Watercolor Snowman

Watched a tutorial on YouTube and I made my own watercolor snowman

Winter Wonderland SAL - new Start

I decided to start Gingerbread Santa by Sue Hillis because Santa lives in a winter wonderland. 

The Finishes of StitchWhats

Here are my ornament finishes. I backed them with a sticky foam sheet and a yellow ribbon

4th & 5th Ornaments of StitchWhats.

Here are my last two ornaments ...on to finishing. 

3rd Ornament Finish of StitchWhats

Here is the 3rd ornament for the ornament challenge. I am really happy with this one. Simple and so super cute. 

The 3rd Ornament of StitchWhatsIts.

I started working on ornament number 3 from the winter 2004 Just Cross Stitch magazine. It's by Glory Bee called Joy. 

2nd Ornament finish

Not completely happy with the lettering but it is good enough. 

One ornament down, starting on No. 2

Yes! I completed the stitching on the snowman face snowflake. You can see it hiding behind the hoop. Now I am stitching a Joy to the world ornament. The thing was in petite point but since I am using Aida I have to try to figure out the script lettering on my own

WHAT IS GOOD ABOUT NOT HAVING A WORSHIP LEADER?

I decided to journal about our lack of a worship leader. Here was my first question to myself:

WHAT IS GOOD ABOUT NOT HAVING A WORSHIP LEADER?

I though that was a challenging question. I mean, what’s good about that, right? Here is what came up with.

1. We can sing whatever we want. Those songs we wished had been in the rotation, we can sing those now.

2. We are forced out of our comfort zones. Those hiding in the background are forced to be a more visible part of the team. And that is a good thing. We are a team and not just the back up of a worship leader.

3. We are forced to communicate and become more of a true team. We can each put in our ideas and the rest of us listen and evaluate. Not one person has the final gavel to say no to anyone. It is a group effort.

4. We become more of a family unit. Yes, there are fights and disagreements but we get over it and come together in some sort of compromise that not only benefits us but the congregation as well. We love each other and want the best for our team and church.

WIP updates - Crest & Ornaments

I finished my crest for the crest challenge. Some of the black threads from the word "Froggin" came through to the front making it look dirty in places. Where is a snagnabbit when you need one?

Started the ornament challenge last night

Check out my major progress already. Loving it. 

StitchWhatsIt Ornament SAL

Here are three ornaments I want to tackle for the Ornament SAL. From 2016 Just Cross Stitch Ornament Issue and the Dec 2016 Just Cross Stitch Magazine

Froggin Crest WIP

Here is my house crest from the Cross Stitch It's Fun's StitchWhatsIt Challenge 

Nearly done. Finishing up the banner. Working on the yellow and I think I will outline it in dark grey. I changed the banner shape so I hope that's okay. 

Harvest Brew WIP update

Here is my progress on Harvest Brew by Tempting Tangles

17th Cross Stitch Finish of the year

I finally finished number 17. Woohoo. 

Harvest Brew Cross Stitch WIP

Here is my current work in progress. 

Fractured Focus and Magical Manifesting

Fractured Focus and Magical Manifesting

I have noticed in the last few days how hard it has been to focus and finding that when I want to focus on one thing, something else seems to come out of nowhere to take my attention. I have had to take extra steps to make sure that I am single-focused when I am doing anything. I find I tend to multi-task when doing anything, especially at work. 

Multi-tasking has been celebrated by people everywhere that they got more done than they did the day before because they did more than one thing at a time. Right now I am listening to the audiobook, Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor as I am writing this. It is hard to focus when I am multi-tasking.

I have to make a side note here, I keep typing AI and I AM over and over and I find that quite telling. Maybe our focus is being fractured by AI aspects of the matrix that we call the real world. They don’t want us to focus on what we want. They want us to focus on what ‘they’ want. Because it is in the focusing where all the power lies. We are magical manifestors. Haven’t you noticed? Take time to take notice.

Let me give you an example.

I had not been cross stitching for months and I had no motivation to stitch either. But I knew I wanted to. But nothing seemed to be able to motivate me onward toward my goal of getting may projects done. Then I discovered the groups on Facebook all centered on Cross Stitch. Everyone was talking about their projects, their WIPS, and as the days went on, I wanted to focus on my WIPS too. (WIP=Works In Progress)

Then I realized that stitchers were making Youtube videos. On Youtube they call their group: Flosstube. I had previously watched video after video of BookTube videos and found myself reading over 150 books that year. I even read 29 books in one month too. 

The lightbulb came on in my head. Focus. It’s all about focus. When I focus on what I love, what I love expands. The same happened with Flosstube. When I focused on these videos, my want of cross stitching grew by leaps and bounds. And the more I watched, scoured the Facebook groups… the more I wanted to work on my own projects. My WIP pile grew from 3 projects to 15. I even completed 16 projects in 2015 which was a ton more than the one or two from previous years.

So, the power is in your focus. Don’t let the AI of the matrix, the “they” powers of this world keep you from focusing in what is important to you.

There was a video I watched not too long ago called the Miracle Morning routine. I think the man who created it was named Hal Elrod. He found that the way to make a great day was to do certain things first thing in the morning.

Here is his way of magical focusing:

S: Silence. Take time to pray or just be silent for a certain period when you first wake up.

A: Affirmations. Create affirmations that will bring your focus on what you want to manifest. Want peace? Make peace affirmations. Want love? Make love affirmations. But word them as if they are already in your life.

V. Visualization. Take those affirmations and make them into magical daydreams where everything in your world goes right. Have you noticed that we all seem to visualize on the fear in our lives? That only make TPTB more powerful. They feed on fear. Focus what you love and bring love into your life instead of the fear.

E. Exercise. Get the blood pumping and make all those chemicals in your brain flood your body with the feel good you deserve.

R. Reading. Read a book, a blog, a note about what you love, what you want to bring into your life.

S. Scribing. This is journaling. Take time to put pen to paper and speak of what great things happened in your day or in what good will happen in your day. A life worth living is worth recording.

Do a search of videos on Youtube about the Miracle Morning. And see how this is revolutionizing people’s lives. When we focus on what we want, what we love, what we deserve instead of what we fear, we are made new.

Stop fracturing your focus and instead create a magical life. 

Blessings.

Progress of a WIP: Autumn Fraktur by Plum Street Samplers

I have been working on Autumn Fraktur since May 30th, 2015. This cross stitch reproduction design is by Plum Street Samplers and has been a real joy to stitch. I am stitching it on 36 ct. Antique Buttercream Linen. I guess this would have qualified as an entry in 2015's Stitch Maynia which is though a Facebook group run by Garrett (Coffee Stitcher) and Katie (The Stash Queen).

I am calling this Progress of a WIP so you can see how the design grows as I stitch it. And if you didn't know, WIP stands for Work In Progress.

I did work on it a bit in 2015 but I think I have done most of my progress in May of 2016.

I found most of my photos in my Facebook feed and so I want to thank them for keeping all my photos safe and in a place I can find them.

I must have had a big jump in progress here. Wee! I have to admit that I think the WIP stayed at this point just put away in my stash until May of 2016.

Making progress now. I had talked myself out of working on this many times because this fabric has very tiny holes. And my eyesight was straining to see it. Of course, allergy season didn't help matters any.

It is always nice to see progress and I was happy to get to this point.

Yep, there is the bird starting to appear.

All he needs is a head now.

Finishing up on that flower on top right.

Here is where I am now. I have completed the bottom waves and am now moving to the left side of the design. I hope to get this project finished in May 2016. I have worked on it every day in May thus far. The colors are really popping for me and I just love how they look with the fabric.

Bye for now. More progress in a different post when I get to the end.

Much love,

Toni

123 Stitch Haul

I really haven't spoken much on here about my love for counted cross stitch, but I thought I'd share with you my most recent 123stitch.com haul. 123stitch.com is a company located in Utah that has more than just stitchy stuff, as I like to call it. They also have scrapbooking, and other craft items too. So, definitely check it out if you are a crafter of any type, crochet, knitting... yep, they have it.

Left is Buttercup and right is Violet from the pixie collection by Nora Corbett

These patterns are designed by Nora Corbett and are a part of her pixie collection. They are smaller patterns than her big pretty ladies under the Mirabilia name. I like them because they are not so overwhelming to me and seem a lot easier to dig into as a stitcher. Definitely check out all the Nora Corbett patterns. They are definitely a favorite of mine.

As you can see in this pattern called Bubbles, I have all the floss (aka colored thread) for this project as well as fabric. It is peeking out from behind the pattern. We call that "kitting up" a project. That means I am all ready to go to start this whenever my stitchy bug gives me an itch for a new start.

Here are a few patterns I just wanted to add to my "stash". I think they are cute. I even purchased fabric for Sleepy Hollow and Get Kraken. Those are the two patterns on the bottom at left.

This photo is a bit blurry. Sorry about that. I have two of the seasonal banners from County Cottage Needleworks, an October calendar girl and two other patterns I thought were just cute and they fell into my shopping basket.

This Spruce Mountain Run has been in my stash since the beginning of my stitchy career. And I finally decided to buy some fabric for it. I am excited to start it soon. 

Hope you all have a great stitchy day.

Toni

Color overwhelm

Color Overwhelm

by Toni Walker

I have to admit that I am a lover of color. And I have fifty-ga-jillion pens in my collection to attest to it... not to mention an entire shoe box filled with colored pencils and a tub of skinny markers. Yes, I am that obsessed. I have even started succumbing to the new craze of "adult coloring."

Needless to say, color is where it's at for me. But even I, a color-loving person, can get color overwhelmed at times.

Kit I created for my Plum Paper Family Planner.

I created a kit a few weeks ago for my Plum Paper Planner. (Yep, I am a planner girl too. Name a fad, I am probably into it. I just like trying new things.) And this kit was a bright yellow-orange, green, light blue and pink creation. It was probably the most colorful kit I had made for my planner. That week, it worked for me, but as I look back on it now, I can literally feel the blast wave of color as I turn to that page. I squint my eyes as if looking into the sun... that is how much it effects me. I have included a picture here to show you the kit.

This reminds me of a time when I used to watch a show on Nickelodeon called House of Anubis. As I would watch the show, I was bombarded with so much color I felt like I might go blind. Man, is color powerful or what? The commercials were just too much (not to mention the music on them). They literally dripped with technicolor on every square inch of the screen.

So, what can we do when we experience this?

We can read. 

Most books are basically black and white and this will help to keep our color stress levels down. Maybe your body is trying to tell you something when you react to color in a big way. Red is a signal to our body when it has a security issue. It can increase our fear or stress. Orange is a color of creativity and nurturing. Yellow is a sunny color that enlists happiness and brings a clarity into our lives. Green is a color that is very soothing. But you need to watch the tones of color. An olive green might bring a more murky vibration than a spring green. Blue is a calming color. Pink is a color that can calm our nerves as well. I heard a story once about a football team that painted the away locker room in a specific color of pink. That pink acted on a subliminal level making the players feel not as pumped up as the would if the walls had been white or just beige.

We can go into nature.  

We can go outside and take a walk in nature. The color of our world is just perfect for our eyes and maybe your color overwhelm is due to being on your electronic devices a little too long. 

We can limit our color palette. 

For a few weeks I had to select two colors to work with on any spread in my planner so my color overwhelm wouldn't get too bad. 

We can turn off the tv and actually talk to the people in our lives. 

Don't worry, I am sure you can catch that missed program on Netflix or Hulu. 

That is all I can think of at the moment. 

You may even have some better ideas about how to not let color overwhelm your life. Of so, leave me a comment below. I love hearing from you. 

Have a colorific day! 

Choose To Be Kind ~ Do Not Fear

Choose To Be Kind ~ Do Not Fear

By Toni Walker

One Sunday morning not long ago I was driving to church and I had to cut through what many people consider to be the "bad part of town." I have never personally experienced anything bad but I have heard stories. I have a very good friend from this side of town. She is a self-proclaimed God girl who does Christian motivation and comedy. So, that part of town can't be all bad, right?

I was about to test this theory. 

As I was driving, I came across an older Blackman riding his bike. He had a grim expression on his face and I felt that momentarily pang of fear blossom in my chest. 

It was at this point I had a choice. Surrender to the fear and be afraid to go this way again or try something different. 

I chose to try something different. 

I chose to be kind instead and not surrender to my fear. 

I smiled and waved at the man. And then surprisingly he perked up with a big smile and gave me a giant full arm wave back. 

I didn't know him and he didn't know me. We were just two people from the same city passing each other on the street. Together we shared a brief moment of kindness that helped to heal a cracked part of my soul. 

I chose not to be afraid and it paid off. 

What have you been fearing to do or say or experience that might possibly change everything in your life?

A single action. A tiny step forward. That's how it starts, right?  I think we need to take more moments to be kind and more moments to step into our fear so we can experience the joys of this life. 

Kick fear in the face. Make today a great one.