Christmas Elegance Upate

It has been a hectic few days. I have been busy house and dog sitting and yesterday I got surgery done on my neck to remove a swollen lymph node that has been there for well over a year - I am doing fine though! Came to pretty quickly afterwards and now just dealing with a little pain but nothing unbearable.

I have been working on my Christmas Elegance by Mirabillia the past few weeks. She is getting so close to being done I am excited! Maybe this will be the year she is done for Christmas.

Christmas Elegance by Mirabilia

I won't be doing all of the beading in the sky since the flecks of sparkle in the opalescent fabric already looks like falling snow. I have changed out the beads to be petites to they fit better in their spots and won't crowd too much. All of the skin will be done over 1.

I have a feeling I will be fighting some people off to keep her on my walls. I already know of a few people with an eye on her! She will probably hang next to my Joan Elliott Christmas Lady....they look as if they are going to the same party :D

Pixies Officially Done

My Nora Corbett Pixies, Bluebell and Ivy, are both officially done. I posted many months ago the stitching was done and this weekend I pulled them out to finish off the beading. I just have to say they are gorgeous!!

Bluebell by Nora Corbett

Bluebell by Nora Corbett close up

Ivy by Nora Corbett

Ivy by Nora Corbett close up

I didn't change too much with the patterns that I can remember. I did add a Swarovski crystal to Ivy's dress though to add a little extra bling. Other than that they are both stitched on white 32 count linen and were both a joy to stitch!

Christmas Elegance Progress

I've been craving to cross stitch a Mirabilia the past few weeks and was unable to get my hands on one of my projects while I was house sitting so I took the chance to work on Christmas Elegance this May Long weekend (also known as my birthday weekend!)

Christmas Elegance by Mirabilia

 That is about the half way point on her now. She should be done by Christmas 2014 if I don't get distracted by other projects.

I also made a promise to myself that I wouldn't buy any more Mirabilia patterns until I finish 3 of them. Yeah that Mira ban lasted less than 24 hours haha. I ended up getting a Visa gift card in my birthday card from my parents which promptly took me to my favorite online cross stitch store and I purchased my beads for Christmas Elegance. But the shipping was going to be $10 so I figured since I was already paying for the shipping I might as well throw in some patterns.....right?

So I ended up buying Enchanted Mermaid and Mermaid of Atlantis.

Enchanted Mermaid by Mirabilia

Mermaid of Atlantis by Misabilia

 I am looking forward to starting these pretties. So gorgeous and so full of beads! Maybe I have to finish 3 patterns before I start either of them? Yeah we will see how long that lasts ;)

Until next time have fun stitching!!

2014 New Cross Stitch Start

Welcome 2014! During the holiday season I barely picked up a cross stitch project to work on, I was far too busy with family. I then ended up going to visit friends in the next town over for New Years and ended up going to The Band Perry concert (amazing might I add! Had awesome seats as well)

The Band Perry, We Are Pioneers World Tour 2014

As soon as I arrived home I picked up a project I was itching to start. My New Years Cross Stitch Start was Mirabila's "Ella, The Frog Princess". For Christmas I got 4 Mira patterns, and Ella was one of them along with all of the supplies to work on her.

Ella, Shakespeare Fairies, Adia, Buttercup

This is my progress after two days:

Mirabilia's Ella, The Frog Princess

I hope you all had amazing holidays, and that you were spoiled with love and cross stitch supplies. I look forward to seeing everyone's new projects for 2014.

Christmas Elegance Day #6

After almost a week of stitching I have come this far:

It is stitching up fairly quickly and I am happy to say I am nearing the half way point on this. Every day of stitching this I am falling in love with it more and more. I really can't wait to start putting the beads onto it, it is going to sparkle so much!

Christmas Project 2013 Day #2

This time around I have decided to keep track of exactly how many days it will take me to stitch this piece, unless of course I get distracted again which is a huge possibility after the latest Mirabilia release "Ella, Princess and the Frog" yesterday. It is already in my shopping cart but thankfully it will take a week or two to get here so plenty of time to finish this up.

Christmas Elegance by Mirabilia Day #2

I was actually pretty pleased with the colours. Originally I thought the dress would be more of a blue green but it has turned out to be more emerald in colour which I am loving even more! The colours seem more blended than in the model photo but I guess that's what happens when 20 years have passed since it was released and dye lots have changed. I am going to change majority of the beads to be petites, I prefer working with petites, and may add a few crystals in some areas. We shall see!

Christmas Project 2013

Every year I try to pick one new Christmas cross stitching project. This doesn't necessarily mean I will finish it for that year (or ever) but I like the feeling I get working on the project leading up to my favorite time of the year.

This year's project is Christmas Elegance by Mirabilia. Instead of using the suggested blue fabric I opted to go for an opalescent purple fabric. I picked purple because I find when it snows in the evening right before nightfall there is a purple ambiance all around. It is truly a beautiful sight of the serine purple and fresh falling snow.

Christmas Elegance by Mirabilia Floss Toss

 The fabric is 32 count Zweigart Lugana in the colour Dragon's Desire. In some lighting it looks like a pastel purple and in other lighting it looks like a greyish purple.

Here is my progress so far after one day:

Day 1 progress on Christmas Elegance by Mirabilia

 I am loving this project. Nora Corbett has some amazing patterns out there and I hope to get around to stitching all of the ones I love sometime in my life time.

Computer Mishaps!

My lack of posting can be blamed on my horrible luck with computers as of late. The past month I have had the joy of buying 3 new computers (2 of which I was able to return for full refund)...I have to tell you though the novelty of a new computer doesn't last too long when you're constantly having to adjust all of the settings to your preference!

During the computer problem crisis though I have managed to finish off a few projects! As some of you may remember I was working on Mermaids of the Deep Blue for a while and ended up stalling on the progress once it came down to beading time, which is odd since I LOVE beading and sparkles. I was able to finish it last week and I am in love with it!

I added a few extra treasures and crystals from my stash. I also changed a few of the bead colors (they needed some "pearls" in their hair!) This is the first Mira I have done for me :)

My mom did the stitching on Nora Corbett's letter P, I came to the rescue and did the back stitching and beading. I made a few alterations on this one too, nothing drastic...just more beads.

This one is Nora Corbett's Letter M without the M and wings and done in a Christmas conversion. I am contemplating stitching something around her since I am going to frame her with fabric. She will sit for a while as I make that decision.

And this Donkey ornament...is something I would have never stitched for myself lol. This is for a friend of mine who is expecting her first baby and who loves animals (wants a donkey right now) and requested an animal birth sampler from me once she has the baby. We go back a LONG time, pretty much grew up together and it is funny how distance makes the friendship grow stronger and you find out who your true friends really are.

First Finish of 2013...Kind of!

Feels so good to have put the last stitch into Ivy by Nora Corbett this evening! She is done and ready to be washed for beading.

Bluebell is near completion as well, she finally has another leg! I think all that is left to do on her is back stitching and I am hoping to get that done tomorrow so I can wash them at the same time. While they dry Mermaids of the Deep Blue will be pulled out and the beading will be worked on some more!

Before picking up Ivy my Winter Maiden by Joan Elliott got a page done! Just the snow at the bottom of her feet needs to be done. I keep putting her off knowing I have to do her hands 1 over 1 as well. I love the effect, it is just so time consuming! 

Experimenting with Bead Embroidery

The end of 2012 I was working on the Bluebell Pixie by Nora Corbett. Naturally I got distracted when I was oh so close to finishing her off, and started stitching her Petal Fairy instead. But after 3 days of cross stitching I realized I needed to change it up a bit and decided to try my go at beading again.

Bluebell by Nora Corbett

For those of you who don't know I kind of went through a phase where I didn't see the point of putting all this effort into making beautiful things only to be swallowed by all of the resellers found on Etsy (Etsy is for Handmade or Vintage...a reseller is someone who buys mass produced items and then sells them off as handmade for easy money.) I pushed by beads to the side and indulged in my OCD and cross stitch and managed to finish a few projects. 2012 was the year I finally finished my first cross stitch pattern and got it framed. It then got me obsessing over other projects and managed to finish a total of 6 along with numerous other starts.

Anyways, after deciding to bead again I ended up frustrating myself with my bad habit of looking for something and tearing everything apart looking for it only when to find what I was looking for to say to myself "Oh I will clean this up later" and then eventually just shoving it all into a photo box or bin. So I started sorting. All the findings in one bin, seed beads in another, crystals in another, special beads....well you get the point. Once everything was inventoried in my head I came across an article my nan had cut out of a newspaper for me to read, it was bead embroidery, which I have been meaning to try.

This is as far as I have gotten so far:

 Notice a theme in color? I swear that was unintentional lol! The center portion is lace agate, so are the two beads on either side that have a criss-cross over top. Swarovski crystals are also used along with glass beads. I am designing as I go so it will be a one of a kind piece. I am thinking of adding a rectangular lace agate above the white long beads (picture below) and doing a peyote stitch around it like I did with the center bead, then adding another Swarovski crystal above that creating a dramatic tear drop shape.

I don't know what I should name this piece when it is done. Any ideas? What does it remind you of?

Mermaid's Tail

Just a quick update on my Mermaids of the Deep Blue, I realized I haven't updated on it for a while! 

So I just have the tail part and a few smaller areas to finish up and then I can move onto the upper half of the pattern. I am shocked about how fast this is to stitch! It is just a matter of finding time to do it that's the problem.

Mermaids of the Deep Blue

Now I promised myself that I wouldn't start any new projects until I have completed some but I was silly and started looking through my Mirabilia patterns. I came across Mermaids of the Deep Blue all kitted up and ready to stitch so there was nothing holding me back!

Just to refresh people's memory here is the finished pattern:

Mermaids of the Deep Blue by Mirabilia

I have spent the past day stitching and working on them so this is as far as I got:

Day 1 progress August 12, 2012

This cross stitching is rich in beads and sparkles. Everywhere you look on the pattern there is either a bead, treasure or Krienik! I don't mind though, just look how gorgeous it is going to be when finished!

Well this is just a quick update. I haven't forgotten about my Christmas Angel and Victorian Lady, I plan on taking those with me when I go to visit family at the end of the month. They are easier to keep track of and are more transportable than a Mirabilia.

Emerald Mermaid is Framed!!

Ok Emerald Mermaid by Mirabillia has been framed for about a week now but I have been busy enjoying the nice weather and just relaxing!

We got her done locally at a small mom and pop shop and I have to say I am very impressed with their framing and I guarantee I will be going back to them once I finish another cross stitch! My mom and I decided to opt for no matte on this design because we wanted her to look as if she is floating. They ended up sending her to a friend of theirs down in Vancouver to lace the fabric because the technique they use would have shown the thread they used for the lacing without a matte. My mom and I are also very impressed with the frame we picked out. We think it compliments the design very well and makes her reddish hair pop out a bit more and just makes the whole piece come together as a whole.

My nan is going to be in complete shock when we give it to her later this summer. First she is not used to "her people" (my mom and I) finishing projects she wants done. And second of all I think the last piece we had framed was about 14 years ago! For the mean time though the mermaid is hanging in the dinning room so I can look at her every time I walk by and point at it telling my family over and over again that "I stitched that!"

Emerald Mermaid is Complete!

I took over from my mom on this cross stitching of Emerald Mermaid by Mirabilia on February 19, 2012. I finished it at 4am on March 21, 2012. That was with a week and a half of not working on her because I wasn't feeling in the mood to put the beads on her. It took about three days to put the beads on but to be fair I was distracted by watching hockey games on the weekend (Go Canucks!!) She is done on 32 count linen and has almost a total of 3 packages of Mill Hill beads in her. Here is the finished photo:

She is so pretty! I can't stop looking at her. My nan is going to be super happy with it once we get it framed. My mom pointed out after I finished her that even though her and my Auntie both cross stitch as well that this is the most ornate stitching in the family! Sure is going to be an amazing heirloom to pass down to future generations.

After finishing this one though it has inspired me to pick up my Midsummer's Night Dream Fairy by Mirabilia to work on once again. I have found in the depths of our storage room that we actually do have a q-snap frame!! I currently have my Cinderella by Heaven and Earth Designs on it at this moment to finish a page but once that page is done I am going to do the fairy. Having the frame will make it easier to work with the huge fabric piece and is more handy than a hoop. I used a hoop with the mermaid because it made counting the linen so much easier. I couldn't use it though when attaching the beads so I wish I had found the frame sooner!

Here are some bonus photos to show all the details of it!

Beads on Cross Stitching

I have spent a couple hours attaching beads to my Emerald Mermaid by Mirabilia. I am loving the look of all these beads on this beautiful mermaid! There sure is a lot more beads than I had originally thought! I am just happy I am used to holding a beading needle and stringing one bead on at a time for my bead weaving I do, tips and tricks I have learned by doing that are coming in handy in this project and threading a beading needle is second nature to me.

While looking for some new beading needles I came across this other project I had done a year ago. It involves beads as well:

It is Beaded Rose by Just Nan. Took me a total of two days to stitch it up and it challenged me with some special stitches and attaching beads.

For attaching beads I use two strands of a color that matches my fabric's color. I use the loop method so I reduce the bulk and I can start in strange places that aren't close to other stitches. I also do a full x in the beads so they are snug and secure on the fabric. For picking up the beads it helps if your fingers are a little moist then they will stick right to your finger and easier to put onto the needle.

Emerald Mermaid

Here is my latest almost finish. I plan on working on the beads this weekend and hopefully be able to call it another 2012 finish.

She is Emerald Mermaid by Mirabilia. My mom had done the upper part of the garland in her hand then put her away for a few months. I then decided I felt like starting a new project. I picked this up off of the table and decided I would finish it. The stitching part took me about two weeks to finish it all up. I took over from where my mom started her on February 17, 2012. It then took me about two weeks of stitching to call it done. I put it away for a few weeks while I did other hobbies but I came back to her this weekend and decided that I will finish her all up.

This project was started for my nan. She had bought the pattern over two years ago expecting my mom or I to do it for her. We don't know if she remembers buying it so she will be in complete shock when she gets it for Mother's Day all framed and ready to hang!!

I want to note that the pattern calls for two spools of #4 very fine braid...I only used half a spool of it. I like using long lengths of it to prevent the back from getting bulky with all the startings and finishings. It did take a little longer to stitch but I figured I would have been using the same time with constantly finishing off and starting a new thread. For fun here is a picture of the back of my work!!

I am now considering doing this pattern again but switching up the colors so that way there are two different ones in the family instead of two of the same ones. I also plan on doing Mermaids of the Deep by Mirabilia as well since the colors are all very similar and complement one another so well. I already have everything for that project!