Can you believe it? I actually worked on the Desert Landscapes Mandala again for quite a while yesterday. The center portion is very close to being finished. After the remaining portion is done, I'll move onto the outer areas.
I still have to go over the tree with the additional braid.
Uh, huh...another one. For the past week and a half I have been trying to find my "mojo" (as Margit puts it). I pick up a project - work on it for 15 minutes, toss it down. Search through my WIP's, and think, OK, this one is it. Work on it for 15 minutes, toss it down. Now I have got some stitching done, but just have not "wanted" to work on whatever project I was stitching. Make sense in some sort of convaluted way? Until yesterday...woke up from a brief nap with the immediate notion to start on my Desert Mandala from Chatelaine Designs. Usually I ignore these "notions." But yesterday I just said "what the heck is another WIP to add to the pile?" and gave in. I have had the fabric, the Petite Treasure Braids and DMC's for this one for about two weeks. I also have most of the silks (I think). So, I cut my fabric to size and started stitching....and stitching....and stitching. I just could not put it down all day! Now that doesn't happen too often. So here it is after yesterday's stitching marathon.
I even managed to stitch the over-one coyote. Can you see where the over one hawk will go?
Now that tree...if you look at the top central branch you can see that it is a bit darker than the rest. I was not too happy with the coverage of the black Treasure Braid (which seems thinner than the other colors, to me). So I tried stitching over top of the stitch's top leg once again with the braid. I am going to do the rest of the tree, too. Next time I'll know better and use two strands from the start to do the stitching.
Maybe not the one you thought (the Mirabilia one?)....but this little cutie.
She is stitched with Pickled Beets Crescent Colours on 32 count opalescent Belfast.
I may finish her as a little pincushion.
A little more on the 2009 Mirabilia freebie. The chart is available for download now on the Mirabilia website. :)) I think this one is very unusual for her cherubs. Very bright colors, plus the "cherub" is totally different than the previous years. To me, it looks more like a Christmas card. Not that it is a bad thing...just different. ;)
The long holiday weekend is over. You would have thought I could have done a lot of stitching. You know how it goes....it was just one of those weekends where I picked up five or six different projects and just stitched a little on each. No one particular design seemed to keep my interest for very long. But at least a little progress was made on each...just not really picture worthy.
I tried. I really, really tried. Not to start another new project. I held off for two days. Then she kept calling me and calling me. I had to answer....you know how that goes. :)
Mirabilia's 2009 Free Cherub. I don't think she looks like a cherub at all. Pretty, nonetheless.
She is holding a trumpet with a banner hanging below. I am missing a few threads and all the beads. I used Crescent Colours Sassy Brass, since I was missing DMC 869. This is only about half the design.
Two new starts...Rudolph...the last of the reindeer and Madeline, my Letter M Fairy. I love Nora's version of Rudolph. Not too much different than the other reindeer really. But -- I do like how she did his red nose, subtle and nice, but still Rudolph! (the background within the gold gets filled in with some white and beads).
Do you like to start at the top? I do...and it's usually because I like to see the heads rather quickly. In the Mirabilia's the heads have so much going on - lots of color changes for hair, crystals, beads and braids. The reindeer does have a bit of bling, but not so much on the actual head. The little fairies, however, usually have a lot of little beads surrounding the head. What's my point? I guess I like to see the sparkle right away, since I tend to attach the beads as I go, if at all possible.
I need one of those tired, exhausted little smileys here....this is for Kelly (Letter K Fairy from Nora Corbett Designs). For whatever reason, I have been working on her and working on her and wor.....well...you get the picture. I knew when I skipped her to stitch the Letter L it was a mistake.....but enough moaning and groaning....it is now time to D A N C E!! Yep! She's done! She's done! She's done! 
And, yes, she deserves the "big guys!" Without further ado, Kelly:
(sorry for the crooked picture...)
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