Keeping up the Practice

un uccello testa rossa

a red head bird

It has been a challenge to find time every day to devote to my New Years goals. I keep my embroidery in a basket close to my desk for impromptu stitches. The other day I stitched this little bird during a fifteen minute phone conversation....
....and speaking of phone conversations.
I had a most rewarding phone conversation/consultation with
Stacey Cornellus of thestudiosource.com.
Stacey writes a creative marketing blog that will help you "manage the business side of your creativity." She is warm and approachable and offered me great advice on how to market my talents and take the steps that will help me establish myself and my brand in a very competitive market.

Stacey's blog is full of helpful suggestions and interesting ideas. For the self employed creative business person The Studio Source offers a place for sharing information and improving your business sense....Thank you Stacey for providing that service...CHECK IT OUT!
...and with that being said...there are winds of change in the air and exciting new ideas ahead!

Cross Stitch Fruit Basket

Cesto di frutta punto croce

cross stitch fruit basket

Resolution #1, Project #1....Antique Embroidery Inspiration....tiny 2X4 inch fruit basket motif cross stitch..Mission Accomplished!

After many hours of frustration stitching tiny crosses through tiny holes, trips to Joann's for bigger needles and linen with bigger holes, Internet research on making the perfect cross stitch, I have finally found my embroidery groove...YIPPEE!
Through the power of perseverance, confusion turns to understanding and the rows begin to roll out one by one, designing as I go...25 red stitches become an apple, 58 yellow and you have a pear, the orange and grapes unfold before my eyes!
Looking back over my canvas I see mistakes I made, on the pear I decided to switch direction and in so doing the stitches picked up a different texture. This mistake taught me that you could create texture and that may give me the ability to mold my next image. I will always look back as this piece of cross stitch as my FIRST piece of cross stitch and in so doing will be able to see how far I have come. It all about the process.