I've got to fly....

and away I went!  

From the humble beginnings of an idea.  I promised a great friend a piece to stitch, something I would design with an amazing dragonfly.  I sketched and for awhile it sat, then I sketched some more.  Then came a chunk of time that I could run with the idea.    

Initial drawing on canvas before painting.  

"Flying Jewels"©2014
a Kimberly design©
Remember the border with the little dragonfly motifs I posted a few weeks ago...It's along the top, along the bottom is the line up ready for take off.  
Here you see it all!!  Hand painted piece measures approximately 12" square on eighteen count canvas 

Voila!  Check out my fabulous dragonfly!!  

This could not have happened without the support of Kreinik Mfg. I was on a tear looking for copper mesh.  I knew it existed but finding it proved to be a daunting task.  I could find ugly gray screen at the hardware store, I explored the net and exchanged emails with someone in China.  

Then I had one of those blinding flashes of brilliance...they do happen! The inner voice shouted at me....'KIMBERLY, YOU NEED METAL, CALL DENA AT KREINIK'.  After all, they have provided me with beautiful metallics to stitch with throughout my career as a designer.  Dena responded within a day that YES! Doug has a source, then Doug emailed, YES, what do you need...I replied, he wrote back, I answered, then asked, 'are you going to carry it', YES!  WOW, I was doing a happy dance! 

Of course, the copper mesh arrived and I had stitched the rest of the canvas to be ready for it.  

But...what if it didn't work, so I stared at it for a couple of days...then dove in.  I cut out the shapes, scored the veins in, edged it with metallic thread, attached the wings and my dragonfly came to life!  Then I stared at it again for awhile, it's just so nice when a plan comes together.  Pretty sure this all occurred late in an evening, pretty sure I was snapping pictures and texting with Ruth to say, 'Hey, look what I did!!'  

They really do come in this awesome color!
Not the greatest picture...crazy bugs move pretty fast.  
I was lucky to get this.  

"Flying Jewels"© is available as a painted canvas
with awesome stitch guide & copper mesh

Have your favorite LNS contact
wholesale  from Ruth Schmuff Designs
or
Bedecked and Beadazzled

Have to add a P.S. here.

I belong to an amazingly talented group on FaceBook with the pin name "Needlepoint Nation".  When I commented on my fruitless treasure hunt for copper mesh one of the members private messaged me to say she had some screen and would send it to me. She was thrilled to lighten her stash and help me out.  Sadly it was too large but the generosity of Andrea truly touched me. Thank you so much for reaching out to help a fellow stitcher in need.  

Oh, and for those who comment, 'wow, that's a dying art', let me tell you that this nation is growing daily.  Last count I saw was 5,350 members with more knocking at the proverbial door!  Talk about a support group!

what...

what what what to post this week???  I had a blast celebrating my birthday last weekend.  Finished up my big project before heading out of town and now this week I'm staring at my screen working up the stitch guide for it.  

Of course, YOU CAN'T SEE IT YET!!  

Just a peek for you!
Wait until you see the rest!!??!!

My Mom and I visited St. Petersburg, Florida this past weekend.  We toured the Salvador Dali Museum, it was so real. How awesome to be able to see his work up close.  Even the building is cool.  

'Sentinels'
Perfectly positioned, wouldn't you say?

Mom caught photo, gazing at the incredible ceiling.
Odd pose but appropriate to the environment. 

What I was gazing upon.
Spiral is a staircase leading up to the galleries.

And then...the next day...we strolled the downtown area of St. Petersburg.  Which happens to include a Dale Chihuly Collection gallery.  I've seen his work before but would never turn down an opportunity to see more!  

Chihuly Collection, St Petersburg, Florida

These were very hard to photograph!  The center stamens are actually a beautiful orange color.  Even playing with the image in photoshop didn't get that color pop! 

Still a cool image but not what it was for real.  

Chihuly Collection, St Petersburg, Florida

This reminded me of an up coming piece 

I have on the paint table! 

Part of my 'Dreams Trilogy'.  

Chihuly Collection, St Petersburg, Florida
Here you can see the orange center much better.
Still a bugger to photograph, for me anyway.

determination....

Since I know, positively, that I am not alone in this obsessiveness about stitching...I know many of you will understand why I'm falling asleep sitting up in my chair at 3 in the afternoon!  

I simply had to finish this border last night!

Bottom border of 'Flying Jewels'© FINI !
Just the center focal point to get creative with...
waiting for new toys to play with.

Lined up for take off.

'Flying Jewels'©2014
a Kimberly design©

I know a lot of you post these great shots of your toes with the ocean or a sparkling pool as a back drop. I have a puppy for a back drop here...and the foot is badly bruised.  

Did you ever do something fairly foolish and decide to share it with the world in hopes that no one repeats your wonderful experience??!  

Long story...my favorite way to stitch is on my lap with one of my two favorite frames from Kay's Creations. I have a Petite Z Frame and then a larger one. [About two years ago they came out with one that does it all.]  

Kay actually plunked the petite frame down in front of me at a summer market, smiled ever so sweetly and told me to try it out. There was always method to her requests...my booth was across the isle from another frame rep :-)  I can't tell you how many frames 'we' sold at that market and to this day, it is still my favorite.  

So, here I am working on my large dragonfly design in the larger Z Frame.  I continually need something that is not within reach, so up I get and off I go to dig/search/retrieve said item. However, the other day I only took hold of the stretcher bars...I had been flipping back and forth, universal clamp was not fully tightened and BAM...it landed on my second toe!  One or two choice words followed as the pain reached my brain, weird how that takes a beat to get from foot to brain.  I also heard Kay in my head 'well twit, what did you expect'.  Miss her.  

Heed my warning...

Universal is fully tightened!

Firm believer in Arnica Montana.
Bruising could have been a lot worse.
Chance is the best footrest one could ask for.

Have a fabulous week!

nose to canvas...

...nice block of time to stitch,

means I'm actually seeing daily progress!

Finished the background, yay!

Love silk ribbon, cover a lot of ground quickly!
'Flying Jewels'
a Kimberly design©2014

You've seen the top border, hope I can wow you with the bottom border band shortly!

On another note, Ruth Schmuff just added three more of my designs to the website & blog!!
Click here
Color does make us both happy! 

what made my day...

Actually, many little minute pauses to appreciate is what always does it for me.  The hard part is the remembering to take the pauses.  

Quick conversations with customers in the shop where I work, people whom I've never met can be treasures to chat up.  It's the getting to know little bits of people that come through my days.  

Seems in order to truly appreciate the treasures, one must also embrace some sadness too.  A sweet friend lost her soul mate, another fights a battle with health.  [I don't much like this part]

So when I pull into home at the end of the day and there are a ton more blooms on my Frangipani I have to smile and drop all to take a picture.  To look even more closely at the amazing shading nature puts out there for me to take in.  

Of course, one must not forget my beautiful family and our newest little member.  My daughter found a quote that I'm going to repeat here...she's discovering how amazing being a new mommy is and I love being the watcher of this new life unfolding before us.

~Nothing can truly prepare you for all that comes with having an infant.  The immediate connection is indescribable, but the best description I've read is from Elizabeth Stone who said that "Making the decision to have a child - it is momentous.  It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body." [excerpt from my daughters blog, Emma is already one month old here]

What makes me love baby piggies!?

Look at all that color!
I love the branch, the color contrast from leaf to stem to branch.
Pretty amazing.

beginnings...

My brain loves this!  

Calculating a border sets my design muse on its ear, 

too much fun...no way!

Some days are made for playing with thread and stitches.
Messing around with string art and fine thread is one of my favorites.
And a little dragonfly was born in the corner.

Coming up with a light coverage background
is next on the 'todo' list.

Happy little bug.

Art Deco feel, maybe.
Reminds me of a carved border around the top of an old building.
 Didn't know I was architectural, did you?

I take many pictures while stitching.
The camera sometimes shows me a totally different perspective
than what I'm seeing while focused on the stitches.
Sometimes this perspective is very cool, sometimes I'm reverse stitching.

Reality....

Reality along the Rhein, hard to take. 

The square downtown Wiesbaden. Stormy spring day reality.

New design 'Little Bird'©2014
In honor of my very first grand child,
sweet little Emma.
All in lovely rich colors of silk & wool,
all basketweave.
She'll not ever be told she can't
snuggle with this pillow.

Can you tell how much I am loving
this sweet little baby!
Rocked my reality!

Sweetest little reality in our families world!

My darling daughter takes great care of me.
Even makes me gluten free treats in heart shapes!

First gardenias this year.
We have two huge bushes full!
Pretty nice slices of my reality,
now to get back to work.
Loving life.

She's here!

Introducing the most beautiful Granddaughter ever,
Emma Katherine
born May the 5th, 2014
Mommy is still glowing, Daddy is awesomely proud,
and me, so wowed,
walking on air!

lots of art happening!

... and I can't show it all to you ... YET!  So snippets for now ....

Puff ...

his castle ...

clowning ...

a tassel ... maybe a quilt ... maybe not saying too much ...

love a border ...

Fuchsia ...

stretch....

accomplishment for today...
new doodle and
I'm posting this from my new tablet!

Learning curve with Windows8 .... My 'Happy Beast' is not the only thing being stretched.  The brain is getting a great workout as well!