Naughty Stitching

Happy happy joy joy!

 Happy happy joy!

My release of the Pins and Needles pattern has been an astounding success! Wow! I never could have dreamed!

I mean guys,
 I just casually pulled out my languishing cross stitch last September, in order to make a Christmas stocking for my newest granddaughter Hideko; and I found this completed cross stitch piece that was made for the market!
 I had never published it.

So I thought, what the hey!
 May as well finish the charting and put it in my Etsy shop as a PDF, right?

So I did.

My Etsy Shop

 And then I shared it on Instagram, and you guys liked it! I mean really liked it!

(When I was designing cross stitch before, there was no instagram, so, no way to see instant market reaction, and not a lot of seeing what people are actually stitching, unless they were sharing it on a blog.)

And then I thought, may as well send it to my distributor (whom I haven't been in contact with in almost 3 years), and guess what happened? They placed a huge order!

And now I have reprinted 3 more times!

So exciting!

So thank you! thank you! thank you!!

So what is naughty stitching?

Well its all the wonderful designs by my favorite designers that I want to stitch!

But, I need be stitching my own designs for the marketplace!

LOL!

And you know how long cross stitch takes!

So pretty much everytime you see me posting on Instagram any stitching that I have not designed, for me, it is naughty stitching!!

Like this:

My instagram handle:

anniebeezfolkart

And this:

And sadly, this:

So I have used the "mom" card, and recruited 2 of my children to help me stitch models in 2017.

My 2 daughters Isabel and Chelsea and Chelseas beautiful babies, Hideko and Amy

Neither of them are cross-stitchers, yet! But oh boy! Do I have news for them!

After all, I gave them life, right!?

And as Lorelia Gilmore says:"Some would liken giving birth to the most rewarding experience in life, but I would say it was more like doing the splits on a case of dynamite!"
Ha! Ha! Ha!

So, they owe me!

Big time!

Have a wonderful Holiday Season, however you celebrate it!
See ya in the new year with some great new designs!

OXOX,
Annie

Cross Stitch Terms and Abbreviations

Can you add anything to the list?

Frog- when you have to rip out stitches you have done in error, because the sound of it is "rippit! rippit~"

UFO- unfinished object

WIP- work in progress

BAP- big a**ed project (those huge projects that take a long time to complete even when you are totally on it!)

FO- finished object (the stitching is done)

FFO- fully finished object (meaning it is framed or finished into an ornament, pinkeep, etc.)

YOW- year of WIP's (you are focusing on your wips for a year)

Floss Tube- videos on Youtube of cross stitchers sharing their work

SFS-stitch from stash, there is also a Facebook group by this name

SAL-stitch along (people working on the same design and sharing their progress with one another)

Stitch MAYnia- starting 15 new projects the first 15 days of May-there is also a Facebook group by this name.

SABLE- stash acquired beyond life expectancy!

Bobbinate- winding floss on cardboard bobbins

XOXO,

 ~Annie

Two Finishes and A List of Cross Stitch Terms!

Here are 2 finishes, yay! They are small but I'll take it!

The first is Barbara Ana's little pinkeep from the Fall 2016 issue of Punchneedle and Primitive Stitching Magazine. I have a digital subscription to this magazine-I truly love it! There are always projects in every issue that I want to stitch, inspiring punchneedle, and there is usually even a rug hooking design as well.

I also finished a little wool applique pin cushion top. Now I just have to finish these little pieces into pin cushions and I will have two of what is known in the cross stitch world as FFO's= Fully Finished Objects.

Here is my progress on Houses of Hawk Run Hollow. I don't have much time to actually work on it, but I am going to make it my focus BAP (Big A**ed Project) for 2017. I've been stitching this with q-snaps, but I have decided to switch to scroll rods because I don't want the q-snaps to distort the stitched areas. I ordered some big ole 30 inch scrolls, and wowzer! They are B-I-G!!! I think I will like this much better.

Hanging around Floss Tube I have picked up some new cross stitch abbreviations and terms that I had not heard of before. One is the afore-mentioned term:  FFO. I thought it would be fun to share a list!

Frog- when you have to rip out stitches you have done in error, because the sound of it is "rippit! rippit~"

UFO- unfinished object

WIP- work in progress

BAP- big a**ed project (those huge projects that take a long time to complete even when you are totally on it!)

FO- finished object (the stitching is done)

FFO- fully finished object (meaning it is framed or finished into an ornament, pinkeep, etc.)

YOW- year of WIP's (you are focusing on your wips for a year)

Floss Tube- videos on Youtube of cross stitchers sharing their work

SFS-stitch from stash, there is also a Facebook group by this name

SAL-stitch along (people working on the same design and sharing their progress with one another)

Stitch MAYnia- starting 15 new projects the first 15 days of May-there is also a Facebook group by this name.

SABLE- stash acquired beyond life expectancy!

I'm sure there are more that I have forgotten.

 If your favorite abbreviation or term is not on the list please leave a comment and share,

 and I will add it to the list!

Happy Stitching!

XO,

~Annie

New Stitches

I have been working on some smalls in my spare time-while waiting for family in the car, etc. Here is my little Barbara Ana design almost complete. All she needs are 2 acorns and a star motif!

Autumn Keeper Pinkeep from Fall 2016 Punchneedle and Primitive Stitching Magazine design by Barbara Ana

Speaking of Barbara Ana, 

I am planning on stitching

  ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL 

in 2017.

 I am absolutely smitten by this design.

I love love love this!

 I have tried to tell myself that I MUST finish Houses of Hawk Run Hollow first, 

before I start another BAP!

 Oh man, I hope I listen to myself! *sigh*

.

Here is my progress on Houses:

I have the top row done and I'm working on the first house of the second row.

 I am stitching it on 40ct. Pearled Barley from Lakeside, 1 over 2 with the AVAS silks.

 Loving it!!

But its a long way to go by 2017. 

And I still have Hide's stocking to finish.

There are not enough hours in the day people!

XOXO

~Annie

New Chart!

My Pins and Needles chart is shipping to Hoffman Distributors as we speak and should be arriving in stores some time next week.

 It feels great to have a new design on the market. I am currently working on another pin cushion pattern, and then I will hunker down and do some Christmas stitching for my family.

 I have Hide's (pronounced Hee-day) stocking to finish and a couple of ornaments for my 2 granddaughters. 

Here is my progress on the stocking:

My son was married last Saturday and I am still pinching myself! They are young, both 24, but they have been together for 7 years, all through high school and even separate colleges. They have shown a great deal of maturity and restraint,
I am very proud of them both! Here is a picture from their beautiful day:

Aidan and Anneliese Belcher

And here is the sweetest picture I have to share. This is the grooms first look at the bride, and everyone around them is trying to hold it together. The two priests are trying not to laugh and my 2 other sons are smiling!! Everyone in this picture is part of our close community and we have all been through a lot together, so this is very precious to me! 

Isn't this just how every bride wants her groom to react!

lol!

Have a great week!

~Annie

Hey guess what?!

I got my stitching mojo back!

 I pulled out my cross stitch supplies to make a Christmas stocking for my newest grand daughter Hideko. (pronounced Hee-day-co: she is named for my mother-in-law who was from Japan)

As I began thumbing through my past projects and my WIPs, my perpetual love affair with needle and thread was re-kindled!

I started this stocking and then just for fun began posting on my Instagram account some of my work. Well, suddenly the world of FLOSSTUBE opened up, and as I began watching I was hooked on stitching again!!

LOL!

If you have never seen flosstube go to Youtube and search for it. A myriad of stitchers are making videos showing their work, their stash, their WIPs, and on and on!

My favorites are Primitive Stitcher, and my old friend Vonna Pfieffer, The Twisted Stitcher with her wonderful finishing tutorials, and Nicole Neville, at Nicole's Needlework, whose blog I used to follow religiously. And there are many many more! Its like a virtual cross stitch guild!

So now the obsession is ON!

Hahaha!

I've been away from the cross stitch world long enough that a lot is new to me now, so that makes it really fun. And of course I cannot help myself, I have to start designing because all kinds of great ideas are beginning to fill my head! So look for some new goodies in my Etsy shop.

I decided to work on some smalls just to get back in the groove, so I ordered a chart from 123 Stitch by Little House Needleworks called "Sheep Virtues". Here is my progress on it:

I mostly stitched it in the car when my husband and daughter and I went to St. Louis for the weekend a couple of weeks ago. It is DONE NOW (yay! a finish!) and I still have to make it into a little pillow ornament. It has a little JABCO birdie button that goes up in the tree. Too cute!

Here is my finish:

I also pulled out an old WIP. This is called Sampler Tea Cozy, and it was published in Sampler and Antique Needlework Quarterly, Vol. 16. I have always loved this so much and I really want to finish it.

Here is where I was when I first pulled it out:

And here you can see what the finished piece looks like:

Isn't is pretty? I have the perfect place for it on my china cabinet.
 Follow my anniebeezfolkart account on Instagram where I post updates almost daily.

See you soon!
~Annie

My first Youtube video!!!

Is blogging dead?

It seems that most people are not really blogging any more. Is blogging dead?

Do you still read blogs? I have to admit I don't really read many anymore myself. But I am not sure if it is because most of the blogs I used to read are no longer being updated (including my own), or if it because I am hanging out in different places now.

 For example I am spending a lot of time on Instagram and Periscope.

Cloth and Clay Angel available in my Etsy Shop

Instagram

I enjoy Instagram for the many artists who post there. I think I have been posting on Instagram for about 3 years now. In that time I can say I have really grown so much as an artist. Just looking daily at the work that artists post there has inspired me so much. I have learned about so many techniques and ways of selling art. I have been encouraged by the many generous people who have liked and commented when I have posted my own art. It has given me a sense of community and comradery. I have learned about supplies, how to use them, and where to learn more involved techniques through tutorials and online courses.

And looking at so many different kinds of art has inspired me to make decisions on where I want to go with my own art. The latest buzz is that now that Instagram has changed its algorithm it won't be the same anymore. We will have to see if that is true. But for now it is my "go to" social media.

Periscope

Periscope is a fairly new video streaming app that is linked to Twitter. I have never been a huge fan of Twitter, but I find Periscope pretty fun. Basically people use their phones to live stream whatever it is they are doing or want to talk about. There is a quite huge art community on Periscope. The app is only little over a year old, and in that time lots of artists have taken to it. There are also a lot of art and social media business coaches on there as well. I enjoy it for the many artist who show off their methods for creating digital art, simply because I am in the process of learning it myself and seeing someone actually do it, and hearing what tools they like is invaluable. Especially because tools are so expensive. It would be so hard for me to try to navigate all the possibilities by myself. I also listen to a few art and business coaches, and their advice has been really helpful.

So I do enjoy Periscope.

So this leaves me with the question; is blogging dead? Is it worth continuing with? I am pondering this question a lot lately. Do you still read blogs? Do you find them worthwhile? I would love to hear your thoughts!

xoxo

Annie

My Backyard Chickens

Here is a little video of my baby chicks! They were born on August 1, 2015. We got them in the mail on Aug. 3rd and they were in perfect shape!

We are part of a pilot backyard chicken program in our town. Sadly one of them turned out to be a rooster, so we had to take him to a farm in Wisconsin. I was really sad about it but he was crowing up a storm! Not exactly conducive to suburban living!

The Speckled Sussex turned out to be a rooster!

So now we have 3. We got our first egg on Christmas day!

We have 3 different breeds. An Easter Egger, a Golden Laced Wyandotte, and a Buff Orpington. They are all wonderful layers.

OXOX

~Annie

First Folk Doll of 2016!

This is my True Love Angel.

 She is a mixed media guardian angel who will remind you that you have a protector and guide on your journey through this world.
 And just in case you forget, she will always remind you of how unconditionally you are truly loved by the Father!

True Love Angel

Available Now! 

on

Primitive Folk Art Trinkets and Treasures

Stay warm my sweets!!

OXOX,

~Annie

So good to be back in the studio!

From Danielle Donaldson's lessons

New Dolly Undertakings for 2016!

Oh I just love a New Year! Time for new beginnings and 

new inspirations! I have started some little sculpties to begin with for 2016.

 A wee little Bunny to remind us that spring is coming, and some little clay chickens to brighten a conner of your home! Look for them on the 10th at PFATT Marketplace. Hope you are also filled with the promise of a new year as I am!

OXOX

Annie