I'm still alive (& a new start)

Hey everyone, I know where have I been for the last 8 days... well it's been a bit rough. But hopefully we're coming out of that and into something better. What's going on: well... let's just say it went sour at my former job. So badly that I had to walk away, and am still feeling sick over it all.
But Mon, July 9 I start my new career, job and hopefully chapter to my life. So I'm working on moving past all the ugliness of the last 10 days.

Now... onto some exciting stuff. I've been getting sales! :)
It's so very exciting. My Etsy store is getting hits and I've generated sales. I can't tell you how exciting it is each and every time someone loves my item(s) enough to purchase one. I just love it.



We were at a wedding last weekend that required a 3 hour drive. Perfect time to Kumihimo like mad and make bracelets. This was my favourite of all the ones I made. I just adore it. It is available for sale on my Etsy store but I have to say I need to make one for myself. Part of my plan for the next week is to make some items for me to wear (as I wouldn't want to wear something and then sell it after, ick!). To the right is this gem of a bracelet.

I haven't gotten a lot of stitching done. A mill hill magnet kit is almost complete however. It's cute little summer flip-flops. I'll have pictures soon. I'm hoping to relax enough that I can concentrate on working on dragons. And that my hands will stop shaking (from all the stress, they get bad when I'm in anxiety/stress mode) enough for me to feel confident enough to put stitches into linen. I miss my linen stitching. But am sooo thankful for my Mill Hill kits when that happens as I can't miss the holes as easily on perforated paper.

The new start I think I will be doing is this Mirabilia mermaid (South Seas #92):

I've had her in stash for awhile now, and while I don't have a home for her in particular with my store I can now justify working on a new piece that doesn't have a destination as I can always put it up on my store. (see how this is all a cover to just have more pieces started, LOL!) :D  I'm waiting for some of the threads I need but have got my fabric (it's a gorgeous hand-dyed) all picked out. I can't wait to share it with you guys, but I'll get a few stitches in it first so you are admire something other than a dyed fabric.

Alright, there's an update. I know it's not very exciting. I'm hoping that things will get more exciting on the stitchy side of things very soon!

Thanks for reading and commenting. I do appreciate every one of you that take the time to visit here and join me in my crafting journey. 

PS: did you watch Craft Wars on TLC this week? I wasn't sure of what I thought... I'm gonna try another episode and see what I think then.

Lizzie Kate Finishes! (and BIG news)

Hello, hello. I'm late, I know. I've really got to stop promising things on here that just don't happen. Well they always happen just not usually when I say they will. And you all forgive me which is why I keep coming back. :)

Big news... will be at the bottom of this post so that anyone who only wants to read about stitching can do so and then fly away.

So... dragons, is in progress. I'm not even at 1/3 of the page, I got sidetracked and these cute Lizzie Kates are why! I realized that these little inspirational snippets that Lizzie Kate released recently would fit nicely in a 4x6 frame on 32 ct. So a-stashing I went to find colours and within one night each (about 4-5 hours each) I had them complete! I started with "Create":

In this next one I just adore the thread I used in the world Dream. It's by Threadworx. First time I've used their thread, and won't be the last, it was great to work with and so pretty! Here is Dream:

Both these items are looking for new homes and available on my Etsy store. I am planning on doing up some more of the words, I think next to kit up is 'Remember'. My partner and I have been randomly picking words, he made a game of it. :)

I have some other starts and things that I will share after the weekend. It's a busy one for us as we are traveling to a wedding for the weekend, but I'm hoping to sneak in some good stitching and bracelet making time.


Okay... the big news:  I HAVE A NEW JOB! 
are you confused thinking "geez Mel, we didn't even know you were looking". Neither did I until a few weeks ago. It happened crazy fast.
Here's the thing; as many of you know and have been on the journey that is life with me, for a few years it's been a rough go since my surgery in 2010. As I've tried to stay a designer and work in the fast-paced, demanding environment of magazines it has continued to burn me out. I've been thinking of moving careers for some time, and so I just decided to do it. With the blessing of my partner of course. I am going to be putting out one more magazine with my current company, and then I will be moving July 9th to the new position. It is an administration position, on a team (yeah!) with an oil and gas company. For those not aware oil and gas is the lifeblood of my city Calgary and as we've decided to make our home here I figured it was the most logical move. Money is better, lots of jobs usually available (occasional busts but just had one so likely good for a bit) and I grew up on oil money as my parents both work in so why not carry on the tradition. Most importantly no more crazy overtime, weekend work, 2am at the office to make a deadline, or pressure to come up with 10 creative ideas in an hour. I am super excited about an 8-5 Mon-Fri position that will allow me to spend more time making things, selling things and enjoying life in general. I think it's gonna be awesome!

Thanks for reading this far if you did. :)
I'll be back next week with lots more goodies that I'm working on.

Questions Game!

As many of you probably know from following me for the last however long I tend to not play these games... but this one is making it's way around our little blogosphere of stitching... so I'm just gonna go for it.

And if you're not one for these games that's okay. I promise a stitchy update in the next 2 days. Really, got some finishes and starts. (dragons is only at about 1/4 of the page so I will hold it until there is more to show). However there are some new bracelets up that I've made you could always check out at my etsy store in the meantime. This one is my favourite of the last few I've made I think:

The rules are you answer the eleven questions asked you and then you tag eleven more bloggers and ask them eleven questions.

1. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?

In a somewhat secluded mountain town (Rocky Mountains) that UPS would deliver to so I could get my supplies!

2. What is your favorite comfort food?

I'm a candy fiend. But my comfort food is a slurpee. Not really 'food' so much as liquid sugar, but it's always what I default to on a bad day, even when it's -30C outside.

3. If married how long have you been married?



I'm not married, my partner has decided he'd rather not get married. So by our standard of when we "committed to each other" we've been together for about 3 1/2yrs, dated longer.

4. Are you a dog person or a cat person?

Can I be a snake person instead? lol.
I'm a dog person out of the two.

5. What is your favorite TV show?

Of all time: Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Of the past season on TV: Once Upon a Time.

6. Who is your favorite actor/actress?



I love a lot of different actors, but I think the one I honour the most is Viggo Mortenson.

7. What kind of movies to you enjoy (horror,romance,action)?

Fantasy, Sci-Fi and action. A bit of romantic comedy very rarely, and almost never horror. Then I can't sleep. Yep I'm a wuss.

8.What do you do for a living?

I'm an Art Director for a local magazine. (Graphic Design)

9. Who is our favorite designer (you can only pick 1)?

Hardest question ever... oh my. I guess I'd have to pick HAED by Michele Sayette. I think my life would be much less exciting without HAEDs to work on.

10. What kind of books do you like to read?

Fantasy, Sci-Fi and Paranormal romance. I love to read and have more books than cross stitch patterns, which is really a scary statement.

11. Does your DH or SO have a hobby (if so what is it)?
Yep, he's a rock climber and paintballer. So when he's getting his weekly dose of adrenaline I tend to be at home working away on a stitching project.


Now for my 11 bloggers.





1. Melissa at Melissa's Stitching Room
2. Lesli at Fabulous Frogger
3. Denise at Riverside Stitching
4. Ineke at Threads for Cathair
5. Evalina at This and That
6. Bekca at Stitchy Lion
7. Carissa at My Ramblings
8. Milly at Milly's Stitches
9. Vicky L at Nutmegger's Stitching Working
10. Meari  & 11. Shelleen (who were picked by others as well, but those are my picks anyways. lol)



Now for my questions.
1. Rain or Snow?
2. Are you in any SAL's?
3. How many WIP do you have on the go?
4. Do you do any other crafts other than stitching? (ie: beading, scrapbooking, knitting, etc)
5. Do you watch sports? Have a favourite sport?
6. Are you active? Have a workout program, bike, run etc.?
7. Favourite genre of music? (ie: rock, country, blues, etc)
8. What type of cell phone do you have?
9. Smallest project you've ever done?
10. Largest project you've ever done?
11. How long have you been blogging?

Alright peeps, there you go. Stitchy update coming in next couple of days. 
(I might also have some really exciting news, I won't know until tomorrow...so stay tuned in)

WIPocalypse #6 (April cottage & more finishes)

Full Moon time, so that means it's that time for the WIPocalypse challenge update. I actually remembered that it was this week and worked on my April Cottage intentionally to be sure to have an update. Amazing right? lol.
I did get the April cottage complete. I changed very little in this one. Quite liked it the way it was. I added some sky blue kreinik to the clouds. My trademark on this big piece is that each month has some kreniek in the sky ornamentation. Here is Country Cottage of the Month April:

Moving right along I have another little cross stitch finish. I went on a bit of a tirade of stitching after the craft fair on Saturday. I managed to finish this up (even though I hadn't shared it yet!). It's a super cute Lizzie Kate kit called "Life is a Beach". It was a limited edition that I was luckily able to snag on eBay. I changed almost all the colours to match what I had on hand for over dyed threads in my stash. The linen is a hand painted sandstone colour. It looks just like sand. I love it and wish it showed up better in this picture for you all to see:

And finally a very brief and blurry look at some of my latest bracelets I've made (we were sorting through them and I had them all lined up so took a quick, crappy pic):

I am doing another craft fair table next Saturday (not this one coming up but the next) and am going to see how it goes. I think I've got one lined up in July and then end of August. We will see how it goes. The bracelets you see above are not yet loaded onto my Etsy store (but will be soon). If you are seriously interested in purchasing one of them or seeing better pictures please let me know and I will hold them for you to purchase when they are loaded on Etsy and send you better quality (lightbox) pictures.

Thanks for all your lovely comments on the baby sampler. The little one was successfully born on June 4. Sounds like her and the family are doing well though I have not yet connected directly with them. So it's time to stitch her name and the date. (I love the name they picked, Evelyn, we'll likely call her Evie)

For those that haven't seen me up yet I now have a twitter account at www.twitter.com/epicstitching
As well as a facebook page www.facebook.com/epicstitching  But don't worry all the big info goes here still as this blog is my first social media love, and cannot be replaced. :)


Coming up: A dragons update next week sometime (should be about 1/2 way through the most recent page), as I'm marathoning dragons all weekend. I've also got a couple more little pieces on the go or that will be on the go soon to share.

Baby Sampler Complete!

It's complete! Just in time for the baby shower last weekend. I'm happy to show you the Just Nan "Baby Garden". Stitched on a 32ct Lambswool Linen (I think). Using DMC colours and Krenik as used in the chart. I actually didn't modify a single thing on this piece believe it or not. Just Nan patterns are often just that good. Here's the little gem (without names or dates yet, as the baby hasn't been born):

I've been working on a Lizzie Kate little summer kit that I will have complete this week. As well as many new Kumihimo bracelets that I'll share next time.

I wanted to let people know, those that are doing the Country Cottage of the Month SAL. If you've seen July and are not one of our lovely American friends who want the Fourth of July theme I will be revising the chart for Canada with a Canadian flag and colours (maybe change the fireworks as well). And I'd be happy to do the same for any other country people would like to stitch instead.

It was the first craft fair yesterday. It went... okay. Not great sales, but got a new plan for the next sale in 2 weeks in terms of presentation and signage. The fair yesterday was a very local community one and therefore just too small with not a lot of traffic besides parents with kids who didn't want to buy. Sooo... here's hoping the one on June 16 will be an improvement.

That's all for now. Thank you so much for your comments (and voting) this past month. An update on cottages will be coming up soon (and I really need to get back to the neglected Dragons).