Exchange Completed YAY

I put the cow together. I turned it into a card that can stand up, similar to a flat fold. I just hope Rose likes it!

This is the front and it is sitting between the snowmen salt and pepper shakers I got for her as an "extra". She loves snowmen. The chart is Snowmen Cow designed by me and based on the generic cow shape of Les Marottes.

This is the back. It says "For Rose, From Raven. Cross Stitch Forum ATC Round 5, Mar 2009, Snowmen Cow by Raven". I added a pink crystal heart charm from Mill Hill treasures for a bit of "bling" on the back.

I have been working on my Blackwork Winter Sampler by Tam's Creations again. I have the center and one of the 4 corners done and am working on the upper left corner now. I will try to put pictures up tomorrow since I am not done stitching today.

I found a site last night that had over a thousand files on it which were all illegal copies of cross stitch charts for download. The site is similar to webshots in that it is supposed to be a picture hosting site, but a few people used it to list illegal scans of charts from many different companies, some of which included Dimensions, Dimensions Gold, Teresa Wentzler, Passione Ricamo, Mirabilia, Cross My Heart, RICO, PINN, and many more. I couldn't believe it when I saw how many charts were up there. So I made a list of each chart I could identify, arranged by company and then used the list to send emails to each company that included the name of the stolen chart and a direct link to the files. I am hoping to see that site disappear by the end of the week. It really annoys me to see people continuing to steal from designers. In total it was 35 emails.

Well I am off to watch a movie with my beautiful neice!

Feeling Real Happy!

I have my first HD of 2009!! I am feeling so happy and excited!! Better than I have felt in months!





The first chart I have designed for myself and stitched is completed, I finished the backstitching tonight!

This is my Snowmen Cow design, fully stitched! It is for an exchange on Cross Stitch Forum, a forum filled with the most wonderful people I have ever met online. The people on this forum are real, welcoming to newcomers, and their behavior matches their words. I honestly love this forum and the people on it and it is one of the 2 forums that I go to now because there is no clique and the people on it are just wonderful!

Anyway, this cow is for Rose on that forum. It is for the ATC (artist trading card) exchange, round 5. I am majorly late, but that is partly because I was sick for 6 weeks and had uncontrolled pain for a few weeks. I put the last stitch in it tonight. I think it came out pretty good! My DH is buying me the few items I need to turn it into a card that will stand up on its own (kind of a flat fold type of thing). I stitched the words for the back as well. I will mail it on Monday and I really hope that Rose likes it!

I can't believe how happy and energized I feel after finishing this! I am excited, happy, smiling and feeling really good! I haven't felt this good in weeks! Maybe this is all I needd, to finally accomplish something to start of the new year.

I will kit up the chart that my sister in law Stephanie chose for me to do a birth sampler for my niece. It is mirabilia design called Crescent Dreams, a baby in a blanket on a crescent moon. I will be changing the blanket to pink rather than blue, then adding Bridgette's information to it once it is done. I hope it turns out real well for them!

Maybe this energized feeling will be the catalyst to pull me out of this depression I've been dealing with since the first of the year.

Way too long

It has been a long time since I have posted. I am sorry about that. I am still around. It took me six weeks to get over being sick back in January (my last post) and 2 antibiotics. It took another 2 weeks to finally feel more like myself. Ugh I hate being that sick!



I have been fighting depresson again with the New Year. I'm not sure what has brought it about, maybe the fact that I turned 40 had something to do with it, I'm not sure. I just know that I have had very little desire to do anything at all including stitching. I have done no stitching that is not an obligation so far this year. I just haven't felt like it. Heck, to be honest I haven't felt like doing anything at all. *sigh* I'm working on it though and hopefully I can pull myself out of it soon. I really hate it when this happens. I don't want to talk to anyone, don't want to do anything or go anywhere and I know that giving in to those feelings is not at all helpful and just makes it worse, but it can be so very hard to fight it. Specially when it is accompanied by a higher pain level due to normal monthly stuff, since the increased pain decreases my mobility and decreased mobility feeds into the depression and lack of desire to do anything. I guess I will have to do what I have always done and just force myself to start doing things again. Things that I know I like because even if doig them right now doesn't make me feel happy, I know my enjoyment will return when the depression lessens a little bit.



I did make a chart of my own based on the cow charts that can be found here: http://lesmarottesdenath.free.fr/index.php?doc=1



It is for an ATC (artist trading card) exchange that I signed up for. The chart I made should look like this when it is completed (virtual stitches). I used PC Stitch Pro 9 to make it. The person it is for loves snowmen but already had the chart that was already made, so I decided to make my own. I don't think she reads my blog, so hopefully this will be a nice surprise for her! Darn, blogger will not cooperate tonight and let me upload a picture so here is a link to it instead, sorry.

http://thumb12.webshots.net/t/52/752/0/85/4/2428085040092041512mQWshc_th.jpg

I have all but the little bit of backstitching around the snowmen, their hats and scarves done. Then I have to do the words for the backing then put it all together. Hopefully blogger will cooperate and let me upload pics when I have it done. If not I will provide a link to the finished project.

I will try to post again tomorrow and hopefully get the pictures up!