Dolls and Holidays Cross Stitch

Earlier this year I found a copy of "The Vein of Gold" by Julia Cameron and worked through it. I worked through "The Artist's Way" about ten years ago and found myself really enriched by it. "The Vein of Gold" delves into the deeper aspects of finding creativity and has many hands-on exercises. One of the exercises is to make a creativity doll out of whatever materials you want, not caring what it looks like in the end but focusing on letting your creative insticts work. This is my little doll with the yarn hair, beads and she is made of fabric. I drew on her little face and made her a little necklace with beads I had - there is a lavender fish, a pink elephant, a pink heart and some other filler beads. She sits by some of my other dolls now.

As I was photographing my hand made doll (I need to name her) my angels needed to be photographed too. I have the spring angel and the celebrate angel.

I have been thinking about a new Christmas cross stitch design and my favorite, snowmen, came to mind so that is what I am planning. I will be using some Gloriana silk floss, which I've never used before and am really excited to try it. Also, a new color of hand dyed linen from Weeks Dye Works - light khaki. Fun to use new materials.

This is a design I have been working on this summer using Valdani flosses. They are new for me too and they are really nice flosses, plus they are colorfast. No worries if you like to wash your project when you are finished.

Needlework Bookmarks and Purple Flowers

I have had a goal this year to create lots of needlework bookmarks. I've alternated between cross stitch and embroidery to see which I like better or be able to switch depending on my mood. Usually, I just like cross stitch. I love the orderly way it is done and I after I have the design started I can switch to a different section of the design and work with a different color if I want to. I've not worked with black much in the past for some reason, maybe because it is such a strong color, I thought it would dominate the design. At times this year I've felt BOLD I guess and put it in a couple of my designs and have come to really like it.

Then I found myself becoming mellow again and wanting my comfortable pastel routine and worked with soft shimmery light silks in some embroidery designs for these. It is nice to be able to switch as the mood changes.

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Moonlight Garden, Tea with Friends, Blue Daisies

A collection of purple them cross stitch designs. I've always been intrigued with moonlight gardens, but haven't planted one. White and light pink flowers would look beautiful under the moonlit starry sky.

Purple blossoms and a collection of teapots decorated differently. It is great to have tea with friends.

Hand dyed silks in blues and purples. Silk is a treat to work with. The colors are lovely and it is so very soft. I've use Thread Gatherer flosses and am looking forward to working with Gloriana silk flosses. I've just received some samples of Gloriana silk flosses in autumn colors. If you've not tried silk, you are in for a great experience when you do!