Princess Bubbles Creates

 I have added a bit more stitching to this mandala and now it needs more beads.  I will enjoy stitching some beads on it this afternoon.  It is supposed to be hot and humid today but I will still take my stitching outside.  Stitching outside is a simple pleasure.  I can always pop inside to my lovely air conditioning to get cooled off.  It actually seems wrong to me to miss a day of being outside stitching.  Obviously, in the summer and not the winter.   My unfinished mandala pile is dwindling and I find myself thinking of new things to try.  I haven't allowed myself to start any new mandalas since I learned I will be having a solo show of them at the end of the year.  I feel the pressure lessening with the finish of each mandala.  There are only six left in the pile and most of them need very little to be finished.  That will give me a total of 65 mandalas for the show.  I don't need to create any more but the ideas ...

 It is finished.  Some french knots were added to complete this mandala.  It feels good to have the challenge finished with a week to spare.  I am not one for leaving things to the last minute.  Early is better for me. I stitched 200 Swarovski crystals to this piece and that felt royal and extravagant to me!  I am Royal is the title for this mandala.   I am linking to http://ninamariesayre.blogspot.com/

 I like summer and  Lee Anna  has suggested we discuss sunscreen/sun protection this week.  I don't have any brand that I am loyal to.  I basically pick up whatever the best deal is at Costco.  Sorry, I am not adding much to the conversation. Another thing I like about summer is being invited to a friend's place with a pool.  I don't actually like to swim but I do love to float!  The five-year-old inside this grandmother had to have this unicorn floaty.  Well, not this exact one but one very similar.  I will put it to good use.  I am heading over to visit and float shortly.  Plus we have rented a cottage for later this month and I will use it then.   I am so grateful that my family all wants to spend a week together at a cottage.  There will be ten of us in total. We all enjoy each other's company so I am expecting a good week.

 I made a bit of progress on this mandala.  I added some butterfly beads.  Again, this is rather a bold mandala thus far.  I will consider how to add some smaller details.  I am okay with waiting for the next step to reveal itself to me.  Rushing a mandala is not a good idea.  I have a number of them placed close to my desk so that I can just stare at them.  The next step is always revealed eventually. While talking with a friend yesterday she was encouraging me to considering selling my mandalas.  Right now I am mostly thinking about having them ready for my solo show in December.  I have to admit that I have never been keen to sell my stitched work or give it as gifts.  I put a lot of time and energy into my work.  Am I being selfish?  Or just practical?  I would have to charge a fair amount of money to make it feel worth my while.  I am not sure that someone would pay that much.  Maybe that is more a lack...

 The Purple Reign Challenge for the San Francisco School of Needlework is due in two weeks.  There is a lot of stitching in this one but you do have to look closely to see it properly.  My thanks to  Queeniepatch  for the suggestion  to add some blue to this.  I had thought that would finish this off.  Now that I have it stitched I am wondering if this mandala needs something further.  With the due date looming I am tempted to call it finished though.  What do you think? I am linking to https://kathysquilts.blogspot.com/

 I had intended to try out the nifty lettering feature on my sewing machine for this month.  But then the french knot idea came to me.  I used metallic thread and had this stitched in no time.  I will save the sewing machine idea for next month or whenever.  I am starting to think about the covers for this journal.  I am feeling the need to do some crazy quilting so that might be what I do for the cover.  I also have a stitched and painted experiment that could be used.  There is no rush to decide.  An even better idea may come to me! Isn't savour a great word?  I have spent the month trying to savour all the precious moments.  I like to think that that is my general attitude towards life but that isn't always true! I am linking to http://ninamariesayre.blogspot.com/

 Participating in the 'I Like" posts on Thursdays with Lee Anna and the gang is something that I am really enjoying.  It is stopping to smell the roses so to speak.  This week there was a prompt to discuss our summer 'uniform', favourite clothes etc.  I love the brand Desigual and have a pair of their slides.  I find them to be very comfortable so I wear them a LOT. They are also very colourful.   I mainly shorts and a T-shirt throughout the summer.  I am not picky about brands.  I mainly want to be comfortable and colourful. I like interesting conversations.  Conversations that have a bit of a debate to them.  While gathered on the deck this past weekend the old Beatles versus The Rolling Stones came up.  My son who has a BA in Music clearly knows a lot more about music than I do.  He thinks the Beatles were the better band because they added so much to music.  That is one perspective and probably true.  Person...