Some wish list

Not much stitching these last few days and I am so sad. I really crave for it but I'm so tired lately because of work that all I want to do is sleep and sleep and sleep. And today, I've got flu and tonsillitis.

Since coming back to cross stitch again this year, I managed to compile a long wish list of kits and patterns. Here are some of them and will try to show more in the future. All photos are courtesy of www.123stitch.com with links provided.

Place We Call Home

Traveling Stitcher



In The Garden of My Heart
Why is it very hard to be good? Why can't I be contented with my stash and just stitch from it? Why can't I stop from looking for more?

That's all for now. Will try to write more soon :-)

WIP's: Butterflies

I've been so tired lately. There's so much work to do and so little time and the household chores seems never ending. But I am not complaining, in fact, I thank God for all He's giving me: lots of work, a family to care for, roof over my head and lots of cross stitch that will make me busy for a very long time.

I used to plan on what I will post here, but it took so much effort and planning that I realized maybe it's time that I just post whatever comes into my mind.

So for today, it is about what I am currently stitching, Butterflies. I bought this sometime last year but was not able to finish due to procrastination. I alternately stitch this with my current bigger pattern.That's all for now! Going to clean the house like a madwoman :-D

DREAMS

Since I love cross stitching so much, I think it is worth featuring here the one that started it all. So for today, I will be posting about my favorite needlecraft store: DREAMS Yarnshoppe. Please don't get me wrong, I was not being paid by the owner/store to feature them, I am just a happy customer who appreciate their very good service.

Way back in 1998 or 1999, I didn't know anything about cross stitch. Although an officemate of mine was raving about her favorite hobby at that time, I just shrugged it off. Then one day as I was walking around Glorietta Mall, I saw a display of a very beautiful finished cross stitch, Memory Lane (which I will post about hopefully soon), in Dreams Yarnshoppe (their location before is being occupied now by Havaianas store). So off I went inside the store to inquire about Memory Lane, but when I saw the pattern, I thought that it's very hard to do, so I just purchased the kit of this, which thankfully I was able to finish:


Although I didn't buy the pattern of Memory Lane, I kept going back to the store just to look at it and eventually bought the chart. But aside from that, I started buying from them other patterns, cross stitch books and materials that it finally became an addiction.

But busy work schedules got in the way so I stopped doing the hobby, until this year when I rediscovered it again. Anyway, so much for the blabbing. Here are some photos of the store that the very nice owner, Ate Lilli, allowed me to take:


Inside the store:


Some imported items:


Finished cross stitches that are for sale:

Baldemor's Good Harvest


Secret Garden I, II & III stitched together

Baldemor's Fruits of Labor - upon seeing this, I wanted to stop doing my current project and start this one. The colors are so alive and pretty!


Waterfalls


Projects done by Ate Lilli and/or some of her students:

Hardanger


Totsuka - if I remember correctly, this was done by one of her Japanese students


I'm sorry I cannot remember what they call this

Bargello


Whenever I visit the store, all I want to do is just stay there and look at all the needlecraft materials that they are selling, it's heavenly! By the way, Ate Lilli is offering needlecraft lessons such as: cross stitch, hardanger, tatting, knitting, crochet, specialty stitches, totsuka and more for a one time fee of P800. They also accept finishing and stitching services as well as framing. If you want further information, you can call them at 856-0741 or you can visit their store at the 3rd floor of Glorietta 5 Ayala Center, Makati City, Philippines.

That's all for now. Will try to write more soon! Thanks for reading :-)

Daylight

In my previous post dated September 6, 2010, I mentioned that I was hesitant on buying the DMC Philippines' Daylight pattern since I've already owned so many landscape and nature-themed patterns. But one of my friends said to me that she wants a cross stitch gift and by that she means that I wouldn't give her the pattern but instead the finished material. In short, I will do the cross stitching. Isn't she demanding :-D But I am not complaining as I enjoy doing cross stitch so much. The only question is, when am I going to start and finish the gift...

Back to the topic. So after talking to her, I thought that Daylight would be the perfect gift for her or... is it only a justification to buy the pattern? So off I go to purchase Daylight. Here it is:



Pattern specifications:

Design size: 20 inches x 15 inches if done in the recommended 14-count Aida Ecru
Number of stitches: 280 x 210
Colors: 39 colors
Total amount of threads to be used: 59 skeins
Stiches: full cross and some backstitching (the birds' beak and feet)

Until next time and thank you for reading!

IF I HAD MY LIFE TO LIVE OVER

I've got this from a dear friend through email. So true and very touching:

IF I HAD MY LIFE TO LIVE OVER
by Erma Bombeck (written after she found out she was dying from cancer).

I would have gone to bed when I was sick instead of pretending the earth would go into a holding pattern if I weren't there for the day.

I would have burned the pink candle sculpted like a rose before it melted in storage.

I would have talked less and listened more.

I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the carpet was stained, or the sofa faded.

I would have eaten the popcorn in the 'good' living room and worried much less about the dirt when someone wanted to light a fire in the fireplace.

I would have taken the time to listen to my grandfather ramble about his youth.

I would have shared more of the responsibility carried by my husband.

I would never have insisted the car windows be rolled up on a summer day because my hair had just been teased and sprayed.

I would have sat on the lawn with my grass stains.

I would have cried and laughed less while watching television and more while watching life.

I would never have bought anything just because it was practical, wouldn't show soil, or was guaranteed to last a lifetime.

Instead of wishing away nine months of pregnancy, I'd have cherished every moment.

When my kids kissed me impetuously, I would never have said, 'Later. Now go get washed up for dinner.' There would have been more 'I love you's' More 'I'm sorry's.'

But mostly, given another shot at life, I would seize every minute, look at it and really see it, live it and never give it back. STOP SWEATING THE SMALL STUFF!

Don't worry about who doesn't like you, who has more, or who's doing what.
Instead, let's cherish the relationships we have with those who do love us.

Some Things That Make Me Happy

Here are some cross stitch kits that I requested my brother-in-law to purchased for me which he ordered from www.123stitch.com. I actually received these last month, but it is only now that I've got the time to post here.



Morning Lake - finished size will be 7 inches x 5 inches on 18 count Ivory aida:



Overlook Cafe - finished size will be 7 inches x 5 inches on 18 count white aida:



Amaryllis in Bloom - finished size will be 4 inches x 8 inches on 18 count beige aida:



Single Rose - finished size will be 4 inches x 8 inches on 18 count beige aida:



One Will Never Do - finished size is 5 inches x 7 inches on 14 count white aida. I've already finished this one and given to a friend. This is such a small project but it took me more than a week to finish because of the specialty stitches, stitches that I love to hate like lazy daisy, french knot, and my best enemy - BACKSTITCH!



Finished project:



Framed:


Until next time and thank you for reading. Take care everyone :-)

DMC Patterns, Aida Fabric and of Courtship

I love buying cross stitch materials, specially patterns and fabrics. So when I was at the DMC Store, I bought the last 2 rolls of 18 count Aida fabric and some patterns. I was sad because the 5-meters roll is out of stock and the salesperson said that she cannot promise if they will have 18 count soon, since there are very few who buys it. The two that I bought were 2-meters and 3/4 meter. Oh, if only people will realize the beauty of the design if they will do their cross stitch in 18 count. Because with it, you will hardly see any fabric showing through behind the stitches.

Maybe some will ask, what's with these counts? Aren't all cross stitch fabrics the same? For those who are not familiar yet with these cross stitch fabrics, here is a simple explanation:

The number of count represents all the squares per inch in the fabric, so if it is a 14 count fabric, it simply means that there are 14 squares in an inch . Here is a photo of a 14 count Aida. I marked with pencil all the squares in an inch for clarity:

And here's a photo of a 16 count Aida with all the squares marked in blue:

And what difference will it make if I use a 14, 16 or 18 count Aida?

The lower the count of squares, the bigger the cross stitch design will come out. And the higher the count, the less fabric you will see behind the stitches. There are even stitchers who use 22 count or even higher. But I don't want to strain my eyes too much so I will just stay with my beloved 18 count.

Here's the two rolls of fabric that I bought:

And now for the patterns. DMC Philippines recently released some new patterns and I bought two of them, Harana ("Serenade") and Jazz Music. I didn't get the Daylight since I have so many landscape/nature patterns already, but who knows, when I go back to their store, I might buy it. I am an addict, remember :-D

Here is Harana:

Here's DMC's explanation of Harana at the back of the pattern (and why there is Courtship in my title):

"Harana is an old Filipino tradition of courtship. The man, usually accompanied by a guitar, goes to the house of the woman he is courting as a sign of respect to the woman and her parents. He tries to woo her by playing music with his instrument while singing romantic songs to her. In a variation called 'tapat' (answer?), practiced in small towns of Ilocos, the lady answers with a song that might hint that the man has to court her for a long time. The man counters with an even more passionate song, and the exchange continues until the pair come to an understanding. . ."

The finished design size of Harana if done in 14 count is 17 inches by 13.5 inches. Recommended fabric to use is black Aida.

And here is Jazz Music:


The finished design size of Jazz Music if done in 14 count is 12 inches by 15 inches. Recommended fabric to use is Ecru Aida.

Here is a photo of Daylight that I might eventually buy:




Until next time and thank you for reading!

Makeup and Cross Stitch

My original plan when I created this blog was to post everything about makeup as I am a makeup addict. But I need intervention with it as I noticed that I accumulated more than I ever need in my lifetime so I turned to my forgotten love which is cross stitch. It is also an addiction as I realized that I acquired so much pattern that I will need to live more than a hundred or two to finish them all. So I will start this by posting some of my projects. But this blog is not limited only to cross stitch and makeup. As you can see in the name of my blog, it will be everything about my favorite things, be it cosmetics, cross stitch, books, etc.

Here is one of my earlier projects. It was a kit that I bought and stitched in 1999. I think after year 2000, I stopped doing cross stitch due to busy work schedules. But now, I'm back full force into it :-D
This is my most recent finished project. A gift for my sister. I stitched this from, I think around June of this year and finished second week of August.



I will try to post pictures of things that I love (and even those that I don't) as often as I can, but I cannot promise to do it as regularly as I like.

Welcome and thank you for reading my blog! Happy September to all!