WIP Wednesday and Finishing

Its been a busy and exhausting couple of weeks, thus no blogging!!!

During mid November for the last five years I've been one of the organizers of a Live & Silent Auction, Wine & Cheese event to raise money for the school we support in the Dominican Republic.  Our project was recently featured in a local magazine called Faces you can read it here if you'd like.  Running this event just takes everything out of me, from the weeks leading up to it getting my students to get in donations for the auction, to the shopping, to all the behind the scene things that need to be done.  The night itself is a very long one!  This year I didn't get home until 12:45am!  I was rather frustrated this year because I didn't get to go to the Timberhouse Retreat I've been attending every November for years.  Now the reason I didn't get to go was because of when we scheduled the auction on the same date, but because the Timberhouse messed up our booking , it was supposed to be the week before.  Though we booked that date before we left last year it wasn't put in the system right and they booked someone else instead.  Needless to say I was quite bitter that I couldn't be there.  I've been going to that retreat since almost the beginning, when it was first held at the Butler Creek B&B before it closed.

So since November 14th if I wasn't sleeping I've been stitching.  All I've wanted to do lately is be a hermit.  Winter setting in and the darkness hasn't helped.  I think this is going to be a rough winter for me, psychologically.

When  I last posted, The Accolade has been moving along nicely, I finished page 8 (of 12) and started page 9!  It would be nice to Happy Dance this piece next year.

Snow Business

Just Nan

Stitched on 28ct mystery fabric

Stitched with DMC & using Mill Hill Snowflake charm

I took a bit of a break from The Accolade last week and stitched up and finished this adorable group of snowmen by Just Nan!

Tall Snowman - The Trilogy

My finishative came out to play, and I finally turned these two ornaments I had stitched earlier in the year into on the tree finished ornaments.  These two show the comparison between over two on 32ct and 40ct. I must say more and more I like my ornaments to be on the small side!

I'm working on another ornament this week, the picture didn't turn out and I couldn't be bothered to get up and take another.  Again its on 40ct and if you follow me on Instagram (@tkd_chick) you'll see it in progress there!  I'm sure I'll be happy dancing it for you next Wednesday!

PhotoHunt

This week's PhotoHunt theme is "Hero"

At first when I saw this week's theme I thought hmmm what picture am I going to pick to reflect this theme?  So I started going through my pictures, and came across just the right pictures!  Also very appropriate for this week.

This summer, Todd and I had some wonderful adventures in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.  We had two amazing days on the Cabot Trail.  I don't normally take pictures of monuments, etc. but this one really struck a cord with me when I read it.

"They will never know the beauty of this place,

see the seasons change, enjoy natures chorus.

All we enjoy we owe to them,

men and women who lie buried in the Earth

of foreign lands and in the Seven Seas.

Dedicated to the memory of Canadians who

died overseas in the service of their country

and so preserved our heritage"

Here's the spectacular view that goes with this special monument.  These photos are very appropriate at this time for Veterans Week here in Canada, followed by Remembrance Day on Tuesday.  A true hero is someone who serves and stands up for what they believe in.

Belated WIP Wednesday

For some strange reason this week my days were just all mixed up!  Its not as if I've been on vacation or doing anything so awesome that I've lost track of time.  When I realized yesterday was Wednesday, not Tuesday it was pretty late in the evening, and I was quite engrossed in my stitching.

Since last week's post I've done the finishing on one piece, happy danced another piece, and I've been working on my BAP!  So here we go...

Batty Boris

Just Nan

Stitched on: 32ct Natural Linen

Stitched with: DMC, Kreinik #4 braid

Batty Boris was finished up just in time for Halloween, he took his place next to Miss Witchy Mouse.  They were a charming couple on Halloween!

Hats Off To Halloween 2

Lizzie*Kate

Stitched on: 28ct Burnt Papyrus from Sugar Maple Fabrics

Stitched with: DMC & WDW

Next I started Lizzie*Kate's Hats Off To Halloween 2 and it stitched up super quick!  I really enjoyed the colours on this piece which is what made me buy it.  I also adore the fabric I've used, its too bad the company is out of business because I'd sure buy more in a heartbeat!

The rest of my stitching week has been spent working on The Accolade, I'm getting close to the bottom of my current page!

PhotoHunt Two-fer

Last week I didn't get my Photo Hunt picture up.  So this week you're getting a two-fer.  Last week's theme was "funny" and this week's is "barbie".  Barbie was a really tricky one for me without going through like thousands of pictures.

I managed to come up with two pictures that are related.  A few weeks ago a friend of mine asked me to help record her wedding day by following her around for the day to the hairdresser, the makeup artist, etc.

Sometimes when you're getting your hair done, things look pretty funny before you get to the end result!

All the primping and preening that goes with a wedding day sure must make you feel like a live Barbie doll.

WIP Wednesday

If you were looking forward to my WIP Wednesday post last week, I'm sorry it didn't happen.  Due to some fairly tragic events (it made International news) in the city I live in, Ottawa I just wasn't in the mood to blog. 

So let's get caught up!

First up I had a visitor for the weekend of October 17th!  Bonnie and her husband came for the weekend.  We had hoped to do this in the summer, but life got in the way and it just never happened.  Bonnie and her husband are HUGE Ottawa Senators Fans, my local NHL hockey team.  Its become an annual tradition for them to come up for a visit and the first home game of the season.  This year since the first home game was on Thrusday followed by another game on Saturday they stayed for the weekend, and we made plans for all of us to go to Saturday's game.  We had a blast!

 Blackwork Monthly Blocks

San Man Originals

That weekend I had a week Happy Dance!  Last time I blogged I showed you my start on Kathy's SanMan RR.  I managed to finish that up, and even passed it onto Bonnie to do a block!

For the next week I was quite disciplined and I pulled out and exclusively worked on The Accolade.  With something this big its always so hard to see what progress has been made.

Miss Witchy Mouse

Just Nan

Stitched on 32ct Natural Linen

Stitched with DMC & Mill Hill Beads

Since Halloween was just around the corner I next pulled out one of those adorable Just Nan critter ornament kits.  Miss Witchy Mouse has just was begging to be stitched, which I did last week and I managed to do the finishing on Sunday.  I love her!

This led to me deciding Boris the Bat also needs to be done in time for this Halloween!  I wrapped up the stitching on him yesterday.  My plan was to do the finishing tonight, but blogging needed to be done!

Since I still had some time before bed last night I had another new start!  I know this isn't going to be finished in time for this Halloween, but I started Lizzie*Kate's Hats Off to Halloween 2.  I figure this way I'm done with this chart and its not going to sit and collect dust until I feel like Halloween stitching again.

PhotoHunt

Today's PhotoHunt theme is Rock

I'm going more for "Rocks" than "Rock" this week.  When I saw the theme my first instinct was to go right for the pictures I took this summer during our trip to Nova Scotia, specifically the pictures I took on the Louisbourg Lighthouse trail.  Its a gorgeous, rocky shoreline, and we hit it just right with the tide coming in and the waves crashing up on the rocks.  I think this is one of my favourite shots from our walk, there was the Inukshuk, a tugboat pulling a barge and the moon was rising!  Its a spot I want to go back to again.

WIP Wednesday

My week is all out of wack with Friday being a PD Day at work and Monday being Canadian Thanksgiving that I almost forgot it was not just Wednesday but WIP Wednesday!!!

I get accused (yes accused) all the time of being a fast stitcher.  I don't know if I really am or I just manage to get in a lot of stitching time.  That has definately not been the case lately!  When I visited Kathy the other weekend I came away with her San-Man Originals Round Robin to do a quick little 60x60 backstitched block.  Well... as you can see its not gotten very far!

I've been dealing with exhaustion and headaches lately, to top it my appetite has been off the last few days too.  Also on the weekend a friend of mine got married and she asked me to shadow her for the day with my camera.  She did have a professional photographer for the ceremony and important parts of the reception.  I was there to capture all the getting ready, candid and genuine moments.

Here are a few of my favourite shots out of the over 900 I took.