They say that snow is coming, lots of it, no less, in the next few days. If it gets here, there will be a snowball fight, for sure, but until then I am adding sparkle to this one:

Today I finished embellishing the golden lace motif, with lots of beads and a few silk ribbon roses , and started working on the upper cream patch, using golden Kreinik fine braid no.4.

And for the day to be complete, I couldn't help but make another pendant. Roses, again...

I wish you all a lovely day!

New Project, Progress, Finish

The new project is a CD sized cream-gold-bronze block, with lots of sparkle to be added, and it is going to be ... a snowball. Sounds fun, right? Well, that's all I can say about it for now, but I'll be able to give you more details as soon as the embellishment is complete.

Progress is on the daisy wreath ring pillow - all the petals are complete, moving on to the centers and keeping the doodle cloth busy, testing a couple of ideas for making them and the calyx.

And there is also a finish - the red rose became a pendant in a silver setting, a belated birthday present for  my daughter's much loved kindergarten teacher. 

I wish you all a happy, creative week!

News from the pendant factory

Are you bored yet with all these pendants? I know I am not :) They are certainly making my days much brighter and more colorful. Today I played with a monogram with pink roses and then with a red rose with a couple of buds.

Rosebuds for L

... and there are a few more on the way...

The daisy wreath is growing, too, only slower than planned, as it is a bit hard to see the white thread on cream silk fabric on these short, cloudy days. But the sun will have to come out eventually and until then, a couple of petals a day will have to do.

Have a beautiful day!

The Simple Things in Life...

... like a daisy and a half ...

.

Have a beautiful week!

Tone on Tone DYB Round Robin

Today I finished working on Ritva's white and cream block.

Working with these soft colors was just so soothing... 

Now off I go to weave more daisies :)

Have a lovely weekend, Everyone!

Daisy Wreath Design

There's a new ring bearer's pillow in progress over here. I have dreamt this one on cream silk, with lots of fresh daisies and... a tiny dragonfly. Don't ask, it just had to be there. Anyway, this is the design I have come up with:

Please, feel free to download and embroider if you'd like.

I am making the daisies with woven picot petals (DMC perle no.8), French knot centers ( 1 strand of DMC stranded cotton 677, 676, 728). For the stem stitches, fly stitch leaves and calyx I am using 2 strands of DMC stranded cotton 733. The small daisies are going to be beaded, and the dragonfly will have woven picot wings and a body made of French knots.

Fabulous First Timers no.17

When I signed up for my first Round Robin with the Crazy Quilting International Yahoo Group, I knew it was going to be an adventure. After all, I have never been in a RR before, I was new to crazy quilting and new to the group. I was really looking forward to finally be able to see up close a crazy quilt block, the embroidery of the other participant ladies, and to the challenge of stepping out of my comfort zone and seeing what happens out there :)
Not to mention, how curios I was to see my block embellished.

And an adventure it was, indeed! For more reasons than the five of us would have ever imagined...
This RR went through floods and fire, one of the members having lost her home in the Bastrop fires in Texas - can you imagine that when evacuating her home she remembered to take along with her the RR block she was working on?! -, some of us had, others still have to struggle with serious health problems or to face radical changes in our lives. But against all the odds, here we are, with gorgeously embellished blocks starting to arrive back to their owners!
My block arrived home yesterday and I can't wait to get it framed and hang it in front of my working table, so I can look at it and admire it all the time.

My theme was "If I Had A Rose Garden" and I asked the other four ladies to join me for a stitching tea party in my imaginary rose garden.

And as I look at my finished block, I am so glad that they accepted my invitation and judging by the beautiful and happy, colorful stitching they have done, I have a strong feeling that they have even enjoyed themselves.

Thank you ever so much, Genevieve, Jocelyne, Marianne and Michele!

Happy New Year!

Good health, good luck and wisdom is what I wish for all of us for 2012. 

A happier and better New Year to All!

Along with the ongoing projects, like the Reticello sampler we are embroidering with Lee Albrecht (new motifs added during Christmas),

new projects and new challenges have already started. On January 3rd I received my January Trim and Treasure Club package from Flights of Fancy Boutique and it inspired me to start my first crazy quilted purse. I pieced it today to fit a vintage sew on purse frame I've had for some months now, waiting for me to make a new purse for it. Sorry, the photo is not the best, but it's the best I could take on such a cloudy afternoon. Since the photo was taken, I sewed on the laces and trims and it already looks very pretty, if I may say so myself :)

Another thing that I am really happy about is that my Fabulous First Timer's round robin block arrived home today and it is GORGEOUS! Many thanks and congratulations to the wonderful and talented group of ladies that participated in FFT 17!
Now you would like to see a picture of this block, wouldn't you? Believe me, I tried to take one. But I will have to wait for the sun to come out and try again then, to do the block justice.

This year I am participating in another crazy quilting round robin, this time with another group. My pink and purple blocks are ready to be sent out and I am really looking forward to this new adventure.

And the TSAT 2012 (Take a Stitch Tuesday) challenge with Sharon Boggon has already started on Tuesday. The first stitch of the year is fly stitch, my favorite for embroidering leaves. Now I better thread my needle to catch up on this challenge :)

Happy stitching!