Saturday, June 6, 2015

Cross Stitch Gift and a Little Zen Doodling

Hi There!

Guess what? The sun is shining. For the moment, anyway! Oh my goodness, we have had a ton of rain here in my neck of the woods. The past three days alone, we've had pretty loud thunderstorms, hail and even some tornadoes touch down about 15 minutes north of where I live. It's a wild and wacky springtime in the Rockies. I haven't been able to plant anything and may not at the rate we are going. 

Hey, guess what else? 
I've got a few things to share! 
Yay!

A very good friend of mine is going to be celebrating a birthday very soon. After I finished the dragon, I started on a counted cross stitch project. Got it done fairly quickly and have been searching the past several days for a frame. Um, and haven't been successful at all. I decided this morning to look for creative ideas to finish cross stitch projects. I came across this idea and thought it would be a neat way to showcase the project. 

Here's how it turned out. 


I tried to take a picture with a little of the side showing so you can see the ribbon and if you look at the very bottom of the block on the right side you can see part of the pin I used for legs. I really liked this fun way to finish the project.

I pinned a few other ideas for creatively finishing cross stitch project for future use. Framing can be hard, especially for odd sized pieces. 

In shopping for frames at the craft stores, I came across a brand new publication called Zen Doodle Workshop. I found it at Joann and also at Barnes and Noble. It's a pretty neat magazine. I liked all the ways you can use your doodling. One of the projects I saw is creating a box with Kraft cardstock. I have a need for a small, 3x3 box, so I decided to give it a go. I really liked the idea of white on Kraft.   
Here's what I came up with. Not great, but not too terrible for a first effort, I don't think. 
I was having some issues with my Signo Gel pen skipping and such. I added a little detail with a black pen. But if I were to do this again, I'd go with a pencil for detail like they said to use in the tutorial. 


Here's a glimpse at the side. 

I really liked the idea of decorating the paper and folding it into a box. Makes it a bit more personal for gift giving. 

That's it from me for now. 
Thanks so much for stopping by. 
I hope you have a great day.

Jeanne

4 comments:

Kay Miller said...

Well look at you!! All of these fun crafting projects! I'm so glad you're having time to create! The cross stitched picture is gorgeous and I do love the way you finished it! Lucky friend!! That box!!! Oh that box is amazing!! Wow! I would have thought it was something printed out! I never would have guessed you drew all of that! You have a knack for that zen doodle stuff! Great job on all of these! We've had lots of rain too, and some severe, but today it's just plain hot! Ugh... the summer has begun :) (Hugs friend!))

Barb said...

The Crafting Queen is at it again! I love your cross stitched piece. And I'm sure your friend will, too.

Your Zen doodling is FABULOUS! I cannot believe this is a first attempt. I love it! I look forward to seeing more of this from you.

Hugs!
Barb :)

Anonymous said...

Beautiful counted cross stitch and that box is too. You are so talented. Thanks for sharing.

cm said...

Wow, Jeanne - a diversity of fabulous projects showcased here! I'm a cross-stitcher from way back (until card-making and worsening eyesight have taken over!!) and your lovely cross-stitch reminds me of how much I truly do love that 'sport'! Your friend will adore this, as do I! I still have a baby sampler to finish for my nephew (Noah's Ark theme)...and he's already three! Eek! Your kraft/white doodle box: gorgeous! Your flair with so many crafts is absolutely impressive!
Hugs~c