size 11 count Aida and that would be all I would have to purchase.  But the crazy thing is that it was less expensive to buy the kit again since the fabric size of the 11 count is so big.  So that's what I did and here is the first half of my progress on this design.







I purchased this needle minder from Gina's Unique Boutique on etsy after Thanksgiving.  I bought it just because I thought it was a great colorful owl and didn't have a project in mind for it.  But maybe subconsciously I bought it because I have been planning to start this one for awhile and it goes perfectly with this design!



This is how far I was when we first moved from the US to Taiwan.  The rest of the pictures were stitched in Asia :)



The big blue "Daddy" owl used up so much floss!  It was three strands to get good coverage on the 11 count and I think I used about two complete spools of floss.


















It seemed like stitching the leaves took forever when I was working on this!  I enjoyed seeing my progress on this but sometimes I really had to make myself stitch this piece.  I think it was because I've felt that I have to get this done for my son because he's already two years old and I did one for my daughter.  I really enjoy stitching but when you feel obligated to stitch it isn't quite as fun.  Here we are at about the halfway point of this project so I'm breaking up this finish into two posts.  Stay tuned for part two and the finished product.  Until then...Happy Stitching!

Around the World in 80 Stitches SAL Part 3

Hello again!  Next I moved on to Around the World in 80 Stitches Part 3.

Here is the piece with the full cross stitches finished.



And some progress shots...



I think the gold thread really pops with the colors of silk and the fabric here.







And here she is all complete!  I really LOVE the way the veriegated silk colors seem to give character to the lazy daisy stitched flowers in this part.  I hope you enjoy seeing my progress.  Until the next time...Happy Stitching!

Last and Fifth Finish of 2015!

Hello again!  In December I managed to get my last and fifth finish of 2015.  You may remember my run in with some really poor quality black 14 count Aida...I had issues with the fabric ripping when I pulled a few stitches tightly and then the fabric completely ripped on its own on the fold lines while it made the long journey back with me from Michigan to Kathmandu :(



But while I was home I decided to try again and I ordered some black aida from a reputable source (123 Stitch.com) and started this design again.

This is by Heather at One of a Kind Baby Design on Etsy.  She designed the baby sampler I stitched for my son and then I found this lovely design that matched the space exploration theme of my friends sons room!

Here are the progress photos...

























Ta Da!



This one looks a little crooked because I set it on my lap to take the photo.

It's funny when you stitch and you look at the finished piece and you are reminded of what you were watching or what was going on in your life when you were working on a piece.  Well when I worked on this one, I was  a passenger riding through a bad snowstorm to pick my husband up from the airport.  On our way home we were stopped at a stop sign on an off ramp of the expressway and the truck we were riding in got rear-ended!  Luckily no one was hurt and there was little damage done to both vehicles but I was reminded of that experience when I see the finished product of this design.

Also today is this handsome little boy's 1st Birthday and hopefully his Momma should be opening this gift framed in a beautiful silver frame to complement the design in the mail.  I will have to ask her for a picture of it all finished :)

I can't wait to share more of my finishes with you soon.  Until then...Happy Stitching!

Around the World in 80 Stitches SAL Part 2

Hello again!  Way back in April I started the Around the World in 80 Stitches SAL with a small Facebook Group.  I got a bit behind with the big Earthquake last year but then I slowly started to catch up with everyone else last fall.  This is designed by Papillion Creations and has many parts to it. The fabric is Jaded by Hand Dyed Fabrics by Stephanie and the floss is silk floss by Mo's Sale.

Here are some progress shots of Part 2 which covers two large areas.

















I have completed quite a few more parts of this design so I will show them off later.  Until then...Happy Stitching!

I am still well and stitching and living in...Taiwan!

Hello everyone out there!  I really can't believe it has been 8 months exactly since I updated my blog... The good news is I haven't stopped stitching so I have LOTS and LOTS to share with you and catch up on.

I don't know if anyone is still reading this but here I go.

On Halloween my family and I left Nepal and traveled back home to Michigan for the holidays before heading out to our next adventure in Asia on the beautiful island of Taiwan!

 
Taiwan is a great place to live and visit.  It officially part of the Republic of China and they mostly speak Mandarin Chinese here, yet it is quite different from the People's Republic of  China.  So it is sort of its own country with a Democratic government and a newly elected FIRST Female President!

My family and I have been enjoying living here and we arrived just in time for the special holiday of Lunar New Year (Chinese New Year).  Below are a few pictures of the celebrations in Taipei...

 
These are some beautiful cupcakes we bought to celebrate with!


Some unique Dancers...


Chinese Lanterns and lights were all over Taipei!

Some images of the Lion Dance we witnessed...






The Lions even paid a visit inside the Department Store called SOGO!


I have lots of stitching to share with you but I thought I would share images of my new home first. I plan to share more stitching with you soon.  Until then...Happy Stitching!