So Much Goodness!

First off hi everyone!  It's been two weeks since my last post but I have a lot to make up for it!  So saddle up for the ride! 

First off this is my 100th blog post!  So to celebrate I'm having a giveaway!  I'm giving away a chart from Tilton Crafts.  HAEDs get a lot of love but not too many people I see stitch Tiltons so it's time to spread the love :). 

The rules are: you have to be a follower.  You have to comment on this post that you want to be entered.  And you have to begin it sometime this year.  I'm being a bit selfish on this one lol I like watching big pieces progressing :)

I've made progress on three pieces this post!  Including a new start 😳

First up is Paradise:

Last time:

This time I just finished up another page:

I really wanted to have a page finish on this before I posted so that's what took so long.  The colors look washed out but that's because it's now night and there have been storms all day so no chance to take a picture.  But the colors are starting to mute a bit too before we start getting into the deep blues.  And yes that is some purple we see.  I got to go to my floss stash finally and pull out several new colors.  Yay!  We will see the first official blues when I finish filling in the mountains.  And on that note see the bright yellow just to the left of the purple mountain?  That's the last of it!  No more 444 for this girl!  I used about a skein and a half in this piece so I'm happy to say that's the end of it!  I think I finished off another couple too but that's the only one I know of for sure.

So what's my new start and why did I start it when I said I wouldn't?

Yep I joined the HAED challenge.  The first one had to be done before March and we had to stitch 1000 stitches in a checkerboard/diagonal pattern.  This is a year long challenge with 6 different components.  It's offered on the HAED Facebook page and there's still time to sign up.  I can say that it was interesting to stitch this way but definitely something I won't do again.  

I chose to do a new start because at least one challenge will be tent stitching and on this new piece in going to try doing both tent and full cross on the same piece.  The background will be rented and the design full.

The design is the exclusive chart I got from Brigid Ashwood's calendar Kickstarter I talked about several months ago.  I talked to Michele and she said it counted since they charted it.  

This is the design and I have the part in the middle of his forehead and above his left eye done.  It's the exact middle.

I did an interesting dye for this chart.  

 It's darker in real life.  The colors correspond to the symbols around the frame.  The red ended up bleeding a bit but they should be covered by stitching so I'm not worried.  I'm excited to see how this one ends up.

Lastly I've made a bit more progress on Halloween Green.

Last time:

Now:

Not much but I only work on it when I'm away doing laundry or something.

On the personal front things are going well.  My hubby just got offered a permanent position at work!  No details yet because he had to talk to HR first but it couldn't have come at a better time.  Our lease is up in the middle of March so once we know how much he will be making we can start looking for a new place and get our things out of storage.  As for me I've already finished a semester of school except for one last bit in my last class.  I'll finish it tomorrow hopefully.  I started school in December so if everything goes well I can start my student teaching next January.  As it so happens my little cousin (who paradise is for) will be starting hers then too although we're in different states and she's going for her bachelors.  Still it'll be fun.  Tutoring is going well too other than having some issues with motivating kids to work.

Oh well hubby will be gone next weekend so I'll have s nice long stitchy weekend ahead.  And after that it's Presidents' Day weekend I'm not sure if we're going away for the weekend or not but I have 4 days off so I'm excited!  I'm already spoiled by the school schedule lol.  

Thanks for stopping by and sticking with me!  See you next time! 

Page Finish Quick Update!

So I did almost 7,400 stitches in 14 days which is two pages in two weeks.  Yay!

My last post was GG:

Now:

I also went horseback riding today for the first time in years.  It was fun!

I'll stitch more tonight but tomorrow will be all school stuff.  When I finish my next class I'll stitch again :)

January GG

Hey everyone I'm back again for Gifted Gorgeousness!  GG is hosted by Jo at Serendipitous Stitching and I'm posting on my wip which will be a gift for my cousin.

I'm sooooo close to a page finish I only have one color left.  I should finish it tomorrow.  I can say I'm officially past the halfway mark which is 5 stitches in and above the second line.  I'm so excited to finish this page so I can update my progress bar!  

After this page is done I'm going to continue with my strategy and work on all three vertical pages at once and update my progress bar at the end.  The next set of pages will see the last of the oranges and yellows (except for some random tiny groups on the shoreline)!  Then it's non-stop blues and greens with a dash of lilac thrown in.

Okay enough talking on with the pictures!

Last time:

Now:

Thanks for stopping by to share my excitement!

After I finish this page though I need to focus on school for a bit and finish another class :)

Finally Some New Colors!

I'm sure this is going to be a theme but I'm finally getting to stitch with some new colors on Paradise.  I got my first stitch of lilac on the mountains and my next set of pages will see the last of the yellows and most of the oranges (possibly all of them but I didn't double check).

I also reached the exact half of the pattern but since I still have another page to go im not halfway yet stitchcount-wise.    I'm close though!  The pages I'm stitching now actually go about 15 stitches past the halfway mark.

I feel I've made good progress though since last week :). In order to finish before the end of the year I have to do approximately 1,600 stitches a week or 230 stitches a day.  This week I've done around 2,300-2,400 and I have all day tomorrow to hopefully get a page finish except for one color that has mysteriously disappeared that I'll have to pick up on Monday after work.  Ready for pics?

Last time:

  Now:

Wow it looks like a lot lol!  I should look at photos more often!

Thanks for stopping by I'll see you all for GG!

Holy Stitching Batman!

I haven't counted but I think I put about 3,000 stitches in paradise in the last 3 days.  But I have another page finish!

Yesterday:

Today:

I have one of the white letters done too.  So I just have to do the L and finish the groom's name and start the date then outline it all.  I may try to get the L done tonight.  I wish I could keep up this pace but school awaits!  Good start to the year though :)