I only do luxury ! :)

Thank you for your wishes on my last post :) I have been meaning to reply you separately but life is too busy (also read as 'I am a bit lazy') to do everything :D

So here I am with another finish from the twelve new projects I started in the month of February.

'I only do Luxury' from the book, Attitudes A to Z by Kyla May. There are many cute stick figures in this book

I used three strands for the hair and two strands for the entire design stitching over 14 count white cotton aida fabric.

I am almost done with my next finish. Hope to get it here soon. So only ten projects remain of my twelve new starts this year but my worry is that I am not progressing much on the medium sized projects and soon I will be at a loss of smaller projects again. I should work on bigger ones as well. Also I mentioned about seven new crochet projects in March but I need to postpone because  Anshita's annual exams are to begin from Tuesday. I will continue with my WIPs then. 

Have a nice day!

Preeti

A cute finish :)

Thank you so much for your birthday wishes !:)

I am ready with my first finish from the set of twelve new starts I began this month. I had mentioned an invisible card earlier meant for a gift, here it is the cute one completed well in time for my wedding anniversary on 17th Feb. Raj was happy to receive it :)

The design is from the magazine Cross stitch collection, Feb 2014 and designed by Angela Poole. The original design has white elephant but since I was using white Aida fabric, I changed it to a pink shade. Later, I read somewhere that pink elephant relates to a drunk person. I hope you won't judge by the colour and appreciate the cuteness factor

I had thought of various ways to complete it but due to lack of time, I framed it. These frames are no longer in fashion but we do have a few of them received as birthday gifts from Anshita's previous birthday parties. They can't be gifted to anyone either. This was the only frame that was the nearest match size-wise.

It is not easy to fix into such frames. The finished piece needs to be pasted carefully on a regular thin copier paper and then just slide it like a photo. But as I did that, some threads at the edges started to fray. I then stuck a fine layer of clear plastic tape and then it slid in the slot without any issues. A card would have been easier.

I am almost nearing another finish but have some other priority tasks to be done.

Happy crafting!
Preeti :)

Happy Birthday to me !!:)

Thanks for your comments and encouragement on my last post ! Today is my Birthday and I am going to share my remaining new cross stitch starts. But before that, here is a cute card which my sweet daughter, Anshita, made for me :)

Isn't it cute? That's me holding the title for the world's best mother. I hope I did a great job atleast in raising a daughter who makes lovely cards for me :) She has cleverly added all the tasks I juggle with - pan to cook, broom to clean, ironing her school uniform, laptop for my digital tasks, and a crochet needle too. The milk bottle is a cute symbol(instead of cup) that I am still after my daughter to drink a cup of milk since she hasn't yet started tea or coffee.

And these are my remaining seven new projects. I will share the original design picture only for the medium size projects. 

6. Little Gardener by Belle & Boo from the magazine Cross Stitcher, March 2014 issue

This is how it will look when done.

7. Another card, can't share the details until finished as it is to be sent to someone, only a tiny flower part done so far.

8. Gorjuss designed by Bothy threads from the magazine The WOCS September 2013 issue

This is how it will look when done.

9. Elf's Garden summer fairy by SODA stitch.

 This is how it will look when done.

10. Thank you card designed by Angela Poole from the magazine Cross stitch collection Jan 2013 issue 

11. Smiles all round designed by Margaret Sherry from the magazine The WOCS issue 240

 This is how it will look when done.

12.  Stylised allium flowers designed by Lesley Teare from the magazine Cross stitch collection May 2011

This is how it will look when done.

Hope you liked these, didn't get much time to get good pictures but there isn't much to show either.

I could not prepare to draw/trace for free hand embroidery design that I planned earlier which got replaced with cross stitch projects again. I started a new one on each day and the ones with minimal stitching were mostly done on weekends.  But I enjoyed the adventure and now I have some small and medium WIPs all through the year to choose from:)

Have a nice creative time!:)
Preeti

A cute bookmark and an update on new starts :)

This cute bookmark, 'darling dogs in a row' was a free gift with Cross Stitch Crazy magazine, June 2016. I stitched it two months ago for Anshita but couldn't find time to stick it on the card.

I started my new cross stitch starts although I couldn't get much time stitching on each one.

Also, my hands are very dry these days so stitching speed is reduced. Not only that but a bad boy(read husband) at home sat on my specs and broke it. He then sheepishly joined it with glue and tape and now I am using tattered specs for stitching. I have to get a new one. Usually, I don't go out every day but ever since I started this batch of new starts, I am required to go out for some tasks every day. So atleast two hours of free time, meant for my hobbies, is gone :( Not all, but few odds are against me yet I am determined to complete my adventure:)

1. 'I do only Luxury' from the book, Attitudes A to Z by Kyla May.

2. A parrot design from the magazine Cross Stitcher, July 2014.

3. Animal Calendar (Jan month) - from the magazine Cross stitch Collection, Jan 2014

4. Invisible Card - It is meant to gift someone so I cannot show it here

As I said some are small pieces so I won't show how the finished pieces will look. I hope to finish them soon. I will share that information for medium size projects like the below one.

5. Snakes and ladders by Durene Jones from the magazine, Cross Stitcher, Feb 2017

This is how it will look when done.

Thanks for seeing!
Hope you are having a fun crafting time.

Enjoy!
Preeti:)

Crochet doily

Thank you for your comments on my last post. I am on my way to begin my twelve days of new-project-a-day challenge that starts from 1st Feb.

Here is a quick update on my finished crochet doily which I completed last year but could not make it here due to my blog processing activities.

It measures 14 inches wide and I crocheted it with Anchor size 20 thread and 1.5 mm hook.

I am just so embarrassed to write only few words when I boasted in the last post that I will be back with more words. Can't help it, it's your day, enjoy! :)

Have a great week!
Preeti

It requires a plan to plan something.

Thank you for welcoming me in 2018 in the last post ! I still haven't prepared a systematic list of my resolutions this year and concluded that we need to plan ahead in order to plan something:) It's complicated !

Anyways, since I was bored stitching animals and fairies, I decided to stitch flowers. The fabric is 14 count white aida, it is the dappled sunlight through curtains that has caused the shaded effect on the picture.

This design is from the book 'Embroideries and Patterns from 19th century Vienna' by Raffaella Serena. It has been many years since I stitched from the book. My first post was a finish from this design. I was a novice in posting and fabric selection then.

I had, in 2017, planned to stitch Kitty Litter project dedicating first week of each month. I followed the schedule for almost six months and then fell out of that plan. I did again this month and here is my progress.

After : added last cat on the right

Before

Since I wasn't keeping up with my exercise routine, Raj got someone to do it on my behalf. Unfortunately, it is not a handsome hunk who would entertain me but a humble monk, 'Lenovo Yoga' laptop. It can be folded on either sides and have touchscreen as well. This is my first post from the new laptop.

Although I don't have an elaborate 2018 plan but I have made up my mind about few things that I can share randomly now.

It's been a long time I haven't had the pleasure of starting multiple projects. So, I am going to have twelve new starts for the entire year. January is almost gone. But I am going to start one new project everyday from 1st to 12th Feb. These would be small or medium projects so that I can get a break from my large projects. To make it more inclusive, I will make eight as cross stitch and four as free hand embroidery projects. In March, I will start seven new crochet projects for the first week. So my kitty litter project will move to second week in the month of Feb and March.

My year 2018 will be the year of decluttering. I do keep on doing that regularly but still unwanted things often pile up. It is easier to declutter wardrobes and kitchen. Papers and documents clutter is my biggest workload. I am not a fan of Marie Kondo, the Japanese organising consultant, with the famous KonMari methods. Behind all this decluttering, I have evil plans to create more space for my crafty things...mwahahaha ! I don't have any plans to declutter my crafty things, I just organize and archive them :D

Do you declutter regularly ? In which area do you feel you are organized?

Thank you for reading until here. I will be back again with more words :)
Happy crafting!
Preeti

Welcome 2018 ! :)

Happy new year to all of you ! :) Hope you had a fun and relaxing new year eve .

I have been running behind some plans for new year mainly setting up goals which I have been doing for the past three years . Earlier I had given up on goals but setting them up gives me a hope that there is much to look forward to in life and learn new things . So I forget the past failures and set up goals , some of them quite elaborate , and prepare myself , yet again , to fail ! ...he he. If I complete even 1% of the list , believe me it is usually a big list, I am happy :)

Here is what I revived from last year into the new year . I recycled Anshita's old water bottle into a vase with crochet cover and decorative accents . I gave the task of taking pics to Anshita and Raj . A flower and leaves were hurriedly snapped from the plants in the balcony and arranged in a manner which they termed eclectic . After that , their main object of interest was the flower and depth effect pictures , not the vase at all .

Before

After

I used left over Lily sugar n cream cotton yarn and some anchor knitting cotton . The sleeve of the vase and accents can be taken out and cleaned whenever needed .

Looking forward to your creations this year.

Have a creative and happy 2018!
Preeti :)