The Snowflake Collector

Finished today! The Snowflake Collector, the newest in the Snowballz Collection.  

Finished size, 51w x 56h. Embellished with a variety of snowflake sequins secured with seed beads.

Next up?  I'm not sure! 

For now, I think I will go chart a few things and see what tickles me with the most persistence. 

this & that

Things have been something akin to a whirlwind the last few days.  I was offered a position as a paraprofessional in special education for the school district, and I accepted the job. I have withdrawn from college classes for now, and the position will allow more stability for my family while allowing me to continue to create and design without the pressure to put out as many designs in a month's time. It also means I will have the means to explore some different things without straining the budget! 

Tonight I stitched for awhile, and I am almost done with the next in the new Snowballz (see the last blog entry). I think I am going to name it "The Snowflake Collector", and when it is done, it will be obvious why I made that decision.

I've also started working on a few new fabric bits, just to play around. 

These are the first two of the collection.  

Now I'm off to pack my lunch for work tomorrow! 

new designs charted

In between classes today I worked on charting a few more designs to get started on later this week. I had a few snowmen that I had intended to work into a third Snowflakes installment, but after looking at the size of the three I had done, I decided they were too big for that project and would work better for individual Snowballz.  I haven't thought of a name for this little guy yet, and he is another holding garland, but it will be just a winter theme instead of having any holiday *ties*.

I haven't decided yet if I am going to use white snowflakes or some of the multi-colored ones I have...or perhaps silver as I have a TON of those.  The garland string is to be stitched in a Kreinik holographic silver #4 braid, so the silver flakes might really be fun.

Also finished today (at least where charting is concerned!) the third in the tree series. I haven't named it yet, and I might do a little tweaking yet, but this is where I am at currently with the design.

Still on the fence as to embellishment with this one. I might work in some seed beads. There are some gorgeous mixes out there right now or maybe I will throw in some beads from jewelry that I have broken apart. More on that soon. 

For now, just have to figure out which I want to start on.  I have a few more buttons to make, but then I'll be starting on a larger piece again.  Still working on the new elf as well.

So there's your sneak peak of what should be popping up on the cross stitch front!

i *heart* you

Finished today!

The newest snowy friend finishes at 96w x 115h. I stitched my model on Star Sapphire jobelan from Wichelt Imports.  The seed beads on his pompom and scarf edge will be included with the chart.  DMC flosses and Kreinik #4 braids are used in this as well.   I think I will start on Lil Flakes #4 this afternoon.  I was digging through old files, and realized that the last bunch of Lil Flakes was released in 2008!  

Yep, time for another round of the little guys!

Windy and cold out, (and to think, it was warm enough yesterday for thunder, lightning and rain!) so it is the perfect afternoon for obscene amounts of coffee broken up the the intermittent cup of black chai and a lap full of string and embroidery things.

And I think I will finish up my day with a few more chapters of my current book. 

Aye, a grand start to 2012! 

saturday stitches

I spent the morning editing the newest Snowballz addition, I "Heart" You  and watching "How To Train Your Dragon" (love that movie!).  "Thank you for nothing, you worthless reptile."

Got a good jump on putting down a few stitches too. Mind you, the colors on this are not exactly how it will stitch up as Pattern Maker has its own thoughts as to what a thread color looks like!  The hat and scarf are a mossy variegated blend of greens, one of the DMC Color Variations, and the embellishments on hat and scarf are two different Kreinik #4 Braids.

I never did get motivated enough to hit the thrift shops today, so instead of getting started on the textile composition of one of my earlier sketches, I went browsing through a few more images. 

Old and crumbling architecture catches my eye often. These are a few that I stumbled upon from stock photography sites.  I have long thought to go out and take my own pictures of old barns and other abandoned buildings, not so much for the actual building but because of the lines and spaces, the textures.  

Maybe that will be one more thing I will add to my 2012 List.

Of Mice & Snowmen

*Finally*

Finished & Released

Of Mice & Snowmen 

Stitched over two threads on 28ct. hand-dyed Jobelan, watercress, from Wichelt Imports using DMC floss and Kreinik braids.  The finished size is 91w x 87h. Available on the website and also soon through 

Hoffman Distributing Company.

Of Mice & Snowmen CM Designs copyright 2011

I started working with the wool last night too, and thought that I might try my hand at making some unique art journals as I have a lot of ephemera paper, handmade papers and other bits that I think bound together would really be appealing.  I am very fascinated with trees, and this is what I have started to felt. I will be adding some needlework to it as well.

The next needlework project/design is a spin on this same concept. I hope to finish up the chart today so I can start stitching tomorrow! It will use a lot of buttons and more embroidery stitches than cross stitch. It should be a quick stitch. 

For now though, I am off to spend some time with a group of talented young artists with Watch Me Draw. Polar bears with chalk pastels! Such messy and delightful fun!

wool for felting & other randomness

So I have this image in my head combining my love of needle felting and needlework in general. I ordered some wool from a wonderful shop, Headley Grange , and it arrived today!

(Image from Headley Grange Etsy Shop)

It is just yummy and the colors are beautiful. It is going to work perfectly with what I have in mind. 

More to come as I get working! 

Almost finished up Of Mice & Snowmen , the next in the Snowballz Again series, and I finally got all the things beside my Stitching Chair sorted.  Feels much better, although I still need to get all my floss sorted so I know what I need to pick up besides the usual white, winter white, black and brown-black! 

There are also some new Kreinik threads that I simply need to order, and I have come to realize that my fabric stash has become seriously depleted! Time to trot off to the Wichelt site and put an order together!

Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort.
Franklin D. Roosevelt

Of Mice & Snowmen

Of Mice & Snowmen, Snowballz CM Designs copyright 2011

Am just getting ready to sit down and start stitching the next in the Snowballz 2011 series, Of Mice and Snowmen. A few more flower embellishments finished late last night as well. 

I am finding that I really like working with cotton yarn. Perhaps it is because the feel of it is familiar, having worked with cotton embroidery floss for so long.  It just feels so ...right.  Wool does too, as I really dig the natural fibers, always have. But there is just something about cotton. The yellow flowers are made with cotton. The pink with felting wool. Both are equally soft. I think I am going to dig around for a cotton supplier.

I am also crocheting a few children and baby hats with the sugar and cream cotton yarn. 

Then maybe one for myself. ;D

hoopin'

I have boxes of my finished cross stitch designs and I have decided to start finishing some of them to give as gifts and to offer on Etsy.  One day I might decide to do shows again, but by then, these designs will more than likely be discontinued! Although, I did just send a reorder off to Hoffman for a Flakey Friends design that came out in 2007!

I had hoped to finish up Buck & Gene this weekend, but ran out of DMC 4045 Color Variations, and of course the only place I can get more of it in town is closed on Sundays! grr. So, tomorrow will have to do! 

So, with that project stuck, I picked up other things.  I have two holiday artisan shows coming up, so I have been working on hats and scarves, and I finished up the chart for the next cross stitch desgin as well. 

Of Mice & Snowmen..CM Designs 2011

Busy week coming up! Hope to have a lot to talk about by the end of it!

Glittery Garland (Snowballz)

Glittery Garland CM Designs copyright 2011

Finished! Glittery Garland joins Snow Blossoms in my new line of Snowballz designs. I am including a bead and button pack with these patterns, each different, as I usually do with passion to work found and repurposed beads and buttons into my designs. Each stitcher can decorate their garland in their own unique fashion.  The design stitches up at 83w x 83h.  I used Wichelt Imports' 28ct. Watercress hand-dyed jobelan, stitching over two threads with DMC flosses and Kreinik #4 braids. 

Buck & Eugene

Next up, a design inspired by my Dad and his cousin Eugene.  Dad passed away in March of 2010, and Eugene, September 2011.  Both men lived with a genetic disorder and stubbornly fought for many years. At Eugene's services, there were so many memorable pictures, including a few of Dad and Eugene having been fishing. They were friends as much as they were family, and those pictures touched me, leaving me to create this.  Always in my heart, both of you.

(And Dad...I remembered your suspenders. ~loves~)

embellishments

While I have been working on new cross stitch designs, I have been trying to find new and fun ways to embellish the work.  I like to include buttons and beads and sequins in my pattern packs, and have in the past used a lot of found beads and buttons giving each person's piece a one of a kind finish. I had thought about making ceramic buttons, but they can get too heavy. So today, I played a bit with wooden tiles and my own ephemera and graphics on them.

1 1/4 x 1 1/4" tiles

1 3/8" x 1 3/4" tiles

They have been fun to experiment with, and I will post pictures of them again when I have finished with the varnishing. 

I hope to have the next Snowballz design done as well by the end of the weekend. I found this really neat bag of beads at a flea market, and I plan on embellishing this design with those little bits of colorful glass. It has been a productive weekend so far!

the return of the snowballz

Just finished today! The first of the new Snowballz line, Snow Blossoms.  Recommending Babbling Brook hand dyed Jobelan from Wichelt Imports, 28ct. (stitched over two threads), and DMC flosses. Two different Kreinik #4 braids to give this one a lot of sparkle.  The snowflake sequins and seed beads are included too.  Finished stitch size, 94w x 106h. 

Next up? Another for the Snowballz Collection, which I've yet to name! This one will feature a string of found buttons and beads held firmly by snowy hands!

I am feeling a little more focused now that I have put away the other things I was playing with. I know that I will eventually pull all of the yarn and other fabric goodies back out, but for now? I have a lot of needlework designs that need my attention, and I feel better not being split in so many directions. (As much as I still want to try so many things!) I can give my attention to all those whimsical things bouncing around in my head, knowing that the other paths will still be there when I want to walk them again.