Faith and the fickle heart!

If this blog has any purpose, it is to remind me of where I am supposed to be focusing my energies. Ha!

Her Majesty's Glove designed by Nostalgic Needle

 

One of my goals for 2013 was to focus my energies on embroidery.

I fell into an apathetic hole from the end of 2011 until October of 2012 and barely picked up a needle, unless forced to for commissions and such.

Granted 2012 was the "Year of the Wedding" which was all-consuming and incredibly stressful. 

ABC123 by Annie Beez Folk Art new design

 

But who am I kidding. 

When it comes to the arts, my heart is FICKLE!

I have lamented this fact many times over the years on this very blog!

ANY type of art can turn my head and then I am running after it with the reckless abandon of a co-ed in the springtime!

Bluebells free design by Laura J. Perin

 In my defense(and I cling to this pathetically) I have just published 2 cross stitch designs, one of which is the last chart in a series which has only taken me 2 years to release!(my extreme apologies to those who have been stitching this series!)

And I am writing an article for Prims magazine that will accompany an oil painted doll they will be featuring. So not a complete slacker!

3 dimensional bird design in surface embroidery by Annie Beez Folk Art

But, even though my focus is embroidery, I now have no less than 7 embroidery projects in the works. These are projects out on my work desk or set up in various frames in my studio.

Beetle and Berry Stumpwork Embroidery by The Floss Box

 

 This does not include WIPs or UFOs, obviously!

Only 1 is cross stitch. 

At least the rest are embroidery,

(even though I can hear my watercolors calling me and I am pretending not to hear!)

So I am boldly calling this Focused Fickleness!

 And I am keeping the faith that, as Mrs. Haynes(my daughter) said, God made you this way for a reason. So the reason must be that all of this exploring adds to my development as an artist, right? 

That sounds good, I'm going with it!

I'm not a 1 book at a time reader either!

Do any of you have trouble seeing a project through to the end?

 Or are you one of those 1 project at a time stitchers? 

(I envy you!)

XX

~Annie

Give Away Winner!!!

Such Friendship by Annie Beez Folk Art

Here are the results from the Random Number Generator:

1. TerriBoog
2. Gayle
3. Mary
4. Cindy
5. Katrina
6. Vickie
7. Margaret
8. Barbaral
9. Kate
10. barbara
11. Ellen
12. Lynda Ruth
13. Deb
14. April
15. Petit Cadeau

The names were put in by the order they were recieved in the comments, then randomized.

Congratulations Terri!!!

I will be contacting you shortly!

The patterns are now available in my Etsy Shoppe.

Click here to go see.

Thanks for playing everyone!

xx

~Annie

Sneak Peek and a give away!

Such Friendship by Annie Beez Folk Art

This new chart will also be winging its way to my distributor today, and up in my Etsy shop by the end of the week.

The model is stitched on 32ct. flax linen using a combination of sampler threads from Crescent Colours, Gentle Art and Weekes Dye Works. I used a piece of antique lace along the side when I finished it!Isn't it ooo-la-la pretty?? 

I just love antique laces and trims and will scour antique shops endlessly looking for them!

The little flower centers are stitched with a leviathan variation stitch and there is a wee Rhodes heart in the bottom right hand corner.

Leave me a comment on this post and I will enter your name for a free chart of this design on Friday!!

xx

~Annie

Quilty Neighborhood

Finally finished this one! 

Yay! Happy dance!

 I stitched and ripped this last chart many times before I was satisfied! 

I have finished the charting and this will be off to the distributor on Monday!

 Here is the entire piece before framing:

The final chart, Covered Bridge will be in my Etsy shop next week as an e-pattern. It will be in shops within the next couple of weeks!

xx

~Annie

For Sale or Trade

Time for a January Clearance! LOL!I have added a Sale or Trade tab to the top of this and my cross stitch blog. Everything is priced to go...!

Thanks for looking!

XX

~Annie

Mad Samplar

Mad Samplar

I have long been a fan of this site, and I am just as addicted to reading and research as I am to stitching. But somehow I had missed the needlework shop portion of this site and just looked at it for the first time yesterday. 

Be still my heart!

The selection of samplers is wonderful and is filling that empty space that my beloved Whyndham Needleworks used to occupy. You know, a shop where the selections are truly sampler oriented.  

And there are  plenty of the best of charts featuring specialty stitches and other techniques from all over the world. 

Just what I love!

So huzzah to Paige at Mad Samplar, I will be lurking there often!

Some clearance items on TDIPT

 

These handmade items are reduced 50%!

Have a look here.

Thanks for looking!

XX
~Annie

Happy New Year!

Blue Worke~Annie Beez Folk Art

From my house to yours!

I'm wishing you all a very happy, healthy and productive New Year, abundant with blessing for you and those you love!

Good morning! 

I am up early this New Years day to pick up the little one from a sleepover and go to church. It is a holy day of obligation for we catholics, which I guess could keep some of us from too much revelry on New Years eve! 

 I haven't been much of an early riser these days, with the boys home from college I find myself up late watching movies with them and such.(we have watched all 10 hours of LOTR on blue ray for example) .

I had a very quiet New Years eve which I thoroughly enjoyed, stitching and watching Jane Austen movies. 

I have been thinking about the new year, what plans I have for Annie Beez Folk Art in 2013 and so forth. I have been putting in the last stitches on the final chart in the Quilty Neighborhood series and am now working on the charting

 and planning the release date.

xx

~Annie