I created a few cross stitch designs in photoshop using color blocks instead of symbols. Use the colors from your own stash to create these. First up goes along with the #bewellandstitch movement. Be Well by Creative-You Cross Stitch Designs (that's me) Second design is based on a watercolor I did back in 2018. I am calling it  Elf Girl Scholar by Creative-You Cross Stitch Designs I hope you enjoy these designs. Let me know what you think! - Toni  IG & Twitter: @Tonispywriter

I don't know about you but I am a fickle stitcher. I make decisions to do something and while I am in the midst of it decide to alter my plans. Out of the blue at the end of February, I decided to try this March Stitchy Madness bracket that was started by the Steel City Stitchers. Before that I joined Jesse Marie's WIPGO which is a bingo inspired way to tackle your WIPS. And lastly at the beginning of the year set myself my own #stitch12challenge. I am already overwhelmed.  I should have known better. I am more of a monogamous stitcher. I know this. But I do seem to be able to do a big project and a small project in tandem with no problem. Last year I had to drop out of Magical Stitches since I burned myself out and stopped stitching for 5 months. I really don't want that to happen again. Stitching really does help keep me sane. So I have done a bit of altering to both my bracket and my WIPGO. I may even change my #stitch12 to a #stitch6 and when I get those d

I thought I would feature a few Flosstubers on my blog since this is majorly what I am doing with my time while I am stitching. I am either voraciously reading or I am listening to Flosstube. Yes, I am obsessed. But aren't we all? A lot of my old favorites don't make videos any more: Carolyn Mazzio, the Stash Queen, Shari Burkett, and the Lovely Array to name a few. But one of my old favorites is back with a new video. Can I say I AM SO EXCITED!? And as I thought about Nell, from Little House Crafts, I was immediately reminded of Erin from Two Martini Stitcher. She seemed to fill the void for me that Nell left after taking a year and a half hiatus from Youtube. I can't really blame the girl. When life comes a calling, the last thing you want to do if make a video. I started making Flosstube videos before the term was ever coined and I think only two people at the time were actually making cross stitch videos. For me, I am not a person who likes making videos. I totall

I finally finished one of my 2018 starts in the last few weeks. This is Patriotic Angel by Joan Elliott. It was a lot more detailed than I anticipated. I worked on it for most of the first fifteen days of 2020. So happy to see this completed. Then I started something small: Lemonade by Sapphire Mountain Handcrafts. This was super quick and fun. I left off the top and bottom borders since they didn't really interest me. For the last couple of days I have been working on an old WIP. Train Ornament by Dimensions. It is a kit on plastic canvas. I have a bit of a problem with the needle falling out of my work and thus, it is making the stitching take what seems like forever! But in reality it is stitching up a lot faster than I realized. I am sure this will be a finish real soon. Plus, besides stitching, I have been crocheting. I have completed two winter hats which always feels like a quick and satsifying finish. One of my co-worker's mother's in law sent me

I think I am done with the challenge groups on Facebook. They are a great idea and promote friendly competition but all they do for me is give me a headache and to me stitching is supposed to be a relaxation technique to get away from my stress. I am sure I am not alone in my overwhelm. There are just so many groups out there right now promoting different challenges. If I do anything going forward from here it will only be a counting challenge where I choose my own WIP and go to town. My goal this year is completion and groups like this have me stitching all over the place and never completing one project. I like to work a week or two on one WIP and then change out when I get bored or frustrated. I think my overwhelm is due to the fact that for one, I have a stressful job. And when I have to try and connect my projects and meet the needs of the prompt, I think my brain implodes. And secondly, I don't do things by halves. If I am in, I am all in. And not just in one group b

My second finish of 2020 is Oranges by DMC.  I am not sure if this pattern is still available. I got it as a .PAT pattern for my stitch design program back in the day before anything online was ever a thing. You could send away for this pattern by giving DMC a self-addressed stamped envelope.  It has a sister pattern called Bluebird Peaches that was my first ever big project probably back in 2002. To this day, this is still my most favorite pattern. Love it! Hope you are having a happy stitching day! Toni Check me out on Instagram and Twitter  @Tonispywriter