so it’s new and i liked the shaped in the blue bead with the rectangles. mirroring that and we’ll see where it goes. those wood beads are cool, too, though, right? another day, another project.
and she's done.
i love her. she looks great and it was super fun. I’ll finish her up this week with backing and lining, and start thinking about the next project. sometimes unsure if a new design should be abstract or recognizable. the abstract is free and i’m less judgy about the outcome. so probably abstract.
soooo close! almost done.
just love this project. what happens when i finish! gonna need new inspiration. beadshow in denver on april 28th. have the day planned, and can’t wait.
yellow stripe!
you might wonder…how excited can one be over a yellow stripe? and the answer will surprise you. isn’t it awesome?!? a thin line is exactly what this needed to brighten it up, add interest and tie in the yellow up top. plus it makes me feel creative and smart to have thought of it, which hey…it’s a yellow stripe. ha ha. take it where you can get it!
so much more.
still loving this. went last weekend to purchase a few more highlight beads (don’t have stock on the larger ones and they add interest, i think) and have planned out a few sections with pen as you can see. lady at the bead store had an idea to use some chain, which sounded super cool so i bought that, and will overlay it once some of the sections are filled. feei like i’m mostly in a positive creative space so still really enjoying this project.
All the things.
just really still having fun with this one. so easy to enjoy - easy to pick colors, patterns, loving the overlapping beads. i’ll put some colors over the red section so it’s likely this large section will be relatively flat with some patterns on top.
Look at what I'm doing!
I’m having so much fun on this one! Honestly. So great. New techniques with layering - probably should have experimented with new techniques beyond couching a long time ago but whatever. Love the color restrictions based on the boiled wool header. It’s helpful to have some framework. But the rest of the design has no rules and that’s super awesome. I’m just having a ton of fun planning and working on this one.
The turquoise lines will outline what I hope will be a river of beads. Thinking I’ll do some of the dark green right above it and let those strands feather onto the river of blue and up into the purple above. Loving the gold circles. Tried to make them stand out but fit in for a cool variation. Used a purple holding bead in the middle that was shiny - not opaque - thought opacity would make it too loud.
And the red. Loving it. All the texture. Yes!
I think this is where it's going.
So it seemed interesting to try and continue what would have been the boiled wool pattern using beads. I like how it’s going so far! There are a bunch of new techniques I’m learning here. I have historically couched beads flat - mixing bead types, but laying flat. This time, I’m overlapping beads and layering them. This is a new challenge (really, it’s just beads, how big of a challenge can it be…) but still, it’s new for me and adding an element of planning (which section comes first so another color can overlap.) See the twists in the turquoise strands? Also the dark green on top of the pink swirls. One of the red sections is a bit fringy, too. Anyway, really liking it. Watching Homecoming on Amazon. It’s great.
New!
It’s time for a new project and I’m so excited! Last year I picked up a scrap of boiled wool from the Bead show and have been excited to use it ever since. It’s going to top this stocking and I’ll use the existing pattern and bring it down. The color choices are great and I’m going to sew this one in full beads, just varying patterns with the colors already provided. Should be fun.
I think I’ll call this one “Boiled Wool” for lack of a better title.
See what was added?
Little by little, step over step. Added a few things, included my bib number and the bottom tear part of the bib from this year’s epic Boston run. Also, “amen and pass the peas” which is one of Laurie’s favorite sayings. Michelle thought I should add “not such a….” to precede #stupidhobby. Also added “RUN.”
Have had a few small things going on at work…yeah…so this project is taking a while. I’m ready to wrap it up and move on. Maybe this weekend.
Forward motion.
Creative time is more important than ever, and so are my running girls. Notice the new donut, (“It’s a good day for a donut and a shortcut.”) (which has never happened - thanks, Laurie) the Boston road sign, a McMansion Loop map, “so smahhht” - referring to our pre-race Boston bathrobes and of course, “I’m in,” the two best words in the English language.
so fun.
Turns out, this one is fun!
I'm coming up with ideas like crazy on this one! Going to add maps, shoe laces, more words, pictures...this is fun! Super motivated on this project.
Oh, all right. I'm in.
Next up:
it's a good day for a shortcut and a donut.
aw geez.
broomingham palace. khumbu icefall. metzger loop.
these words will only mean something to me and the girls, but (heart.)
Running.
Every ridiculously early morning when me and the girls run, we kick it off by saying, "stupid hobby." Annnnd since I cross stitch, "stupid hobby" has two meanings.
I've been writing down the sayings we repeat to one another on the trail for a couple of years, and the girls want me to cross stitch our sayings onto a stocking. Silly, yes, but this may turn out to be the most treasured of all the stockings since it will remind my of my best friends and the hours we've spent left-right-lefting together, remembering what makes us laugh, and (hard to imagine) increase the love and appreciation we have for each other as we've bonded through this #stupidhobby.
Not sure all of the words can fit, and most won't mean anything to anyone but us, but here's the list. I'll try to fit as many of them as possible onto this canvas.
the big ugly
man-o-schevitz
aw geez. my achin' tookish
lets go have coffee and pancakes instead. (never happened.)
it’s a day for a shortcut and a donut.
we could go north?? i hate that route.
mcmansion loop
kumbu icefall
all gurgly
margarita shot blocks
are we getting credit for this, julie?
i like to get up at hours without a 4 in them.
my panties are literally in a wad.
triple flagpole
the fairview bridge
2 metzgers
the View.
i gotta pee. again.
i forgot my headlamp.
so smahht
stretchy dude
whose idea was this?
for the love.
westminster heartbreak.
boston is downhill my a$$
right on hereford, left on boylston
bluebell ice cream: pistachio, brides cake, peppermint bark, christmas cookies in july...
pumpkin patch
submansion.
broomingham palace
ugh. anthem loop.
WHO WOULD POST THAT ON NEXTDOOR?
all of Broomfield is uphill.
we were fast today. we were slow today. at least we got out today.
lauries family tree.
the gift of meat.
this is your safe place, we're on your side here
you have a key and i have a bar in my basement!
michelles granola
the walking dead.
this is us.
sooo glad we got out early
let's cross stitch that on a pillow
i'm in!!
watertowers
at laurie's this week
end of julies driveway
20 miler in negative temps
red devil hill
.262 sounds better
some sports take more than one ball
headlamp bridge
let's become walkers.
grilled squash and black beans.
superhero muffins.
sprinkler alley.
sheridan loop.
julie's the routemaster.
jen hatmaker.
save schnappi
rain ponchos and shower caps
when i smelled something coming from under the stairs...
Gonna go like this...ish.
Just playing, but maybe this is how I'll lay things out. And, some good news. There's enough room to add more colors (I wasn't thrilled the colors I'd picked here), so I added purple and orange. Purple and orange fabric is ready to use, did two pink picados (only one is pictured here) so a nice adjustment that will add to the plan.
Forward motion.
I wish I'd picked different colors. But, things are moving forward. It's hard to not second guess and often I make choices that I'd change or approach differently. Still, in the end, it will work out.
New. Papel Picado.
If you know me, you know I love all things Mexico - and two things to call out as special are papel picado (so celebratory) and margs. My friend Christy brought me a beautiful box of rainbow colored raw silks, which I will try to turn into sewn rectangles that resemble papel picado. Somehow the pieces will be strung across a stocking (ha! big surprise) and maybe I'll sip on a marg while working. In fact, I'm doing that right now. (20 Boston miles today! Ow.) Qué bella es la vida.
Finishing. Finally.
So, sometimes it's not easy to figure out how to finish something and call it done. This design, again, perhaps not my favorite, needed something. I decided to put a bit of the french pink fabric in the gaps along the side and I'll bead on the light parts. This will add several weeks to the project, but it seems to add balance. With the end in sight and heavy Boston training miles in full swing, this will be fun to do on Saturdays after a long run.
What's changed.
It's 2018. Three things are better.
1. A new light. It's LED, I can adjust the brightness, and angle it. It's so great. The old light was hot. This one isn't. It's amazing what an extra $20 will buy...
2. A new storage cabinet. Next to the sofa, I now have a cabinet in which I can put my projects at night. No more looking a a big mess of beads and scraps of fabric. I held out for three years to buy this cabinet. Now I appreciate it even more.
3. New energy. 2018. Deal done at work. Boston. I'm finding energy and creativity again.
This isn't the design I'd have planned and not sure it's going to be a favorite. But, who cares. Moving on.