April In Instagrams

Hi Guys, Happy May Day!
I thought today I'd do a quick recap of what I've been posting over on Instagram during the month of April. I really like Instagram, I'm a total convert. It's just so quick & simple, it's hard to ignore its ease of use. Snap, post, viola!

I love my blog, I could never quit you, Blogger! But maybe I can marry Blogger & Instagram, with little posts like this every so often. I hope you won't mind. ♥

1.) Teeny, tiny felt quilt! It's only 3/4" x 1.5"! Just goofing around for now, looking toward some things for this fall.
2.) I love Dala Horses! I found this cute printable on Pinterest and made a little hanging doo-dad just for kicks.
3.) Tambour Embroidery! I bought the dang tool which means I'm committed to learning how to use it. I have plans! I'm really having a tough time getting the hang of it though, I keep snagging the fabric and losing the thread on the upstitch. This video is great, but I'm still struggling, got any advice for me? Maybe I just need more practice. Which means I need more time.

Speaking of time...

Quilty Stitches, y'all! Are you doing it too? Little Miss Shabby is hosting this stitch along comprised of cross stitched quilt blocks, I dig it! I'm limiting myself to one stitch along this year and this is it. Sadly, I hadn't touched this project in probably two months because I've been working on so many other projects in the evenings. Taking a page from my friend Crystal's book, I've brought this project to work and I've been stitching on my lunch break as often as I can. I even brought my Kindle to work so I can watch movies & stitch. It's nice, I turn the lights off (plenty of natural light), close my office door, stream something good (bouncing between Pride & Prejudice and The Paradise at the moment, oh Darcy, oh Moray... I can't quit you either!) and stitch like the wind! I'm only getting between 30-45 minutes, but hey, PROGRESS! I'll carve out those moments anywhere I can.

And then it was Easter!

I colored eggs with my girlfriend Dez over a couple of cocktails one evening, that's the way to do it! We used to color eggs together when we were little girls, it was fun to do it again as grown ups. Then I arranged those eggs in a rainbow because you know I love me some rainbows. Oh, and looky there! That's the first incarnation of Petunia Cottontail! See, early peeks! Instagram is great for early peeks at WIP's. I love seeing progress shots of people's work and regular life, things they wouldn't necessarily post about on their blogs, so for a voyeur such as myself, Instagram is fab.

Plenty of random silliness, too because I can be a silly & random. 

1.) The fairy garden gnomes bossing me around.

2.) TBT, me & my little brother Greggy. I'm not into selfies but I am into my family & friends.

3.) My Harry Potter socks. Because the world needs to know I'm a 39 year old woman who proudly wears Harry Potter socks to work. Right? Yes.

Critters are always good fun! 

Egypt! Lola! (with me in bunny ears, didn't I just say I wasn't into selfies? Hmm... I'm often contradictory as well as silly & random) Big Red! He's not mine, he just kept me company while I was having my car worked on, he's the large & lovable shop cat at my mechanic's place. I like him. 

So yeah, Instagram won't you? If you're already there, smack me around and make me notice, or leave your link in the comments below, I'd love to see what you're up to, too!

Wishing you a wonderful weekend (just a little early)!

oxo,

Lisa

A Big Heart

Happy Valentine's Day!

I hope you've all had a simply smashing Valentine's Day, have you done anything special?

We had a quiet evening here at home, dinner (Korean Beef , so good!) and a Walking Dead catch up, good times. My honey has to work in the morning, so we're saving our date for tomorrow night, going to a Sweethearts Ball at the Moose Lodge. Oh! I forgot to tell you, we're Moose now! Well, Sean is a Moose, I am a "Woman of the Moose". I wonder if there'll be a secret handshake? 

So earlier this week I came across this pin of a giant cross stitched heart and was so inspired, I had to try a smaller version for my family room right away. 

I bought a piece of red poster board from JoAnn's for $1.79 (with my handy 40% off phone app coupon) and strategically punched holes, after graphing a big heart out on graph paper. Then I stitched the design with big, fluffy yarn.

Hey look, it's the neatest back-of-a-cross stitch you'll ever see from me! Probably a fluke. Anyway, after the design was stitched and I evened things up by cutting the poster board evenly around the heart, then I mounted the entire thing to foam core I already had left over from another project with double sided stick tape.

Those couple pieces of scotch tape are where I accidentally punched more holes than I needed - whoopsies! I simply took the little circle I punched out, put it back and covered it with tape. You can't even see it from the front, not at all, whew!

I used a length of satin ribbon and two long sewing pins pushed into the foam core as hanging hardware and put this baby on the wall,

My girlfriend sent me the most perfect goodies in our Valentine swap which make for a very happy little scene together with the big heart, just look! Two new embroideries, a cute Valentine print out, a wee bucket of sweets and a beautiful Valentine Pin!  

Pam is such a great stitcher, just look at this darling little pup in a basket! He is oh, so sweet.

I do love this big heart. In fact, I'm already planning to make one out of painted wood to leave up permanently. Hearts are okay year round in my book!

The little bunting on the lamp shade is from last years door wreath, reuse and recycle, kids!

When I make the wooden stitched heart, I'll definitely be sure to share. Speaking of sharing, I can't wait to show you the little table runner I made this week as well (I've been a very industrious crafty lady this week!), I think it's one of my all time favorite projects, so come back and visit again soon.

Have a great weekend, sweetstuffs!

oxo,

Lisa

Mollie's Super Simple Stitching Pouch

Hi Everyone!
Happy (belated) New Year! I hope you've all been well! It's been a few weeks since I've been in here, but I've still been lurking in all my favorite blogs keeping up with ya, even if I've been quiet here.

I have some makes still to share from Christmas and I have a few posts lined up to do so, but before I do that, how about a first finish for 2014? This was such a quick project, I have to share it with my stitchy peeps, because I think you'll want to make one, too!

On Monday morning, while enjoying an extra day off for MLK Day, I was perusing my blogroll and read this post by one of my favorites, Wild Olive. This simple hoop holding pouch is one of those sewing projects that pulled me right up off the couch, coffee in hand, straight to my fabric stash and the sewing machine. Less than an hour later and pleased as punch, I had myself  this new little pocket pouch to carry my stitching WIPs in!

I often take stitching with me on the go, especially to & from work. A few minutes stitching here and there on my lunch hour adds up, and it's nice to stitch in the middle of the day, relaxing, I think. Usually I toss my current WIP and my tools & floss in a tote bag, the problem is that inevitably, I put other things in that tote bag as well, and its always made me a bit uneasy having things like my empty coffee tumbler and mail, and maybe the remnants of my lunch in the same tote, rubbing up against my stitching. This little pocket helps guard against any traveling booboo's, and it's pretty and sleek, doesn't take up much space at all.

I chose a bright teal, ditzy floral fabric on the outside and used a pretty, contrasting fabric for the inside lining.

The only thing I did different from Mollie is add a button and elastic loop to keep things closed up, but it's a very simple project, I totally recommend it.

A place for everything and everything in its place.

What's that you ask? Oh, that stitchery there, that's a new cross stitch pattern I'm attempting! I'm being brave tackling cross stitch again, and there's more to come, but this time around, I'm making a biscornu! I've posted a few peeks of the start of this project on Instagram, which I have to say is becoming kind of addictive, it's just so easy & quick! Come find me if you have an account and let me know how to find you too (pretty please!), I need more action in my feed and am looking out for other crafty bloggers to follow there. In all honesty, I feel a little guilty about Instagram because I update there so often and this space tends to sit... Ugh, bad blogger guilt. 

At any rate, more on the biscornu later.

This project is so fast and practical! I know I'm going to get a lot of use out of this pouch, and I'll probably make a few more for smaller or larger hoops, maybe even a big one for my Q-Snap. This one fits hoops up to 7", and my tool tins perfectly.

Isn't this just the nicest idea?? I really like it, I've already taken it to work a few times this week and it works great, thanks Mollie!

oxo,

Lisa

What Is Home?

Hi All!

So, here's something I made several months ago that I've been waiting to share with you. This piece was made as a submission (my very first!) to an art show that my pal Ellen was curating in Los Angeles, it was called Home Is Where The Needle Marks. The show was comprised of stitched pieces and textile work, exploring the theme of the word "home" and what it means to different artists. The show has now closed, and was a great success! My piece was not used in the show, but now that the show is over, it can see the light of day because it holds some powerful truths... 

Are you ready? Can you handle the truth?

{snort-giggle!}

Oh. Yes. It. Does.

Upon submission, applicants were asked to fill out an Artists Statement (yikes!). The following words are my artists statement and the meaning behind the piece... This is kind of an over-share, and I'm a little nervous putting this out here into the big, bad internet, but it's good to be honest, and if I was prepared to share this information with the world in an art show, surely I can share it here with you guys.

Home Is Where The Bra Comes Off

by

Lisa Leggett

Embroidery gives me permission to go slowly, one stitch at a time. For a woman who hurries through everything, stitching is a gift of time that I give to myself. A reason to sit still, calm my rushing mind and still hope to achieve something beautiful, funny, or useful; sometimes all at once. Embroidery is my meditation.

I try to approach life with a sense of humor, from the best news to the worst; no problem seems as serious if you can laugh at it. Whether what I’m working on is pretty, whimsical or subversive I enjoy a good laugh, and I try to incorporate humor into everything I do.

Home is where the bra comes off. Not only something to garner a giggle, but an unbending truth in my life, one which I believe many women can relate too.

I haven’t left the house without a bra on since I was in the 3^rd grade, I was seven years old. All at once my body developed, and it was no longer ok to go to school or anywhere else, without wearing a bra.  I didn’t feel grown up, perhaps the way some girls might, but rather slightly ashamed and embarrassed.  My budding boobies must be bundled up, and they must stay that way! That was 30 years ago. Home for me, is where I feel safe enough to be unguarded, to remove that armor and be free of the straps, hooks and wires. Home is many things to many people, myself included, but maybe one of the best things about home is that, home is where the bra comes off.

So... yeah... that. I'll be even more honest here; most days I'm dying, literally dying to get home and get this damn thing off. I hate it. Days when I don't put on a bra at all are like a vacation! Please girls, tell me I'm not alone in this? Being rather, ahem, "well endowed", bras have never, ever been comfortable for me. They are a necessary evil. They hurt my shoulders, they pinch, they poke. They are the devils work.

Right? Right.

This piece was a stretch for me even though it looks simple, I don't do cross stitch very often (oy, the counting!) and don't feel like I'm an artist, so modifying a font to the right size to be seen from a distance, and a developing a border which all lined up properly was a challenge, but one which I enjoyed. I don't know what I'm going to do with the piece moving forward, right now it's just chillin' on a shelf in my craft room... I'm kind of getting used to seeing it there, maybe I'll just leave it. 

What do you think, girls?  How do you feel about your bras? Are they a cage or a comfortable familiar? Do tell! I am always genuinely curious how other women feel about this subject. I'm looking forward to your comments!

oxo,

Lisa

p.s.

OH! I've been featured on Craft Gossip!

Check it out!

LMAO, I'm a winner!

Hey All You Beautiful People!

Thank you all so very, very much for all the kind and thoughtful comments you left on my last post about the embroidery of the Wynken, Blynken & Nod. You guys make me feel like I could fly, seriously. You're the best!

I wanted to reply to each and everyone of you, but I kept running into snags, many of you are "No Reply" bloggers. Have you heard of that before? When your comments come to me through my email address, I can easily respond and keep the conversation going, which is great - especially since you know me - I'm a chatty girl! Many times however, when I hit "reply" up in the address bar where your email address would normally appear, it simply says "No Reply" (insert sad face here)...  so I can't write back to you. Don't know if you're a "No Reply" blogger? I didn't know myself until I followed the steps I'm about to share with you. Rather than reinvent the wheel, I'm sharing a link to Karen's blog, Sew Many Ways. Click here to see if you're a no reply blogger, and if so, she'll tell ya how to change that if you're so inclined.

So hey! How've you been?!? Are you having a nice summer? It's been a while since I posted, and I guess that means I've been having a pretty nice summer too. I've been spending lots of time at the river with the dogs, goofing off and splashing around, and I have several cool embroidery and crafty projects in the works that I'll be able to share soon. I feel like I have so much to tell you guys! I guess I better blog more often so I don't overload you :o)

Today I want to do a little bit of braggin'! I won a little something recently from a rad, rad, rad lady! Even though I haven't met her in person, I'd consider her a friend, let me introduce you to Bex! Bex actually won a giveaway here on my blog a little while back, so you may remember her from then, but if not, go check out all the cool stuff she makes. She has an Etsy shop too, looky-looky!

Want to see what I won, hmm?

A very clever bookmark!

Watch out, you could literally LMAO too! Actually, maybe that's not such a bad idea... I've got some extra back there, maybe I need to laugh more and some of it will fall off? One can only hope! 

Oh, this "cracks" me up, harr-harr!

Thanks Bex, I love it! I'm actually using it in the book you recently recommended, The Historian. I'm only a few pages in, so far but I have a feeling this is going to be a very, very good book.

Well, ok folksies! I'm gonna let cha go, but I'll be back soon! I promise, no more 4 weeks between posts. That's far too long to be away from all you lovely people.

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday!

oxo,

Lisa

Potter Time Again!

Greetings Witches, Wizards and Muggles alike!

I'm really excited to share something with you guys today, this was something I made my niece, Alex for Christmas, and I'm really pleased with the final result. I think it's magical (harr harr)!

I should probably first state that while cross stitch isn't my forte, I do like it, and have some other things in mind, I don't think it's my strong point, but practice makes perfect, so I'll keep at it. I've definitely made some mistakes with this piece, but I'm not going to point them out, heehee.

I LOVED this pattern that I found in Kristy Kizee's Etsy shop, Bombastitch, and decided this is what I was going to make for Alex.

Ok, so this is about where we left off...

And here we are, finished!!

Oh, but I wasn't done there, I had plans to frame this piece, which ended up being a wee bit of a challenge because of the long narrow shape, but! Where there's a will there's a way. I had to cut my own picture matting, and I think it turned out great!

Dark Mark!

I frayed the long edges a bit, then sewed the stitched piece to a black patterned fabric. It's not the fabric I'd originally purchased for this project, it was left over from another project, and I like it so much better. And it's fitting too, because that project I made for Ana, Alex's sister... I love a happy coincidence.

Before framing I layered the piece with batting, adding some dimension so as to not look so flat under the glass.

And did I tell you? I stitched this Dark Mark with Glow In The Dark Floss by DMC, and I'm really happy to say, this sucker glows really well. Unfortch, it's not that easy to photograph, but you can kind of see it here.

Woop~woop!!

I sent this piece (carefully packed in bubble wrap) to Alex with a couple of other great Etsy finds too, and with permission of the shop owners, I get to share these with you guys as well!

You should know something about Alex, she's not a froo-froo girl. She's a tomboy, and a straight up nerd. And despite my deep love of delicate tea things and a passion for embroidery, so am I. It's easy to shop for her, because I get to pick things I like and I know she will too.

First I found this shirt by S&S Ink. I still get the giggles when I see it.

She loved it, naturally.

Super mega bonus here, people!! The gals at S&S Ink have offered a special for my readers (this is so cool, I've never done this kind of thing before!!) if you go to their shop and purchase anything, make sure to use the promo code: BLOG20 for a 20% discount!!!

Yeehaw!

I also found these amazing, custom made key chains on Etsy in Tesoro Jewelry's shop.

The front...

And an added surprise on the back...

I absolutely adore these key chains, I think they're so terrific, I ordered two!

I'm pleased to say that Alex freaked out when she opened her box, she told me that she couldn't wait to get back to the barracks, so she opened it in the parking lot at the post office. She said she actually squealed (loud enough to garner the attention of passersby) when she unwrapped the stitched piece, and if you knew Alex, you'd know... that's pretty major. She loved the key chain & t-shirt too. Yay!

I'll be honest, I was feeling pretty pleased with myself when she told me about her uncontrolled squealing. That's one of the things I love so much about handmade. It's always nice when you give someone a gift that they really like, but when it's something you made yourself, there's a deep satisfaction which is almost like a gift to yourself. You guys know what I mean, right?

I have a bunch more stitching to get to this weekend, but as I write these words, the sun has come out from hiding and I have the day off, which only means one thing... it's time to get my Vespa out of the garage and go for a ride! Seems like it's been forever since the last time, and I got some new winter riding gloves this week that I'm dying to try out! No more frozen fingers for me!

Hope you are all having a great weekend!

oxo,

Lisa