2009 Framing

This is Mermaids of the Deep Blue by Mirabilia. I finished the project in 2008, and my then-boyfriend now-fiance had it framed for me as a Christmas present. It's the only piece I've had framed for myself this year, sad to say. I'll need to catch up on that sometime soon.

Mermaids of the Deep Blue Framed!




Well it's always a good day when I actually get a piece framed! My boyfriend offered to pay to have one done as a Christmas present, so I picked Mermaids. I had originally intended to mat the piece, but after playing around with various colors, I opted to go with a more simple antique gold frame and no mat. I absolutely think that was the right choice for this piece. It's also got the UV treated glass to help protect it from the sun.



The only issue is that the Mermaids are tilted ever so slightly forward, so slight that I'm probably the only person that will ever notice it. Argh. Anyway, I opted not to have them fix it because as I said - it's very minor. I'm always hypercritical of my own work LOL



For now, I'll be hanging it above my desk in my room, but I think Mermaids is ultimately destined to be in a powder room.


Framing was done at Eland Galleries, Phoenixville, PA.

2008 Cross Stitch Projects

2008 was a great year for me as far as getting a lot of work done on various projects. I started some new ones, finished a very old WIP, and completed two major cross stitch pieces, as well as several larger crochet lace pieces.

I started off the beginning of the summer with a visit to a cross stitch shop in PA, and picked up Mirabilia's "Crystal Symphony" and got started on her.

The background is 32 count antique white linen, and I stitched the face/arms in petit point for a smoother appearance. I'm about halfway finished, and plan on getting her finished sometime in 2009. I put her away to work on Mirabilia's "Mermaids of the Deep Blue Sea", which I finished in September 2008. The background fabric is Amsterdam Blue 32 count linen.

I found the darker fabric somewhat of a challenge to work on, so I bought my first OTT-Lite floor lamp - while expensive, it has definately been well worth the price, and I recommend them highly.

Additionally, I started Silver Lining's "Edith Wolford", a beautiful purple and orange iris. While I love the Silver Lining's designs, the amount of confetti stitching with very similar colors makes them borderline frustrating to work on, so the projects get put aside after only a few days of work. I honestly think that the quantity of color changes could be simplified and still have amazing results - I would definately do a lot more Silver Lining designs if they were. Still, I'd like to get this one finished sometime in 2009.