Themealicious May wrap up

 

So the theme for May was monochrome... pretty hard task! Well to make it easier, the actual rule was the following:

Monochrome May

Pick a color, any color, then stitch only on projects that contain that color for the month!

My initial plan was to pick blue and work on Spring and on Howl. But I'm oh-so-good with plans. In the end I picked... yellow. I myself was surprized by it.

As I confessed last time, I gave in and not only bought a pack of Randal dragon charts, but even started one. This particular start has those huge chunks of colour, you won't say it's a Haed, lol!

The first rows were done in the last week of april while the rest in May - I forgot to take more wip photos so I have only one to show you, as it is right now:

And this is how it should look (someday)

I honestly don't now if this counts, but I barely stitched anything else in May :D

So let's move on
Jumanji June

Is it a jungle out there in your stash? Give some love to the projects with animals or birds.

Hm, animals and birds. Well, the suspects this time would be  the beaded penguins, the Bathing day with the plushies (plush animals should count!) and I guess the dragon too. But there won't be as much stitching in June as I might wanted, because I'm starting my exam session now. I've sheduled some posts with crafts and stuff I've done from March till now that I just forgot showing, so at least there will be something happening here! And I will try to check blogs now and then. These last weeks I've been bulk reading everything in my Feedly once a week, and commenting rather randomly. So sorry to anyone whom I missed commenting! I really love seeing all of your works and read all about crafts and books and life, and I promise to get back to active commenting once the exams are over!

This is for now :) Wish me luck!
~~~~

Предизвикателството за май беше... монохром. Доста трудничко, поне за мен! За да улесни участниците, Хедър беше предложила следното тълкувание "Изберете един цвят и шийте само по проекти, които го съдържат". Е, така... горе-долу го докарах XD

Първоначалният ми план беше този цвят да е синьо и съответно да работя по Пролетта и по Хоул. Обаче вместо синьо... излезе жълто.

В началото на май се похвалих/оплаках, че по време на разпродажбата на Хаед не можах да устоя и си взех комплекта книги с дракони на Рандъл Спанглър. Също така си признах, че се поддадох и започнах първата от поредицата "История на шоколада: любовна история". Тази схема съдържа доста големи блокове от цветове, почти невероятно за Хаед и затова се шие доста лесно и бързо. Също така съдържа доста жълто-златно... и това се превърна в моя цвят за месеца.
Не съм сигурна, дали се брои, но докато надничах по блоговете, открих и други доста по-заобиколни тълкувания на темата, тъй че мисля, че става :D

Темата за юни пък е Джуманджи :D Още не сме си отдъхнали от Амазонския април, и хайде пак в джунглата. Този път условието е различно - проекти с птици и животни. Заподозрените в случая ще са мънистените пингвини, Ден за баня (плюшките се броят!) и драконът. Но за съжаление, през юни няма - или поне не би трябвало - да има значителен прогрес, защото сесията ми започва. Насрочих няколко поста с неща, които съм правила от март насам, но така и не съм постнала, така че поне тук в блога ще се случва нещо :) Четенето и коментирането също ще пробвам да не зарязвам - или поне не повече, отколкото в момента. И сега я карам на едноседмична проверка на фийдлито и случайни коментирания на постове. Затова се извинявам на хората, чиито постове съм пропуснала да коментирам. Винаги ми е интересно да чета и за произведенията и за книгите и за всичко останало :) И се надявам скоро да мога да реванширам!

What I got from the post - a Yiota's stitch kit!

Squee! I finally was able to got the kit from the post! XD Now, my darlings, this year I spared you of book review, but what about a cross stitch kit review, lol?

As I announced in the title, it's pretty clear that what I got today was a Yiota's stitch (yiotas-xstitch.com) kit. This is a business based in UK, and on their site they offer a great diversity of cross stitched patterns. Fantasy fan - you're covered. More of a Jane Austin girl - Mr Darcy's waiting for you. Something classy and victorian, or a funky style patterns, you can find it :D I can go on and on, but I want to mention one thing I noticed while browsing the site, that made a really good impression - how international friendly it is. I don't know if it happened to you, but i hate the feeling when I really love something somewhere, and they don't ship to my country (or alternatively - whenever I want to feel out of this world, I can spend 15 min on youtube and you bet I'l get a video that can't be played, because obviously I live in Narnia or somewhere of its neibourhood) Anyway, not only their shop ships everywhere, but for a first time I saw on a cross stitch site a handy currency checker, that has I think every currency on the world (not only dollars/euro/pounds) and it is very useful to be able to check how exactly something would cost you. Also, you have a lot of freedom when choosing - you can get a whole kit, a printed chart, or e-mailed chart; pick aida or evenwave, use DMC or Madeira. I was thinking, that in order all to be super cool, it'd be nice if number of threads was listed along with the chart info. I've seen this on some places, and think it's really useful. One, you can really judge how difficult a pattern will be (a rather big piece with less colours can prove easier than a smaller one full of confetti),  and two, if you're aware of the colours needed, it will be easier to decide if you want the whole kit, or you have supplies for it and need just the pattern

After a long time spent on the Yiota's stitch site, and falling in love with Erin Ewer's art, I finally picked one chart, called Black Orchid. I think this fairy kinda looks like my SP, they might be related, lol!  And this is what I recieved today!

Ain't she a pretty, too?
It was packed in a sturdy solid envelope with a "Don't bend" sign on the top. And when I say solid, I mean it, probably even if they were to try and bend it, they wouldn't succeed, even my greedy hands couldn'd when I grabbed it after waiting the whole weekend! XD
Inside it was packed in a clear bag, containing the pattern, fabric, needle. threads and a picture of the craft. The picture is how the finished cross stitch would look, not the orginal artwork. It is also presented with the "real stitches"option if I'm not mistaken. if you've used a pattern viewer program, then maybe you know that a patter can be previewed with colour squares or with little crosses, for more realistic look.
The pattern itself is printed on two A3 sheets. I am usually a fan of the A4, mostly because of the satisfaction you feel when you finish a page. But they are not that big and too hard to handle (someday I should show you how pattern in magazines come here XD) It's printed on a high quality paper, not ordinary printer paper (that can be bad, because colours can bleed through, depending on how you mark your stitches), but it's not too glossy either (which is also not nice, because light can shine and make it difficult to see, and it's harder to mark the stitched with colour pencils). Only whole stitches are used and the symbols are cgosen wisely. There aren't any similar symbols, so no danger to mess colours. Also, bolder symbols are used for darker shades, and you can actually see the picture when you look at the pattern, and not just a bunch of signs.

I could choose between aida 14, 16 and evenwave, and choose  aida 16. the piece is nice and huge, more than enough to make every framer happy, and with a needle pinned in one of the sides. Thank God, it wasn't sharp. I just don't now why sometimes they add sharp sewing needles in cross stitch kit. I for one don't like blood on my stitching.
There is a set of instructions, where everything is nicely explained. When reading it, I had the feeling I'm actually communicating with someone, or reading a blog, lol it was fun to read about those little hands and paws! :D And, even if I don't think of myself as a newbie stitched anymore, there were some useful tricks - I've never thought of using paper tissue like reccomended, but I will give it a try!
Oh, and the thread. Bobbins. Yay for the bobbins! This is by far my most prefered way of storing my thread. I don't like the thread organizers of the type that comes with Dimensions for example. The truth is in the bobbins. The floss used is Madeira, I've stitched with it only once before, but really liked it, The colours are rich, and it is easy and pleasent to work with. DMC alternatives are also given.
One tiny little thing I noticed, that is not a big of mistake, but on the kit cover, the size of the pattern is not given correctly in stitches, and this messes up the other mesurements in inches too. This more of a not, because the fabric is more than enough, no need to worry about it, and when you open the pattern, you can see the exact side.
So, in conclusion, a pretty art, turned into a nice pattern, and in a kit with everything you need to start stitching right away.
Erm.
Well.
And so this is what I did, Buuut, I've been waiting whole weekend for it, and thinking of it, and so on! So this evening I grabbed my soluble pen and charted the fabric, and put a couple of stitches!

And so, here comes my third start this month. Doctor, how bad it is XD
I think that instead in Christmas in July, I'm making a Crazy January in May. Ah, anyway. A girl deserves some fun, especially given that the exam session is drawing closer, and I won't have much time for craft then.
This week I'll be having another package to show you - with beads! But I promise, I won't be starting it! Yet. XD

I hope the week started good for all of you!

Beady stuff

Aaah, I missed the working hours of the post office today again! How lame is that >.< I just hate the thought that my packages are in the city, and yet I have to wait till monday to get them. Ah, but they will be pretties, and I can't wait to brag about them , lol.
Well until I can actually show them to you, here is some beading progress:

What, a new start? Guilty as charged. I think I'm beyond salvation now. The diagnose is: a serial starter.
Note on the penguins - it's very speedy to work, but I def prefer the kits with only partial beading, like the Fairy, or the castle. And I'm not happy with the quality of beads here. I can hardly find two beads of the same size and shape. It's not that visible, once they are pressed all together, but it's annoying to work nevertheless. I'm def sticking with my Ukrainian kits from now on, even though these stamped ones are far cheaper.

Theme-a-licious May

Hello there! I keep dissappearing, but you should be all used to it, lol XD Now let's get straight to things!

 For the Amazon April wrap up, I don't have much more to add since the check in post. I haven't stitched more on the SP Fairy, and the reason for this is... the Haed sale. Actually, I susally am quite good at restraining myself during those sales, but this time I saw the whole collection of Randal Spangler's Books of dreams, and I just couldn't resist. Besides, it was like 11 patterns for the price of 2 or 3!

Eeer, and as you can guess, greedy me has started the first Book right away. I actually managed quite some, but I couldn't take a picture and will show you only after the 24th of May, after I go home again. But even before then I hope I can show you something more related to those adorable dragons!

As for the May theme...
Monochrome May

Pick a color, any color, then stitch only on projects that contain that color for the month!

I think it's the hardest one so far! I still can't make up  my mind, but I will probably go with blue. I use the same shade of blue for the sky on Spting, and on Howl, so that would be a good excuse to work on them!

Yawn, only 1,30 past midinght, and I'm already sleepy, how unusual for me :) I hope that tomorrow I can shoe you some beading stuff, and some of the Postman files!

Theme-a-licious check in

 Phew! How are you doing in Amazon? Finding your way?
For Amazon April, I naturally picked the Steam punk fairy. Thanks to you all who commented on her and said they'd be waiting for an update! This time around I grabbed the pinks and purples, and worked on the ribbon - it was a nice change from all the shades of brown that are used in this project!
Next weekend, I am hoping to have some time to dedicate to my Spring. And some time to comment more >.< 

Фю, за малко да се изгубя из дебрите на Амазонския април :) Но все пак се ориентирах, грабнах розовите и лилавите конци, и отделих малко време на Стийм Пънк феята, и по-точно на панделката ѝ. Определено беше по-забавно да я шия, отколкото десетките нюанси на кафяво, с които е изпъстрен този проект!
Следващият уикенд се надявам да ми остане малко време за Пролетта. И малко време за коментиране.

Oops!

I think I confused you with me last post XD My bday was two months ago, it's just that the orders I placed with the money I recieved back then started arrivng lately! But thanks for all the wishes :D They always make me happy, lol!
Anyway, to post something, here is a picture of a wip of the ornament I'm making for the winner of Kate's giveaway. I decided on Two turtle doves, because... flying turtles. I was really eager for the BAZINGA! dragon ornaent. but thought that mabe it won't suit the winner's taste. So, mr winner, I hope you like turtles! It's almost done now. I stitched a bit after making the photo, but it's not completed yet/

Упс! Май ви обърках с последния пост XD Рожденият ми ден беше през февруари, просто нещата, които си поръчаха тогава по този случай, чак сега започнаха да пристигат. Но благодаря за пожеланията! :D
ИНаче, за да не е съвсем празна тази публикация, ето една снимка как върви подаръчето за победителя от томболата на Кейт. Тя ме остави сама да избирам какво да ушия, и се спрях на летящите костенурки. Реших, че БАЗИНГА-та, може и да не е по вкуса на всеки. Така че, надявам се на победителя поне да му харесат костенурките!

Poppies

"You look so bright today. Your blouse is suiting your shoes"
"And my hairpirce is suiting the handbag :P "
"And what about the poppies?"
*me thinking* "They are for the giraffes to see if they will get high"

I've been feeling yellow this month. So I decided to grab a brush and decoupage some! My victim became a folder, that was plain ugly and black, and after applying some make up, it turned into...

Looking good, right? I so love the result! The inside is not covered so well, as I ran out of yellow paint. I'm so doing this with the rest of my folders! Oh, I already have some paper tissues in mind :)
But one thing I need to fix - the paint is steady everywhere, execpt for the edge, where is the folding. I did this about 10 days ago and using it every day in Uni since then, and now the paint on the fold is starting to fall. I wonder how to prevent it :/ I painted the folder as it was open - maybe next time I will do so when it's closed and see how it works.
Btw, you can see my sheep box in the last picture! (I got it from a Happy meal last month. Can't resist a sheep)
Oh, and if you're wondering about the little conversation in the beginning of the post, it was between me and a collegue last Friday morning - featuring giraffes too!

The scarf my mom got me for my bday and a bag I bought lately. Love!
Dislamer! No giraffes were harmed or suffered from anything as a result from eating poppies. Actually, no poppies were eaten.

Mentioning my bday, some of the orders I placed around my burthday started coming - finally! Yesterday I picked two Anchor stamped images - they didn't have them on stock so I had to wait for them for quite some time. As you can see, they are both winter themed - but well, it was winter back then! I tried working on a stamped image only once and didn't like it much, but I am willing to give it a try again. I asked the stams to be kitted with beads instead of thread. I've seen the results, and they are quite lovely. Not as much as the partially beaded pictures, but pretty anyway, and more than twice or trice  cheaper too! I have some kits too (including the Kiss I posted about when framing the Castle) I hope they arrive soon!

"Много си пролетна днес. Блузата ти отива на пантофките."
"А диадемата ми отива на чантата :P"
"А цветята на какво отиват?"
*мисля* "Те са да видим дали жирафите ще ги изядат и ще се надрусат"

Не се безпокойте! Никакви жирафи не пострадаха след този разговор, проведен в петък сутринта между мен и една колежка ;) Той се отнасяше за папката ми с макове и облеклото ми, макар че точно в онзи момент цялата ми армия от жирафи беше останала в съблекалните.
От началото на месеца ми беше едно жълто... Затова хванах четка и боичка, и лакче и салфетка, и хубаво префасонирах една стара, черна, и общо взето грозна папка, докато стана жълта и макова. И честно казано, влюбих се в резултата! Вече даже планирам как да обработя всичките си останали папки, и съм си набелязала салфетки даже. Само едно нещо има, което ми прави проблем - навсякъде боята е хванала здраво, само на сгъвката започна да се лющи. Та в момента размишлявам как и дали може да се избегне това. Тази папка боядисах преди десетина дни, и го правих, докато тя беше разгъната. Така и съхна. Мисля си следващия път да опитам, докато е сгъната. Може би така, след като изсъхне в друго положение боята, няма да бъде подложена на толкова напрежение :/

Започнаха да ми пристигат и разните поръчки, с които се разглезих покрай рождения си ден. Вчера си прибрах две щампи на Анхор - нямаше ги тогава в наличност и трябваше да чакам да ги доставят, и тя се проточи. Но най-накрая дойдоха:) На зимна тематика са, и малко странно изглеждат предвеликденско - но тогава си беше зима, и още как. Досега веднъж само съм се опитвала да работя по щампа, и в крайна сметка се отказах, но реших да пробвам пак. Помолих да ми ги комплектоват с мъниста, а не с конци. Виждала съм как изглежда подобна щампа, изпълнена с мъниста, и резултатът е доста симпатичен. Е, не е чак толкова изящен като частично бродираните изображения, но пак е доста готино, пък и този вариант е два-три пъти по-евтин. Иначе, и някои комплекти има да пристигат. Другарчето на Замъка - Целувката, е един от тях :)

Хубав петък на всички!