From California...

Hello stitching friends.... My DH and I decided to leave the snow and cold weather of Colorado and fly to California to enjoy the sun, the ocean and most of all, my husband's grandchildren. But I've got to tell you, two toddlers can drain you of energy in about one hour !! How can these little people have so much energy ALL DAY LONG ??!!! We love them, though, and honestly, we don't see them enough, so this weekend with them is a very special treat.

I also wanted to show you a couple of things that I've finished. I have lots of WIP and not enough finishes. I think my cross stitch is like my brain, scattered all over the place !!! LOL.

Below is a pin cushion, or maybe I should say just a cushion from Primitivebettys. It is big for a pin cushion, but I love it !! It is called Blue Tulips. The chart instructions ask for the fabric to be aged with a mixture of water, walnut crystals, clove, vanilla.... so it has a primitive look. I didn't stuff it completely in order to add to that primitive look :-). I don't think I did a very good job staining it, though. It is harder to do than it seems, and after trying, I believe it is all about the tool used to stain the fabric. I used a brush and I don't think that's the best way to do it, but I still haven't figured out what to use instead...maybe a sponge, a cloth or a different brush.... Any ideas?

Hola queridas amigas.... Mi marido y yo hemos decidido dejar atrás la nieve y el frío de Colorado y viajar a California a disfrutar del sol, el mar y sobre todo, de los nietos de mi marido. Pero tengo que deciros que dos niños de tres y dos años son agotadores !!! ¿Como es posible que dos cositas tan pequeñas tengan tanta energía durante TODO EL DIA !!! A pesar de todo los adoramos y, para ser sincera, no los vemos muy a menudo, así que este fin de semana con ellos es un placer.

También quería enseñaros unas cositas que he terminado. La verdad es que tengo muchos proyectos empezados y no termino nada !!

Abajo podeis ver un pincushion, o quizas debería decir un cushion de la diseñadora Primitivebettys. Es bastante grande pero me encanta !! Se llama Blue Tulips. La tela ha sido envejecida con una mezcla de agua, nuez molida, vainilla, clavo.... Tampoco lo he rellenado del todo para contribuir a ese look primitivo. El proceso de envejecido es mas complicado de lo que parece y creo que no lo he hecho muy bien. Yo utilice una brocha para aplicar la mezcla y creo que voy a tener que encontrar otra herramienta, quizas una esponja o un trapo. Si tenéis alguna idea decidmelo por favor. :-)

I have also finished one of the Little House Needlework ornaments. Now I only have 11 left to go !! I used the wool I bought a few weeks ago for the back and I really like the feeling of it. My idea is to finish them all by Christmas and put them all together in a nice basket as a table center or something like that. I just hope to have them all finished by Christmas and I figured that maybe if I wrote about it in my blog, I would feel the pressure to actually finish them. LOL !

También he terminado uno de los ornamentos de Little House Needlework. Ahora solamente me quedan 11 por terminar !! La parte de atras la termine con tela de lana y me gusta mucho como ha quedado. Mi idea es terminar los doce ornamentos y ponerlos todos juntos en una cesta como un centro de mesa. Espero poder terminarlos todos antes de Navidad.

Lastly, there is a project bag I made myself !! I went to my favorite fabric shop again (The Little Wool Shoppe), bought some fabric and decided to give it a try... I think it came out great considering it is the first time I've ever done one of these. Now I am all excited and I'm going to be making more of them for sure !! My friend Katrina let me borrow hers as a guide and I think I did a good job.

Finalmente os enseño una bolsita para mis proyectos de punto de cruz que he hecho yo misma. Considerando que nunca he hecho nada así, creo que me ha quedado bastante bien. Me encanta la tela que compre en mi tienda favorita The Little Wool Shoppe. Ahora estoy tan entusiasmada que voy a continuar haciendo mas.

And this is it for today. I'll try to get some stitching in this weekend, but that will be a challenge with two toddlers calling my name every minute :-) Yaya, yaya, yaya... that's what they call me, so very cute !! Enjoy your weekend and..... stitch in peace.

Y esto es todo por hoy. Voy a intentar hacer punto de cruz este fin de semana, pero con dos peques llamándome todo el día, no se como voy a encontrar tiempo :-) Yaya, yaya, yaya.... así es como me llaman... Son encantadores, la verdad. Espero que paséis un buen fin de semana. Un abrazo.