Top 5 Tuesday: Last 5 Films Watched

Kate had the theme up, but I didn't notice until she posted on her blog, so I'm a little late to the game with my post. I hope you all enjoy films! I don't watch too many, so this may be a challenge for me to remember what we've watched recently. 

LAST 5 FILMS WATCHED

1. Inside Out

I don't know if I'm the last person ever to watch this one, but I think I might be close. It seems like everyone had watched this one already. I'm sorry I had waited, because it's so good! It's like you're watching the inner turmoil of one child as something major happened (moving to another state at age 11) and why we react how we do as if we have no control. It's really interesting and sad and funny and everything a good movie should be. We watched it all together Sunday night and DD covers her eyes with her hands in the "scary" parts. There aren't really any scary parts though, but the ones that she doesn't know what's going to happen, etc. 

2. The Mermaid

This is such a fantastic movie! I talked about it last year on here as well, and yes, I've watched it again. This time with my SIL who is so annoyed she can't watch it anywhere in Canada. I feel like it's kind of a retelling of Romeo and Juliet, as so many movies are, and the funny bits are so incredibly funny! The main characters are a very, very rich entrepreneur and Shan, a seemingly poor girl. Against all odds they're falling in love, but there's an evil woman trying to get the rich man to herself and once it's discovered that there's more to Shan than just a poor girl, it gets really intense. 

3. Deadpool

I really do like watching this film. There are so many good aspects to it. It has a great story, and it certainly can be offensive if you're not a fan of crude language. It feels like a grown-up superhero movie, meaning it has all the adventure of a movie for children, but there's a lot more swearing and adult content. Plus there's a major fight scene to Angel of the Morning.. and how can that not be funny? It's over-the-top in a good way generally. 

4. Captain America: Civil War

Again I was a little late watching this compared to most other people, and it was a good movie. A long movie, but good. I enjoyed the different twists the plot took to get to the end result. It does help to have seen at least the other Avengers movies, and Captain America: Winter Soldier, but you can pick up the plot line even if you haven't. 

Basically Captain America thinks that the Avengers should not have government oversight because he's too familiar with how governments can use "assets" to personal gains and Iron Man/Tony Stark feels that the government should have oversight because he's still hurting from his enormous mistake in Avengers: Age of Ultron. It's interesting to see who teams up with whom and how it all plays out. The other part is how there's a mastermind behind trying to create all the dissension within the Avengers, and Black Panther turns up! Very cool character and can't wait to see that movie as well. 

5. The Little Prince

I still do not understand why they didn't release this in theatres in the USA. It's a wonderful film. It's not the story of the book, which would be difficult, it's the story of a little girl who's very school and goal focused because that's how her mother is bringing her up. Her mother works long hours now that she is a single parent (divorce) and the little girl is left with a very comprehensive schedule of everything she is to do each day. Snack time has its own slot.. so very regimented, but clearly her mother loves her and only wants her to have the best options in her life. 

The little girl meets the wacky neighbour, a retired pilot with an old plane in his backyard, fantastically voiced by Jeff Bridges, and they begin a friendship and he tells her of the Little Prince. It feels to me like a lot of the story is the little girl becoming aware of her own imagination and that she can have an impact on the rest of the world. It's a beautiful story and if you haven't watched it, you should. This is for everyone. My DD loves it and has a stuffed fox based on the movie. 

I hope you enjoyed the list and maybe I introduced you to something you haven't seen before. 

Happy Stitching!

Tiffstitch

So Close!

I didn't quite get where I wanted to on Somebunny because I've come down with a cold again. I left off here:

Fortunately there was some DMC 535 at Michaels, so I stocked up and managed to get here before bedtime. 
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Who am I kidding? I stayed up late and finished of course!!

Somebunny from WOXS

2 over 1 on Aether Lugana by Chromatic Alchemy

And I don't regret it a bit! 

Happy Stitching!

Tiffstitch

WIP Wednesday: Almost There!

I'm very proud to present an almost finish on Somebunny!

I ended up finishing all the cross stitch first because my DMC 535 vanished somewhere and I was finally able to stop by Michaels last night and get 2 skeins (to be safe!). I love how it looks already and can't wait to get back to the backstitch tonight. I don't know if I'll have a finish tonight, but it's certainly possible. 

I'm really looking forward to turning this into a little pillow for DD. She has a big bed now and although there's a pillow on her bed, she doesn't really use it. This would be decorative too, but I think she might like to carry it around with her. It should be maybe 6 inches or 7 inches square when complete, so that's not too big for her. I'll wait and give it to her for Valentine's Day and I'll work on finishing it up over the next couple weeks. 

Jo mentioned on her blog about finishing things on a Sunday, and that's a good goal. I don't have a ton of stitching time generally on Sunday evenings because it's after ice hockey, and that will last until the end of March I think. Taking an hour to iron, etc. might be a good idea after hockey instead of getting entrenched into my stitching spot and grumbling that bedtime comes too quickly on Sunday nights. ;)

Also, I'm signed up to Kerry's Theme-tas-stitch 2017. She's chosen different themes for each month to stitch on, and since I tend to follow these things better with blogs than I do with Facebook I'm happy she's taken on the challenge of hosting. February will be "Focus on a Finish" and I think I can make that work well with my weekly rotations. I'll post more about my plans when Somebunny is finished. Join us if you're interested! 

Happy Stitching,

Tiffstitch 

Top 5 Tuesdays: Top 5 Romantic Charts

Here we are on Tuesday again and it's time for Top 5 Tuesdays, the brainchild of Kate! And I've managed once again to not get a WIP up before this post. I will aim for tomorrow because Somebunny is moving along very well. But first! 

TOP 5 ROMANTIC/LOVE CHARTS

I will be interpreting this as all kinds of love, not just romantic love since I don't generally stitch romantic type charts. 

1. Impronta D'Amore by Alessandra Adelaide

I love this one, especially since we lost our beloved basset almost 3 years ago. I couldn't stitch it at first, and haven't bought the chart yet, but I think I'm ready soon. I'll likely wait until I get some of my WIPs under control before buying this one though. 

2. Maman by Alessandra Adelaide

I love the sentiment behind this one, and the woman is charted well, but the baby's nose and mouth look a little weird to me, so I don't know that I'll ever stitch or purchase this one, but it tells a good story I think. 

3. February Flip-it Block by Lizzie Kate

I'm a fan of these by LK. You can use up some assorted hand-dyed bits you might have lying around, plus the designs are fun! And you can have a mini finish in a night if you don't have a lot of stitching time. I've stitched a March one, but not this one. 

4. Cats in Love by Fluffyfuzzypatterns (Etsy)

Rachel (Ten Hour Stitcher) just finished this one, and it's so cute! I love it. I would stitch it for DH if only he was a kitty fan. Especially on a nice hand-dyed fabric like Rachel chose. 

5. Walk with Dad by Handblessings

This is one from last year and I loved every minute of stitching it, especially hiding it from DH. Plus when I showed DD she knew that it was of her and her Papa. :) 

I hope you enjoyed the list and I'll try and get a WIP photo of Somebunny up tomorrow. I'm close to a finish, but not so close that it will be finished tomorrow. 

Check out everyone else's list by going over to Kate's blog!

Happy Stitching,

Tiffstitch

Friday For Finishing! and Some WIP Updates

Time to update some finishes! I managed to fully finish both the octopus and the card, and I even mailed the card out! I forgot to send a couple other things (sorry Linda, I forgot again!) so it's nice to know I'm still the same old forgetful me. 

Here's the finished Octopus made into a coaster:

And January into a card:

Plus I finished off one of my DUCJFC 2016 new starts:

It's not fully finished yet though. 

As is typical, once I give myself a deadline (Valentine's Day) for my next WIP (Somebunny) I want to stitch on something else instead. I decided to pick up Reflections of Canada by Ink Circles to get a little more done before working on Somebunny. 

Reflections of Canada was here on August 13, 2016:

and one night of stitching to here:

and then I remembered that I have a stand, apparently too many smalls makes me forget things that are right beside my stitching spot.. so I got a lot more done the next night:

2 handed stitching is so nice! And I picked up Somebunny the next time I had time to stitch and got quite a bit done while watching A Series of Unfortunate Events, the new Netflix series. 

Somebunny was here on November 12, 2016:

and now:

I'm really happy with this one, and with the progress I've been able to make in just one night. I really think that I'll be able to be done stitching in a week and be fully finished by Valentine's Day. There's no hockey tonight or tomorrow, so I'm really looking forward to the progress I might be able to make just this weekend. I think backstitch is the next thing I'll do to kind of catch up to the cross stitch. 

I hope you all have good stitching weekends, Happy Stitching!

Tiffstitch

Top 5 Tuesday - Top 5 Travel Charts

Kate has brought back Top 5 Tuesdays and this week's theme is travel. We're to post about 5 travel charts we really like, or have stitched, etc. 

TOP 5 TRAVEL CHARTS

1. Hearts of series by Victoria Sampler

The Hearts of Canada series is out of print, so I doubt I will ever be able to stitch these, but they're fun little stitches that have the flowers and animals that relate to the region. There is also a Hearts of America series that might still be in print. 

2. Afternoon in series by Country Cottage Needleworks

These are fun little designs that incorporate a lot of travel destinations, like London above, Paris, Rome, etc. 

3. Pretty Little series by Satsuma Street

You can find several major cities in her Etsy shop, or a generic Pretty Little City if none of the others grab your fancy. I haven't stitched any of these yet, but many stitchers have, especially Linda of Stitchin' with my Furbabies has a few on the go. 

4. Cities by Tiny Modernist

This is another series I saw from Linda's blog. She has several of these started as well, although I can't remember if she's stitching this one. Definitely a lot of the American cities are in her WIP pile. :) Check them all out in the Etsy shop. 

5. Let's RV by Imaginating

These word pictures Imaginating makes look so fun! I haven't stitched any yet, but those who have say they do come together fairly quickly. I would be tempted to use a nice hand-dyed floss on some of the words at least to make it a little more interesting and it would turn into a fun pillow maybe? 

I hope you enjoyed the list and found some inspiration!

Happy Stitching,

Tiffstitch

Gifted Gorgeousness 2017 - January Edition

Welcome to the first Gifted Gorgeousness post of 2017! This is the brainchild of Jo at Serendipitous Stitching and we all post about what we're stitching or have received that in any way is related to gifts. Whether we've received it as a gift or we're stitching it for a gift, or the designer has offered a free chart, and "gifted" it to us, etc. Check out the first post here at Jo's page to see what everyone's been stitching this year!

I started off the year with some new starts, because I don't have enough WIPs.... haha! I'm over 50 now and need to remember to adjust my counter. :) Only one works for GG though:

Adobe White - RAK from a friend on the Cross Stitch Forum

I finished a small and started another one for my Grandma. This is from Palko-lap's monthly series of 2015:

I'm stitching on L'Amour by Chromatic Alchemy with a Jodyri thread called Kindness. I hope to make it into a small card and send it to her very soon. This is just from yesterday, so I should be able to finish it mostly today. 

I hope you've all had a good long weekend! We forgot to block off Monday and we're fully booked, so I won't be having an extra stitchy day, darn it. 

Happy Stitching!

Tiffstitch

WIP Wednesday - First of 2017!

I can't believe this is my first stitching-related post of the New Year. I know it's been busy and I was sick, but still.. wow. I will attempt to post at least weekly going forward. 

2017 is my year of weekly rotations! I'm sure you've all been dying to hear how it's going? ;) 

To review, my first week of every month will be spent on BAPs (HAEDs, etc) and the second week on SALs. 

I started HAED Adobe White on December 31, 2016:

and only managed a couple days on it to get to here:

HAED Adobe White 1 over 1 tent stitch on 28 ct Realgar by Chromatic Alchemy

I'm hoping to not stitch the back ground, so I'm starting from the center out, but that means I'm in confetti hell! I decided to go ahead and start another one that was calling my name:

HAED Moon Hare

HAED Moon Hare 4 over 1 tent stitch on 18 count grey Aida

And that brings us to the weekend and hockey and then coming down with a terrible cold. No stitching on Sunday, but I was able to stitch some Monday:

and Tuesday:

on the Lakeside Needlecraft Under the Sea SAL. This is January's part, an octopus. I'm hoping to make them into coasters or ornaments and am stitching this 2 over 1 on I think 18 or 20 ct Aida from Chromatic Alchemy. It was in a card pack, so I'm not sure the colour, Cirrus maybe?

I think I can be done in a couple more days and then decide if I tackle the Fantasy SAL? Or maybe a small for my Grandma? 

Then week number 3 will be WIPs and Somebunny will be coming out to play. I hope to finish it within another week or so which will leave the last week and a bit of January to stitch on anything I want. :)

I hope you're all doing well, and if you're like most of us and thinking of organizing, check out Mary Corbet's great post here. Thanks Irene for pointing it out!

Happy Stitching,

Tiffstitch

Top 5 Tuesday: Top 5 TV Detectives

Kate of the Suddenly Kate Show is hosting Top 5 Tuesdays again and I'm going to try and remember to post each week. I can't believe this is my first post this year! Things were a little crazy at work, and then I came down with another difficult cold that left me with at least one completely sleepless night, so I have been a little occupied. :) Today I'm a fair bit better, so let's try and get back to blogging!

TOP 5 TV DETECTIVES

1. Batman

Some of you may argue he's a superhero, but he technically has no super powers, and his comics are or have been called Detective comics, therefore he's  detective! :) My favourite Batman of all time has been the Batman: The Animated Series version. Here's a best-moments video:

2. Sherlock

There have been tons of Sherlocks on TV, and although my ultimate favourite had been Jeremy Brett, I am very fond of Benedict Cumberbatch's version. Johnny Lee Miller in Elementary is worth watching too though. Here's a clip of Jeremy Brett as I think you've all seen or heard of the other two shows. :)

Best quotes from Jeremy Brett:

3. Miss Marple

I used to watch this show whenever I had a chance. Joan Hickson seemed born to this role as Jeremy Brett was born to Sherlock and David Suchet to Hercule Poirot. I'm not as fond of the newer Miss Marple, but the old black and white ones with Margaret Rutherford are a good watch as well. 

4. Bones/Agent Booth

From the show Bones, Emily Deschanel as Dr. Temperance "Bones" Brennan and David Boreanaz as Agent Seeley Booth. They make a fun team and I love watching this show. It's always fun to see if I guess right at who-dun-it. :) 

A little blurb about the final season (12) that started last week:

5. Columbo

This was a tough choice between Poirot and Columbo, and 2 such very different personalities too. But since Kate covered Poirot, I'm going to go with Columbo. Peter Falk was a fantastic choice for this role, and since no one has yet remade it, clearly no one else thinks it can be anyone else's role either. ;) One of my favourite parts is how he adopts a basset hound, <3

I hope you've all had a good New Year's and I'll try and get a stitching post up soon as well. 

Happy Stitching!

Tiffstitch