Live in Harmony

I'm sneaking in a last post for April. Here's my latest finish and a really fun stitch.

 

 "Live in Harmony"

by Homespun Elegance

I really loved stitching this piece. Instead of using DMC, I used various overdyed silks I had in my stash.  There is no direct correlation though. It was like painting using whatever crayons I had on hand. I finished this last weekend, then jumped right into stitching this... Garden Glade by Carriage House Samplings.

Golly, there is a LOT of filling in!  I had stitched the stag over on the right hand side but frogged it out. Maybe you can see a faint outline.  Why did I have to frog? Well, I was trying out an overdyed silk and ended up with a stripe-y result. I went back and forth trying to justify not frogging, but in the end I'm glad I did. It really offended the eye! 

I think I have learned a big lesson with the overdyed silks like Belle Soie. I like them when used in small bits of design, like with "Live in Harmony" above, but anything with bigger continuous surface can get the stripey look. 

Thank you so much for your kind comments left in my last post. Things are still somewhat bumpy but at least one hurdle is out of the way. The boy has flown the nest yesterday and now safely (we think) in his new home in Germany. Here's a photo of DS with DH at the airport.

It was a pretty tense day yesterday. Thank goodness the Royal Wedding provided a good diversion all through the day.  I love this photo of the two sisters and their dresses. 

It was a beautiful wedding, wasn't it?

Here's some stitchy news for you - I received a newsletter from Carol at Em-li's this month where Carol said she has purchased the inventory and copyrights to Sheepish Designs!  I don't think I've seen this announced anywhere so I am not sure what this means in terms of seeing all the designs listed, etc.  If you are looking for these charts, you should email Carol.

Thanks for your visit! Now I'll do the disappearing act again! :-)

Hello there!

It's been awhile. I will catch up with you in "sandwich" style. The top layer -  the important stuff - stitching, of course; then the filling - why I've been away; lastly - more stitching and other photos. So, here we go!

We begin with 2 lovely pink flowers...and an angel. I love the pink. It's stitched with GA Rhubarb.

A Gold Tulip? I've never seen one in real life, but it sure looks pretty. I like the bluebells too.  And those other balloon like flowers remind of me Chinese Lantern flowers. I love that funky striped bird!

 A Lion and a butterfly under some dreamy purpley flowers (wisteria?)

The infamous couple with the snake hovering above. Oh, I just realized, there is no apple in sight! Well, we have a cute bunny and a peacock.

And now the whole thing - "Permit Me Not to Stray" by Heartstring Samplery. It's quite a luscious design, don't you think? I did replace the over-one verse with my own - "Into this Life, the Journey Begins". This phrase did come to me, very easily, and I was thankful for it because I could bypass the over-one stitching. Honestly, I have to get the Mighty Bright magnifier lamp that some of you have mentioned to me in the past.

Now comes the filling - why I've been away longer than usual. I've been living a Charlie Brown life, or Life has been Bumpy. 

To keep things in perspective, everyone is healthy. Check! However, life has just been throwing me not only curves, but boulders in my path. Now, I think we all agree that we've been taught to "overcome obstacles" by preservering. But sometimes I think that when the boulders keep landing in your path, it might mean "get the hell out of the way coz a landslide is coming!" Yeah, it might be a good idea to look for a different route. 

So, I've been in a hunker down mode which usually means I keep life as simple and quiet as possible. Staying offline is one of the things I do. I know I owe people emails so please accept my apologies for being quiet. I hope to remedy the situation soon. 

Stitching the A&E was tough going. It wasn't the design, it was just me feeling the stitching love leave me too. I don't know what I will stitch next or maybe take a wee break. What do you think? I have some big samplers I want to dive into but this might not be the best strategy for me.

Enough of the pity party. Now, onto more pictures. 

I made a new stitchy friend via my blog about a month or two ago. Nicole is from Belgium and doesn't have a blog. When she started sending me some photos of her stitching I immediately said to her that she should start her own blog! I am sure you would agree. In the meantime, here is a small example of her lovely stitching and finishing! 

 Oh my! Isn't her work just beautiful? I love her display as well. I have to think about copying her idea with the glass dome! 

Next, the pink flower is a camellia we bought last week. Can't remember the name though!

Then a Christmas Rose still in bloom. Our Spring is about a month behind schedule this year.

Last night my husband said "come quick and see this!". At our kitchen door were two young racoons (you can only see one in this photo) wanting to come in! Julius was sooooooo curious and they were having this mutual curiosity staring contest! Daisy hid!

Well, my dearies, that's it for my catch up post. Thank you for your visits, your comments and emails! Have a lovely weekend!