Mostly More or Less Monochromatic Birthday Card

Now that BFF-M has her card, I can post pictures of it. I got the idea for it from a couple of cards on display at the LSS, Stamp Fever. The card stock is all from Bazzill, although two shades are the canvas finish and the third, the lightest, is one of the other finishes. All three shades were stamped with the Impression Obsession Cover-A--Card "Herringbone" using VersaMark ink in a watermark effect. The cupcake tower is from Peddlers Pack. The sentiment is from a foam-mounted set, and I'm not sure who the manufacturer was; I've had it a long time.

The front:

All the way open and laid out flat:

Partial open/closed:

If I remember right, I used Archival "Sepia" ink for the image and sentiment.

I'm Still Here

Haven't fallen off the planet or anything. Just lazy.

So today was another of Shirley's card classes, which are really more group crafting sessions than classes, at my LNS, Stamp Fever.

Since most of the instruction revolves around how to assemble the cards (once the coloring's done) rather than learning new techniques, we were free to do the cards in any order we liked. That worked out well, because she had made two samples of each of the three cards, and that spread the "wealth" of samples-to-consult-while-crafting around.

The first one I did was actually the most complex, involving a lot of coloring and then some fussy cutting.

The scan's a bit crooked, I see, and not well cropped. The patterned paper is from Lawn Fawn (and, weirdly, is being discontinued almost immediately after being introduced!). I liked the look of the diagonal plaid more than the other side of the sheet, which was vertically/horizontally oriented. The stamp is from Penny Black. The solid colored card stocks are Bazzill, and the white card stock is from Neenah. It's not a stock I find favorable for colored pencils--at least not the oily/waxy ones like I use. In this case, the pencils are all Prismacolor, although I do have a small selection of Faber-Castell's PolyChromos, too.

The second one I did was a lot simpler, and I just had to decide which lavender/purple/violet shades and which greens to use.

I believe this image is Technique Tuesday. They do have some beautiful botanicals! My greens should have been a bit brighter for these crocuses, but…oh, well. Once again the colored card stocks are Bazzill, Sources for the black stock layered behind the focal image and the striped paper behind the lighter purple are unknown to me, although the striped is probably the Michaels house brand.

The third one was a little bit more complex in terms of assembly. And color choices. The images aren't the kind I'm likely have, or to put in, my stash, so I probably spent more time actually trying to decide on colors than I spent on any of the three cards.

And I see now that my orange creamsicle is upside down! I don't remember whose images these are--Newton's Nook, maybe?--but these have matching dies, so no fussy cutting on this one. That sentiment really needs to go inside.

I'll try to post more often. No promises, though.

Shopping My Stash

While I was sorting through some stamps recently I decided which ones--the image for the front of the card and the sentiment for the inside of the card--I'd like to use for my holiday cards, so I set those aside while making Hallowe'en cards. And, of course, promptly forgot where I'd put them.

While looking for something else entirely, I found the two stamps.

Then I took a good, hard look at the ready-made cards (and envelopes) I'd purchased some while back when I first got back into stamping (after one of those creative breaks we all seem to take). While the card stock is cut squarely (rectangularly, but all the corners square and equal and cleanly cut), the scoring is off center, and so the cards aren't neat and even. The good thing is, it's a nice layering weight. Unfortunately, however, the cards (and the envelopes, of course), are slightly smaller than the standard A2 size of 4.25x5.5.


So the next step was to decide what the finished card size would be based on the envelope size, which worked out to 4.125x5.25 (that's four and an eighth). After deciding which ink to use on the cream-colored stock, I shopped the stash for similarly colored card stock for the card base and additional layering.

I stamped the image on the cream-colored stock, trimmed closely, then layered onto the colored card stock, trimmed closely again, and layered again onto more of the cream-colored stock.

Then I cut up another piece of the cream-colored stock to layer onto the card base, stamped a background image onto it, and put the card base and the cream layer together. I then held the main image layers against the layered-up card base, and decided I needed another layer between the cream layer and the background-stamp cream layer. So I shopped the stash again for another color of card stock. More close trimming. Then I decided to make the card base match that second colored layer, and then I adhered all the layers together.

The card base is dark, so I trimmed another piece of the cream stock to go on the inside of the card for the stamped sentiment and whatever else I write inside for each recipient. And then I decided that the sentiment stamp alone wasn't enough, so I dug around and chose an image stamp to use inside, too.

Then I decided to make another test card with the same stocks, but in reverse: a different color of ink for the image, matching card stock to layer behind the image layer, then the cream again, then the different colored layer, onto the cream, onto the base.

For those of you keeping score, that's Color A ink on cream layered onto Color A card stock layered onto cream layered onto Color B card stock layered onto background-stamped cream layered onto Color B base. And Color B ink on cream layered onto Color B card stock layered onto cream layered onto Color A card stock layered onto background-stamped cream layered onto Color A base. The ink on the innards matches the ink on the front.

So now I have 40-some cards made in the two colorways, but you won't get to see them until they've been mailed out.

And the saddest part: I still haven't used up all those ready-made cards.

Hannah!

Stitched one strand over one fabric thread on 25-count Lugana Vintage Country Mocha. The primary color is DMC 3012; the other two colors are Anchor 369 (the tan/golden brown) and Anchor 846 (the dark green).

Stitch Class September

Stitch class this month was today, which is also BFF-N's birthday, so first the card for her.

The front. This was an experimental piece. I have a background stamp of cupcakes by the same artist as the main image here (also the same artist responsible for the cupcake-tower stamp I sometimes use), which I stamped with watermark ink, heat-embossed with clear powder, then ran through the dry-embossing "happy birthday" folder. I matted that with a sage green. The center horizontal panel got the folder treatment, but not the watermark/heat-embossing treatment, and was also matted with the same sage green. The cupcake was stamped with two colors of VersaMagic chalk ink on white card stock, cut square-on-point, and then matted with the sage green. The heat-embossing didn't work as nicely as I had hoped; maybe a touch of color in the embossing powder would have helped.

And the innard, where the sentiment square-on-point was also run through the embossing folder, then matted with the same sage green as the card front.

BSF-T (that's Best Stitching Friend) had a finish today:

This is her Mary Wigham, done on a much finer count that my own MIA Mary Wigham, and a most beautiful piece. Congratulations, GF!!!

I worked on Margaret's Monochrome Madness again. Here's MMM at the end of last month's session:

I started by frogging a bit of that green block I finished last month and then re-stitched the off-by-one-thread mistake I'd make on the last row. It's the green block at the top right corner of the (incomplete) center medallion. I also added a bit more (almost finished) to the block to the right of the green block.

 

And started stitching the border:

There's another section of border that will be stitched around the outside of this one.

10:30PM Update: Hannah Beeby is done. And getting a back.

I Can't Find...

...my Mary Wigham. I was going to photograph the finished piece. I've torn apart every place in the house where I'm likely to put a finished but unframed piece. I've looked in unlikely places.



I am heartbroken.

Welcome Home, Endeavour and TUSAL 2011 June

Mostly a gift piece, with a few strands from TW's "The Carousel," which I put back into the floor stand after the gift was finished. "The Carousel" hasn't seen any attention in a couple of years!

Needlework!

The most recent progress picture of Mary Wigham, taken nearly a month ago at the LNS' All-Day Open Stitch Class:
This is being stitched on PTP's "Heritage" in 32-count Lugana with overdyes primarily from my stash, 1 strand over two.

The birth piece for my younger niece's older son's son:
This is "Blue Jean Teddy," which is what the mother requested for the layette, and stitched from a kit with the kit floss but with an overdyed fabric I pulled from my stash, 1 strand over two on 32-count Lugana. I personally despise pictures shot on an angle like this, but I was having a terrible time with reflections on the day I photographed this one.

And the wedding piece for my older niece's older son and his wife:
They all get the same sampler, done in the color(s) of their choice. This one is done in a hand-dyed red by ThreadWorX and DMC 304 (for the personalization and quote), on 25-count white Lugana, 2 strands over two.

Finally Done!

No pictures yet, since I finished it about 7 Sunday night, and haven't washed it either, but the birth piece is done.

Saturday was the All-Day Open Stitch Class at my LNS, where I've been working on Mary Wigham, partly because she calls and partly as a relief from the Obligation Stitching. Well, I made a counting mistake in the motif I was working on and Terri and Margaret (the teacher) searched for a half an hour or more, trying to find it. Then Terri looked some more after our lunch break. Then Melissa took a turn at it. And found it!!! Many, many thanks to all three for their efforts! I had to frog only a half a dozen or so stitches to fix it.

Update (at long last!)

The latest stitching finish, a gift, has been handed over to its recipient. Who claims she's delighted and has Just The Spot for it in her room. First, a look at the design in its original version:

Then a look at the modified version (apologies in advance for the bit of glare, and the bits of exotic background of assorted stamping supplies):
Yes, there's more than just a change to the color of the lettering in this one. I recharted it to use the 1928 Book of Common Prayer version of the Lord's Prayer, the one BFF-N and I grew up with. Which meant changing "debts" and "debtors" into "trespasses" and "those who trespass against us." And "Our Father Which" into "Our Father Who." And slipping that "and ever" in after the "for ever." And lengthening the whole thing to allow for the additional wording. And changing the color of the lettering, of course, because that purpley-blue is just so not BFF-N.

And finally, something a little different. I don't normally post pictures from my rides in this blog, but this stop today was a special one: The Columbia Memorial Science Center in Downey CA, on a segment of the old Rockwell Space Division site. There isn't a whole lot in the center yet, just a few activities and displays, but this photomosaic was more than worth the $5 admission to the finally open facility. This photo doesn't begin to do it justice and doesn't show the whole thing. As near as I can tell, every photograph in this piece has something to do with Columbia. And not her sisters, Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis, and Endeavour. Launches, landings, developmental illustrations, inflight photos, mission badges, construction, assembly. The photo itself is, of course, the launch of STS-1.

What A Weekend!

The big news, of course, is the Angels' sweep of their (historically) single greatest nemesis, the Boston Red Sox. And the beauty of this one is that the winning game was a late-inning comebacker at Fenway.

The monthly stitch class at my LNS was yesterday, and boy, did we laugh a lot and hard!! Three pieces of mine saw some progress: Hannah Beeby, Beatrix Potter, and "Smell My Feet," the ornament from last year's Just Cross Stitch Hallowe'en issue. It's by La D Da and is a companion of sorts to "Something Wicked," the witch's boot piece I finished on the cruise earlier this year.

Here's Hannah:
Here's Beatrix:
And here's "Smell My Feet," which is being stitched on the same fabric as "Something Wicked," Picture This Plus' "Monster Mash":
I also uploaded all my FanFest pictures to an album and labeled them.

Progress Pics

I finished the piece I'd been concentrating on at home and brought Mary Wigham in from the van to make her my focus piece. Here's a teaser of the finish:
And here's a reshoot of Mary's status as of last weekend, although she's seen a bit more progress today:
The shell-pink medallion squeezed in there alongside the blue half medallion and the dark red half medallion is now complete and the next half medallion to the right of the dark red one is now about half finished (and the color for the half medallion next to that one chosen!).

The finish has been washed, pressed, and hauled away to the framer. I also made it down to my LNS to pick up this year's Just Cross Stitch ornament issue. And then Tuesday I head up to North Hollywood to gather with my fellow NCIS fans at the annual FanFest.

Half the Year!

Gone already!!

So far this year, I've completed: two Quaker Quarterly Exchanges and a graduation sampler. Still in progress are: a gift, Margaret's Monochrome Madness counted canvas, the class piece from last weekend, and Hannah Beeby. Still languishing are: a Curtis Boehringer Wildflower of America (it's been so long, I've forgotten which one is started!), a Drawn Thread Garden (I think it's Wildflower Garden, but again, it's been a while), and TW's "Carousel" (which piece I'd actually begun with the intention of entering it in last year's county fair!). And my fingers are aching to begin Mary Wigham and Beatrix Potter (both are Quaker pieces and I'm not sure of the history of the Potter piece, nor why it's called "Beatrix Potter").

I'm still waiting for the fabric for Mary, which I had my LNS order from Picture This Plus. And I have a piece of fabric at home that I could use for Beatrix, but it's 28 count and I'm not sure I want it that big. Decisions, decisions.

It's a holiday weekend here in the US, but I have to work tomorrow. On Saturday the BFFs and I are going to the facility formerly known as NAS Los Alamitos for the Independence Day celebration hosted there. Any stitching this weekend will be on projects at home.

Progress on MMM and a New Start

I really love it when BSF (Best Stitching Friend) Melissa and I can get together at our LNS for some drop-in stitching, and today saw us there again. Melissa did a lot of floss-pulling and floss-tossing for a couple of projects, while I completed one more of the boxes in "Margaret's Monochrome Madness" and started another. Here she is, hard at work on her "Mary Wigham" Quaker repro. Eventually we'll both be working on this one, but I'm waiting for my fabric to arrive at the LNS from the hand-dyer, Picture This Plus. Hop on over to her blog to read about her fabric and fiber choices. Mine will be on PTP's "Heritage" on 32-count Lugana, and I'll be stitching over two with one strand, with an assortment of overdyed flosses pulled from my stash.
And here's the latest completed box on "Margeret's Monochrome Madness":
It's the box done in diagonal blocks with an overdyed fiber very similar to a perle coton. This one is Caron Collections Wildflowers "Rye."

My new start is a piece Melissa, our stitching bud Terri, Melissa's buddy Tracy, and I are doing as a stitchalong. It's another repro Quaker sampler, "Hannah Beeby." Mine is over one thread on 25-count Lugana "Vintage Country Mocha." I'm using plain old solid-color DMC floss for this one, although I had to make a change to a slightly darker shade when I started stitching and realized that the 3013 would be way too light. Melissa and I agree that the 3012 works much better!
The quarter is there not just so that you can tell how tiny the stitching is, but is also a needle magnet put together by a wonderful lady who also is a fellow stitch-class student, fellow MMMer, and fellow Surf City 5K participant.

Sadly (for me, anyway!), Melissa will be off to visit Tracy later this week, so I'll be missing my BSF for the next couple of weeks. We'll see each other again for the Ellen Chester class at our LNS later this month, and then she's off again, to visit Nick in Detroit! The store will definitely be quiet for the next several Saturdays.

Quaker Quarterly Exchange 18

One of these days I may learn the secrets to posting photos on Blogger how I want them posted. Following, in who knows what order, are pictures of my latest finish both in stitching and card-crafting. The card accompanies the stitched piece when I send it out, telling the recipient what fabric and fiber(s) I used in the piece, and I think it's one of my better efforts—I liked it so much I actually photographed it! It's just a stamped image on a light-colored scrapbooking paper, adhered to a grey card made from scrapbooking cardstock with a linen-like finish to it.

The stitched piece is on Lugana 32-count White, stitched with Needle Necessities "Ashes to Ashes" and a couple of DMC greys for the personalization (the recipient's initials in the darker shade and mine in the lighter one). The other photo shows the backing fabric for the pinkeep. I "made" the pins (which can't really be seen, unfortunately, in these photos) by purchasing two different styles (round and teardrop) of corsage pins and those long sewing pins with the yellow "flower" heads on them, then dipped the pinheads in flat-black model paint. The theme for this particular exchange was "charcoal," and I think I succeeded. (It looks like I might finally have the pics in the right order! Let's hope they stay that way.)

New Framing, New Finish & Framing

First is the last of the graduation samplers, for my younger great niece. It's Lynnyn Designs' "ConGRADulations" [sic], on White Lugana 25 with a combination of DMC solids and assorted overdyes. Sorry about the craptastic photo; I was having problems with reflections.

Second is With My Needle's "Quaker Samplings 1," on Mushroom Lugana 25 over 1 with a light chocolate DMC (38-something), finished in 2007, but just framed this year.

Another finish, for Legacy board's Quaker Quarterly Exchange, can't be shown yet, since I just mailed it this morning.