Finished - Christmas on the Beach!

Hello, readers!

I have just returned from a stitching trip.  My fiancé and I took a semi-impromptu trip to San Diego, so I had a chance to get some stitching done on the plane.  Good news - I finally finished "Christmas on the Beach!" Here is a photo:

"Christmas on the Beach"

Sometimes, I have mixed feelings after I backstitch something, but in this case, the backstitching really makes the details pop - especially the presents and the ornaments on the tree.  I am really happy with this finished piece!  :)  Now, I just have to motivate myself to frame it so I don't have so many loose seashells sitting around my apartment.

I also made some progress on another beach-themed piece, "A Day at the Beach."  I feel like the last rose of summer trying to finish these things in September, but this one is really cute, and I really like the hand-dyed thread in it.

"A Day at the Beach"

I am making headway on the center panel.  Here is a peek at the model:

"A Day at the Beach" by Nikki Leeman

This pattern uses Crescent Colours hand-dyed floss in Blueberry Tart (blue), Peanut Brittle (tan), and Poblano Pepper (green).  This floss is so smooth - it really glides through the fabric, and there is a bit of an ombre character to the fibers.  Plus, it's from New Albany, Ohio - just on the outskirts of my old stomping grounds in Columbus!  The colors in the picture below aren't the ones in this piece, but the picture shows some of the pretty colors in which you can order this floss.  I think I bought it for about $2.00/skein (5 yards) from Stoney Creek's website.

Crescent Colors hand-dyed embroidery floss

And, to bid you farewell for this entry, here are some photos from my travels to California!

The Lodge at Torrey Pines - La Jolla, California

The Lodge at Torrey Pines - La Jolla, California

The nature preserve at Torrey Pines

The nature preserve at Torrey Pines

Beach - La Jolla, California

Snail on a plant leaf - Hotel Del Coronado, Coronado, California

Western fence lizard - La Jolla, California

Thanks for stopping by and for your kind comments - take care!

-Erin

Greetings from Corolla, NC!

Hello, dear readers!  I am writing to you from our rented beach house in Corolla, NC in the Outer Banks!  It is wonderful here - very sunny and warm.  I have been very busy sightseeing!  Here is what I have been doing:

Deep sea fishing with my family - we caught amber jack, tuna, and mahi mahi

Making ahi tuna ceviche

Taking disgustingly cute pictures on the beach

Stalking sand crabs

Beach combing - this is a blue crab shell, picked clean by the birds

Visiting wild horses

Watching wild horses on the beach

Watching another wild horse on the beach

Watching a wild mare and foal graze in a marsh

 And I have been cross stitching a wee little bit, too!  I finished the tree and part of the water in this piece.  I didn't start the other one I brought, though ("A Day at the Beach" by Nikki Leeman).

"Christmas on the Beach" - from the Dimensions Gold Petites Collection

Sorry the stitching updates have been a little sparse - but I hope you enjoy the photos!  I will return to the stitching side of things next week.  Thank you for stopping by!  :)

-Erin
"Less Bitching, More Stitching!"