Hi!  I thought I would pop back into the blogging world.  I was working at home on Monday and we had some sunlight so I got some pictures of the projects I have been working on.

 Since I last wrote, I went to the EGA National Seminar in Louisville.  This year I only went for four days but I think I could have stayed longer at this seminar because I was having a good time.  I had a fun class with Gary Clark and two days of studio time.  I had an enormous suite at the hotel but it did not have any natural light so it was difficult to stitch or hang out in.  I have pre-registered for next years EGA seminar in Phoenix and I am planning on going to ANG as well since it is in Chicago and there is not much excuse not to go.  If enough people sign up, I am going to get to pilot one of Kay Stanis' ANG projects in April which sounds like lots of fun. 

Here are pictures from my class with Gary Clark.  The first picture is of his instructions.  The purple and green piece will be the scissor fob.  The purple and gold piece is done and it will be a needle case.  Gary had his finished as a picture book with a heavy paper in the middle.  I am not a fan of using paper with a piece of needlework that I spent so much time on to complete.  I think I will buy some nice felt/wool to make pages on the inside.  A cool part of his design is at the top of the picture you can see kind of purple and gold circles.  This makes up the side of the book, like a book binding in a real book.  The final piece is the scissor holder.  This piece is still a work in progress.  I was making good progress then Thanksgiving got in the way. 

 

 

 In my last post I was working on the Gingerbread House.  Donna commented on my post that she did not think the suggested purple background was right, so I was off to the store to see what I could find.  At Northshore Needleworks, they helped me pick out a Plant Earth blue silk with sparkles.  I am happy with the color and blue does make a lot more sense for a sky.  Thanks for the suggestion Donna!  I get in a rut and heaven forbid I do not follow the stitch guide.  I did use a blue stamp on the background so the white canvas would not show through. 

 

 

I have two little projects that I completed.  The first is a little embroidered witch which hold Tic-Tac's.  Everyone really needs a Tic-Tac holder for the holiday:)  It was the October Spooky Surprise project from my EGA guild.  My other project is Stitch and Zip project that I got off of Ebay.  It was a good throw in the bag project but those Stitch and Zip projects are a bigger pain than they are worth.  It is so difficult to get into the seam areas.  I think at some point this one will get donated to a fundraising basket. 

Finally, here are two of my WIPs that I have been working on lately.  First is my Grizzly Bear in needle painting.  This bad boy is my challenge piece and is supposed to be completed by the January Guild meeting.  I think I decided that needle painting is not really for me.  I will need a little more time pressure to get this one done.  It is a lot of thread changes and repetitive stitches. 

My next ornament was my car project on the way to Thanksgiving.  We have a three hour drive to get to the town I grew up in and where my family still lives.  I did get most of the box and more or the background done since this picture.  I want to get this ornament done so I can start a new one before the holiday break. 

 

Next Friday I am starting my holiday break until the New Year.  I am going to spend ten days in Florida, then come back for the family Christmas dinners, and a few days on my own.  I have big plans for my needlepoint and reading but most likely it will be more about shopping, eating, friends, family, and wine.  Fortunately, the condo is about ten miles from the newly expanded Needlepoint in Paradise.  I can't wait to see the changes.  I have not been down to the Florida condo in over a year.  I have been to Florida a few times but I was on the Miami side of the state. 

 

Well if I don't get back to my blog before the holidays, I hope everyone has very Merry Christmas and Happy and Healthy New Year. 

 

Kelly