2008 Goals

Here's my ongoing StRIP list. As usual, I changed some things around but I keep at it because it helps me keep some sort of control over my stitching stash, except for when I go to stitching festivals. :)

Mermaid of the Pearls (DONE) + Why Hoard Gold? (DONE) > New Year's Fairy
Angel of the New Dawn + Ouroborus > Christmas Cat
Skeleton Crew + Christmas Elf Fairy (DONE) > 2007 Mirabilia Christmas Tree
DT mini bellpull + 1998 L&L angel > Cinnamon Bear
Easter Fairy (DONE) + Alpine Garden > L&L County Fair
Autumn Angel + Oh Christmas Tree > Valentine Fairy
Garden Verses + Rose Celebration > Thanksgiving Fairy
Fairie Treasure + Angel of the Sea > Moon Fairy Spirit
Earth Dragon + TW English Garden Welcome > Titanic
Spring Queen + Sweet Dreams Santa > Blossom Harvest
Misty Morning Vineyard > Egyptian Garden


Guilt-Free January Starts
Mermaids of the Deep Blue
Tsunami Sampler (may use different colors)
The Ribbon Topiary (stitched in teal instead of pink)

2008 Finish Goals (the last three are less likely, but we'll see)
Angel of the New Dawn
Skeleton Crew
10 Ornaments
2007 Mirabilia Tree
Ouroborus
Autumn Angel
Alpine Garden
New Year's Fairy
Thanksgiving Fairy
The Ribbon Topiary (teal)
Garden Verses
Rose Celebration
Oh Christmas Tree



Other 2008 Starts
Mermaids of the Deep Blue
Tsunami Sampler
New Year's Fairy
L&L County Fairy
2007 Mirabilia Christmas Tree
Christmas Cat

Stitching Goals Round-up for 2007

Well, I didn't finish some items I'd hoped I would, but I also started and finished some other projects. I'm not the type of person who can completely stick to a stitching goals list for a year and not start or work on other items. However, I have found that at least posting my goals forces me to think about what I want to get done this year and helps me to stick to a general plan instead of being completely all over the place.

I think I have done pretty well with my Ten Project Challenge. Of course, the idea was to not start anything until all ten projects were finished. That didn't happen, but it did help me to focus on those particular projects and they are all finished except for Angel of the New Dawn. I've been focusing on her these last few weeks (although I haven't been stitching much) and, while she won't be done by 2008 she should be done by the end of spring.

Oh, and I got my Dandelion Stem floss in so I can finally finish Halloween Fairy. She'll be done before January so I put her on my list of finishes. All I have to do is fill in that wing, a little backstitching, and the beading.

So, here's my progress on my various lists:

Ten Project Challenge

WIPS (when I started the challenge)
1. Lady of the Flag (finished in September06)
2. Angel of Love - L&L (finished 11/12/06)
3. Liberty Sampler - Hester's Needle (finished 7/5/07)
4. I Shall Wear Purple - Leisure Arts (finished 2/20/07)
5. Mermaid of the Pearls - Mirabilia (finished 5/16/07
6. Angel of the New Dawn - Mirabilia

New
1. Why Hoard Gold? - Dragon Dreams (finished 11/24/07)
2. Crescent Moon - Mirabilia - chart colors (finished 12/1/06)
3. 2006 Christmas Tree - Mirabilia (finished 1/8/07)
4. Easter Fairy - Mirabilia (started 1/07, finished 5/24/07)


2007 Finish Goals

At least 10 ornaments (DONE)
Liberty Sampler - Hester's Needle (DONE)
I Shall Wear Purple - Lanarte with color changes (DONE)
Mermaid of the Pearls - Mirabilia (DONE)
Why Hoard Gold? - Dragon Dreams (DONE)
Angel of the New Dawn - Mirabilia
Drawn Thread mini bellpull (This has been on my list for a few years. Will I ever start the little thing? lol)
Ouroborus - Dracolair
1998 L&L Angel
Skeleton Crew - Cross-Eyed Cricket
2006 Mirabilia Tree (DONE)


2007 Goal Starts
Started first four. I don't know why I thought I'd be able to have so many starts, but my WIPs would REALLY be out of control if I'd started these and not been able to finish what I did.

Easter Fairy - Mirabilia (DONE)
Alpine Garden - Drawn Thread
Autumn Angel - Joan Elliott
Oh Christmas Tree - L&L

Celtic Noel - L&L
mini bellpull - Drawn Thread
Cinnamon Bear - JCS Christmas Issue
Couer de Saint Valentine - don't know name of designer off-hand, French
Christmas Cat - from Holiday Cats leaflet



All Finishes for 2007
Halloween Fairy(not finished yet, but will be before 1/1)
2001 Mirabilia Cherub
Dragon Dreams Baby Samler
a freestyle embroidery I created
Mermaid of the Pearls
Christmas Elf Fairy
Easter Fairy
Liberty Sampler
I Shall Wear Purple
2006 Mirabilia Christmas Tree
ten ornaments

Stitching Goals Update, StRIP update

Here's my update on my Ten Project Challenge. To be honest, I've started a few before finishing these. However, making this challenge has helped me to, for the most part, stay on task and get some finished. I now only have two to finish -- Angel of the New Dawn and Why Hoard Gold. I believe I can finish both of them by the end of the summer (after all, technically summer doesn't end until nearly the end of September).

WIPS (when I started the challenge)
1. Lady of the Flag (finished in September06)
2. Angel of Love - L&L (finished 11/12/06)
3. Liberty Sampler - Hester's Needle (finished 7/5/07)
4. I Shall Wear Purple - Leisure Arts (finished 2/20/07)
5. Mermaid of the Pearls - Mirabilia (finished 5/16/07
6. Angel of the New Dawn - Mirabilia

New
1. Why Hoard Gold? - Dragon Dreams (started 11/24/06)
2. Crescent Moon - Mirabilia - chart colors (Samara)(finished 12/1/06)
3. 2006 Christmas Tree - Mirabilia (finished 1/8/07)
4. Easter Fairy - Mirabilia (started 1/07, finished 5/24/07)



Now, onto my other goals and StRIP list to see how I'm doing.

2007 Finishes - Goal

At least 10 ornaments
Liberty Sampler - Hester's Needle (DONE)
I Shall Wear Purple - Lanarte with color changes (DONE)
Mermaid of the Pearls - Mirabilia (DONE)
Why Hoard Gold? - Dragon Dreams
Angel of the New Dawn - Mirabilia
Drawn Thread mini bellpull
Ouroborus - Dracolair
1998 L&L Angel
Skeleton Crew - Cross-Eyed Cricket
2006 Mirabilia Tree (DONE)
at least half of Sleeping Beauty (no way I'll finish her, but at least this will be progress) - Mirabilia


2007 Starts - Started first four

Easter Fairy - Mirabilia (DONE)
Alpine Garden - Drawn Thread
Autumn Angel - Joan Elliott
Oh Christmas Tree - L&L

Celtic Noel - L&L
mini bellpull - Drawn Thread
Cinnamon Bear - JCS Christmas Issue
Couer de Saint Valentine - don't know name of designer off-hand, French
Christmas Cat - from Holiday Cats leaflet


StRIP List Changed it around a bit to take into consideration finished projects and one I'm going to give away as a WIP (no longer listed)

Mermaid of the Pearls (DONE) + Why Hoard Gold? > Coeur de Saint Valentin
Angel of the New Dawn + Ouroborus > Christmas Cat
Skeleton Crew + Christmas Elf Fairy > Celtic Noel
DT mini bellpull + 1998 L&L angel > Cinnamon Bear
Easter Fairy (DONE) + Alpine Garden > L&L County Fair
Autumn Angel + Oh Christmas Tree > Halloween Fairy
Garden Verses + Rose Celebration > Valentine Fairy
Fairie Treasure + Angel of the Sea > Moon Fairy Spirit
Earth Dragon + TW English Garden Welcome > Titanic
Spring Queen + Sweet Dreams Santa > Blossom Harvest
Misty Morning Vineyard > Egyptian Garden

Finished Easter Fairy

I finished Easter Fairy last night. I think she's adorable. :) I ended up leaving her legs as they are. When I checked the model on the cover of the chart, their legs look the same and I'm bad enough with arms and legs WITH the directions, let alone trying to make them look better. Chances are I'd end up stitching very unshapely tree trunks.

I used normal seed beads instead of petite beads. I really can't stand stitching with petite beads and avoid it when I can. Usually the only needles I can find that have a small enough eye to go through the petite beads are also sharp (and sometimes long) and I end up stabbing myself. I don't want my little fairy to look like she got attacked by the Big Bad Wolf.

I'm thinking about working on Why Hoard Gold for a while, but I may end up working on Skeleton Crew either instead of it or in addition to it this weekend. I haven't worked on Skeleton Crew in a long time, but I think it's an adorable design.

So, according to my StRIP list:

When I finish Why Hoard Gold I'll start Couer de St. Valentin
When I finish Skeleton Crew I'll start Christmas Elf Fairy.

However, since Why Hoard Gold is on my 10 Project Challenge list at The Wagon and Skeleton Crw isn't, I probably should be good and finish the Dragon Dreams. We'll see how long I can stitch with the rayon before I decide to change projects so I don't get too sloppy.

I haven't taken a picture of Easter Fairy, but will get one up here this weekend. It's funny -- I tend to go a long time without any finishes and my picture on the sidebar remains the same, then I finish a bunch within a few weeks and that picture changes quite a bit.

Snow day tomorrow?

Well, we'll see. Looks like this storm is going to be similar to the one we got a few weeks ago but we opened two hours late, didn't get a whole snow day. Lord knows I have a ton of work to do, some of which I can do here, but I'm hoping for a snow day so I can stay inside and stitch.

If I get off this darn computer today I may be able to finish the stitching for Mermaid of the Pearls. I basically have the bottom part of her fin to stitch. There are a lot of beads on this one, though. I knew that from pictures, but really notice it when I'm stitching and realize how many spaces I'm skipping that are reserved for beads. She's going to look awesome, though! I believe I actually have all the beads I need so there should be no last-minute ordering of beads and waiting around. I'll double-check today. After the beading, I can scratch her off my StRIP list, my 2007 Goals list and my 10 Project list.

I was still debating about I Shall Wear Purple last night and showed Tim, as it's for his mom. He said he thought the flowers were a little close to the text, but it looks nice and nobody will notice if I don't say anything and that he doesn't want me to do that extra work. He also said his mom probably won't be able to read the small text, anyway. So, I guess it won't really matter, and it won't bother me to see it. If it would bother me I'd HAVE to change it.

So, after I finish her I will finish Why Hoard Gold so I can start Coer de St. Valentin, and finish Liberty Sampler so I can start Celtic Noel. Liberty Sampler has a way to go, yet. After that, I probably won't have any big finishes for a while, but it would be great to have two for Finish-it February, especially after starting four for Guilt-Free January, lol.

I need to remember to use the labeling option for my posts. I love it, but often forget to label because I'm not used to using it. It sure is handy when I want to go back to my stitching goals posts that are scattered around.

2007 Goals and StRIP list

Took me a while but I finally got my goals list together, as well as an updated StRIP list. I've neglected the StRIP list for a while so brought it back and incorporated the 10 projects from the Wagon challenge.

2007 Finishes

At least 10 ornaments
Liberty Sampler - Hester's Needle
I Shall Wear Purple - Lanarte with color changes
Mermaid of the Pearls - Mirabilia
Why Hoard Gold? - Dragon Dreams
Angel of the New Dawn - Mirabilia
Drawn Thread mini bellpull
Ouroborus - Dracolair
1998 L&L Angel
Skeleton Crew - Cross-Eyed Cricket
2006 Mirabilia Tree
at least half of Sleeping Beauty (no way I'll finish her, but at least this will be progress) - Mirabilia

2007 Starts (Yeah, like starting is really difficult, lol)
First 4 are for Guilt-Free January

Easter Fairy - Mirabilia
Alpine Garden - Drawn Thread
Autumn Angel - Joan Elliott
Oh Christmas Tree - L&L

Celtic Noel - L&L
mini bellpull - Drawn Thread
Cinnamon Bear - JCS Christmas Issue
Couer de Saint Valentine - don't know name of designer off-hand, French
Christmas Cat - from Holiday Cats leaflet


StRIP List
Liberty Sampler + I Shall Wear Purple > Celtic Noel
Mermaid of the Pearls + Why Hoard Gold? > Coeur de Saint Valentin
baby boy design (Amy's Cross Stitch Corner) + same for girl > same for either girl or boy
Angel of the New Dawn + Ouroborus > Christmas Cat
Sleeping Beauty + Skeleton Crew > Christmas Elf Fairy
DT mini bellpull + 1998 L&L angel > Cinnamon Bear
Easter Fairy + Alpine Garden > L&L County Fair
Autumn Angel + Oh Christmas Tree > Halloween Fairy
Garden Verses + Rose Celebration > Valentine Fairy
Fairie Treasure + Angel of the Sea > Moon Fairy Spirit
Earth Dragon + TW English Garden Welcome > Titanic
Spring Queen + Sweet Dreams Santa > Blossom Harvest
Misty Morning Vineyard > Egyptian Garden

Looking over 2006 goals

Somehow, over at The Wagon the thread started in December for 2006 stitching goals came to the top. I looked through it and saw my post last December. I don't even know if it matches what I wrote here, but I'm pretty sure it did. I'm just too lazy to go back and look right now. :)

According to The Wagon, my goals for 2006 are:


2006 Finishes
2 ornaments per month (average)
Sleeping Beauty (Mirabilia)
Deepest Love (Mirabilia)
Lady of the Flag (Mirabilia)
Angel of Love (L&L)
mini bellpull (Drawn Thread)
Ouroborus (Dracolair)

2006 "Wishes for Finishes" These are my long shot finishing goals for the year.
I Shall Wear Purple (Lanarte -- my color conversion)
Liberty Sampler (Hester's Needle)
Angel of the New Dawn (Mirabilia)

2006 Starts
Misty Morning Vineyard (Chatelaine)
Garden Verses (Mirabilia)
Scent of Old Roses (Mirabilia)


My Progress as of 10/5/06

2006 Actual Finishes
Finished 13 ornaments in the last week (they're small), probably won't need more
Finished Deepest Love (Mirabilia)
Finished Lady of the Flag (Mirabilia)

Closing in on Angel of Love

Ouroborus and Sleeping Beauty finished in 2006? Bwhahahahaha!

Mini bellpull can go either way, is pretty simple.


2006 "Wishes for Finishes" These are my long shot finishing goals for the year.
I Shall Wear Purple (Lanarte -- my color conversion) - probably not
Liberty Sampler (Hester's Needle) - probably not
Angel of the New Dawn (Mirabilia) - possible

2006 Starts I had no problem starting all of these, plus Mermaid of the Pearls.
Misty Morning Vineyard (Chatelaine)
Garden Verses (Mirabilia)
Scent of Old Roses (Mirabilia)

Joining the 10-Project Challenge!

This is basically a stitching challenge over at The Wagon for those of us who are trying to stitch more from what we already have and buy less. Others are doing a 25 or 50 Challenge, but 50 is just too much for me as I mainly stitch large projects. I figure I'll see how the first 10 go, then I can do another 10 Challenge if I want to. Of course, we are allowed exceptions, and mine are below. I didn't want to make too many but I also want to be realistic:

Exceptions

1. Limited Edition Mirabilias
2. JCS Ornament Issues
3. CATS shopping (going next week!)
4. floss & beads for projects for which I already have fabric and chart

I decided to write down the 10 projects I plan on finishing. Of course, this particular list is subject to change and I some of them are new pieces so that I allow myself to start new projects. Angel of Love is also on my 101 list, so when I finish that one I can scratch it off in two places.

WIPS
1. Lady of the Flag (just finished, figured I'd count it since it was after 9/1.)
2. Angel of Love - L&L
3. Angel of the New Dawn - Mirabilia
4. Liberty Sampler - Hester's Needle
5. I Shall Wear Purple - Lanarte

New
1. Why Hoard Chocolate? - Dragon Dreams
2. Cinnamon Bear - one of the JCS ornament issues
3. Country Fair - L&L
4. Season's Greetings - Christmas book I have
5. Santa in Crimson - one of the JCS ornament issues