Stitch Maynia: Day 3 Winter House

Day 3 is Winter House by Brooke's Books.  This is a 4 part freebie you can get when you join the yahoo group for Brooke's Books.  I have been a member of this group for almost 4 years and I finally got around to printing these off for this Stitch Maynia challenge.  It is stitched on Light Nile Green #955, 22 count Aida on fabric from Stitchnmomma.



I managed to get a start on the fence for Winter House reaching the whole width of the design which will be great when I start Autumn House just to the right of it :)  I plan to stitch all four season houses in a row next to each other.   Also while stitching all of these designs I would very frequently get the old Carole King song "You've got a friend" stuck in my head due to the line..."Winter, spring, summer, or fall, all you've got to do is call..."

Until the next time...Happy Stitching!

Stitch Maynia: Day 2 Keep Calm 8th Finish of 2016

I'm going to really try to post every day or maybe a few a day of my 31 Stitch Maynia 2016 projects.  Here's my day 2 start. Keep calm and cross stitch freebie from DMC.

 The Fabric is dark lavender #209 16 count Aida from Stitchnmama, and the floss is Judy cotton floss from Mo's Sale.

This is how far I got on it the first day! 


Here is what it will look like when it is all finished :)

This was after the second stitching session.  I found a mistake...I made the horizontal line in the E's too wide, but I hope you won't notice when its all done.



I took this piece with me on a weekend trip by train to Hualien, Taiwan.  The train ride was 3 hours each way and I completely finished the crown on the ride!  I stitched the word Cross when we got home.



And here she is completely finished!  I started her on May 2nd and finished on August 1st, 2016.  You can really notice how the color of the fabric changes based on the lighting in my apartment.  This is technically my 8th finish of the year.  Numbers 3,4,5, and 6 were also completed Stitch Maynia projects, and number 7 is for an exchange I have coming up.  This was my first time stitching with variegated floss where I completed each X trying to show off the color changes.  I think it turned out well :)



I decided to show off the back since this is one of my more neater backs :)



How is your summer going?  I hope you all have been able to get lots of stitching in.  Until the next time...Happy Stitching!

Stitch Maynia: Day 1 LOVE string art kit Start and Finish!

Did I decided to participate in Stitch Maynia this year???? YES! I did.  I think working on the big owl growth chart that I felt obligated to stitch really made me want to have a new start sooo bad.  So I figured why not do 31 starts?  I have so many designs in my stash that I want to start someday, why not do it in May with others who are also doing the same thing?  At first it seemed hard to make it all the way to 31 starts.  I had a few kits and projects kitted up, but then I also bought a few new charts that had been on my wishlist for years. Well this was my first start on Day 1...

And I have a finish of my first Maynia start LOVE string art kit by Dimensions!

This is my 3rd finish of 2016!!  This isn't actually cross stitch but it did use a needle and fiber.  The needle was VERY big compared to the size 26's I usually use, and the thread was yarn.  For this kit I had to use my imagination a bit on it to make the long stitches to fill in the letters as best as I could. The O with the heart in the center was the easiest part since it was so symmetrical.   It is done on sort of a thick felt piece with pre punched holes for the outlines of the letters.  This was one of my Christmas presents from my Mom this year :)  So on Day 1 of 31 I managed to get a finish!  I hope that this keeps up thru the rest of the Month long challenge but we shall see.  Until then...Happy Stitching!

AAN's Tulip 2nd Finish of 2016!

Hello again!  I have been stitching up a storm lately, but I still need to get caught up on my posts here.  Well back in April after I finally finished my Owl Growth Chart #2 I needed something small that I could hopefully finish quickly.  So I decided to go back to Alessandra Adelaide Needlework's Tulip that I started back in December before I bought the new colors for Owl Growth Chart.

This was where I had left it after working on it for a few days in December...


It is stitched in Mo's Sale silk floss on 14 count Aida in Melody by Hand Dyed Fabrics by Stephanie.

Here are some more progress shots for you...






With the tulip complete I moved on to the stem and leaves...







So here she is all finished, but this whole time I had a sneaking suspicion that the yellow was not showing up very well against the fabric and I realized at the end that I needed to do something to change that.  The design called for some backstitch anyways so I thought that I would use the purple/peach fade color to stitch around all of the yellow to help it stand out from the background a little more.



And this is the result!  It does make the stitching more visible, but in a way I feel like now the main color in the tulip is peach and not bright yellow and it felt like it took FOR.EVER.  Anyways this is a present for one of my best friends (who doesn't read this blog :)) and I think she will like it no matter what.



Here is the complete picture including a Princess Anna from Frozen needleminder I used with this project from Gina's Unique Boutique on Etsy.  The next time I'm in the US at my favorite framer I will get this framed and give it away.  I finished this at the very end of April...just in time for Stitch Maynia!?  Until next time...Happy Stitching!

Typhoon Nepartak Came and Went Quietly in Taipei

Hello everyone!  Just wanted to give you a quick update on the Typhoon Nepartak.  We were VERY lucky that the Typhoon's affect was very mild in Taipei on the North side of the Island of Taiwan.  I was so worried as I have never experienced a Typhoon or Hurricane before but luckily we just got light winds and thunderstorms.  My family and I were all safe and sound, and I even got a day off work that I was able to use to stitch a little bit!

I'm not trying to make light of the situation though that caused major power outages and a handful of deaths in the South.  My prayers go out to those who lost family or were injured in the storm.  This was only our first Typhoon of the season and unfortunately Typhoon season here lasts until November.

See below for a video of the storm and a bit of the aftermath.

HAED Pre-Birthday Splurge and Typhoon Nepartak!

Hello everyone!  I am a bit behind on updating but I wanted to share the crazy splurge of BAPs I just got as pre-Birthday presents.


Here is Museum Shelf by Aimee Stewart.  I am obsessed with museums and this one also features one of my WIPs Girl With a Pearl Earring.



I have had my eye on Sistene Chapel by Michelangelo for awhile but I decided that I really want to do it someday so I might as well get the chart now.



This is World Travel Bookshelf by Aimee Stewart.  I have admired this one for a little while too.  And now I have been to two places on the shelf, although I have lived in a few more places that haven't been tourist destinations like the ones featured here.



This is Wine Shelf by Aimee Stewart.  I was looking at a cropped QS version that I've had on my wishlist and thought why not get the whole chart to do someday?



All of these LARGE charts are from Heaven and Earth Designs and I got them during their last sale :)

Also there is a Typhoon that is set to hit Taiwan in about 10 hours.  Please keep myself and my family in your thoughts.  We are prepared to stay home and ride it out, but I have never experienced a Typhoon before and don't quite know what to expect!  I will keep you posted.  Until the next time...Happy Stitching!

Owl Growth Chart #2 Part 2 First Finish of 2016!

Hello everyone!  Oops I didn't mean to wait so long to publish the second half of my Owl Growth Chart for my son... I think this is where I left off.

Adding the pupils made the owls look less menacing...

Daddy owl gets a swing.

I felt like there was so much green in this design!

And here is the finished piece!  I believe I started it on December 12th 2015 and finally finished it on April 4, 2016.  I still haven't fully finished it up to being able to hang it on the wall but I will get to it eventually.  This design did stitch up rather quickly.  I stitched it 3 over 1 on 11 count fabric that came in the kit.  I felt so relieved to get something that I felt obligated to stitch off my list.  Awhile ago I joined the group "Stitch Maynia" on Facebook.  They had two SALs in March one was called Its Not Easy Being Green, where you stitched something green in honor of St. Patrick's Day, and Mostly Monogamous March.  It was nice sharing progress with others and the SALs honestly helped keep me on track to finishing this.  But as I was plugging away at this one I kept dreaming of starting something new just to take my mind off this for a bit.  I didn't give in but the idea of joining in the SAL called Stitch Maynia where you start something new for EVER DAY in May seemed more and more like a fun idea.  Did I really have 31 new starts in May?  You'll have to stay tuned to find out.  Until then...Happy Stitching!