DH loved all his gifts.  He got a cute toy, a book and this:

Charted as seen in Subversive Cross Stitch using black DMC on 28 ct white opalescent Lugana. 

I went to Michaels last week to check out the frames they had on sale.  I found the perfect one for Dragon Chinois.  It also came in a white version, which in hindisight, I should’ve bought.  It is so hard to find square frames, I should just snatch them up when I see them.  While I was on a framing mood, I decided to frame Dragon Dreams’ Morning Fairy.  This white frame was purchased during a frame shopping spree at AC Moore.  There was a sale and I couldn’t resist. 

I’m happy with how the dragon turned out, but the fairy looks a wee bit crooked.  It looks like I need to tug the fabric between the two Fs to straighten it out.

I’m planning on a dragon wall, an alphabet wall and a coffee wall.  :)  I really need to get more frames!

In stitching news… I’ve been working on the latest (to me anyway) La-D-Da freebie chart.  I really, really love how its turning out!  I’m hoping to finish it tonight so stay tuned for pics tomorrow. 

I finished this ornament last week, but kept forgetting to take a picture!  It is stitched on 32 ct Sandcastle Jobelan using the recommended floss, 1 over 2.

Home For the Holidays, by Heart in Hand

JCS Christmas Ornament Issue 2003

Last night, I finished another Subversive Cross Stitch project.  This one took a bit longer than the other ones.  I counted wrong in a couple of spots and had to frog.

You Suck by Julie Jackson

Subversive Cross Stitch Book

I’ve also been trying to lace and frame some of my older projects.  I am extremely disappointed at how these two turned out.  I will have to get more pearl cotton and re-lace them.  I used up an ENTIRE BALL to lace these 2 pieces and both are crooked!!!  Grrr.

I finished stitching the Michael Powell piece in 2005 and Celestial Dragon was finished in 2003.  I can’t believe it took me so long to get frames for them.  They will definitely get re-laced *properly* so I don’t get grumpy when I look at them.

I bought a bunch of frames at AC Moore and I’ve been framing a bunch of projects.  Here are 2 of the successful laced projects.

Bite me from Julie Jackson’s Subversive Cross Stitch, stitched for DH’s cube.

Next up is another project for DH’s cube.  :)  Very appropriate for work.  :)  The only thing I don’t like about it is I can see all the red thread peeping through the fabric!

I’ve been busy stitching!  I recently finished 2 projects (one is even framed!  *gasp!*) and I did a do-over on an ornament from 2006.

First off is Kanji.  I found an image online and charted it using PC Stitch.  I stitched it on 28 count white Charles Craft Monaco using 2 strands of Bright Red Vikki Clayton Silks, over 2.

I also decided that I would try lacing this project.  Instead of pinning the project to make sure that the weave is completely straight, I pulled some threads from my fabric to mark my edge.  Sorry, I didn’t take a picture of this step.  The removed row of thread from the fabric created a straight line for me to follow, thus making lacing a bit easier, I think.  I used white DMC Perle Cotton to lace the project.

This is a frame we picked out at AC Moore.  I love how stark all the white is compared to the bright red silk.

The next happy dance is my Katamari Prince.  I first saw this on Sprite Stitch.  The original pattern is here.  There is no color code, so I asked for help at the Sprite Stitch Board.  I ended up tweaking the colors and this is the final result.  I decided to use Smyrna crosses instead of regular cross stitch to increase the project size and to add texture.  I really like the very pixilated effect of the Smyrnas.

And finally, my do-over project is Dragon Dreams’ 2006 Halloween freebie.  The original version wasn’t bad, but the thick cord always bothered me.  It was just way to thick.  So after 2 years, it got a make over. 

Before:

After:

I started this project yesterday and finished it today. It is called Christmas Delights by The Cat’s Whisker’s Design Studio from this month’s The Gift of Stitching. I stitched it on white opalescent 28 count Lugana using DMC 3834 which is a nice shade of plum/purple. It didn’t take too long to stitch at all and is now hanging on our tree. The next project will be Ayame’s snowman ornament.

I finally finished working on my latest ornament. It is Snowflake Heart by Wild Heart Designs from last year’s JCS Ornie issue. I stitched it on 30 count Moss Green Murano using DMC 4200. This project was supposed to be a color test for Paradigm Lost. Unfortunately, I had cut the fabric the wrong way for an ornament and now the leftover fabric isn’t big enough for PL. I’m a bit bummed since I really like how the two colors worked. I know I can still use the fabric and floss combination for another project, but I was really looking forward to working on PL in 2008.

I finished this ornament on Thursday. It’s by LHN from last year’s JCS Ornie issue. I stitched it on a piece of Moss Green Murano using WDW, CC and DMC.