Scissor Fobs and a Needle Minder

So, these are not the greatest quality, because I only have my phone, and it's not the best for taking super closeups, and trust me when I say, these are much prettier in real life.  But here are the fobs and the needle minder I recently made.

First up is the needle minder.  I found the most beautiful bead that was originally part of a bracelet.  The owner of the store broke the bracelet up and sold me the bead, as she is getting rid of her bead stock.  I used a bit of hot glue and glued a magnet to the back.   24 hours later (just to make sure it was truly dry) I now have a one-of-a-kind needle minder.

These are my favourite scissors.  They are Leah from the Gingher Designer series.  I know it's hard to see the detail, but they are the most beautiful purple roses with green leaves.  For the fob I used a lavender glass seed bead, purple swarovski crystals and a leaf green bead.  The centre is a swarovski ball and the end is a bobbin that I threaded some purple DMC thread on.

 Here's a closer look.

This is a terrible picture and I do apologize.  These are my Ginger Designer "Julia" scissors.  I used a smoky moonstone bead, a smoky glass bluish/greenish bead, glass periwinkle seed beds and ceramic blue bead for the middle.  The end bead is a fresh water pearl set in silver.

A better look, although the pearl doesn't really show up very well.

These are my Ashleys.  I used a pale pink pearl seed bead, swarovski purple, the same green beads I used for my Leah's, and the end bead is a pale pink rose.

A closeup of the rose.

These are my Charlene's. These were the first Gingher scissors I ever collected. 
The fob is swarovski amethyst and light purple, with a smoky rose bead in the middle.  The end is a swarovski heart.

These are my Alyssa's, which are tiny peacock feathers.   I used blue and clear seed beads, and blue and white swarovski crystal beads.  The end bead is a palm tree a friend whom I met on a cruise to the Caribbean gave me.

I really enjoy making fobs, and I've made them for all of my friends in my stitching circle.  Although they do run a tad on the expensive side to make, the crystals really catch the light and make for a stunning outcome.

And that's it.   I do think my Gingher collecting is at it's end, so my Visa (and my husband) can relax.  But who knows. Gingher puts out 2 new designs a year, and down the road there may be a pattern that I simply must have.  And of course, it will have to have its own fob!

Perhaps I had better not put the Visa away just yet....

~Rai Rai

Page 8 of Winter Hat Owl is Complete

Started May 7 and finished May 14, this is definitely the fasted HaED page finish I've ever had.  To be honest, my wrists are a bit sore, but I wanted to finish this page because I'm scheduled to work the next 3 nights, where I don't get a chance to stitch at all.  It would have killed me being so close to a page finish and not being able to pick it back up until Sunday.

This piece is now 50% done!   

The grey part of hat hat was my nemesis! Pure confetti madness which slowed me down to the point where I wanted to scream and fling it into the fire - if I had a fireplace, that is.  Instead I had to be content to using unpardonable language and copious amounts of it, which, on one occasion, scared the cat. 

I have been busy creating fobs for some Ginger designer scissors I received for Christmas, as well as a needle minder, but I can't seem to get a photo of them that do them justice.   If I can get a good photo, I will post it between my next update of Adrift, which should be in a little over a month because it will be a full page and a partial - which means a row finish.

Stay tuned.  Wonderful things will be coming down the pike!

~Rai Rai

Adrift, Page 16 Complete

The good and bad thing about transitioning from day shifts to night shifts is the all night stitch-fests I get to do.  Of course the downside is looking at the beautiful day that today promises to be and know that I will be missing it because I will be sleeping all day.

But back to the all night stitch fests.  Last night I finished page 16 of Adrift.  More of that beautiful tail.  I managed to finish this relatively quickly, starting the page April 19 and finishing May 7.  And I am very, very nearly at a milestone.  This page finish brings me up to 49% done! Nearly half-way!

I should have an update of Winter Hat Owl really soon.  It's just a page of blue, and not even a full page, at that.  I managed to get 100 + stitches in after I finished my page of Adrift, so I'm well on my way.

Well, it's been a long night and the sun is shining, which means it's bed time for me.

Happy stitching everyone, and I will see you all soon.

~Rai Rai

Winter Hat Owl Page 7 Complete

Started March 17th, and finished April 18th.  7315 stitches in total.

I'm not going to lie, I found the grey area of the hat to be arduous, finicky and endless confetti.  It seems like such a small amount, but man, did it ever slow me down.  I originally started cross country, but had to resort to doing a line at a time.  I'm glad this page is over!  The next page is all blue, so it will be a fast stitch.

But first, back to Adrift and her beautiful tail. 

I don't know if I've ever mentioned this before, but I like to color what I've done - especially HaED's. It keeps things organized and helps me see at a glance what I have stitched and where I am.  I used to use pencil, then I graduated to Frixion highlighters, which are erasable, for those times we make a little mistake here and there.  Well, thanks to Ebay, I've managed to get my hands on a set of their pens.   Frixion .07.

To say these pens are awesome, is an understatement!  And so many pretty colors.  These should do me for years.    (Or until the end of Adrift - whichever comes first! ha ha)

In any case, I thought I'd through a shout out to these. I highly recommend them!

That's about all that's new in my little corner of the blogging world.  Hopefully I've have an update within a month. 

~Rai Rai

Adrift, Page 15 Complete

Finally, the tail!   And what a tail it's going to be.  The colors are so vibrant and pretty.

I started this page on Feb 18 and finished Mar 17.

It's almost hard for me to put this away in favor of Winter Hat Owl. The urge to continue with her tail is so strong, but take a break I must.  I find, for me personally, it's better to stay a little hungry for a pattern, and to always look forward to working on it, than to be bored of it.   Plus, the rich, loud colors of the Owl are calling me to come and play. 

On a personal note, I got the change to meet a lady whose blog I follow.  The lovely Evalina.  (If you haven't checked out her blog, you must )  I invited her to our weekly stitch-n-bitch at our local store, the Stitchers Muse, and she was kind enough to join us.  It was a real treat meeting her. I hope she becomes a regular face at our table!

For anyone wondering about my stand that I posted in my last update, I've since found out it's a K's Creation stand.  From  what I can tell, they are very like a Lowry stand.   I love it and I find it hard to believe that I stitched for as many years without it. 

Well, that's about it for this update.  Hopefully it won't be a full month before I have an update for you. 

Happy stitching!

~Rai Rai

Winter Hat Owl Page 6

 Page started Feb 6 and finished Feb 18th.

I finally got to the owl, or his hat, anyway.  Oh my gosh, so much confetti in the hat! I literally had to go line by line and park my threads.  It seemed so slow and arduous!  I actually timed myself and I was averaging a row every 40 minutes.  To say if felt like I wasn't getting anything done was an understatement!   But I persevered, and I finished it last night. 

The colors are so rich and beautiful and I'm loving the dark blues and the rich reds.  

But now it's time to put this little man down and pick up Adrift once again.

I have a date with her tail, and boy, I can hardly wait!

~Rai Rai

Adrift, Page 14 Completed!

Page 14 is done, done, done!   My next page, I get to start the tail!!!  I'm so excited! (But judging from the confetti in the pattern, I may yet live to regret that excitement.)

Finishing this page, I got to learn first hand the TRUE meaning of frustration.  I was probably within 100 stitches of a page finish with no work scheduled for a week, and then I got called in.  (I work 12 hour shifts, so when I'm working, my life consists of working, eating and sleeping, and no stitching time whatsoever).   So I got called in to work a shift.. then another... and another. Being so close to a page finish and having to wait 4 days before I could pick it up again!   TORTURE! 

Anybody following this blog work with stands?  I got a little bit of money for Christmas, and bought one, that I don't know the name of.   It's not like the standard Hearthside stands that we usually see. This one looks more industrial, with a metal base (which is what I needed above all, because I have a wood loving Cockatoo, who would have made short work of my new expensive stand) 

It's hard to describe, so here is a photo of it.  I prefer to work with Q-Snaps, so this fits perfectly into the frame, and holds nice and snug while I learn how to stitch with both hands (omg, so much faster)
It took me a few days to get used to it, and at first I thought I'd made a huge mistake and that it was more awkward and uncomfortable, but then I spent some time adjusting to my comfort level and really giving it a chance, and now I'm convinced it was the best purchase I've ever made.

It's not the prettiest stand, but it's perfect for me!  And being that it's small (as far as stands go) I can fit my light AND my magnifier beside it.  I now have an extremely busy little stitching corner, but it's mine all mine and I love it!

Hopefully I should have a nice page of Winter Hat Owl to show off in a few weeks, this time with Owl! 

Happy stitching, everyone!

~Rai Rai