A Surprisingly Not-So-Small(?) January Small

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Well isn't this embarrassing! I am apparently too used to posting at the end of the month that I completely forgot the first check-in for the Smalls SAL is NOT actually at the end of the month, oops!  I suppose it worked out in the end as I didn't finish stitching until yesterday. :)

before

after - much better light!

I guess it might be obvious it's not a cupcake now.  This was a very happy little stitch, and one of those that magically come to life when the miles of backstitching go on.  I did make a few changes: I did not add the second chimney, nor the majority of the French knots.  Nothing against French knots, but they just looked odd on this piece.  I also left off the "Thinking of You" sentiment and all the random blue dots which I think are supposed to be raindrops.  I didn't want raindrops, thank you very much.

Technical Details

• Cross Stitch Greetings #911 "Birdhouse", a kit by Design Works Crafts
• Designer: Joan Elliot
• 2-over-1 on white 18-count Aida.
• Finished size: approximately 3.5" x 5.5" (~9cm x 14cm).
• Started: January 8, finished January 30, 16 hours.  

The floss supplied was not so great. It tangled very easily and when trying to untangle, it would break! This was incredibly frustrating.  It also is a bit larger than I expected!  I think for the next Smalls, I should go Smaller.

scissors for weight

Here is what it will look like in the card. I was puzzled as to what the recipient could do with the stitching afterwards. What could be done with it and still be sent as a card?  Solution(?): I have a very thin magnet (think of those that come stuck on things as advertising) that should work to attach to the back.  It won't be able to hold much but would look nice on their fridge or filing cabinet... maybe?  I might be the only goofball who loves magnets all over everything.  Any other ideas out there?  It has to be very, very flat.

Okay, that's all I have this time~  I shall endeavor to remember the SAL date is not the end of the month next time haha~

January GG ~ Please Present Your Shoehorns

Hello, world! 

First of all, blogger is up to some shenanigans again.  Comments are acting up on blogs with embedded comment forms (such as mine).  They take a long time to publish (sometimes requiring more than one click) and it doesn't matter if comments are moderated or not.  Keep this in mind when leaving comments!  Some people may close the window or tab before the comment actually posts.  Add this to the no-reply/Yahoo nonsense going on!

One fix is to switch to the pop-up version of comment forms.  I don't particularly like the pop-up version for my own blog because I cannot leave replies directly on comments.  If that doesn't bother you, the option is in your dashboard under Settings --> Posts, comments and sharing.

Now enough about Google being silly, it's time for some Gifted Gorgeousness!  I already had to dig out the shoehorns for this one... sort of.  

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First we have a new start (gasp) for 2018.  I wanted to dive into my pile of thrifted and gifted kits this year and make a dent in that collection but discovered 95% of them are Christmas!  How did this even happen?!  I don't think I could stitch on Christmas all year so I chose one of the 5%, a nice spring-ish pattern that can be finished into a card.  I picked it up in a thrift store back in 2015.  It isn't a very large piece (could count for the Smalls SAL oooo) so it's working up rather quickly and the colors are so bright and cheery, perfect for this string of gloomy days we've been having.

not a cupcake

I'm not entirely sure who will get it when it's finished but it isn't for us or our house so it totally counts as a gift!  I've been toying with the idea of making a "Gift Drawer" full of small items such as this that can easily be drawn from in a pinch, stuff like pretty stitched cards or bookmarks or little ornaments.  Do any of y'all have anything like that?  Or is that the Box of Shame haha.

Next is Actual, Factual progress on FFIII.  This is turning into a gift for me because I want it DONE so I will use Shoehorn Power to make it fit in.  :b  Plus, it's stitched on a "gifted" stand (someone provided it to a church rummage sale), on "gifted" fabric (someone donated it to a thrift store), the pattern was made on "gifted" software (freebie pattern maker), and the needle sits on a gift (from Justine)!

before

after

I did the backstitching on another couple of letters as well as filling in more of the missing leg of stitches in his cape.  And a few backstitching details in his cape and hair.

Lastly is my New-To-Me craft storage, that was in fact gifted, and I did do some work on it.  I've been using an plastic storage caddy from my mom's classroom to store all my stitchy fabric and kits.  That little caddy has seen better days so I was on the lookout for something a bit more elegant.

store everything

This was my great-great grandmother's chest of drawers.  My mother had it for a long time but gave it to me a couple of months ago.  It was not kept in a climate controlled location so it had a few issues with mildew.  I scrubbed it down with vinegar, and then again with Murphy's Oil Soap.  It is as smooth as silk now!  It has been refinished at some point, probably by my grandmother.  Mom said she didn't do this one but it does have a coat of polyurethane on it so it had to have happened at some point.  I'm not sure if the handles are original; I know the top two aren't as they were missing from the piece when my grandma gave it to my mom.  The round dovetails (pin and cove) date the piece to the late 1800s and the mirror is still the original (though it has a lot of discoloration).  The doily/scarf was crocheted by my great-aunt.  My husband jokes that this is now the nicest piece of furniture we own (and it is haha).

Okay, that's all from me~  I don't even have any crochet or knitting to share as nothing is going on there.  My hands have entered the dry, cracked stage of winter so apart from being a bit tender, I keep snagging on floss, fabric, and yarn.  If it gets any worse, I shall have to get out the old remedy of socks and Vaseline to wear on my hands overnight!