Skip to main content

Castles, Shakespeare, and the Sea

I am at an impasse. When I talk about what's been going on in my house, I almost always say cottage. A cottage is cozy. Nice for stitching. But do I want to be in a cottage? I'm feeling very medieval-ish (could it be the band sampler I'm stitching on?) and am sort of leaning towards saying "at the castle." Maybe I just want an English country house, like Pemberley. 

Slav Yakounin, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Can you see yourself stitching there?

Decisions decisions! Leave a comment below if you have any suggestions.

**********

Anyways, this week at the cottage/ castle/ Pemberley, I've made really good progress on my WIP's. First stop, Paris:


Like I said the last time, I was really close to the very bottom of the chart! I've made a right, and am charging up the next 10 x 10 column. The splashes of red and pink are super pretty and fun to stitch. 

Next is the Linen & Threads Mystery Sampler: 


The next dragon is done! It's looking back at the other dragon like, "Why are you walking so close to me?" Or maybe the other dragon's ringtone is going off really loudly, and the second dragon is like, "Answer your phone already!" 

**********

It's all the rage these days to share behind the scenes previews, so I decided to do that too. Inspired by the summer weather, the sea, and some vintage sailor themed posters, I've come up with this:

Mind you, it's not close to being done yet, and I have a few more ideas about what I'm going to change. I really like designing charts with negative space, and only using one color of floss. It's so much easier for people to customize that way, but the "look" that it gives really appeals to me as well. What do you think of this (tentatively named) By the Seaside cross stitch chart? 

**********

It's safe to say that we are full swing into summer. And what better way to say summer than Shakespeare? Here's a link to the perfect sonnet for the season.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Gloomy Weather Reading, Phoenixes, and a Promo Code

  Photo by  Alessia Cocconi  on  Unsplash It’s a very stormy, overcast kind of day at the Castle as I write this post. It wouldn’t take much to make me think of books I love, but doesn’t a day that makes you stay inside just make you want to read? A few years ago, I read the Phantom of the Opera. While I had seen the Emmy Rossum movie adaptation, I had never read the book, so I didn’t know what to expect going into it, but I was pleasantly surprised. It was fantastic, and a real page-turner! While I do have that book as a paper-back, I’m really enjoying reading with my Kindle. I can stay up late (as late as I can before I fall asleep face first into my pillow) and hear the owls hooting or the traffic driving past my window in the distance. If the weather stays as dark and gloomy as the weatherman says it will, then I foresee reading to the sound of thunder and rain as well. What’s not to like about that? It would be absolutely unacceptable if I mentioned the Phantom ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Secret Doors, a New Chart, and a Tree

  Photo by  Stefan Steinbauer  on  Unsplash Do you know what I've always wanted? A secret door. And not just any secret door, but a secret door that looks like a bookcase. How cool would it be to wander through your house, and make a detour to your secret reading nook, that's nestled behind your secret door? I've heard that they sell them at places like Lowe's, so who knows, maybe one day I'll get one. It would be the perfect addition to the castle! While I don't have a secret door (sigh!) I do have a new listing in my Etsy shop. Behold! Here's a smaller sized, Irish inspired cross stitch monogram sampler. Motifs included throughout the design are classic Irish themes such as a shamrock, a harp, flowers associated with St. Brigid, Celtic knots, and Celtic bands. Perfect as desk or home decor to display your Irish pride. Great present for Irish friends or loved ones. In the pictured model above, the initials "A.Q." have been stitched. In the chart t...
Post a Comment
Read more

Friday Update: Halloween Moon Edition

Halloween Stitching Time!  For the most part, Cross Stitch people fall into two camps: seasonal stitchers, and non-seasonal stitchers. After pondering this question for a bit, I've decided that I'm firmly in the seasonal stitcher camp.  Bearing that in mind, you can imagine how excited I am about my Halloween wip 👻🎃 It's been awhile since you've seen this one, so allow me to re-introduce you to Trick or Treat Moon   Stunning. Found it in this magazine, Cross Stitch & Needlework, October 1996: This issue has an absolute ton of amazing Halloween and Fall charts. If Halloween stitching is something you like, then this magazine is a must have.  I think I started this one two years ago. Maybe last year... Anyway, here's my progress so far: That checkerboard border is so much fun. It stitches up really fast. Zooming in on that purple blob on the right: Yes, that is a cat. It may not look like much now, but just you wai...
Post a Comment
Read more