Playing with Colored Pencils

I've had a set of Prismacolor Colored Pencils for about three years but just recently started using them with my tangles. I also purchased some books and have been watching tutorials on drawing with them. Still have a long way to go but feel I'm making progress.

I couldn't sleep Sunday night as I'd slept most of the day (bronchitis can really kick your butt) so I worked on a fall leaf drawing from one of the books I'd received. I brought it to work and my friend/co-worker Caye said, "I hate you. Can I have it?" Apparently it matches her décor.

Fall Leaf, 9"x12", Colored Pencil on Bristol Paper

Today, two more books were delivered so found some cherries to practice on in one of them. Not too happy with my result but will keep on practicing.

Cherries, 3.5"x3", Colored Pencil on Bristol Paper

Off to find more stuff to practice on!

My Angel of Cross Stitch Pattern Is Here!

I've wanted to do Joan Elliot's The Angel of Cross Stitch for a long time but couldn't find it. The chart had been published in the June 1999 issue of Just Cross Stitch, which was no longer being published. On her blog, folks had asked Joan about it and she'd indicated that she wanted to rechart it (the magazine had the original) but with her current commitments, she just wasn't able to. So I kept looking.

Back in May of 2015, I finally acquired a copy of the magazine issue that I'd been looking for. Several ladies in a cross stitch Facebook group I belong to had been talking about it and one of the members found a copy of the magazine on Amazon and sent me the link. Woohoo!

When I got the magazine, I was eager to start but found that the color symbols for the chart were way too light and hard for my old eyes to see. I bought a magnifier so I could see the symbols but that was awkward to have to keep using every couple of minutes. Think ... think ... think ... then I remembered that years ago, I'd had the same problem with the Lavender and Lace Angel of Autumn chart so I'd re-charted it using PCStitch.

I spent about a month on it but finally finished transferring the chart to PCStitch and was about to print it out when I had a sudden thought. "Why should Joan Elliot have to spend the time to re-chart this pattern when I'd already done it?" So, I sent her an e-mail explaining what I'd done and soon received a reply asking if I wasn't the actual angel ... or something like that. I sent her the pattern file and while she did have to purchase PCStitch, she finally got it started. She even posted in her Facebook group hinting at something special. Apparently, she'd been dealing with copyright issues all day so my e-mail turned her day around.

Soon after Joan was in an accident so she wasn't able to work on the chart, but it was finally finished and put up for sale on December 26, 2015 and I received my copy with a thank you note from Joan today! I may have squeed as much as my bronchitis would allow me to when I saw it!

Please excuse the sick person face and droopy eyes ... I have a severe case of bronchitis.

I have to finish a stocking I'm making for my cousin Sarah before I can start this but in the meantime, I can find the perfect fabric!

To purchase your own copy of Joan Elliot's Angel of Cross Stitch, please visit her blog @ https://joanelliott.wordpress.com/ to order directly from her or get links to other shops that sell the pattern in your country/locale.