Gardening, A WIP Parade, and a Mango Tree

Happy Monday! Well, it's that time of year again- gardening season. The weather is still too crazy to plant anything, so it's mostly weeding and tidying. Last year, the Castle Wolf Pack kept running around my garden beds whenever they saw a squirrel, so building a fence is on the Spring to-do list as well. I've already given the roses a much needed trim, and they looked very appreciative. I'll definitely be growing Jalapenos, Bell Peppers, and Okra this year, so stay tuned for their pictures once they start to grow.

On the cross stitch side of things, I've made good progress on Nikolai:

Russian Hunting by Riolis

That tree branch is looking good, and it was very nice to be stitching in cream, blue, and pink floss. It's a nice color trio!

Now, about my next WIP. I've looked into my rotation, and these are the ones that jumped out at me:

Of all of them, I'm really staring at Medieval Menagerie. It's one color, it’s Medieval (I love Medieval things!) and it's an amazing chart. I'll make good progress on it, since it always stitches up really quick.

Then again, that Dimensions Gold WIP is definitely appropriate for Spring. So is Great Wave Off Kanagawa. But do I want to jump into another full coverage WIP after Nikolai?

While I ponder this, here's a nifty time-lapse video of a Mango tree growing:

Comments

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 ...

Jane Austen Cross Stitch Patterns

Photo by Elaine Howlin on Unsplash Happy Pride and Prejudice Day! In honor of this wonderful day, I will not only be watching Pride and Prejudice later (the 1995 BBC one) I’m also sharing a list of the Jane Austen, and Austen-ish cross stitch patterns that I’ve made. By the end of this post, you’ll have Mr. Bingley wondering at all the accomplishments cross stitchers have these days ;) Regency Silhouettes: There are two charts here, and I like to think that they’re Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy. I wanted them to look like the silhouettes that you see on the walls in period dramas. Available as a freebie, here’s the link. This is a great chart for all bookworms, with motifs inspired by Victorian wallpaper and the covers of vintage books. Caroline Bingley would be stitching this for her library, because we know that she can’t survive without good literature. Available in my Etsy shop, link is here. I like to imagine Jane Austen staying up late, reading a new book, or adding s...

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...

EmnEllie Cross Stitch Blog

Search This Blog