It has been a slow week...

This time last year we were back in the UK for my sister's wedding.

I had all good intentions to create a 1 year anniversary gift for her: A wedding portrait cross stitch, similar to the cross stitch portrait my brother had requested. Unfortunately it has been another couple of nutty work weeks so I didn't have the free/craft time to pull it off. The silver lining is that the traditional 2nd year anniversary gift is 'cotton'... so that can be the new goal! Sorry, Sis xxx
I have a reasonable start, and have been enjoying working on my Sis in her fabulous wedding dress. Pretty cute, huh! (She's ridiculously cute in real life too). I cant tell you how much fun these portraits are to work on.

Now I just need to keep this little fella from chewing up the threads!!!
(Isn't that a guilty look)

Wishing you a great Sunday,
Love,
Sam
xxx

Gnomes

I've been having fun putting together a couple of gifts for a friend that likes gnomes. First is a simple wooden box that is embellished with a cross stitch gnome on the lid.

The box is a Hand Made Modern wooden box from Target, and the gnome pattern comes from the Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery's Woodland Sampler (you have to decrease the height of the gnome hat to make it fit).  I started with cross stitch thread but wasn't getting the coverage I wanted, and then changed to use sock yarn from my stash.

I think it turned out pretty cute. Turns out that I wasn't the only one - Naomi asked if I would make a box for her too. For her box I opted for a simple initial in colours that match her room.

This is a simple, quick and easy project. There are some fiddly elements - dealing with the lid as you stitch and tucking in the end of each threads But otherwise it's a straightforward make, with a cute result.

The other project is a storage basket made from the adorable Heather Ross gnome fabric, together with some Michael Miller polka dots.

The pattern is a modified version of the popular, free pattern: One Hour Basket from Hearts and Bees. My modifications were to make it larger:

• I cut 4 pieces of fabric that were 17 x 21 inches
• The square cutouts for each corner were 3.5 inches
• I folded over approx 3 inches of the polka dot fabric at the top of the basket and top stitched across the top and bottom of this polka dot band

The storage basket is quite floppy - which could be a result of the larger size. But if I were to do this again, I'd probably use a stiffer interfacing. However, with enough yarn stashed inside, it stands up quite nicely :)

Hope that you are having a fabulous weekend.
Love,
Sam
xxx

Stitch People: Cross Stitch Family

After seeing the birth announcement cross stitch, one of my family asked if I would make a family portrait with cartoon type people and an uplifting statement underneath as a daily reminder to be grateful for all that you have. Well, of course I was going to say yes to that!

I enjoy the research process almost as much as the crafting itself, and it wasn't long before I found the Stitch People site. What a fantastic source of inspiration with numerous customized family and wedding portraits. Plus you can order their book to guide you through creating your own custom versions: The book includes the designs for multiple different hair, outfit and accessory types, plus it has a great section for different dog and cat types. Naturally I now own a copy.

I started by picking out some photographs of the happy family, and then looking in the Stitch People book for those characteristics and outfits that would represent the family members. Once I had the selected design elements I copied them onto graph paper - this became my 'pattern'. From there it was a case of picking from my supply of threads to create the portrait. I cant tell you how much fun I had with this process, trying to make sure I reflected some of the details of this family:

• Ooh she likes sparkle - let me stitch her a pink sparkle top
• I rarely see her without heels... yep, these ankle boots with a heel are perfect!
• Now for him, a black t-shirt is a frequent go-to top
• One of his arms is a multicolour sleeve tattoo and the other is sepia, let me build that in ...making sure I get the arms correct (yes, there are even hints and tips for how you add details such as tattoos into your design)
• The dogs are both German Shepherds but with their own distinct colouring that I was able to build in

As for the saying, I found this one on Pinterest - it is short, simple, but really conveys the desired feeling behind the original request.

I am grateful that I get to spend time with my family very soon, and deliver this one in person.
What are you grateful for?

Big hugs,
Sam xxx

Birth Announcement

Have you seen how cute the penpals patterns are from Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery? These are beginner friendly, and a big part of that appeal is they are small enough that you can finish fairly quickly.

I had been working on Penpals 202, which I believe was originally a Valentine's release.  I bought this as a kit, with the polka dot linen and delightful cosmo threads, from The Cottage Needle on Etsy (I highly recommend them for your stitch goodies).  While I was working on this, I received the good news that a dearly loved couple were expecting a baby girl.  As the months went by I saw that they were decorating the nursery with pink and hearts.  That triggered an idea - this cross stitch pattern would make a cute birth announcement.

Once I worked the penpals design, I needed to add the personalization.  A quick Google search later I came across Stitchpoint - a site that lets you pick a font and type in the letters and characters that you want to stitch.  I opted for the Monaco font - I wanted the lettering to be delicate and not overpower the penpals design.  For the name I used the darkest of pinks from the design.  For the birth details I used the medium pink.  My thought here is that the name would stand out a little bit from the rest of the details.


For the finishing I found a frame at TJ Maxx that would work with the furniture in the nursery, and also complement the cross stitch design.  I cut some card and batting that would fit the frame (I like how the batting adds some 'poof' to the finished design, centered the design over the top and then laced up the back.  (There are a number of online tutorials showing how to do lacing...  this was my first time finishing/framing a project myself, and I was pleasantly surprised at how well it turned out).

Have you tried something new this week?

Wishing you a great week ahead.
Love,
Sam xxx

Happy Valentine's Day!

There have been a number of activities at Naomi's school this last week, most notably 'Tie Dye Tuesday'.  I decided that this would be a fun opportunity for Naomi and I to work on a craft project together.  I found this great tutorial for creating tie dye with Turmeric:  Natural Tie Dye Pillow from High on DIY.  We had everything we needed at home already so it was perfect! And the color that the turmeric creates is fabulous and sings that Spring is on the way!



This project was simple enough for a little one to work on (except the boiling part of course - that was my domain). She was delighted with the end result, and shared this as her 'Good thing' at school that day. By the way, I love that her school reinforces the idea of looking for the good in each day by encouraging the kiddos to share their 'good things' with the class.

A good thing for me: I took Friday off work to go to the zoo with my family. It seems people and animals alike had the same idea - it was a perfect day to be outdoors! We got to see some lion cubs, the bears, mountain sheep, etc. etc. and feed the lorikeets.  I loved seeing the bears, but feeding the lorikeets was the highlight of the day for Naomi and I.



Other good things - I splurged on some more yarn. This is 'high twist sock' from Pigeonroof Studios. I've yet to figure out what to make with this as there are only 240 yards. I could see possibly pairing with some other yarn in my stash and use this as a border on a shawl. Or maybe use on its own to make a hat. What are your thoughts?



But for now, and in honor of the day, I will spend a little time on this Valentine's cross stitch from the Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery:



Wishing you a wonderful Valentine's day!
Love
Sam
xxx

Happy New Year

Happy New Year!

Hard to believe that it has been approx 6 months since I blogged. It has been very busy in my work life this past year, and although that doesn't look set to change anytime soon, it is important that I carve out time for those things that I enjoy. That of course includes crafting and blogging.

Over the holidays I was able to finish a couple of Christmas stockings for Naomi and I.


Naomi helped stitch these which means there are extra special memories built in. There was also the usual requests for felted slippers, and I was able to churn out 8 pairs of those over my Christmas break. Naomi also tried her hand at knitting by assisting me with these - a few knit stitches here and there. A great start! I'm not convinced that I have a crafter on my hands, but I do enjoy her natural curiosity and desire to have a go.

My new year project is a clementine cowl. A couple of friends have been making these, and they were turning out so beautifully that I wanted to join in the fun. The pattern calls for 2 skeins of dyed in the wool, which is an interesting fingering weight yarn that looks like a handspun.

I selected one colorway I liked and then partnered it with yarn from my stash that is deliciously soft.

This project is close to completion, so I'll have to pick a new project for my work travels this week. Probably a bertie's blanket square. Before the holidays I had received squares from Andi and Sarina... aren't they gorgeous!

As a result we are now only 4 squares from finishing this blanket... yup good plane knitting right there.

Wishing you a great week ahead, and a wonderful 2016.
Sam XXX

A little of this and that

The crafty gifts continued to come in last weekend - check out this adorable sheepy yarn bowl that my step kids gave me for my birthday. It is adorable, and so are they :) We'd spent last weekend together in San Antonio, Texas, at a family wedding. It was a really fun weekend and good to have that time together.

With some of my big work projects going live this last week I've been able to pick up the knitting needles again. First I pulled this hexagon blanket out of the WIP pile. According to my ravelry notes, I started this one back in 2009. Yikes! Its amazing to me that it has been 'in progress' for that amount of time (where 'in progress' primarily means sat on a shelf and awaiting some attention!) I'd also finished the first pink pop sock, and now onto the next... about to turn the heel and then on the home stretch. Really pleased with these. Look how lusciously soft this yarn looks all knit up. Yesterday I was also playing around with some liberty fabric squares. I am thinking of making these into a cushion cover. Loving the pinks and purples. And last but not least, I received this thank you card in the mail for the Bertie's Blanket sock yarn blanket. Thank you again for all your help with these hospice blankets. The recipient was Porter Hospice in Littleton, Colorado.

Hope you are enjoying a lovely long weekend. Mine started with a day trip down to Colorado Springs, visiting Garden of the Gods and taking a ride up Pike's Peak on the Cog Railroad. For the rest of the weekend I am taking it easy and I'm thinking that also means craft time :)

Wishing you a great weekend,
Sam xxx

A little of this, a little of that

First up: A huge than you to all of you that sent sock yarn squares for Bertie's Blankets.
The original idea was to make one large hospital bed sized blanket out of these squares. But after I started to assemble them, I decided that there were enough squares to make 2 good sized lap blankets, and why not spread the love :) This is the first of those lap blankets that I dropped off at a local hospice this week. It has been over 3 years since Dad was in hospice care, and so I wasn't expecting the emotions that came with dropping this blanket off. A mix of sadness for what has been, together with gratitude and happiness thinking about all of you that have been so kind to support this effort. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.

That's the biggest news this week.  Other than that, I've been playing around with a couple of different projects all of which have one thing in common - they needed to be an easy distraction after some busy, and mentally exhausting work days:

• There's the Evie box sweater in the red yarns which is a beautifully simple garter stitch in a variety of yarns.
• A sock, which originally was in a cute pattern but required too much mental processing power, so riiiip, it became a vanilla sock.
• Free-form embroidery on some Liberty of London decorator weight fabric which I turned into an envelope cushion and gifted to a friend today.
• Upon completing that cushion, Naomi wanted a cushion too, so I pulled out the British bunting fabric that I picked up in the UK last year and made another simple envelope cushion cover for her bedroom.
• Finally these darling little pin cushions using some espresso sized cups, fabric and a hot glue gun!

And that's it my friends. It has been good to craft this week.
Hope you are well.
Love,
Sam xxx

Active projects - January

How many active projects do you have on the go at any given time? I typically have a variety of projects that I am actively working on (and this doesn't include the projects that are tucked away in hibernation).   But here's my big 3:

Only yesterday I cast on some 'secret socks'... it is valentines day coming up after all :)



Joe has been working this weekend so that has allowed me to get these underway while he is out of the house. My goal is to complete by Valentines day without him suspecting a thing. I think he's going to be really touched as he really appreciates handmade items, and all his hand knit socks to date.



Not to leave the other man in my life out, I am also working on a hand knit for Bruno. He doesn't have much of a coat himself, and it gets pretty darn cold here. So what does every large, masculine dog need? Why yes a striped hand knit sweater :) He looks quite severe in this picture, and that couldn't be further from the truth. In the words of Robert Palmer he's 'addicted to love'!  Bella and Buster liked a lot of attention, but this guy... he just wants to be in constant contact with someone. His favourite spot in the world - my lap. Yup all 90+lbs of him!



And now my other furry fam, Bella, is giving me that look like 'where's mine?'. She really doesn't need one - this old girl has sooooo much fur. Bella is also a sweetheart, but can be a proper little madam too: We took her for her regular vet checkup the other day, only to find that she'd pulled her best Houdini moves and escaped 3 times from the dog crate they were keeping her in. In the end they decided why fight it, and they just let her find herself a comfy spot where she happily waited until it was her turn to be seen.



To finish the knitty update, look at this lovely yarn that I purchased from Phydeaux yarns. It is cachemire in North Pole colorway. Mmmm... aaahhhh... so very pretty. Must think of a suitable project for this one. Thoughts anyone?  I can't even decide if it should be a shawl or socks...



I'm also cross stitching. This is the Once Upon a Time sampler from the frosted pumpkin stitchery. It was last year's sampler - each month you'd receive a new fairytale to stitch. Seeing the finished versions online inspired me to pick this up again.



I'm going to go check out the fun projects that you have underway.

Take care and happy crafting,
Sam
xxx

Did you have a wonderful Christmas?

Ours was lovely. Mum was over since Thanksgiving and only left yesterday. We had a great time, and created lots of fond memories - ice skating, pottery painting, movie visits etc... and good Grammy time for Naomi.

I've been slow on the crafting front. I started a new job on October 1st and it consumes a lot of my free time. I'm thinking that as I get up to speed I should regain some of my work/life balance. Until then, it may be a little slow and sporadic here at sticks and strings. We have however been on a shut down from work this last week. Which was AWESOME! Quality time with family, as well as some craft time too. A girl could get used to this :)))

I created a few quick projects: First is an elf pillow for Naomi, to go with her elf pjs.





There are some really good instructions for this on the smashed peas and carrots blog.  It seems like some sort of construction magic when you make these for the first time... but it works beautifully! 

Anyhoo, while Naomi was fast asleep I snuck this new pillowcase onto her pillow and when she woke up she was all giddy about what the elves had made for her :)))

The next set of projects was a variety of gift bags - some for the teacher gifts, some for friends... you get the idea. I was able to use some of my stash for these beauties.



The pattern and instructions for these drawstring pouches can be found on the In Color Order blog.  PS - these also make great knitty project bags - and are straightforward to make.

Finally I had my 'Trevor tree' ornament finished so that it could go home with Mum yesterday.




Hope you are enjoying a relaxing Sunday, and wishing you wonderful New Year celebrations this coming week.
Sam xxx