Rabbit Pillow

This cute bunny canvas was my reward for stitching a very large tropical fish canvas!

I stitched the basket stitch at the bottom with 2 different Gloriana silk floss colors- one for the vertical stitches, and the other for the horizontal stitches. The tulips are stitched with 4mm River Silks ribbon.

For the bunny’s body, I stitched basketweave with Alpaca 18.  If I had to do it again, I would use Encroaching Gobelin.  Basketweave left a lot of bulk on the back of the canvas and the front a little threadbare after brushing it with my bunka brush.

I can’t wait to have this made into a pillow for my spring collection!

Spotted at Market

Check out this fabulous rooster from Patti Mann!  It’s available in several different colorways and patterns.  Stitch one of these and it’s like having a rooster without the upkeep or the noise!

First Class Day at TNNA Market

I enjoyed two wonderful classes yesterday, both taught by Sandra Arthur.

The first was the Captain Blackbeard canvas by JP Needlepoint. Sandy wrote a terrific guide and the finished canvas is too cute. I learned a new stitch, Pekingnese and a really cool trick for creating paper templates for appliques. Also new to me were the Planet Earth thread Furr Fuzz Funn, Kreinik’s kid leather and new metallic embellishments from Sundance. JP also has a wench canvas that I will have to have.

My second class featured the Flaming Fowl canvas by Leigh. The finished canvas is simply stunning. I have a new favorite stitch– Reverse Chain and I learned an or nue’ variation. My new favorite effect was the use of Wonder Ribbon and crystals from The Collection for the tail feathers.

Market opens this morning and I can’t wait to see what is new!

Three Witches Stitch Guide Complete!

I’ve been hard at work on this canvas and stitch guide for quite a while- and now here they are, just in time for Halloween!

This Pajamas and Chocolate canvas was painted so well that the stitches almost picked themselves! I used lots of glittery threads and beads (which are optional in the stitch guide, if you don’t like working with them).  My favorite stitches are the ones I used for the bark, the grass, and the moon. There are over 25 stitches represented in the finished canvas!

I had lots of help in putting this stitch guide together- a big thank you to Deborah Forney and Cynthia Thomas (both national needlepoint teachers) and my daughter Liz. I’ve finally “got it”!

You can see the canvas I started with here.

Working On: Fall Canvas

Here’s a little peek at my latest stitched canvas! My favorite things about it: the beads for the bunch of fall berries and using Kreinik’s “Easter Grass” in size 4 braid for the lantern glass. This canvas makes me feel like fall is in the air somewhere, even if it’s not here yet on Amelia Island! (a high of 82 is forecast for today)

Brenda Stofft Trunk Show

It’s so easy to choose favorites from this trunk show! It leans heavily towards the Christmas/Halloween/Easter side of things- and we all know how I love a good holiday! These are the canvases I want to take home with me, or click here to view the whole trunk show.

Kitty Conga Line

Peace on Earth

Post Card Santa

Give Thanks

An Update on the Seaside Santa

  It’s been some time since I posted on my blog about the Seaside Santa, but I haven’t been idle.  In fact, my fab finisher has just completed him and is taking him for a ride to the photography studio soon. I started with the seahorse–for some reason I have an affinity for them these days.  Next up was the starfish, done entirely in beads.  It reminds me of many field trips to the Monterrey Bay Aquarium–watching the otters frolic, learning about the coastal Pacific environment and watching children splash and play with the sea creatures in the touching pond.  Starfish were among the creatures to be handled.  An odd side comment–the aquarium had (has?) a lovely restaurant that served wonderful sushi.  Interesting…. -Michele

Trunk Show Favorites: Final Day

Thanks for checking in on us! For our final post on our favorites from the CBK Artists trunk show, it was a toss-up between these two canvases. So we decided we’d just post both of them! First up is this brightly colored fish; the fantastic colors really caught our eye.

Red Fish

And next, we have two very sophisticated dogs, playing tennis, of course.

Wimbledon canvas

Trunk Show Favorites: Day 4

Artist Emily Garcia brings us this charming Christmas canvas. It’s so fun to find a Santa canvas that is a little bit different than the other ones we see every day. How often do you see Santa hot air ballooning??

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

View this canvas on our website. And click here to see the rest of the trunk show!

Trunk Show Favorites: Day 3

Today, we’re highlighting three canvases from CBK artist Beth Cope. She has a distinct style, all her own- and we just can’t get enough it it! We find her work so cheerful and cheeky! Click here to view all of her canvases in our trunk show, and take a look at the canvases we love the most:

Palm Tree

Martini

Two Lounging Ladies