Sunday Funday #3 - GoT Papercraft Face Masks

I know I'm a little late on the post but it'll make it in time to still be Sunday! I spent most of the day sleeping since I'm working tonight and then working on school work in between answering phones at work. So this is my first chance to think about something fun! 

This week I will be showing you all what my nerdy mother has decided and convinced me to do for her..... putting together Game of Thrones papercraft face masks.

I was very confused when she first asked me to do this for her. She had tried to make sense of them herself but was having trouble and was a bit overwhelmed. Since she knows I am the complete opposite and have a knack for being able to work on tedious things, she asked if I would help her put these together.

The first one I put together for her was the White Walker. This one took me 4 hours to do because it took me a while to figure out what was going on with all the pieces but once I did it started to go a little faster...if you consider 4 hours fast 😝

I then spent a whole Saturday at her house to help her work on the Targaryen Dragon and the Lannister Lion. I was able to finish the dragon and we finished most of the lion that day.

                  

Unfortunately, for some reason the dragon and lion ended up falling apart about a week or so later and are in several pieces. This was a blow to my Mom because we worked hard on them. We figured out that we used a different glue than what I used for the White Walker (which is still in perfect condition) so that must be the cause. My Mom then asked if I would be kind and completely redo the 2 and also complete the final Stark Dire Wolf mask as a birthday present. Of course I said yes.

So I have about 2 weeks to get these done and back to her in time for her birthday. I think this will end up being my late night project most nights, starting tonight. Hopefully I can work a little stitching in around these!

Hope you all had a fun Sunday!

Finish Friday & February Smalls SAL

Today I have my first fully finished piece in forever! 

The finished product is:

"Final Fantasy Mog and Chocobo Cross Stitch Pattern KUPO" - CraftyGamerUK FINISHED!

Here is what the moogle and chocobo piece looked like last time:

It may be a small one but it’s a finish and motivation to work on other things! 

A few years ago I bought a bunch of tiny video game related patterns on Etsy and designed a few on my own in hopes of creating a series of small stitchings that represent my all time favorite games. This is number 3 to be finished!

I realize now that I didn't initial/date the first 2 pieces. I'll have to go back and look at when I finished them and add them. Next in the series will either be a Suikoden or a Crash Bandicoot pattern. I haven't decided yet and I'm not sure when that will actually happen anyways!😋

I do need to find where I have my other aida mounted squares so I can keep working on little projects in between my big ones so I stay motivated with finishes. 

Update: I am updating this post to also include information about the Smalls SAL! The Smalls SAL is where you stitch something each month that you consider small to you and post about it on the last Friday of every month. It is currently being hosted by Mary of Mary's Thread so hop on over to see other entries! To be honest I completely forgot that I used to participate in this a couple years ago before my life got hectic and as a matter of fact, the Mario and Vivi pieces in the game series were what I stitched for the Smalls SAL before! So I am going to add my Moogle & Chocobo piece into the same category as well. Now to decide what to stitch for March!

Happy Stitching!

WIP Wednesday

 I don’t have much to show off this week since I didn’t do much stitching. I worked on 2 pieces but will only be showing 1 today and that will be my progress on the Magic Kingdom SAL from Cunning Cross Stitch. I am about to be 3 months behind (just discovered it this month) so I figured I’d spend a little time on it. 

Last week it looked like this:

And this week it looks like this:

I’m so excited that there’s a tiny little Ariel! I’m also excited that I only have 2 more shades of blue and 1 of brown left to finish off January and move onto February! 

I mentioned last week that this is my first piece being stitched on Evenweave and that I was nervous about it. It took me a little bit to get used to but I really do like it a lot. I may just stick with it for future projects! This is also the first time I’m trying out a Qsnap and really like it as well! 

Well, that’s all I have for now! Happy stitching! 

Finish Friday!

So I don’t actually have any recent full finishes and my latest stitching finishes were in my last post BUT I do have 2 finishes from June 2019 that weren’t ever posted about. 

These were made for a couple of our closest friends for their kids who are close in age to ours. They are huge Star Wars fanatics and I really wanted to do something nice for their kids. For both of the pieces, I used some patterns from Etsy and personalized them.

For their son's, the piece was supposed to have the words "Star Wars" above the characters but instead I opted to put his name and then his birth date underneath. I apparently started this one in May 2017 and finished stitching in February 2019, when I last posted about it. 

then:

June 2019:

"Star Wars Mini Cross Stitch Pattern: Darth Vader -Yoda" (Personalized) - NatliNeedlework FINISHED!

For their daughter's, I found a pattern that had the main female characters but instead of the saying that was supposed to go between the 2, I placed her name and date of birth instead. I tried to use a different font for her name as well so that both pieces had their own unique feels to them. I believe I started this piece in March of that year after their daughter was born and finished it in June.

June 2019:

"Star Wars Inspired Cross Stitch - Princess Leia" (Personalized) - GoodMorningMaui FINISHED!

Overall they were fun to stitch since I decided to play around with the font design so much. In the end, I just wanted to make sure my friends were happy with the finished products and they seemed like they were!

Happy stitching!

WIP Wednesday & Gifted Gorgeousness!

I know, I know, it’s technically Thursday but I’ve been busy with 2 very hyper little ones all day so I haven’t had a chance to post and since I haven't gone to bed yet, it's still Wednesday! That's how it works, right? Just go with it! 😝 

Today is WIP Wednesday and also happens to be just after the February Gifted Gorgeousness link up has gone live! It's where you show off what you've been working on that is a gift for someone or was a gift to you. Hop on over to Jo’s page  to check out all the awesome stuff people are working on! 

Keep in mind that last year, I basically did no stitching due to everything I had going on so I feel like there hasn’t been much progress made recently but I have worked on some things here and there. 

First up is my most recent WIP which I finished the stitching on as well but I need to fully finish it! I found this pattern on Etsy and thought it was too cute. This was a silly little Valentine’s gift for my husband! It took me a total of 20 hrs and 45 mins over 3 days during down time on the night shift at work! 

I did modify this pattern in the tiniest way. The flower on the girl Pikachu is supposed to be pink and red but instead I changed them to lighter shades of our wedding colors!

Next is my oldest WIP so far, the Olde World Map. This will be a gift for my Mom & Stepdad who have their master bedroom decorated with all sorts of maps. The last time it was posted was in May 2018 😱 

then:

now:

I guess I made more progress on this one than I thought. This was probably the only piece that I tried to distract myself with while in the hospital helplessly watching my daughter. 

Another gift for my Mom & Stepdad will be the Game of Thrones houses since they are huge fans of the show. The last time this was mentioned was in February 2019 and there's been a little bit of progress.

then:

now:

I also signed up for a couple SALs at the beginning of last year but didn't make it far in them. One was the Homely Houseplants by Stitchonomy. This is intended to be a gift for my Dad since he also developed a recent love of indoor plants!

Instead of going with the default color scheme that was provided, I was playing with a variegated rainbow thread and white for the pots. I'm liking how it is turning out but I haven't touched this one in a while. 

My daughter has always loved Disney, Disney princesses and Disney movies, so when I stumbled upon this Magic Kingdom SAL by Cunning Cross Stitch on Facebook, I knew I just had to attempt to do it for her. I literally just found this late last week and the January (Ariel) and February (Alice) patterns are out. So, I'm pretty behind but I did start it! This is also my first piece ever working on evenweave, so it's making me a little bit nervous! 

The final piece that can be included for the GG is actually not cross stitch. It was a diamond art painting that was given to me for the Secret Santa gift exchange we had at work. It is perfect because it's basically been what my mantra has been since everything started with my daughter in March last year. This is actually finished as far as the diamonds go, but it needs to be framed and I haven't decided if it will go on our gallery wall or in our master bedroom yet. I will have to say that this will be my first and last diamond painting, lol. It was definitely an interesting little project though.

Then there are just 2 other pieces that I have started as well but aren't gifts for anyone. They are just nerdy things that I wanted to stitch!

First is the Avatar: The Last Airbender 4 Elements SAL from last year. I haven't made it far but I am liking my border thread choice a lot!

The second nerdy piece is an Etsy pattern of a Final Fantasy moogle and chocobo. FF is one of my all time favorite game series and I thought the pattern was too cute to pass up. I am stitching this on black aida so it's a little rough on the eyes but this will be a quick piece. This is only maybe an hour's worth of stitching during down time at work so I could probably have it done by my next work night if I focused on it. 

I believe that's everything that I've started so far and I do plan on starting another SAL soon. We will see how it all turns out! 

Thank you for hopping on by and don't forget to keep hopping along to see all the other participants' work! Happy stitching!

Sunday Funday #2 - Valentine's Day and Fairy Gardens!

Happy Valentine's Day! Unfortunately, I am working tonight and won't be able to spend it with my husband and kids but I made sure to leave some goodies out for them! I also was surprised with a very beautiful flower bouquet that my daughter picked out and a lovely card and gift from my husband!

 

My days off this week were pretty busy and I was quite tired since I had just finished my first week back on night shift. Unfortunately I was not able to post for WIP Wednesday or Finish Friday because of it but since I have a little down time at work right now (thankfully 9-1-1 isn't usually too crazy at night for my agency), I thought I'd go ahead and post for Sunday Funday!

This installment will introduce you to one of my daughter's favorite things lately.... fairy gardens! My Dad has, what we call, a fairy city on his little apartment balcony and my daughter absolutely fell in love with it. He has made 2 with her when he has come down to visit. 

The Fairy Camp Fire

with various succulents 

The Fairy Forest

with various succulents, money tree, and ginseng bonsai tree

at night with little fairy lights

Here are some close-ups of what's in the big Fairy Forest. Half features Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and the other half is a mushroom village. I also just realized that these photos were taken before we put the little pebble rocks to keep the soil from getting everywhere when we water the plants. 

 

  

Those were both made back in August and September of last year and they still look great and I haven't had to replace any of the plants yet!

A couple weeks ago, my daughter had to have a CT Scan with I.V. contrast to see how her lungs have healed after the SJS. She was extremely nervous about it and I made a deal with her that if she used her superpowers of bravery and strength, I would brave making a fairy garden with her. I took her to our local fairy garden store and Home Depot to pick out fairies, houses, and plants. This was the first one I would be making alone with her and I was nervous because my Dad sets a high bar. 

The Fairy Neighborhood

with succulents and a mini croton

The Fairy Neighborhood now resides outside on the patio next to the Fairy Forest and we will need to make another rainbow bridge so that the fairies can visit between the different areas, like they can from the forest to the camp fire! Her imagination always astounds me!

She did end up picking out so many little plants that we ran out of room in the actual container for a few other tiny houses we had. So instead we made tiny planters to keep inside the house. 

Overall, I had fun making these with her and I love watching her come up with different stories of what the fairies are up to each day!

If you are interested in fairy garden shops, these are the 2 that we purchase from. They both have online ordering options as well. 1 is local for us so we also go in person but I like both stores' options!

Miniature Expressions

My Fairy Gardens

What’s the Tea Tuesday #1

Welcome to the first “What’s the Tea Tuesday!” This is where I’ll be talking about a yummy cup of tea, where you can find it, and what I think about it! I personally try to avoid any caffeine for health reasons, so 98% of any tea I have will be caffeine free, decaf, or naturally low in caffeine. There may be an occasional caffeine indulgence if it’s something that I really want to try. 

Today’s feature tea is: Tea Forte’s Blueberry Merlot! 

                                    

                                                        

This is a beautiful herbal tea and the description says that blueberry merlot is: 

"lush with the taste of organic succulent summer sweet 

blueberries, organic hibiscus and organic rosehips, 

for a naturally caffeine-free way to enjoy the day."

I absolutely love the colors in the loose leaf mix and once it’s steeped. I definitely like how the blueberry and hibiscus flavors marry well together. I only add a little bit of amber rock sugar and honey to enhance the slightly tart flavor. I also appreciate that the hibiscus doesn’t become overbearing, like I feel it sometimes has a tendency to do. Actually the overall floral notes are subtle considering it has hibiscus, rosehips, and cornflower.

If you’re interested in having a cup yourself, check out the official website here. I must add, that this flavor seems to be out of stock on the website often but if you have access to Amazon, that's usually where I find the loose leaf canister with no problem through Tea Forte's Amazon shop. 

Do you have any favorite tea flavors? I'd love to get some suggestions on what next to try and add to my tea collection! 

Happy sipping!

Sunday Funday #1 - Gardening!

I figured I'd start trying to stick to a few days a week where I would post about something following a certain theme. My working idea right now is that if I post on the following days, they will be these themes:

Sunday Funday: Anything fun that I've done recently or anything involving any of my hobbies

What's the Tea Tuesday: Talk about a yummy tea

WIP Wednesday: Any crafts that I am currently working on (there are many...)

Finish Friday: Any crafts that I have finished (full projects or sections of an SAL)

My goal is that this will motivate me to work on different projects, share my nerdiness, and continue to give myself an expressive outlet!

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So as the title of this post says...today is Sunday Funday and while most of America will be talking about the Super Bowl, I will be introducing you all to a rather new hobby that me and my daughter have picked up - gardening!

Shortly after my daughter came home from the hospital, she mentioned to me that she would really like to plant some seeds and even rattled off a whole list of vegetables that she wanted to grow. I found this funny because she doesn't even like to eat any vegetables but the idea excited her and my husband and I decided to go ahead an indulge her. My daughter and I had so much fun that it ended up sort of exploding and we now have a bunch of plants that we are tending to. 

I should mention that I usually do not have a green thumb at all BUT I am determined to make this work as best as I can. We planted several things last year but it was late in the season and we were not that successful but the one thing my daughter was proudest of was her very teeny tiny watermelon that she grew for her Daddy.

 

My daughter holding her tiny sugar baby watermelon in November 2020

This year, I wanted to attempt to do this right by planting at the more accurate times of year. Right now we have a tomato plant that survived from last year and are attempting to grow basil, yellow onions, sweet peppers, jalapenos, cilantro, butter crunch lettuce, green onions, Thai basil, chives, cat grass, recao/culantro (which hasn't been doing good no matter what I do), blue cornflowers, 2 lemon trees, and 2 quenepa/Spanish lime trees. Everything, except for the tomatoes and 4 trees, were started from seeds on January 7th this year. Then today we planted 2 little pots of broccoli raab!

    

                            

I like to track their progress each month with photos so be sure to check back in March to see how they do!