IHSW - It's all over for the Lovers!!

Hello my stunning stunners!!

Welcome aboard Johanna, Mountain Ash, LesleyAnne Smith and Emma and thank you for joining me and my other followers on this cross stitch adventure. You're just in time to witness a miracle! 2 not 1 but TWO finishes!!!

The star crossed lovers have met their end WooHOO!

QS Lovers

They are my first yearly goal to be completed (and more than likely my last). I still have 2 more finishes and 6 (large charted) pages on Golden Wood to truly realise my cross stitch dreams for 2012.

Sorry the photo is really yucky but I just couldn't get the light right no matter how many location changes I had. So this is the for now photo and I will post a better one in the gallery when I can figure it out!   

And I also completed my first of four charts that I have in the Bothy Threads Gorjuss range.

So here is I found my family in a book.

She is stitched on 14ct Aida from the hand dyed range from the lovely boys at Sew it all. Next will be "Puddles of Love"

As most of you know HAED had a brilliant 50% sale recently. I could have bought a whole load of charts but the ones I picked were just a different variation of charts I already had. So I decided to only get ones that are truly different to what I own.  Weirdly I could only find one.

BOOTSTRAP BETSY - JASMINE BECKET-GRIFFITH

I just loved the bright red parrot and I was curious about how the tatts  would turn out.

I so so so so want to start her but I'm still on a high about my 2 finishes that I kinda want to stick to my rotation and score a few more finishes under my belt. 

I have already planned 6 new starts as my rotation goes. These include QS Salvatore to replace Lovers in the rotation and I will be starting a SAL with the very stunning Kim from Scully's cross stitching fame with Rose Cerise in December. Just waiting on fabric and thread to arrive on that baby!

So Betsy is gonna have to wait her turn I'm afraid but she is right up the top of the list!

IHSW

With the advice of the Lovely Nina I started on the Passione Ricamo Fairy Mystery SAL for the IHSW.

It started in July and we get sent a page every month for a year. I joined late and had to catch up on 5 pages. They aren't huge but I have been waiting for ages for the sparkly threads that I ordered to arrive. So I thought I would stitch on what I could which is just the normal threads and some beading. It's my first time beading and I found it really really difficult. If anyone has any tips I would welcome any advice as there is a tonne of it in this chart!!

So I made a start on page 1 and 5.

She is being stitched on 40ct sparkly peachy coloured linen 2 over 2. It's pretty cool not knowing what the final picture looks like - when you receive the email the first page is what the final pic looks like up to that page. So I just close my eyes and keep clicking till I get to the chart so I don't peek at what it looks like so far. I know I'm an idiot. But you were forewarned LOL!!!


Moving on!!

HAED have released the 2013 Freebie SAL. Sign ups are still open and the charts are fabulous! I vowed I wouldn't join in next year as I have alot going already, (Yeah yeah I know you've all heard that from me before --- and guess what you'll probably hear it from me again in the future hee hee) but when I saw them there were actually 3 that I really wanted to do. They changed the rules a bit which I think was a pretty cool change as it gives you more incentive to actually continue the SAL all year.


So my choice was Ciro Marchetti's

QS Theatre of the Absurd

Theatre of the Absurd could actually be the title of my autobiography. That's the stage my life is played out on. Truly!!! LOL. Well it makes sense due to being a lunatic in all facets of life especially cross stitch.



I loved the full version when it was released but decided I had enough Marchetti's in my stash so I didn't get it. But I couldn't pass this one up. Isn't it just dreamy, I love how the purples and gold look together. Also the tally as of this date is only 19 stitchers signed up for it with a whopping 106 doing Spanglers Literate Dragon. So I had to go for the underdog!

My second choice was Mystic Garden (another Marchetti).

The full version is actually called "Peacocks Garden"

Although the Peacock's are lovely it was really the white tigers that I adored in this chart. So it was serendipity that HAED released the QS with only the tigers...OMG the universe is friendly!

Anyhoo I already have "Peacocks Lagoon" in my stash which is very similar and the Peacocks are nicer in this one. So it was completely win win for me. I plan on keeping up with this SAL so I will be sent the rest of the charts in the end.

Man that was a real plug for Ciro Marchetti huh? Well he deserves it for producing such beautiful art!

That's all stunners. Talk soon and may your world be filled with sunshine and rainbows..now I'm going to check out every one's progress on IHSW mwah mwah!

xoxo Alicia

IHSW October - I'm still here!!!

Helllooooo Stunners!!!

Wow this has been the longest I've been MIA. Have been absolutely flat out with life, love, friends, work and of course STITCHING!!!! But somehow couldn't manage the time to blog. I've tried to keep up with everyone though and I've witnessed some very impressive work. Good going stunners!

Firstly welcome to my new followers Agi, Inga, Little Miss Stitchy Stitch, Mii Stitch and Alina. Thank you for taking an interest in my little corner of the blog world. I hope I keep it interesting for you.

Ok I'm just going to launch straight into my progress since my last blog which was a back in August (OMG!!)

QS Lovers

I worked on this one for the IHSW and managed to finish page 3. Only 1 partial page left to go. Hopefully the lovers will be finished by the end of the day. YAY!! My lovers will be my second HAED finish. (Only 200 charts to go, fist pump!) 

Golden Wood

This is the first column completed which equals 3 pages. I'm pretty stoked that I have finished my first lady. Will need to complete 6 more pages to reach the halfway point and also fulfill my end of year goal. Hmmm will give it a go!

QS Fragile Heart 

Awesome she can almost see!

I've also being working on Vanity, Faery Ball and Faery2 but will wait till there is substantial progress on them before posting a pic. As I'm working across the entire rows for these even though I've put in thousands of stitches it just looks like a minute difference. I will post every 20 or so row completions.

Now for the STASH!!!! 

The first 3 were bought during the HAED appreciation week. I also bought 2 charts for 2 friends so they could appreciate HAED addiction hee hee!!

Lee Anne Seed Lights Collection2007 - Catch the stars

Hannah Lynn - Mini Little Miss Deelilsh and Sweet Treats Trixie

Linda Ravenscroft - Waiting for Neptune

These babies were purchased during the Halloween sale (which is still on - go for it stunners bwah hah hah HAH!)

Jacek Yerka is a relatively new artist to HAED and I love his quirky and imaginative work. The four seasons (when finished of course) will be hung in accordance of the season I'm experiencing at the time, it will be like 4 pics in one. Pretty cool!

As for Boudoir - I love, love, love it. It reminds me of me.  Just like my mind it's all over the place, upside down, things defying gravity (like my boobies hee hee) but somehow it all makes sense, well perhaps only to me but it works! I'm thinking of making a start on it in November. 

Four Seasons - Jacek Yerka

Boudoir - Jacek Yerka

and for the creme de la creme of stash enhancement

Mrs Dibble bought this lovely chart for me. 

Squeal Screech Eek

It's like all my favourite things in one - pink, shoes and flowers

all it needs is a bit of Singapore Chilli Crab for taste and voila a veritable Princess masterpiece!!!!

QS Salvatore - Michel Tcherevkoff

Michele Sayetta has advised in the HAED newsletter that she is going to release a new Tcherevkoff and it's basically the companion shoe flower of this one, so I'll be getting that one too. I hope it's released during the sale - hint hint there Ms. Sayetta! LOL!

This one's for Jo who can't think of a clever nickname fame. Months ago Jo nominated me for answering 11 questions, which I piked out on. But she asked me so very nicely to answer at least one of them as she had an answer in mind.

The question: Which actress would play you in the movie about you?

Answer: I've pondered for ages on this - it's actually a hard question. But after some thought and help from my friends I've narrowed it down to 3.

It would be either:

1) Zooey Deschanel (for her quirky, zany, awkward and dry sense of humour.

2) Sofia Vergara (Gloria from Modern Family) - because she is very beautiful (just like me) but mostly because she is so very fiery and cracks it whenever someone crosses her.

3) Krysten Ritter - mostly due to her role as Patty in the movie "She's out of my league. She has my sense of humour, with her dry sarcastic retorts. 

Plus we all have dark hair!

So Jo let me know which actress you had in mind. I'm very intrigued.

Ok my lovely gorgeous stunners that's for now.

As a tribute to Jo - I would love to hear your answers to that question too. 

Who would be cast to play you in a movie???

Can't wait to hear your answers!!

Take care everyone, I hope you all had a good IHSW and have a fantabulous stitchylicious week. xoxo Alicia

August WIPocalypse - Part 1

Hi stunners!!!

Sorry for the major hiatus from moi but life in the past month was such that every time I made plans to blog, something else popped up.

But I still managed to stitch so that's all good.

Welcome to my new followers Chelle Newton,Beverly Robinson and Karen Hughes. Thanx for joining me girls and welcome to my journey of cross stitch lunacy.

TAPESTRY MOON - FREE FAIRY CHART

On my previous post I posted a new chart I received by Jenni DMills who is an Aussie designer who has recently taken the big step of designing full time. 

Jenni was so happy that I mentioned her work that she kindly offered my followers a free fairy pdf chart if they popped over to her blog Tapestry Moon and mentioned that you found out about her through The Crafty Princess.  How sweet and generous is that!!! We've had a few email exchanges and she is really lovely, down to earth and very talented.  Thanx Jenni that is so cool of you!!

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU

A big huge thank you to Kim Howe from Scully's Cross Stitching fame. She is very naughty but so very kind. I was having the worst day at work and just couldn't wait to get the hell out of there. I was walking through the car park and my phone beepity beeped me. So I opened the mail to find I had received a very unexpected surprise - a gift chart!!!

It was exactly the same one I was drooling over during my lunch break, and now thanks to the generosity of Kim, I am the proud owner of Rose Cerise by Karen Middleton. You're so sweet, thanx Kim. You absolutely positively were the rainbow in my life that day. I couldn't wait to get home even more after that so that I could download the chart and drool up close!!

We both own this chart now and we are thinking of doing a SAL of her (but not till the New Year due to all our other stitchy commitments for this year)

Isn't she beautiful, I can't stop admiring her and I so so so can't wait to stitch her!!!

STASH ENHANCEMENT
 WHOO HOO!!!

 As most of you know Heaven and Earth Designs had a recent 50% off stash enhancement sale. I know you guys know as I've been admiring all the stash everyone's purchased and displayed proudly on their blogs. Great work stunners. So here are my no more charts deal breaker purchases!

Kuik Montage - Ching Chou Kuik

I'll be starting this one very soon when I get the fabric on Thursday at the craft show. I've decided to do all the black frame bits first and then fill in the fairies and mermaids in whatever order I feel like. It will be like little windows with the ladies slowly peeking out. Also it won't be so daunting. This is a very very very large chart!!!

House Divided - Nene Thomas

I love the cute little owl but what got me was her beautiful dress. I just love it!!

So many books so little time - Randal Spangler

This is a stunning companion for "Curl up with a good book" and will go in the library (you know - when it's finished hee hee). We all know about having too much to do with such limited time...perfect!

QS Clara - Hannah Lynn

I love the pink teamed with those beautiful green eyes, plus I love her stable table boobies!!!

Weeping Angel - Katarina Koukiotis

This picture absolutely captivates me. I just find it so beguiling.  I can feel her despair when I look at her and it makes me feel so emotional. I just want to put my arms around her and comfort her. I'm not sure whether I will stitch the rainy background, I may just buy fabby that resembles a stormy sky. 

Mia - Myka Jelina

What can I say, she's purply, in pigtails and she looks very naughty but sweet! I just love all the brilliant purples in this chart!

Thanks to the Crafty Pixie I was led to a site called Soda Pattern Mall. The charts are so vibrant and cute and mega cheap. It's a South Korean site and I absolutely love their English translations to some of their chart names. They are just as cute as the charts!! The Crafty Pixie just finished Cafe Love and it looks really cool stitched up. 

Song of the Moonlight

Two Hearts, One Love

Beginning Lover

In the brilliant Days

     

WIPOCALYPSE PROGRESS

Okay now I need to justify all the chart purchasing with some actual stitching. Here is what I have been up to in the last month.

New start - Vanity - Nene Thomas

My first sin : Stitched 2 over 1 on 22ct White Hardanger. I am stitching it row by row in it's entirety.  I have completed the first 10 rows and all of page 6, which was just so tiny that it was more of a pain to keep getting it out and stitching 30 stitches and then going back to page 1. So I just got it out of the way and stitched it all. So yay Page Finish!! ha ha.

Golden Wood

Before

After
Page 1 complete

Faery 2

Before

After

I have finally developed an awesome rotation. I won't bore you with the details. I've only used it for a week or so but I'm loving the variety and I seem to be progressing so much better. You will be able to see the results in Part 2 August Wipocalypse. 

That's it for me I'm off to the Newcastle Craft Show tomorrow. I will be staying 2 nights in a one bedroom terrace apartment. The show doesn't start till Thursday but I plan on spending Wednesday afternoon on the terrace with a mud pack on my face, a glass of chardonnay, my latest audio book plugged into my earholes and my stitching. Uninterrupted stitching - bliss bomb baby I can hardly wait!!!!


Take care everyone.

Keep up all the amazing work I have seen on all your blogs. You guys inspire me. Thank you!

Lots of luv and kisses

Alicia xo

I'm not bad I was born this way - IHSW & Wipocalypse

Hi Stunners!!!

Welcome to my new followers, Stitching Angel, Diane and Delphyne. These stunning people have helped me to crack the 100 followers. So see the bottom of this post for the 100th follower's prize giveaway.

So first order of business is I bought alot of stash at the Sydney Craft and Quilt show. I went there with no intention of buying anymore charts. Just fabric and accessories to accomodate the charts I already have.

However upon meeting Naomi from Stitches and Spice, we had an inspiring conversation. I told her how many I had and I couldn't possibly start anymore due to my current 26 wip rotation. Her nonchalant reply was pretty much bugger it who cares just start them and just keep buying more. If it makes you happy then go for it. Her attitude was so cool, I mean who does it hurt and why do we feel guilty about our stash????

Now stunners my epiphany is this, why do we feel bad when we buy more charts, kits, whatever...this is the craft that makes us happy. Every blog I have read (myself included) always beat on about how bad they were because they bought more stash...yet the purchasing of it makes us happy. We all seem to get down on ourselves because we have bought more than we will live to see completed. Well who cares, I could go tomorrow, but at least I was happy today!!!! So stunners buy that damn chart or kit and to hell with feelings of guilt. It's such a wasted emotion.

So with that I have decided that I will do all of Marta Dahlig's 7 deadly sins. I only needed to buy 3 more anyway to complete the collection. When I went to Heaven and Earth Designs website - OMG Michele was having a 50% stash enhancement sale...whoa serendipity thy is my middle name!!! The sale was for one day only and I logged on within the last hour or so of the sale.  See it was meant to be. So I also bought a Spangler that I have been umming and ahhing about for years. Now my wishlist is empty and I have all that I have ever wanted...Plus its my birthday on the 25th June, no more justification required...Whoo hoo!

STASH STASH STASH

BE PROUD BE LOUD

So here is my latest stash enhancements. I think I will start with Vanity though as she is my favourite. Then will do one of these beauties below as these are the least stitched by anyone so will give it a go. I will add a sin to the rotation and if I endeavour to do 2 lines per day I will have the sins done in 7 years!!!! A year a sin, sounds like heaven!

.   

Just updated this post to include my progress pic. I found the camera it was in my recycling box. Of course it would be I don't know why I didn't check there first!!!  Ok so I had a great IHSW and managed to finish page 2 of QS Lovers. On track with this one, yah. We receive the 3rd page from Rachel in the first week of July.

So with 100 stitches per day on lovers, 100 in Faery2, 400 to 800 on Vanity (when I kit her up) plus sticking to rotation I should have some good progress to show you all.

Before

and after

 

So now for the giveaway.

To enter all you have to do is go to my stash page (scroll back up to the top and you will see the "stash" tab), and pick your fav chart or at least the chart that you would like to see stitched up. If you're having trouble picking just one then go with as many as you like.

Everyone that leaves a choice in the comments will be eligible for an entry to the comp. Don't forget to leave your email in the comments as well so I can get hold of you if you win. (Or you can submit an entry privately to my email account neon_princess33@yahoo.com.au)

I will pick 3 names out of a fairy jar.  The first person chosen has first choice of prizes and so on.

1) $40 gift voucher at www.heavenandearthdesigns.com

2) $60 worth of fabric and/or accessories from www.sewitall.com.au

3) Your choice of 2 or more Mystic Stitch charts from the following list (hardcopies will be sent to you - they are new and never been used)
    

The mermaid in the oyster shell is Mother of Pearl - click the link to be able to get a close up of her.

I will leave the comp open for 2 weeks to enable followers and guest stars a chance to view my blog and enter.

Good luck stunners!

Thank you so much for all your support. This little giveaway is a token of my appreciation for all the comments, views and fantastic friends I have made over the last year or so through this blog. You guys rock! Thank you thank you thank you stunners xoxo Alicia

A big thank you to Jo and Julie for nominating me for the 11 things. I was really chuffed that you picked me. However I'm battling the flu atm and just can't find the energy to participate.

However as a token of my appreciation I will enter you both in the giveaway and if you add a comment then you will get 2 chances to win. I hope this is ok with you 2 stunners. I apologise for my lethargy but I've been off sick from work as well and is one of  the reasons my IHSW and wipocalypse post is so late.

Take care everyone, have an awesome week.

I will endeavour to catch up with everyones blogs.

xoxo Alicia

IHSW and yep I did it again!!

Hi Stunners!!!

Welcome to Lija, Beth Pearce, Milly Muckle and TammyK. Thanx to you lovely girls I have cracked the over 100 followers! Yay celebration time.

Will have to have a giveaway for that. Let me find something worthy for you guys.

I shall get the new stash pic out of the way and then will move onto to progress pics. I don't think I need to justify this one but will have a go. All I can say is 50% off sale at HAED, the name of the chart is Alicia Aliana (hello it's my one of my names!!), Hannah Lynn is one of my fav artists, and I love the colour purple...ummm ok that's all I got on this one.

Here she is:



Aww so cute - look at the lil dragon. Bless!

IHSW

Sorry it's a wee bit late but I was working nightshifts and they really throw me around. I'm kinda like the walking dead (good show by the way).

For the stitch weekend I managed to get quite a few stitches into QS Lovers. I was really happy about my progress on them.

Before:

After:

Sorry about the Qsnap mark on her hair but I didn't have time to iron and let's face it even if I did I probably wouldn't have.

I hate ironing. All my clothes are wash and wear and those that aren't I just wear them an hour before I'm due to go out and lie down on my bed and read. The wrinkles usually work their way out by then.  Hee hee!

 Rotation

The rest of the week I worked on my focus piece - Golden Wood

Also got a bit done on the golden ladies. I've decided to work 3 pages at once. It's only 2 and half rows so I just work the column from the top right down to the bottom of the entire chart. So the picture will unfold in it's entirety as I work through it. Plus it changes it up from blocks of black and red of the trees and the forest floor to the browns, greens and blues of the ladies.

Before:

After:

Yay it's starting to look like something instead of just blobs of brown bits. 2 more columns and I will have finished my first lady.

That's it for the cross stitching part of my world for this week.

For the blog quote I chose the subject of friendship. I've moved in with my best friend for 6 weeks as her mum has gone overseas and she wanted the company and my dog sitting skills.

Her nickname is Angel and it's so fitting because that is exactly what she is to me. An earthbound Angel! Sometimes I really believe we share the same brain - we kind of have a language that no one understands but us and we see the humour in everything in life. Angel sent me a fb messge once that said "The reason God made us best friends is because our mothers couldn't handle us as sisters." It's so true, cos we can be a little bit of a handful but in a good way  (I think!)

In fact the last chart purchase of Alicia Aliana I can blame her for.

When I asked her opinion she said - "Do you like it? How much is it? Oh for god's sake what are we even discussing this for - just buy it!"

LOL! Bless you Angel!

Most of us don't need a psychiatric therapist as much as a friend to be silly with.  ~Robert Brault, www.robertbrault.com


A true friend never gets in your way unless you happen to be going down.  ~Arnold Glasow


Bye stunners have a great week and go and give your best friend a ring or even better head over and share a hug and a chardonnay with them.

xoxo Alicia xoxo