Progress... Or, Who Said You Can't Work On Many Things At Once?

Here's the baby sampler all framed and everything... This thing took me forever, just because I started not liking it... This is why I think I'll restrict myself to things I would give myself from now on... One's that I would never like to keep will just drag on into eternity...


I told myself, no... No more projects until I got what I had on my plate done... Will Power! Thy name is not "Carolyn" apparently... Here's progress on one that I started the other night... Maybe tonight I'll finish the saying... I love that quote...

And here's the beginning of the second of my Christmas Projects... There's some Light Effects threads worked in there too, but they're not all that noticeable in this picture... Look! Green Aida!

Distractions, Accidents, and Sickness...

So, I've been procrastinating lately... The baby sampler has been sitting there, about 7/10's done... I've been glaring at it... It needs to be done... I know it needs to be done... I have many other things that I wish I could do before finishing it though... There are no pictures of this at the moment...

Lately, I've been plotting my annual foray into carving... Yup... It's Hallowe'en pumpkin carving time... There's so much out there, and I can't wait until I actually get to carve my pieces... Pieces, plural... I've been making two disposable artworks a year lately... Pictures will follow once they're carved... At the very end of the month, that is... First I have to choose my pumpkins... That's an art in itself...

I've been sick with a cold for the past few days... My co-workers have been avoiding me like the plague, or cringing when I sneeze near them... Hopefully it will pass soon... I am feeling better... I just have a hacking cough now, with none of the phlem that I've been producing lately...

Friday night, I took a flying leap at work (read... I tripped over a chair and fell on boxes), and landed on my arm... Nothing hurt but my pride really... Well, I have a carpet burn on my arm and an evil looking bruise, and I was a little stiff and sore for the following two days, but am generally okay now... WSIB was informed, just in case something crops up later... Doubt it will... Two seconds after I made an ass out of my questionable walking ability, I was cracking up laughing at myself...

Baby Samplers Are Boring...

Clouds and Balloons and Bears... Oh My! Seriously... I am bored with this... I can't wait until it's over, which should hopefully be this weekend... (The bear on the yellow balloon is cute though)... Then all I have to do is wait for the rug-rat to be spawned and do the details...

Then onto my other Christmas project... Then the purple flower for mum... Then, finally something for me! I have no idea what it'll be, but I promise it'll be something damn cool, peeps!

Done Like Dinner...

Finished today! It looks very pretty, if I do say so myself... The cabin looks warm and inviting, and the birds are cute...

Next on the schedule... A friend is having a baby on the 25th (or so they think), so I need to motor through a birth announcement... I was at the baby shower for her yesterday... She is an avid cross-stitcher... So is one of her friends who is now my friend as of the first friend's wedding... We three had some lovely conversation regarding our craft... It was nice talking about needle and thread and not boring someone... Also, another friend is getting married in October, so I might do something for her... I was at her Stag & Doe yesterday, getting drunk off of cheap wine and smoking cheap cigarettes... Okay, not really with the wine and the smokes... But it makes an amusing thought for me... Yesterday was a busy day, with the many of social gatherings...

Which begs the question, really, of when am I supposed to have time for my other Chrismas project? *Pulling hair out in frustration*...

It's Been Awhile...

So, the last time I updated, I had lost a chart and I had been attempting to hand paint a piece of fabric for another design... Well, I scraped the painted fabric for now... It wasn't coming out even coloured at all, and I actually found the colour I was looking for at the local craft store... So, props to me... Also, I received the new chart from Dimensions on the 17th... Well, I guess it was technically the 15th, but it was sitting in the mail box for a couple of days... I took a long weekend up to Ottawa, where I got to experience Ikea and Michael's for the first time... Seriously, they were right next to each other! And there was a Chapter's across the street... ACROSS THE STREET!!!!! I must move there... Immediately... There is no arguement against this...

Ahem... So, progress...

Here's what's done as of today... It's filling out nicely... Probably won't be too long now until it's done...

Annoyances and New Things To Try...

I managed to get this far and then lost the pattern... It must have been thrown out with the millions of newspapers that use the kitchen table as a rest-stop... Good news: I'm literate... Bad news: This effectively puts a stop to working on this particular Christmas present...

Not that I was working on it a lot anyway... I have discovered House and have spent the past two weeks holed up in my basement, when not at work, drooling over a massive amount of sardonic and caustic Hugh Laurie characterization...



So, today I painted canvas for a new cross-stitch... Yes... I painted aida cloth... I have read that this is actually a good technique for getting the colours that you want... It's not like I'm going to find this green in stores anywhere, and the amount of fabric dye around these parts is horribly lacking... It's 14 count white aida washed in diluted green acrylic paint (it turned a minty colour, very pretty), and then overlaid with a generous coating of concentrated paint... It was then dabbed with paper towels because this kind of paint can appear plastic-like if too much is used... And the best thing about this paint? I don't have to worry about it running, because acrylic is permanent... Buahahahahaha...

I used to get top marks in art class for my blending techniques... This will make an interesting addition to my cross-stitch catalogue...

In other news, I have issued a challenge to my best friend... We have to make christmas presents for each over this year... She whined at that, mainly because she's not crafty in the least... (Mainly she tries and doesn't stick with it because she gets discouraged when it doesn't look right at first... She doesn't believe in practice makes perfect)... But she did accept the challenge... I am glad, because it gives me the excuse to make her a giant crochet octopus... Either that, or the box full of tiny crochet chickens... I didn't really need an excuse for this... But it does amuse me...

Time To Start On X-Mas Things...

Yesterday was my day off... I woke up with such a sense of get-it-doneness and purpose that I grabbed one of my Christmas projects out of my craft box and started it... And what a start! The entire front of the cabin and the Cardinal... I didn't think I'd get that far...

This is called "Winter Hideaway" from the Dimensions Gold Collection... The finished piece will look like so... http://www.dimensions-crafts.com/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=0&idproduct=2280#details