Diamond Painting Coasters - Updated 5/1/24

May 1, 2024--Ta da.... done!  This project couldn't have been easier.  I've even placed the cork backing on each coaster.  Now to figure out how to "seal" them so they aren't stained by red wine, coffee, tea, etc.    See the blog posting below dated April 28th for more details about this project.  

All Eight Coasters Done

All Eight Coasters in their Metal Carrier

April 28, 2024--Recently I was at a friend's home where she showed me a diamond painting kit she was working on.  She found it akin to using adult coloring books except you are coloring with faceted, flat backed diamonds or "drills".  It looked more like "painting by numbers", but I could appreciate the Zen-like feeling you would get when doing this.  Sooooo....purchased one of these kits from Amazon and I must admit, it is very relaxing!!!  For $9.99, the kit included 8 different patterned coasters, 8 cork backs, 1 metal holder, drills in individually numbered/lettered packages, a tray, holding wax and a pen-like device to pick up the drills.  So far, I've done three of the eight coasters and don't want to stop until they're all done.  

Included in the kit:  Metal Holder, 8 Coasters, 8 Cork Backs (Drills are in separate envelopes)

Information on Side of Box

Below is a photo of a coaster before the drills are placed on it.  The surface is very, very sticky or tacky, so the coaster has a thin plastic film on it that you can keep placed on half of the coaster portion you aren't working on while exposing the other half of the coaster's sticky surface for drill placement.   The surface is color coded as to where to place which drills--easy peasy.   The pen like device used to place the drills is first filled with a waxy substance which holds the faceted side of the drill while you place the drill's flat side onto the coaster.  The positioning doesn't have to be exact, just cover up the number or letter.  

Here's an example of one of the coasters beaded so far. 

A coaster fully beaded, photographed top down.

A coaster fully beaded, photographed from the side.

I will probably coat each coaster with something that will make it waterproof, but not sure what yet.

Early Merry Christmas Wishes - 12/6/22

December 6, 2022--I recently posted the below photo as my personal Facebook cover page.  It shows all the ornaments I've stitched and "finished" myself over the years, hanging on a metal frame in front of the fireplace (I have no mantel to speak of--it's used for my television's sound bar).  I love these pieces and very much enjoy bringing them out each December. 

But this is all I have to show you at this time.  I'm currently working on Stage 2 of ANG's Master Needlepointer Certification Program and cannot blog about it until I submit it for review next May.  I'm very much behind on the stitching of this project since I did a lot of traveling this year as well as having had eye surgery in September.  My vision is improving and I'm back to stitching, but not as much as I'd like because of ----   GOT ----  !!!!   

DH and I recently signed up for a year of HBO Max and are now binge-watching Game of Thrones (GOT)--all eight seasons (we've already watched what's been aired so far of House of the Dragon).   It's taking all of my attention to follow the numerous amount of characters in the story and their shenanigans, so I sit attentively for hours a day (when not out doing other stuff, of course).  We're half-way through Season 3, so that gives you an idea of how brain dead I've become (will I be a blue-eyed White Walker without having been killed first?).

Stay tuned--I hope to get back into my stitching chair soon, or at least into my craft room to "finish" stitched pieces into ornaments (that's always a lot of fun--ha, ha).

So, I want to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and see you at the end of this year or early next.

October 5, 2022--Well, this was funny, but sad.  I just read an online article from ALOT (click on title to get to website):

Home Decor That Just Screams "Granny Chic"

Here's what they had to say about needlepoint:

Needlepoint

Sure, needlepoint designs can be fun to create and they are a great way to kill time when you are absolutely bored out of your mind, provided you have the patience. You may even like the way your stuff turns out when you’ve finished it, but that doesn’t mean you should hang it on your wall.

Needlepoint is like the epitome of granny chic because it’s literally what you imagine in your head as a grandma doing all – that is until your mom becomes a grandma and she’s still not sewing. But anyway, your creations are best left stuffed in a box somewhere or maybe attached to a quilt.

Fortunately for me, I am NOT influenced by such nonsense and my walls are covered with needlepointed projects.