birthday finish!

thanks so much for all the kind birthday wishes this weekend! it was a very relaxing weekend, and i got to stitch, which always makes for a good time!

i used fancy fur and satin stitched for his hat and cuffs. the fibers might be really annoying when trying to stitch background behind them, but i love the effect!

his beard came next, and i had to put it down for a few days before i decided to just move forward with the alternating french knots using tulips. meh. 

somebody decided to be cheeky with his extra passport picture, so imagine my surprise when i came downstairs to this over the weekend! <3

et voila! background in place, and after a little beading session during sunday night football, we have a finish! i admit i was anxious to get this to the finish pile, because i am really excited about my next project on deck and can't wait to start!

the maiden voyage on a brand new canvas. also, Iowa.

true story: i'm a Texas girl. and as a Texan, it can sometimes be lost on us that there are other states in the continental US besides our own. i never dreamed that i would eventually end up with midwestern boy from the state of Iowa. want to know what came to mind when he first mentioned where he was from? 

turns out it's a beautiful and picturesque state, and actually does look like a travel brochure

fun fact: my mom still gets Iowa confused with Ohio and Idaho

the point of this brief geography lesson is that i've been trying to incorporate both of our home states into my needlepoint, and actually discovered that it's a little harder to find Iowa-themed needlepoint canvases (compared to the over-abundance that is offered for Texas)

this petei santa is the trifecta for the Iowa canvases that i've stitched. my man may not be winning any awards for being the Iowa State Alumni-of-the-Year but he is going to appreciate this cute canvas on our Christmas tree dadgummit!

anywho, i started by stitching his face/hands as shaded, then found the perfect shade of splendor silk and finished his coat and pants. 

his boots followed in sparkly kreinik to follow the directional pattern of the pants. 

i chose to coordinate the diagonal mosaic from his pants and carry it over to his hat for a little symmetry. the belt is padded satin stitch with a shiny gold kreinik belt buckle. i wanted to keep it relatively tame since i'll be beading the words (spoiler alert).

next on deck: a little fur, a little beard, and then a little beading! have a happy little weekend!