a busy week

It's been a busy week.  A lot of business stuff to finish up which ate up a good chunk of the early week, but I did find time to putz with a few things as I try and get myself ready for a few craft shows. I've scaled back on the number of shows I am participating in this year, as I still haven't found the extra few hours a day I needed!

I have finished a good chunk of Henry Heartfelt, with more stitches to come this afternoon...

And I got out the hook again, feeling the need to whip up a few hats, this one embellished with one of my cross stitch buttons.  Still playing with the design of this hat. And its an acrylic and wool blend, not my favorite to work with, (as I prefer natural fibers) but for shows around here more economically priced yarns are better received.

I need to get the sketchbook out too, as I've some new designs tumbling around in my head, inspired by some color palettes I came across and Indian art.  I'm also feeling a really big pull toward samplers since I've been doing some embroidery, so there might be some of that coming as well.

Now off for coffee, vampire and lycan movies, and a bit of stitching. 

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!

snowballz buttons revisited

I finished two buttons over the weekend, and the plastic self cover buttons came in the mail, so here how they turned out!  I have to say that I like the aluminum buttons better. The plastic just doesn't seem to work as well, and the backs didn't snap on as tightly. I might save the plastic buttons for another project with thinner fabric, and get myself some of the metal buttons to work with for the remaining snowballz buttons.

Today I was sketching, trying to come up with some new, looser cross stitch designs that would have more of a painterly feel to them, with more gestural line and blocked in color.  Here is what I worked on this afternoon...

We'll see how it all comes together in the next couple days!