12 Box of Shame Finishes - Lizzie Kate Stamps

Good morning!

I think I might just be living proof that miracles do happen because... I've done it... I've actually finished off some ornaments from my Box of Shame! And because I'm so proud of my achievement this is quite a picture-heavy post.

One of my major flaws over the last few years has been not enjoying finishing off my cross-stitches as ornaments. Although they give a sense of satisfaction once completed, my head tells me that creating ornaments at an hour and a half each is taking valuable time away from stitching. But, for some reason, 2018 has brought a complete change of attitude and I have plunged into my Box of Shame with unprecedented enthusiasm!

And do you know what? I actually enjoyed making every single one of them. In fact, once the ball was rolling I couldn't stop!

So, what have I finished?

Well, back in 2015 I stitched the 12 Lizzie Kate Monthly Flip-It Stamps (changing November's from a turkey to a poppy) each one during its relevant month. I knew that I wanted to finish them as hanging ornaments and I knew I wanted each one to have a different backing fabric with coordinating barley twist cord.

Here are the fabrics (all by Tilda) and finished designs before I started working on them:

  

And... drum roll please... here are the twelve completed ornaments:

And individually...

Yes I know they're all the same but my mind just wouldn't let me finish them differently.

Each ornament was interfaced before being hand sewn and finished off with 2mm barley twist cord in a colour to match the background of the month, or at least as close as I could get. Admittedly the first couple took quite a while but once I'd mastered the corners, the stuffing and the cord the remainder were finished off much more efficiently.

Having now stitched them together, a couple of the backing fabrics don't really work but I'm extremely happy with the rest of them.

I am over the moon that they are all completed and no longer in my Box Of Shame; it's an achievement I can definitely be very proud of considering how long they've been in there. Now they'll each get a month's outing on our calendar and will no longer cause me guilt!

And now I'm on a roll (and have filled in a good proportion of my Box Of Shame status bar) I've got no excuse not to do more, so watch this space - the miracle may continue!

Take care,
Rachel x

Lizzie Kate December Flip-It Stamp - finished!

Hello again!

I am going to start by saying a lot of big thank yous.

First, thank you to everybody who left comments regarding my attempt at designing the November poppy. Despite your positivity I'm still not completely happy with it so may re-attempt it next year but under less pressure!

Second, an even bigger thank you to everyone for such lovely comments about Owls In Love. I have been truly overwhelmed with how well it has been received by so many of you. In one personal email a stitcher pointed out that the design and fabric were so different it was a like breath of fresh air. Thank you. I hope you'll think the same once you see the project framed!

Now, back to business. I have finished the final LK monthly stamp. I am pleased to have stitched them all as planned and on schedule but am a little sad to have reached the end. Nevermind, I haven't finish-finished them yet so I still have that to look forward to. Here's the last stamp:

Stitch count 47 wide by 47 high

Stitched on 16ct Rustico Aida 2 over 1

Started - 1st December 2015

Finished - 8th December 2015

Total stitching time - 10 hours 50 minutes

But it's not all doom and gloom on the LK front as I shall be stitching some of her Tiny Tidings next year as my one-a-month and Smalls SAL project.

As for my stitching for the rest of the 2015 - all of my obligations are out of the way so I'm free to stitch on what I want! I might pick up a big project, I might try to finish some more Challenge pieces or I might pick up some of my neglected Challenge pieces. But one thing's for certain - there will definitely be no new starts before 1st January 2016!

I hope all of your plans for the festivities / holiday season are going well. I've still got some decorating and all the wrapping to do but that's about it. Let's hope Santa is busy wrapping lots of stitchy goodies for us all!!

Take care everyone :)
Rachel x

Lizzie Kate (sort of) November Flip-It Stamp - finished!

Hello fellow stitchers!

Goodness me, I'm very late finishing this month's LK stamp but at least it's still November!

Do you remember I wanted to replace the LK pheasant with either fireworks or poppies? Well, that was easier said than done! I scoured the internet for suitable free fireworks and poppy charts but didn't have much success. Then I thought about using autumnal icons such as squirrels, acorns and leaves but wasn't too lucky there either. Finally I decided to raid my mum's messy stash (which hasn't really been touched for five years) and I came across this poppy design. The poppy was perfect but I had to alter the leaves to fit in the allotted space.

I'm not that happy with it as it has more of a "flower-of-the-month" rather than sombre feeling. But at least you can (should be able to) tell it's a poppy! I'm sorry if redesigning the stamp upsets any LK perfectionists, but I tried to keep to her style as best I could.

Stitch count 47 wide by 47 high

Stitched on 16ct Rustico Aida 2 over 1

Started - 2nd November 2015

Finished - 25th November 2015

Total stitching time - 12 hours 10 minutes

Now for December's Stamp - yippee - and the last in the series - boo-hoo! Good job I've got more LK smalls planned for nearly every month next year!

Happy stitching everybody!
Rachel x

Lizzie-Kate October Flip-It Stamp - finished!

Hello all!

Another month, another flip-it stamp, another really fun stitch and another unfinished finished to go into my (soon to be re-named) Box of Shame:

October Flip-It Stamp by Lizzie Kate

Stitch count 47 high by 47 wide

Stitched on 16ct Rustic Aida 2 over 1

Started - 1st October 2015

Finished - 20th October 2015

Total stitching time - 9 hours 55 minutes

Next month's November stamp will not be true to the original Lizzie Kate design which depicts a Thanksgiving turkey. Since Thanksgiving holds no meaning to me, and providing I can find a suitable chart to fit the space, I would like to replace the turkey with either fireworks or a poppy. Let's hope I can still make it look Lizzie Kate-ish though.

Take care everyone :)
Rachel x

Lizzie-Kate September Flip-It Stamp - finished!

Good morning all!

As much as I love having the children around during their summer holidays it has been really nice to return to the school (and therefore their earlier bedtimes and my night-time stitching) routine. So with longer stitching stints I was able to complete this month's stamp in double-quick time.

September Flip-It Stamp by Lizzie Kate

Stitch count 47 x 47

Stitched on 16ct Rustic Aida 2 over 1

Started - 1st September 2015

Finished - 6th September 2015

Total stitching time - 10 hours 45 minutes

As usual, this was great fun to stitch, and, as usual, it is another project for my Box of Shame. Amanda (Mrs Milkybar Kid) commented back in July that my Box of Shame should really be called a Box of Beauty. Well, it is both really. I love every project in it but have to hang my head in shame that none have been finished-finished.

But I have an idea about that which I will share with you on my next post.

In the meantime, I'm off to stitch on and finish Ravenclaw.

Take care,
Rachel x

Lizzie Kate August Flip-It Stamp - finished!

Hello everybody!

First of all a big thank you to those of you who still read and comment on my blog. I very much appreciate you all and am honoured you are sticking by me even though I have remained quiet on the reading and commenting front recently. Normal service will be resumed..... one day!

So far in August I have been beavering away at my usual Lizzie Kate stamp of the month so have a little finish to show you. I'm still using my daughter's laptop and photo-editing app so can't really tell how good the photo is compared to my usual standard, but it doesn't look too bad.

August Flip-It Stamp by Lizzie Kate

Stitch count 47 x 47

Stitched on 16ct Rustic Aida 2 over 1

Started - 1st August 2015

Finished - 6th August 2015

Total stitching time - 11 hours 10 minutes

As usual I very much enjoyed stitching this one and am already looking forward to September's!

Now to finish another Challenge piece before returning to the four Harry Potter crests for the rest of the month - yippee!

Be back soon,
Rachel x

Lizzie Kate July Flip-It Stamp - finished!

Hello everybody!

Long time no blog!

I haven't forgotten about you all but for once life has been really hectic and got in the way of blogging/reading/commenting. I can't believe how the last three weeks have just flown by in a blink. On top of that our main computer has died and it is only now that my daughter has allowed me to use her super-duper laptop to access blogger. So my catching-up plan for July has not yet happened. Still, schools finish tomorrow for 6 weeks so I should have LOADS of time for catching up then - yeah right!

But on to stitching.

I picked up the latest LK stamp on 1st July and it seemed to take forever to stitch, being able to put in just 15 minutes most days until a final push towards the end. But here it is before it joined its siblings in my Box of Shame:

July Flip-It Stamp by Lizzie Kate

Stitch Count 47 x 47

Stitched on 16ct Rustic Aida 2 over 2

Started - 1st July 2015

Finished - 11th July

Total Stitching Time - 10 hours 25 minutes

This stamp was definitely the easiest to stitch so far but still very enjoyable.

I've also just finished another of my Challenge pieces but will post about that in a couple of days.

Bye for now,
Rachel x

Lizzie Kate June Flip-It Stamp - finished!

Hello everybody!

I'm going to start with an apology (again) for being away from the blogging world for quite a long time. I haven't read or commented on blogs for over a month so have an awful lot of catching up to do. Hopefully normal service will be resumed shortly.

Although itching for June to arrive so that I could stitch the month's flip-it stamp, I didn't actually pick it up until 17th! But once started I whizzed through it in just three days (well, late nights/early mornings actually!)

June Flip-It Stamp by Lizzie Kate

Stitch Count 47 x 47

Stitched on 16ct Rustic Aida 2 over 2

Started - 17th June 2015

Finished - 20th June 2015

Total Stitching Time - 11 hours 20 minutes

Unfortunately I'm far too caught up with my Challenge stitching to want to spend time finishing off my pieces so, for the time being, this will join the other stamps in my Box Of Shame. Emptying the Box Of Shame is a target I hope to achieve during the long August school summer holiday.

In the meantime another Challenge finish is just around the corner.....

TTFN

Rachel x

Lizzie Kate May Flip-It Stamp - finished!

Good afternoon all!

Another month and another stamp which I couldn't wait to start. Most of this was stitched whilst watching the final two sessions of the World Snooker Championships on Bank Holiday Monday. Pure bliss!

May Flip-It Stamp by Lizzie Kate

Stitch Count 47 x 47

Stitched on 16ct Rustic Aida 2 over 2

Started - 3rd May 2015

Finished - 7th May 2015

Total Stitching Time - 10 hours 40 minutes

Not much else to say really, other than it was another fun stitch. It will go in my box of shame for the time being but hopefully not be in there too long. I must make the effort to put down my stitching for a while and actually start assembling some smalls. I've made the plans - I've just got to put them into action!

TTFN
Rachel x

Lizzie Kate April Flip-It Stamp - finished!

Hello all!

It's time to post another monthly stamp finish. I know I say this every month, but these stamps really are fun to stitch and, so far, I've stitched them all on schedule!

April Flip-It Stamp by Lizzie Kate

Stitch Count 47 x 47

Stitched on 16ct Rustic Aida 2 over 1

Started - 10th April 2015
Finished - 16th April 2015

Total Stitching Time - 11 hours 10 minutes

For the moment this project will join its siblings in my box of shame. I have ordered some small pieces of finishing fabric so once the Easter school holidays are over I may have a finishing-off day. Hope springs eternal!

Love and hugs,
Rachel x

Lizzie Kate March Flip-It Stamp - finished!

Hello all!

Long time no see! I've really enjoyed my posting holiday but guess it's about time I returned to the blogosphere. So here I am!

My posting holiday didn't mean a stitching holiday though and I've been beavering away at various projects which I'll post about at a later date. But for now I have a small finish to share with you.

March Flip-It Stamp by Lizzie Kate

Stitch Count 47 x 47

Stitched on 16ct Rustic Aida 2 over 1

Started - 19th March 2015
Finished - 21st March 2015

Total Stitching Time - 11 hours 15 minutes

Once again I thoroughly enjoyed stitching this stamp, especially as it stitched up quickly due to allowing myself  a couple of l-o-n-g stitching sessions. Naughty, but definitely needed for my sanity at the moment!

Hopefully I'll be back to posting more regularly now that my "holiday" is over.

Love and hugs

Rachel x

Lizzie Kate February Flip-It Stamp - finished!

Hello earthlings!

This month's stamp stitched up quickly and was again worked on between Challenge pieces. Like January's it will be finished into an ornament..... eventually!

February Flip-It Stamp by Lizzie Kate

Stitch Count 47 x 47

Stitched on 16ct Rustic Aida 2 over 1

Started - 5th February 2015
Finished - 24th February 2015

Total Stitching Time - 11 hours

I know I've only done two, but I'm loving them so far. And this earns me another small SFS bonus! :)

Happy stitching
Crazy Rachel x

Lizzie Kate January Flip-It Stamp - finished!

Hello again!

One of my aims for the year to was complete each of these Lizzie Kate stamps during their relevant month. I achieved this in January, working on it for short amounts of time between my Challenge pieces. It was a really fun stitch and I'm now waiting until I can start February's. Here it is with all the relevant details:

January Flip-It Stamp by Lizzie Kate

Stitch Count 47 x 47

Stitched on 16ct Rustic Aida 2 over 1

Started - 1st January 2015
Finished - 24th January 2015

Total Stitching Time - 10 hours 25 minutes

I'm going to make it into a simple ornament edged with red beads but probably not very soon! And I get a small SFS bonus!  :)

Love and hugs
Rachel x