#1 Wipocalypse & IHSW

Hi Stunners!

I'm loving these SAL's as it's encouraging me to blog more. Saying that I'm being a tad lazy and combining the Wipocalypse and IHSW as they were so close together.

Wipocalypse 

My Wipocalypse projects for 2014 are HAED Large Treasure Hunt Bookshelf (large chart format)  and Golden Kites The Arrival of the Guests, Venice. These 2 charts are my biggest babies so they will need a little more attention than my other kids. Treasure has 160 pages and Venice has a whopping 189 pages. My goal is to complete 2 pages of one chart and one page of the other during each month. But I'm implementing the Pirate code on this, so it's more of a guideline than a rule.

January Wipocalypse I focused on Treasure Hunt Bookshelf

Progress as of December 31 2013

Full Moon - January 16 2014

Almost a 2nd page finish! I will be working on Venice this week so I will be able to show some progress next Wipocalypse.

IHSW

For this SAL I will be working on QS Theatre of the Absurd which was HAED's freebie SAL from last year.

Before

After the IHSW

He's almost got his pants on now, woo hoo!

2013 ACHIEVEMENTS

As promised here is the total amount of progress from last year. I don't know if I can actually title this "achievements" per se as it's pretty dismal. I spent hours creating rotations and organising my stitching time however, I found that I'm such a rule breaker that I couldn't stick to them even though I was the one that created them. Such a rebel huh?

This year is different as I have dispensed with any rules, rotations and all that. Instead I just pick up what I feel like, when I feel like and will see how this goes! Can't be any worse than last year. See for yourself!

New Starts

Feel the Magic - HAED - Page 1 completed

Large Treasure Hunt Bookshelf - HAED 

QS Theatre of the Absurd

Spiders Queen - HAED - Page 1 completed

An Evening of Romance - Tilton Crafts 

The Arrival of Guests, Venice - Golden Kite

A Coign of Vantage - HAED

Faery Ball - HAED

Vampire Red - Mystic Stitch

Rose Cerise - HAED 

  

Progress on Wip's

Vanity

Faery 2

Purple Orchid

'

Passione Ricamo Faery SAL 2012-2013

A Coign of Vantage (Golden Kite version)

Guardian Angel

Where is My Valentine?

Golden Wood

Fragile Heart

Lost in You

FINISHES!!!

I hope everyone had a successful first Wipocalypse and IHSW.

Take care stunners

Live in the moment and keep singing!

Alicia xox

HAPPY 2014!!!

Hi Stunners!!!



Happy New Year. I love the start of the year as it's a time to wipe the slate clean and forget about the past. For me it's like shedding the skin of the mistakes and regrets of the year gone and coming out the other side with renewed vigour, love of life and all things crafty!  So don't worry about the goals that weren't met, the promises not kept and the stash that was added to the list...it's all good!!

Firstly thank you to my new followers it's a good year to join as I am endeavoring to post a lot more as I've joined a few SAL's that will ensure I post at least once or twice a month (maybe more but let's not get ahead of oneself hee hee).

By the end of the year I will have 48 wips in my rotation as I've kitted up quite a few newbies which I will start along the way as well as continuing with my current golden oldies.


THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU
 I have made some amazing friends along the way since starting this blog and the generosity that people show in the blogosphere never ceases to astound me. You guys are truly awesome, even just taking the time to comment and also cheer me up when I've made some terrible boo boos is greatly appreciated, all your support makes my day. Thank you everyone.

I would love to take this opportunity to publicly thank Johanna stitchstitchknit,  and Nina Pistellen-Stitching for their beautiful and very generous gifts of HAED charts.

This is the chart I received from Johanna in November and I started her straight away.  I finished the first page on Christmas Night whilst at work. It's called Feel the Magic by Little Fairy Art. Isn't she amazing?? I'm stitching her on 28 ct Purple Mist evenweave 1 over 1 using DMC cotton strands. The fabric is a show piece from the lovely boys at Sew it all so unfortunately it's not available on their website.

Feel the Magic

Page 1 completed

Nina kindly gifted me the mesmerising chart "Fallen Angel" by Michael Hayes. Nina chose the full version as she rightly guessed that I'm a lover of detail. I can't wait to start her. She will be my next start after my next finish (no matter how small LOL!)

Fallen Angel

Thank you to Angela (Miamina's Musings) for the awesome gift certificate to one of my favourite Aussie fabric websites Colour Cascade Fabrics. It's just what I needed Angie, thank you so very very much.


And to Ewa (Cross stitch and other Musings) and handsome and helpful fiancée for the lovely Christmas card that I received yesterday in the mail. Very sweet of you both, thank you.

See now you guys understand why I'm a Princess, it's not really my self indulgent behaviour (well not much) but it's because I have such beautiful and generous people in my life that makes me feel like one.

PROGRESS IS PROGRESS

Now for more stitching. Since my last post back in Halloween last year (gulp I've been so slack huh?) I've started Large Treasure Hunt Bookshelf by Aimee Stewart from HAED. It's a whopping 168 pages in the large chart format so I've decided to make it my focus piece and also my Wipocalypse wip so will be working steadily on this one for a long long while!

I'm stitching it on 20 count white evenweave purchased from Sew it all. Using 2 over 1 DMC cotton thread. I think I have discovered that my favourite count is 20, it suits my stitching tension and it's not too large and not too small, but Goldilocks just right!

ROSE CERISE SAL WITH KIM

Kim and I have decided to work on Rose on a bi-monthly basis and post our progress on the first of every second month starting from January 1. So here is my progress in the last 2 months. I seem to have misplaced one of the colours that's why there are a few holes in the ribbon. Still looking for the little bugger. If you click on the picture of Rose Cerise in the side bar I've linked Kim's blog...she should be posting her update any day now!

I have loved reading all the blog posts that have demonstrated their progress for the year 2013. I will be posting mine no matter how shameful it is on the Wipocalypse post on Jan 16. I'm back at work tomorrow, man those days off really fly by. So I will have 12 hours (between doing actual work) to go through everyone's blogs. I'm looking forward to it.

Take care my beautiful followers and guest stars.

Enjoy everything you do and I will see you soon!

xoxo Alicia

Happy Halloween!

Hi Stunners!!!

Happy Halloween to you all. I hope you have a ghoully, ghostly and witchy time! I'm stuck at work tonight dressed as Morticia with a Princess twist (namely pink bling shoes, and metallic pink eyelashes - Hee hee!) I just couldn't do the full black.

Thank you to everyone that left a comment on my previous post. I wanted to reply to you all but when I sat down at the computer to send reply emails they were all gone! Not sure what happened there. I just wanted to let you all know that I appreciated all of your kind, funny and awesome comments. You guys so rock! 

Ok onward to the stitching!

Here is how I have been spending the latter half of October. I needed to complete page 3 of Guardian Angel for a HAED yearly goal. And I did it!!! Woo hoo. I'm using bling thread Petite Treasure Braid PB23 in lieu of DMC B5200 on the Angels wings to give them a little bit of heavenly sparkles... 

Before

After

I'm not sure why the pic came out so shiny but I kinda like it. I can't wait to work on page 4 as the Angel himself makes an appearance. 

And here is my SAL piece that Kim and I are completing, the beautiful Rose Cerise by Karen Middleton (HAED). Kim is starting from the top left and I'm coming from the other end. 

Before

After

The before pic was taken with my old camera that's why there is such a marked difference between the two, and what a difference 10 pixels make!  I love working on Rose! I'm stitching her using Victoria Clayton's HDF thread. Stitching with silk thread is absolutely brilliant. It just glides through, no thread heaven required and the stitches just sit so neatly on top of each other. 




This week I will be working on the freebie SAL piece from HAED. I will get that damn first never ending page finished if it's the last thing I do!!!!!

Oooh I can feel my sugar crash about to kick in. I guess I had better go and refuel on some Halloween candy...Maybe it will also help me to stitch faster! Anythings worth a try! 

Take care my beautiful, supportive and stunning followers and guest stars! Have fun in everything you do.

See you soon
Alicia xoxo 

IHSW - October

Hey stunners!!!

I actually participated in the IHSW this time round instead of just intending to and I almost managed a page finish!

I currently have some family from overseas staying with me so it's a little hard to disappear into the Entertainment/Craft room and stitch. Which mind you is all I want to do at the moment. 

I worked on Faery 2 for the IHSW, this is page 2 and a bit of page 3. I'm still not happy with the level of detail as I thought the Castle would be absolutely enchanting but it looks a bit blobby to me.  But it's a lot of fun to stitch. And let's face it stunner's  with a 46 wip rotation and 31 of them considered to be BAP's (big ass projects) then I'm going to have to be content with the journey rather than the final destination, LOL! I'm going to make this one of my 4 focus pieces for HAED BAP's.

Before 

After

Charts Charts Charts Charts Charts

HAED had a recent 50% off sale so of course this Princess had to stash enhance!!

Enamorte - Halloween

Space Traveller - David Hoftrichtter

Zen Duck - Gordon Fitchett

Dana Dragonheart who is HAED's newest freebie fairy recently visited my WL and sprinkled some fairy dust on it and Treasure Hunt Bookshelf by Aimee Stewart appeared in my email inbox!

I was so surprised and so excited as I really really wanted this chart. I even downloaded the floss chart and started collecting the threads whilst waiting for the next sale to come so I could buy it. I guess it was one of those situations where if you wish and love something long and hard enough, it appears in your life. So thank you Dana Dragonheart you are a star!!!

Once I get the fabric she will be a new start, woo hoo!

Treasure Hunt Bookshelf - Aimee Stewart

Speaking of new starts I have 15 planned. I will reveal them as I go! Once these new starts are worked into the rotation, there will be no more new starts until I get some finishes in. (smirk)

However, my next post will be of my Guardian Angel progress, plus Kim and I are working on our SAL piece Rose Cerise this month. So I will post progress pics on November 1st.

Happy Halloween!

This year I will be going as a witchy-poo! I managed to find a pink silk witches hat which even came with a fascinator covered in plastic lil spiders and a spider web cape...so cool!!

  

Have a great week my gorgeous and supportive followers and guest stars. I  wish you all happiness, rainbows and hours of free time doing something you absolutely love. Personally I hope it's stitching so that I get to see all your Wip updates! Boo yah!

Lots of scary creepy love and hugs to you!

xox Alicia

New Start - Fail!

Hi Stunners!!!!

Welcome Meggie and Shauna Locke to the blogowship of the Crafty Princess and thank you for joining us. 

And to Nina L from Pistellen-Stitching thank you so much for the lovely package I received in the mail. Nina sent me some chocolates from Finland, a bag of Salmiakki (which is a salty liquorice lolly) , and a Star De-Tailor which is awesome as you can use it to grab those lil short tails and finish off the thread and I also use them as needle threaders. I had just snapped my turtle de-tailor as I can be a little heavy handed with those pesky short tails so it was such a lovely gift as it's just what I needed. Thank you Nina that was such an amazing gesture. I can't post pics of the chocies as they were consumed as soon as they came out of the parcel...hee hee!

Star De-Tailor

 

I know I said in my last post that I would be showing off my new starts...well....

New start 1 - Into the Deep Passione Ricamo Mystery SAL 2013 - All kitted up and ready to go. I stitched the first page and was just loving it, until I realised in my excitement to get started I must have turned the square frame  around and started in the wrong corner. So after an hour of frogging I took it off the frame and put it back in it's bag.

New start 2 - Apocalypse Princesses - Paine Free Crafts (oh the irony of that name as it was far from Pain free). I completed about a third of the first page and didn't like the colour I had chosen for the background stitches so I started to frog them (sigh - my unpicker was working overtime) and as the thread was white and I was stitching on white aida - yep you guessed it I frogged the fabric and the thread.....d'OH!!! So mega big hole. Luckily the fabric was large enough to be chopped and still fit the entire project... I took it off the frame and put it away too as I just didn't have the heart to start all over again straight away!

Decided it may be safer to stick with current wip's so I picked the sunniest one I could find to try and cheer myself up and so up first was....

Spiders Queen - Enamorte (HAED)

Before

After 

Page 1 completed on my Beautiful Queen! Yay. I'm stitching her on 18ct White Aida using 2 over 1 full crosses but using 3 strands of DMC for the black in the mask. It makes it really stand out against her hair and looks a little 3D but it's hard to see in the photo. I think I'm going to go down the chart and stitch page 7 next instead of 2 as I can't wait to get my needle into the mask bits. 

And den...

Lost In You - Rachel Marks (HAED)

Before



After



I really missed working on this one. I think I will concentrate on it for a bit longer...well that's today's decision what happens tomorrow will be another tale again! Once again the evidence of the improved quality of the photos with the new camera. Love it!

  

And den...

Purple Orchid - Drazenka Kimpel (retired chart -HAED)

Before

After

I worked on my lovely Orchid as part of the HAED retired chart/artists BB SAL so that's a weeks effort, though I only really got to work on it sporadically over 3 days. I'm slowly buying the thread for this as I stitch page by page as it uses Anchor thread and has 3 and half pages of required colours. So I bought the first lot of purples and couldn't wait to get to the bottom so I started working on her very bodacious purple collar. Ooooohhhhh!

 

 

And den....

 

 



QS Theatre of the Absurd - Ciro Marchetti (HAED) Freebie SAL 2013

Before

After

Page 1 of this chart has been dubbed "the never-ending page" I just can't seem to finish it. I keep plugging away and there's always more to do. So after a week that's where I am.

And den.....

 

 

 

No more and Den!!

And what would a post from me be without some stash enhancements!!!

HAED 50% SALE - STASH ENHANCEMENTS

Mini Eros - Rachael Marks

Nightwing - Renee Biertempfel

Carnival Moon - Aimee Stewart

Inspire - Lisa Steinke

Garlic - Lisa Steinke

  

Next week I'll be working on Guardian Angel as I had another Angel visitation which was really cool. So in honour of him I will stitch the 3rd page. See you soon stunners and have an awesome week!

xoxoxo
Alicia