Inspiration Arrives in All Forms

So much for getting purchase orders written at work this morning! I just received a Tweet from Amy's Golden Strand (and an email) alerting me to the July newsletter that has just been posted. Robin, Amy, Jill, Peggy, and all the ladies at Amy's do such a fantastic job with the newsletter each month. It fills me with such inspiration to take on more needlepoint projects. I like Amy's thought about having Stirha whip up a potion that either slows time down or speeds up our stitching abilities. There just isn't enough time to stitch all the things I want to make. Peggy had shown us Melissa Shirley's Pink Peony Purse while they were at market and she shows it to us again in the newsletter. I think it is absolutely one of the most beautiful pieces of needlepoint I have ever seen - not to mention the incredible finishing. I would love to stitch it but would I ever be brave enough to actually use it? I guess I could display it somewhere in the living room and just look at it everyday!

More inspiration arrived via email from Michele Herron at The Bristly Thistle at Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island, FL. Michele has a Tapestry Tent Trunk Show in the shop right now (through mid-July) and the canvases are 20% off. She has a beautifully stitched pillow sample in the shop of Liz Dillon's Halloween March and her email announces her stitch guide for it. I admire it every time I stop by her cute shop in Fernandina. If you haven't been to Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island, please go there. Not only is the beach fantastic but the old town of Fernandina is so charming. I think Bristly Thistle has recently relocated in Fernandina and I look forward to seeing the new location the next time I go to Jacksonville. It's a convenient little side trip for me when I go to visit Anna and Andrew in Jacksonville. If I weren't up to my eyeballs in Halloween themed canvases right now, I would be on the phone ordering Halloween March. But, she has tempted me with the Christmas March and the Easter March canvases.

Bridezilla Update - the double wedding rings in the background are almost finished and the bride is beginning to calm down. I can probably begin her veil tonight or tomorrow. I think she'll be ready for her groom by the weekend. Should I let them see each other or make them wait until the wedding?

Welcome to My Blog!

Hi - thanks for joining me! Hope you will enjoy following my needlepoint projects, keeping up with what I'm reading, and all of the other things that go to making a "good life". I always have several needlepoint projects going at once and am always reading several books at once. Eventually they all get finished.

My current needlepoint project is Amy Bunger's Halloweenies Home Study. You can follow the group's progress at Needlepoint Study Hall. At the moment, I am stitching Zombie Bride Zilla - the third character in the series. She would be an interesting addition to "Say Yes to the Dress" although I don't know if the ladies at Kleinfeld's could do much to help her. What do you think?

My first two characters were Stirha Cal-Dron and Frank N. Stein. The designs in this series are by Kelly Clark and the stitch guides are by Amy Bunger at Amy's Golden Strand. I haven't quite decided how to finish them. A stand-up, perhaps? I think for a series of characters that would probably work the best. There are 8 characters all together. Below are my two finished pieces. I'm pleased with the way my characters have turned out so far. I love the faces on Stirha and Frank - they are very expressive. Amy did a great job with the fine details.

There is another component to the Halloweenies and it's a major one - the Haunted House. Again, the design is by Kelly Clark and the stitch guide by Amy Bunger. I'll post some photos of it another time. It is a large canvas and we receive updated stitch guides and threads every couple of months. The Halloweenies project started in February and runs throughout the year. The characters are not too difficult to finish within the month that they arrive. I probably shouldn't say that because I still have a good bit of work to do on Bride Zilla to finish her before her groom arrives at the beginning of July. I'm getting ready to start working on her bouquet now that her headband and belt are finished. Her bouquet is made up of cup stitches which I'm not familiar with. I have learned so much by stitching this series and I highly recommend it as a great way to learn new techniques and stitches, not to mention all the new threads we get to work with.

The kitchen is calling my name right now. I have been brining some chicken breasts this afternoon in preparation for grilling them in a little while. I'm cooking some grilled lemon chicken this evening from a recipe in Cook's Illustrated this month - love that magazine. Earlier this afternoon I made a potato and green bean herb salad from one of last year's issues. 

Thanks for stopping by!