Sunday, January 25, 2015

Stitch from Stash 2015: January Check-In

Month: January
Spent: $10.65 (all on floss for my Mirabilia Stargazer, 25 skeins at $0.39 ea + tax)
Earned: $0 (no finishes this month)

Hi all,

As I mentioned in an earlier post, this year I joined Stitch from Stash, hosted by Mel at Epic Stitching:

With lots of big life changes coming up mid-year, I am trying to be careful about my finances.  The goal is to spend under $25/month on cross stitch supplies, and for each finish from stash, you get extra funds to spend.  Whatever you don't spend carries over each month until June.

For a WIP/finish to count as a stitch-from-stash, it has to be at least six months since you purchased the pattern.  Because of this, I believe 3 of my 6 WIPs count as Stitches from Stash: "Quiet Time," "Aurora Cabin," and "The Wave." 
I was gifted "Beauty and the Beast" and purchased "Winter Friend" in October and "Sleigh Ride at Dusk Stocking" in early December, so none of them count (yet...I'm pretty sure I'll still be working on both Beauty and the Beast and the stocking past the six-month mark!)

I will share pictures of my progress in my WIPocalypse post on Feb 4! : )

Also, for some reason the reply function on my account isn't working, but please know that I read and appreciate your comments, and as soon as I can get it working again, I will respond to you!

Happy Stitching!

Monday, January 5, 2015

Happy New Year! 2015 WIPocalypse

Hi all,

Happy New Year!  Lots to be excited about for this coming year, and lots of resolutions to follow!  Cross stitch resolutions are my favorite, because they are always fun to work towards, and (almost) always stress-free.  To that end, I have again joined the WIPocalypse SAL, hosted by Melissa at Measi's Musings.

I'm excited to do this SAL properly this time around, and participate for the full year (since last year I didn't join until May!)

For the initial post, we introduce our projects and establish our cross stitch goals for year.  I discovered last year that I get a little overly ambitious when coming up with goals (to adapt a cliché, my eyes are faster than my hands), but at least this gives me plenty to work towards!

The first six goals deal with my current WIPs (yes, I added one more to my rotation...I found I liked that number working on Christmas presents earlier in the month!), and the rest will be new starts from my stash (also joined Stitch from Stash this year, which I will be posting about in the second half of each month.) 

2015 Goals:

1: Finish "Aurora Cabin" (Dimensions kit, WIP):

I've had a bit of progress on it in the last week: hopefully it will continue to progress at this rate, for a mid-year finish! :)

2: Complete 5 out of 25 pages on "Quiet Time" (HAED, WIP):

I've currently completed one full page, and part of page 2.

3: Complete 1/2 of "Beauty and the Beast Falling in Love" (Disney Dreams kit, WIP):

4: Finish "The Wave" (Dimensions kit, WIP):

5: Finish "Winter Friend" (Bothy Threads kit, WIP):
 
I am loving the Lana for the snowflakes!

6. Finish "Sleigh Ride at Dusk" stocking (Dimensions kit, WIP):

I started this one on Dec. 29, and I hope to have it finished for Christmas 2015!

7: Start "The Balloon" (Gorjuss - Bothy Threads)
This is what it will look like:
 

8: Start "Stargazer" (Mirabilia)
It will look like:
 
Only I will be stitching it on a dark blue hand-dyed opalescent fabric.  I think her dress (and the stars)  will really pop on a dark blue background, but I am a bit concerned that all the sparkles on such a dark fabric will overwhelm her: I was hoping for a night-sky effect, but I think I will have to stitch her face and see how it looks.  If it seems like too much, I may end up purchasing a similar fabric minus the sparkles.
 
9: Start set of nativity ornaments.
These will be the same as the four I made for my mom last year, but for my tree! : )

10. Start "Snowfall"

It will look like:
 
11: In June, create organized space(s) for stash and crafting in new home!

This year has a lot of unknowns for me because I graduate in May and will be moving in June, so the amount of free time I will have the second half of the year will depend on the job I am able to land (yikes!)  Mid-year I may have to adjust my goals a little, depending on how much I am able to get done in the spring.  But here's hoping I can get these goals completed! : )

Happy New Year to all of you! May 2015 be full of stitching!