Stitch from Stash July

Mel from Epic Stitching started a Stitch From Stash group to encourage us to stay on a budget of $25 or less per month for cross stitching.  Click the link to see the list of blogs that are participating.

My carry over from June was zero for a total budget of $25 this month.  Here is my check-in for July:

Amount Spent:  $9 - Disney cross stitch book on eBay

Now I have $16 to carry over for August.

New Starts from Stash:  Mary Mouse, Boo! Club (Brew).

WIPs or UFOs worked on:  Boo! Club (Fright), Very Scary Mystery Sampler, La Pensée Positive, "99", Alice from Resident Evil, Santa Hang-Up, Stained Glass Nativity, Santa's 12 Days of Christmas (Day 6), Cut Thru' North Pole House, Boo! Club (Brew), Mary Mouse.

Finishes:  Boo! Club (Fright), Alice from Resident Evil, Stained Glass Nativity.

What I was tempted to buy but didn't buy this month:

Wizard of Oz cross stitch pattern by AllStitches on Bonanza:

Stitch from Stash June (broke the budget!)

Mel from Epic Stitching started a Stitch From Stash group to encourage us to stay on a budget of $25 or less per month for cross stitching.  Click the link to see the list of blogs that are participating.

We can skip one month out of the year, so I broke the budget for June and followed Justine's suggestion:

3) My tip is: if you are going to use your free month, spend loads!!! - Justine @ justinescrossstitch.blogspot.com

I double-checked the rules just to be sure!

Remember you have one month you can not participate and cheat (lol). :) 

My carry over from May was zero for a total budget of $25 this month, plus a bonus $50 that we could spend, which I still went over, but I'm skipping this month so it doesn't count!  Here is my check-in for June:

Amount Spent:  $$$$$

Four Vervaco car kits from Herrschners

Riolis kits:  The Kiss by Klimt and Orange Poppies cell phone/camera bag from Herrschners

The Wizard of Oz chart from Little Stitcher Shop on Etsy

NASCAR and NHRA charts by Cruisin' Cross Stitch

Charts from Noahstitcher's Stash for Sale Facebook group

Fabric from Stash Unload Facebook group

I was in a gift exchange in a Facebook cross stitching group and I bought charts, fabric, and floss for my partner and she sent this to me:  Army Emblem chart, Halloween Memories chart, Wire Whimsy Snowman, fabric, and an armchair pouch that she made herself.

While I was at the LNS buying my partner's gifts, I picked these up for myself!
Just Nan & The Sweetheart Tree charts with charms and beads.

New Starts from Stash:  None.  I'm in a challenge on a Facebook cross stitching group to finish my oldest WIP and not start anything new, which is certainly a challenge for me!

WIPs or UFOs worked on: Fall Welcome, Santa's 12 Days of Christmas (Day 6), Picnic Area, Leo, Thankful Critters, Universal Unity, Cut Thru' North Pole House, We're Off to See the Wizard, Harley-Davidson, Orange Poppies, "99", Majestic Eagle, The Sorcerer, The Sorceress, Boo! Club (Fright).

Finishes:  The Sorcerer, The Sorceress, Leo.

What I was tempted to buy but didn't buy this month:  Nothing!  I bought it ALL!

Stitch from Stash May

Mel from Epic Stitching started a Stitch From Stash group to encourage us to stay on a budget of $25 or less per month for cross stitching.  Click the link to see the list of blogs that are participating.

My carry over from April was zero for a total budget of $25 this month.  Here is my check-in for May:

Amount Spent:  $25

$20 - 3 charts from The Cottage Needle

$5 - Fulton Mansion chart from the Buy & Sell Cross Stitch Supplies Facebook group

New Starts from Stash: "O" is for Owl, Winter Witch, Santa's 12 Days of Christmas (Day 6), Peter Polar Bear, Frank-N-Stein.

WIPs or UFOs worked on: Christmas Ark, Universal Unity, Fall Welcome, Santa's 12 Days of Christmas (Day 6), Cut Thru' North Pole House, Thankful Critters, Canyon Waterfall, Majestic Eagle, Stained Glass Nativity, "99", Orange Poppies, Harley-Davidson, Very Scary Mystery Sampler, Alice from Resident Evil, Bird Nest (No 2). 

Finishes: "O" is for Owl, Winter Witch, Frank-N-Stein, Peter Polar Bear.

What I was tempted to buy but didn't buy this month:

"The Kiss" by Gustav Klimt, kit by Riolis on eBay

"The Kiss" by Gustav Klimt

Aurora Cabin, kit by Dimensions Gold Collection on Amazon

Aurora Cabin, Dimensions Gold Collection kit

This kit was on sale on the Dimensions website with a coupon code, but ended up being cheaper on Amazon with free shipping.  Not yet but some day I really want to stitch these designs!

Stitch from Stash April

Mel from Epic Stitching started a Stitch From Stash group to encourage us to stay on a budget of $25 or less per month for cross stitching.  Click the link to see the list of blogs that are participating.

My carry over from March was $2 for a total budget of $27 this month.  Here is my check-in for April:

Amount Spent:  $27
$11 - More Starlite Aida cross stitch fabric from MCG Textiles for the Brooke's Books Advent Animals.

$13 - DMC floss on sale at Michael's for 27 cents and Hummingbird Quartet booklet. (I've been watching Preeti stitch one of these beautiful designs on her blog and was so excited to find this chart!)

$3 - Predator chart for my son.  I sent him the link to Pyrodogpins and asked him to pick one!

I spent my entire budget so now I have nothing left to carry over to May!

New Starts from Stash:  Katie Kitty.

WIPs or UFOs worked on:  Christmas Sampler, Easter Hang-Up, Disney Princesses, Fall Welcome, Remember the Alamo, Santa's 12 Days of Christmas (Day 5), Uber Christmas Tree, Universal Unity, We're Off to See the Wizard, "99", Alice from Resident Evil, Happy Easter.

Finishes:  Katie Kitty, Santa's 12 Days of Christmas (Day 5), Happy Easter.

I also bought this Wedding Tango kit by Riolis but it doesn't count in the budget since it is a gift I'm stitching for my daughter's friend who is getting married soon!

Wedding Tango kit by Riolis

Stitch From Stash March

Mel from Epic Stitching started a Stitch From Stash group to encourage us to stay on a budget of $25 or less per month for cross stitching.  Click the link to see the list of blogs that are participating.

My carry over from February was $24 for a total budget of $49 this month.  Here is my check-in for March:

Amount Spent:  $47
$10 - Neighborhood Friends chart by Little House Needleworks for animal care fundraiser.

$5 - Forever in my Heart chart by The Sunflower Seed

I'm going to stitch this with both my dogs' names and frame it together with their photos. They both went over the rainbow bridge in 2010.

Brandy & Norman, age 15

$32 - Cross stitch fabric from MCG Textiles (They were having a sale and I couldn't resist!)

I'm going to use the Starlite Aida to stitch the Brooke's Books Advent Animals. There will be 25 free charts, from now until October 2015.

Now I only have $2 to carry over to April.

New Starts from Stash: St. Patrick's Day, Best Witches.

WIPs or UFOs worked on: Santa Hang-Up, Santa's 12 Days of Christmas (Day 5), Universal Unity, Fall Welcome, Thai Dancer, Boule Pastel, Alice from Resident Evil, Cut Thru' North Pole House, Beach Babe, Leo, Lamplight Bridge, Halloween Happiness, I'll Get You My Pretty, Out for a Ride, Pac-Man, Harley-Davidson, Thankful Critters, The 12 Days of Christmas, The Wave, Flaming June, Black Cat Alphabet, The Wizard of Oz, Trick or Treat Greeting, The Sorcerer, Snow Bear and Sleigh, Boo-gie Fever, Star Wars, Yo Ho Ho Ho, Christmas Ark, Best of Friends, Spring Sampler, Believe.

Finishes: I'll Get You My Pretty, St. Patrick's Day, Best Witches.

What I was tempted to buy but didn't buy this month:

This looks like a great Halloween design, but I'll wait until I finish a few of my Halloween WIPs before I buy it.

Halloween Eve chart

Stitch From Stash February

Mel from Epic Stitching started a Stitch From Stash group to encourage us to stay on a budget of less than $25 per month for cross stitching.  Click the link to see the list of blogs that are participating.

I didn't spend any in January, so I get to carry over $25 for a total budget of $50 this month.  Here is my check-in for February:

Amount Spent:  $26.00
$3 - package of 2 Mill Hill leaf charms (needed one to finish Woodland Splendor)
$8 - Baby Afghan Cloth for future grandbaby some day (chart picked out from a magazine already!)

$15 - 5 charts from By the Bay Needleart Winter Holiday Sale (Santa at the Lake, Mystic Island, Mermaids Summer Night Part 1&2, Mermaids Wedding Sampler)

New Starts from Stash:  Believe, Boo-gie Fever, Best of Friends, Easter Egg Towel, The Sorceress, Santa's Cuisine, Heaven and Nature Sampler, The Wave, The Boys are Back in Town, Skeleton, Christmas Tree, Remember the Alamo, Smiley Face Dracula.

WIPs or UFOs worked on: Skel on Bike, Ring Around the Rosie, Hamburger and French Fries, The Sorcerer, Yo Ho Ho Ho, Picnic Area, Beach Babe, Life's A Stitch, Halloween Happiness, Uber Christmas Tree, Mary's Sampler II, Thankful Critters, Harley-Davidson, Majestic Eagle, Canyon Waterfall, Stained Glass Nativity, Orange Poppies, Flaming June, Cut Thru' North Pole House, Santa's 12 Days of Christmas (Day 5), Fall Welcome, Universal Unity, Santa Hang-Up, La Pensée Positive, Hungarian Peacock Sampler, Alice from Resident Evil, The IT Crowd, Woodland Splendor, Stained Glass Nativity, Very Scary, Boo! Club (Fright), Merci, Leo.

Finishes:  Life's A Stitch, Skeleton, Mary's Sampler II, Woodland Splendor, Merci, Smiley Face Dracula.

What I was tempted to buy but didn't buy this month:

Pretty Little City charts from SatsumaStreet on Etsy

The Wizard of Oz chart from LittleStitcherShop on Etsy

Jeff Gordon NASCAR 24 Car cross stitch pattern

Now I wish I had taken advantage of the free splurge weekend, when our purchases didn't count!  Next time I'll definitely get the Wizard of Oz and Jeff Gordon charts!

Stitch From Stash January

Mel from Epic Stitching started a Stitch From Stash group to encourage us to stay on a budget of less than $25 per month for cross stitching.  Click the link to see the list of blogs that are participating.  This challenge has already saved me money, since I thought twice about buying some new kits "for the future" that I didn't really need. Here is my check-in for January:

Amount Spent:  $0.00, ZERO! ZILCH! NADA!

New Starts from Stash: Wicked Witch, Count Your Blessings, Life's a Stitch, Happy Easter, Hungarian Peacock Sampler, Snow Bear and Sleigh, Collection, Nesting Season, Wolf, The Wizard of Oz, Alice from Resident Evil, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Boos Brothers, Spring Sampler, Cats in Hats - Samantha, Jacks are Wild, October Witch Snowlady, Trick or Treat Greeting, Disney Princesses Pixel People, Woodland Splendor, Penguins at Play.

WIPs or UFOs worked on: Universal Unity, I'll Get You My Pretty, Basket of Fruit, Very Scary, Easter Hang-Up, Merci, Out for a Ride, The IT Crowd, Bird Nest (No 2), Bear, Star Wars, Pac-Man, Eeyore and Butterfly, Boo! Club (Fright), La Pensée Positive, Gatitos, Triple Jack-O-Lanterns, Shiver Me Timbers, Holiday Cheer, Disney Princess Birth Announcement, Autumn Heart, Gallinas, Candy Cane Christmas.

I'm still a few days behind in my Crazy January starts, or my list would have been longer!  No finishes this month yet.  I'll include the end of January info in my February post next month.

I loved Tricia's idea (The Stamper's Stitches) of showing what she didn't buy this month.  Here is what I was tempted to get "just because" but I resisted and didn't spend a penny!

Set of all 12 Beach Kits for $12

My cross stitching plans for 2014

Cross stitching plans are more fun to make than New Year's Resolutions (which I never do).  Tomorrow is a new start for a new year of stitching!  How exciting! Which stitching challenges and SALs (stitch-alongs) have you signed up for in 2014?  Here is my list:

The buttons in my side bar are linked to the sign-up pages.

Grow Your Blog 2014:  This blog party is hosted by Vicki of 2 Bags Full blog and I missed it last year.  Deadline to sign up is January 15.  On January 25, everyone will post on their blogs and visit the other blogs and find new blogs to follow and gain more followers, too!

Turtle Trot SAL 2014:  This SAL is hosted by Claudette of BAP Attack blog.  Choose 10 UFOs/WIPs to work on and post progress photos on your blog by the 10th of each month.  Leave a link to your blog post on the BAP Attack blog.

WIPocalypse 2014:  This SAL is hosted by Measi of Measi's Musings blog.  This started in 2012 when we made a list of all of our WIPs to finish before the apocalypse that was predicted for December 21, 2012 (this didn't happen so the end of the world has been extended indefinitely).  Post progress photos on your blog on the Full Moon of each month.  Leave a link to your blog post on Measi's Musings blog.

TUSAL 2014:  This SAL is hosted by Daffycat.  For this Totally Useless Stitch-A-Long, save all your ORTs (old ratty threads) in a jar and post a picture on your blog on the New Moon of each month.  Leave a link to your blog post on Daffycat's blog.

Ultimate Crazy January Challenge:  Start a new project each day for the first 15 days in January or all 31 days (for the Ultimate version) and try to complete them during the year.  You can sign up on the Crazy January Challenge Yahoo Group or the CrosstitchCrazy2014 Facebook group but it's not required.  Just start something new every day and have fun!

2014 Smalls SAL:  This SAL is hosted by Heather of Stitching Lotus blog.  Stitch a small project (ornament, bookmark, pincushion, etc.) each month.  Post a picture on your blog on the last Wednesday of the month.  Leave a link to your blog post on the Stitching Lotus blog.

Theme-a-licious 2014:  This SAL is hosted by Heather of It's Geek to Me blog.  There is a different theme to stitch each month.  Post on the first day of the month to celebrate the past month's successes and share plans for the coming month.  Leave a link to your blog post on the It's Geek to Me blog.

Stitch From Stash 2014:  This group is hosted by Mel of Epic Stitching blog.  This is a challenge to spend less than $25 per month on stitching supplies and try to stitch from your stash instead.  Post about your spending or lack thereof by the 28th of each month and send an email to Mel.  There will be monthly prizes and an end of the year giveaway.  Sign up by January 2, 2014.

YOTA SAL 2014:  This is the UFO SAL (Year of the Acronym) hosted by Pull the Other Thread.  Pick a UFO (Unfinished Object) to stitch on during the month and post before & after progress photos on the first Saturday of the month.  Leave a link to your blog post on the Pull the Other Thread blog.  My UFO will be Universal Unity (my oldest cross stitch project started in 1997).

Fall Welcome SAL:  This is a Saturday SAL with Linda and Kaye of the Fall Welcome chart by Diane Arthurs.  It should be finished in plenty of time for fall decorating!

Santa's 12 Days of Christmas SAL:  This is a Sunday SAL with Linda and Kaye of the Prairie Schooler designs for Santa's 12 Days of Christmas.  There are 3 booklets for Days 1-4, Days 5-8, and Days 9-12.  The plan is to stitch on them every Sunday. I finished 4 of the 12 days and am stitching them all together on one piece of fabric.

Bothy Threads Cut Thru' SAL:  This is a Monday SAL hosted by Linda and me with over 30 stitchers working on different Cut Thru' charts.  There is also a Bothy Threads Cut Thru Designs Monday SAL Facebook group.  Please join us if you're stitching a Cut Thru' chart!

Happy Stitchy New Year, everyone!