Update on the Little Fishes

Hello everyone! If you haven't been keeping up with me on my Instagram, VanaQB, then there's a bit of an update you need updating on!

I'm pretty sure the last photo I had of my progress was in my Park It Like It's Hot blogpost (which you absolutely must read since it has Snoop Dawg mentioned in it). It only had the little fishes on top and the big (Rock Beauty?? I don't know....) down at the bottom. My Instagram photo be like this:

See that progress? That's a week right there. And then down below are some more updates.

Isn't that pretty? And it's only up to square 50 on the column line. Hopefully I can outline and get some more work done. Thank Gawd I don't have to outline the coral and rocks.

Thank ya Hey-Zues.

Toodles!
-VanaQB

Park It Like It's Hooot! Park It Like It's Hooot!

I'm pretty sure that when Snoop (Doop Doop) Dawg was singing this song, he really meant cross stitching. Some of you may say, "No, no VanaQB. That's not what the song was about at all!" But I implore you, just listen to the song one more time and you will realize how related to the Parking Method (PM) in cross stitching it really is.

Dance on Snoop Dawg, dance on.

Just recently, I re-watched a video by Carolyn Mazzeo on her PM Method and a few more things clicked for me. As you now know I am currently working on my under the sea project (Sebastian would be proud) for my sister who is a hard core marine biologist. Seriously, she is. You can read all about it. 

I'm doing this new piece and I thought, "Hey, why not try that PM thingy? It should work!" So I work on a square, getting all the pretty colors alinged and everything, place them in their correct holes....and find that its hard for me. 

Whuuuuuuttt?! I thought. 

This was supposed to be easier and help me with this.

Finish the square and decide, "Ok, I'm done with parking." Then I fiddle around on my Instagram, VanaQB (with the fairy picture), and find one of my all time lovely cross stitchers had re-posted her video on the PM method. And I thought, "Hey! I watched this before (not knowing it was her, my bad girl)! Let's watch it again!" 

Cuz in the back of my mind my artistic voice was being all picky and saying things like I did something wrong. 

Ssssshh, artistic voice. Ssshhhhhhhhhhh.

I end up watching the video and notice that the little voice was right. I had been doing it differently than she had explained it! Let me reveal it to ya: instead of doing little square by little square, I would go the entire row that had that color. That simple! And let me tell you, it made sense to me....but I don't and didn't like how my threads looked when I Single Ladies handled them, and prefer completing entire rows instead. 

Also, little known secret, PM helps with having to re-thread threads all the time. Can you imagine having to resew in a specific color just because it starts in a new box? Don't imagine. 

I already did it. 

So lessons learned and had! It's not the project that I'm working on (though most PM methods were shown in large scale HAED designs) that makes the difference, its really how I use it and whats comfortable for me. In the end, I do a knot at the back of my stitching and complete columns more than rows. I'm pretty sure I will end up altering some of my methods as I go, that's what growing is about, and using whatever I can to help with my work. PM is just one of the many. 

Have you parked it like its hot?

Toodles!

-VanaQB

New Stitches, New Pitches

Finally, it's been a long time coming. If you haven't noticed, I finished a piece for my Poppa who is going through treatment for prostrate cancer. His treatment ends in August, but the journey is still long for him. I pray Big G will keep him as he has through the months.

Now its time to introduce a new piece that I have been working on. This one is for my sister who, over the past six months, completed a job position at the IslandSchool down in The Bahamas in Eleuthera. Her research delt mainly with coral pieces, but I seriously can not get her to answer a simple question.

Like, what type of fish is my dinner? Not the water temperature, not its scientific name, not its gender or if its a juvenile. Dinner conversations with her are directed away from the water till I can get a straight and clear cut answer.

This piece I am working on I bought from Happyforever on amazon. It's pre-printed, like my last piece and has a lot of fishes. I hope to angel clouds that she is able to recognize the fishes. If I had gotten ones that aren't even in our hemisphere....

It's the thought that counts. I have to keep reminding myself that.

Toodles!
-VanaQB

This one if for you, Poppa

I am finally completed with this piece of work. It took me about a month and a half to do. There were a few set backs: colors didn't match, the golden thread decided to have an attitude with me, and after starring at a canvas for so long your eyes start to glaze over. Thankfully, a steady supply of music and a long island ice tea can help any artistic hangover. Unless, of course, you fall asleep from the long island ice tea.

But I digress.

In all seriousness, I made this piece for my father who is currently doing treatment for prostrate cancer. He doesn't look sick, that's because God has kept him well. I mean, six weeks of treatment is a long time. My fathers belief has become a guiding post for me in my own spiritual life, because no matter what religion or temples I visit, I always go back to my foundations. I always think of my dad and his journey.

The radiation he is going through is another part of his spiritual journey. I know God will treat him well and bless him along the way. I know because life is like cross stitch. You see a beautiful picture and you dedicate yourself to completing it. There are trials and errors, set backs and withdrawals. There are happy times and then depressing times. And then those times when you know you just have to complete it. And when you do....

It's the most beautiful piece the world has ever seen.

This one is for you Poppa. Hope you like it :)

Toodles!
VanaQB

I LIIIIVE! Updates with Internet

Yes, yes I am back people. I mean, I am still in fabulous paradise, but fabuuu paradise doesn't have internet sometimes. I know, I knooow. Who wants to go outside when you only see this out there??

Sunriiiise, sunset

Sand Dollar, The Bahamas

Regatta Sunset, The Bahamas 

Tch. Beautiful. I even get to eat some conch fritters to keep me motivated. Hands oil free, of course.

On the other side of things, I got some more photos for people on my progress. The gold string I had was really something. I didn't use the thread smoother because I thought it would be weird (I dunno), so at first I used three threads. But when I ran out of gold, I had to undo what I did and use a single thread (which to my surprise already had three threads in it too).

See the gold? It was in all corners. Had to take them out or I wouldn't have enough for the cross.

Now I have been doing the outlining and it has been taking a while. It is very tedious and I don't think back stitching isn't as bad as people make it sound. It REALLY comes down to the lines.

Dem lines though. Dem lines.

Hopefully the next time I post things up, I will be completed with the cross. It's a gift for my dad, who is going through treatment for his prostrate cancer. Once I get that done, I will be sure to dedicate a post to all the fabulous photos I will take.

Toodles!
-VanaQB