Happy World Chocolate Day!

 

I really feel like this should be a much bigger holiday!

The Paddingtons are coming along. They came from a booklet of 12 patterns and I started 6 of them and now they're so cute I may need to start the other 6. You know how it is ha ha.

Beach Holiday Paddington has some feet:

Cut and Paste has more of his jacket:

and Bearly Studying has more hat and his feet started:

In other stitching, Chinese Dragon has more sky:

Braver has more flowers and squiggles and lettering:

Brown and Yellow Moth has most of it's wings:

Underwater Kingdom has the big tentacle started:

and Sweet Tea Rex has the T-Rex almost done:

It's supposed to be a hot week here so not sure how much stitchy mojo I'll have.  Every year I mean to get one of those mini room air conditioners and every year I don't do it, but I swear it gets hotter and wetter every year!

Happy IHSW!

 I spent a great weekend with Paddington Bear - I try to stay off the news but I can't help myself. I'm so glad I have cross-stitch and Jessica Fletcher to get a breather from the real world!

This is Singing in the Rain, Paddington's hat is just about outlined:

Up, up and Away has the first balloons forming:

At Paddington Station, he got a sleeve on his coat and the wall is forming: 

Beach Holiday has his swimsuit taking shape:

In other news, a cat has appeared for Cape Cod Halloween:

The G is forming for Hustle (as in Good Things come to those who Hustle):

and there are some more hearts and flowers in Braver:

My really big news is that I got the Merlin Bird app - I guess I'm the last person on earth who knew about this, but you open it and it listens to all the birds chirping around you and tells you what kind they are.  It's mesmerizing, even thought it's almost always house finches at my house.  But I really love it and it's a very mellow way to take a few minutes away from current events. 

A Friday Finish!

 This is Retro Roller Skate, it was a freebie from Wild Olive. I was a roller skating queen in my own mind growing up, and my most precious possession was my white boot roller skates with stripes and red wheels. I really enjoyed rolling down memory lane while I stitched this!

I got another letter done in Braver:

Cape Cod Halloween is getting a roof on a blue house:

Hustle got the lettering started:

and the Modern Turtle got some more of it's shell:

2 Finishes for June!

Floral File is finished! I made it into a bookmark instead of a nail file case. I actually finished it in May but it's posted now. This was a kit from Just Cross Stitch.

Gingerbread Cottage from Mill Hill. I thought I was going to finish it Saturday but beading is slow! 202 days until Christmas!

In other news, Dragon Hall is past the midpoint on the top border:

Witchy Needlebook has some cats and a pumpkin started:

Ukrainian Needlework has more of Cherkasy Oblast:

Braver has more lettering and some leaves

Zinnias got some love on the border:

 

Lewis Chessmen has more of the board done:

Aliens has more spaceship:

Celtic Angel is getting a bigger niche to hang out in:

                    And Chinese Dragon has more of the lantern done:

I'm teaching Sunday School for Pentecost and I'm introducing the kids to cake painting - pray for me!

"The Pentecost" by Mark Durham

Throwback photo of Kuna from 3 years ago. Auntie had just gotten home from the hospital and we were realizing that she had full one dementia.   I was spending so much time over there that it made sense to start bringing the dog so we could camp out together.  What a long sad journey that was - every day was an eternity and now it seems like the blink of an eye.  Sigh. RIP Auntie.

Another Friday Finish!

This thing has been hanging out for like two months waiting for the yellow stripe and the e! to get finished.  I don't know what I'm going to do with it but I love the vibe.  Design from Daily Cross Stitch.

In other news, Lemon Kitchen has a plant and some wallpaper started:

Dragon Hall has more border:

and Crowning Glory has more of the background done.   

 

A Friday Finish!

I have a finished finish so woo hoo to me! This was the "Welcome Spring" kit from Cross Stitch Crazy that I finished last year and finally glued together.  This is a technical as my finishing gets, haha.  I love it.  The birds are going crazy in my yard right now; I have the only sort of fluffy shady tree near by, and everyone's pecking and kicking through the duff.

This is a Christmas Gnome kit from Just Cross Stitch.  It's stitched on vinyl canvas, which is an unusual experience, and the finish is to roll it and stitch up the back, so I'm hopeful that I can make that happen.

Rouxdolph has an X:

Garden Bunny has some flowers sprouting:

Braver has more....just more, haha:

and Sistine Chapel has more border:

 My big news is I got myself a ticket to see the Dolly Parton musical - Yee haw for me!  DH isn't invited - I'm too excited and he'll just drag me down when I'm trying to get my Dolly on!  I've promised not to go to Dollywood without him so I need to find something else to do while I'm there, but I have plenty of time to think about it. Nashville in August is maybe not my best idea but my sequined cowgirl hat is already out and ready to go!

Happy May Day!

 A nice stitching roundup for the end of April!

I've had this beautiful dream that one day all my smaller pieces will be done and then I'll go crazy with my big ones, but that dream really depended on me not finding anything else to stitch and..cough cough...ahem...

So I'm kind of recalibrating and digging into the vault to get my bigger pieces moving, and this is my biggest, the Sistine Chapel by HAED. I stitched some more of the ceiling border:

Sweet Tea Rex by Ardith Designs has all the blue dinosaurs filled in:

Sakura Pagoda by Riolis got all sky work this week:

Bear Walk by Stitchy Fish got more sunset and Big Bear got more fur:

Rouxdolph by Dirty Annies has more letters:

Ukraine Map has more of Cherkasy Oblast:

and Braver by Dimensions has more random flowers and lettering:

Spent the week beating the tariffs - got a bike rack installed on my car, air conditioner fixed, ordered Sunday School supplies for the rest of the year, looted Joanns and got my birthday/anniversary order in early at 123 stitch.  We may end up  feasting on dandelions and nettles, but at least I'll be getting my craft on!

Kuna likes to nap in her hole outside when it gets hot, but she can't really relax at night because she's scared of the neighborhood owl. Poor Kuna!