Creepy Characters helpers

Hi Everybody... Robin here.

I have helpers. Good kitten helpers.

Lana and Leo are assessing the small Halloween Tree selected to travel to Baltimore for display in the NeedleDeeva room at TNNA/Fall Market. I also found my ORANGE mini-lights and my PURPLE mini-lights for decorating the display window. Plus, I am bringing my favorite Black Feather Wreath to also display the Creeps. I'll be posting photos once things are decorated.

The Ghost and the Skeleton arrived from the finishers yesterday. Once again, the workmanship from Elizabeth Turner Collection in Lexington, KY is awesome. All of my Creepy Characters are with me and ready to travel. Here is a quick photo of them. Both are stitched with the Neon Rays Plus NP300 Glow in the Dark. I'll be teaching the Skeleton at Ruth Schmuff's shop, Bedecked & Beadazzled, on Sunday. Looking forward to that experience, for sure.

My suitcase is packed. Carry-on bag is manageable. NOW, it's time to figure out what stitching to bring for airplane traveling. I will go through my other works in progress to see what is small enough for the trip. (Sure do with I had another Creepy Character to work on; they are just the right size.)

Here's one last photo. Pat took the pix of Leo and surprised me with it. He said, "Here's one you didn't know about." So true. I think it's one of my favorites. That's all for now. Next time it will be from Baltimore. Thanks, Robin

Glow in the Dark Threads

Hi Everybody... Robin here.

Ghost is finished. Here is your first viewing of him. He is the 6th character from NeedleDeeva's Creepy Characters club/series (ND 0467-F).

I used Glow in the Dark threads for each of the Creeps... except for The Devil.  Mostly, I used the DMC Glow in the Dark E940 floss. It is a nice thread to use because it is stranded and works beautifully with the laying tool.

I've used other Glow in the Dark threads in the past. After all, my passion is Halloween.

Kreinik has a nice assortment; these are from my stash. Kreinik's Glow in the Dark collection is available in sizes 4, 8, 12, 16, 32, 1/8" ribbon, 1/16" ribbon and Blending Filament. Sweet!

Rainbow Gallery introduced their Neon Rays Plus Glow in the Dark NP300 at the Columbus Market. I was fortunate to stitch with it on the Ghost. YEOW! It's awesome. Works beautifully, too. Rainbow Gallery also has another Glow in the Dark thread called Zoo Eyes (Z001) for Needlepoint: 13-18 count or Cross Stitch: 7-11 count. The things I have learned while stitching the Creepy Characters!

Here is a group shot of available Glow in the Dark threads.

So, what do you think? Might give it a try? Thanks to all of the awesome thread companies. You know how to put the fun into stitching. Oh, yes... here's the Ghost, too.

This week the Ghost goes off to be finished. Won't they be surprised. Thanks, Robin

Driving through the SNOW

Hi Everybody... Robin here... back in Memphis.

Market was a wonderful experience. I treasure the opportunity to travel with Amy and Jill. On the drive home from Columbus to Memphis, I decided to stitch on the canvas from the Associated Talents' class I took on Sunday.

"Let it SNOW" is one of the Associated Talents seasonal message canvases. I know you have seen some of their other ones: Be Mine, Happy Halloween, Happy Easter...  It is on 13 mesh and measures 8.5"W x 4.5"H. It comes with their stitch guide; Don's ideas are cuter than cute.

In class, I began stitching the background. Carol and Sandy taught an awesome technique for twisting & couching the DMC Memory Thread spelling out the "let it."  Later that evening, I cut my lengths of Neon Rays and straightened them with my flat iron.

(Here's the link to the video I did showing that technique:  http://needlepointstudyhall.blogspot.com/2011/03/straightening-neon-rays_27.html)

Stitching on the SNOW canvas was perfect for the drive home. The 13 mesh is very car friendly. Here's the game that I played. From Columbus to Cincinnati, I stitched on the S. Once we made it onto the other side of Cincinnati, I changed to the N. It didn't matter that I hadn't finished the S...
I was playing a game.

From Cincinnati to Louisville, I stitched on the N.

From Louisville to Nashville, I stitched on the O.

From Nashville to Memphis, I stitched on the W.

A 9-hour car ride was enjoyable and productive. Amy was productive, too. She stitched on both the H and the A of her upcoming THANKSGIVING banner for her Home Study.

Now, I am back home. Time to put SNOW down and pick up the Ghost. He is the last piece to stitch of the NeedleDeeva Creepy Characters series.
I took the finished models to the Rainbow Gallery booth to show Sally.
I asked her if Rainbow Gallery had any "glow in the dark" threads?
I was thinking about making the Ghost special but the inspiration hadn't appeared... until Sally said, "Yes, we have the NEW Neon Rays Plus Glow in the Dark thread." OMG. Can you believe that? I can't wait to use it.

Thanks for letting me share my traveling experiences with you. I'll be in touch soon. Thanks, Robin

Drakula from NeedleDeeva is finished!

Hi Everybody... Robin here.

I met all deadlines last night.

Finished Drakula at 8PM. Generated the FedEx air bill, typed the instructions letter to M's Canvashouse, and said "bon voyage" to my newest Creepy Character from NeedleDeeva. He arrives in Lexington today and begins his transformation into an ornament. He is so cute; I really fell for him. I had the best time designing his Halloween Couture cape and top hat. The bow tie really completes the ensemble. His eyes glow in the dark as well as those fangs. His eyeglasses are Kreinik Hot Wire, and again, I used the lasso technique.

I met another deadline, too. The new NeedleDeeva website went live yesterday. I re-vamped the site, and gave it that special touch which the Deeva deserves. Here's a screen shot of the home page. The website link is www.needledeeva.com

My last deadline was outputting Amy's e-newsletter June 2011. Got it done and it is now online. I slept good last night. Hmmm... I wonder why?

The last character in the NeedleDeeva Creepy Characters series is
Ghost (ND 0467-F). Right now, I am calling him Mr. Jazz Hands. LOL. He will be my traveling companion to the Columbus TNNA Market. I will stitch him in the car while Jill drives; Amy will be stitching her Thanksgiving Banner, too. What a scene that will be!

Today's list of things to do begins with tidying up all of the Creepy Characters threads. (Looks like a minor explosion happened as the deadlines were approaching!) Then, it's time to begin writing the Creepy Characters stitch guides. First will be Hooty because his information needs to be sent to Needlepoint Now. Second will be Fraidy Cat because I will be teaching his class at the TNNA Fall Market in Baltimore, MD in August 2011. The rest of the Characters will be done in alphabetical order.

Well, time for more coffee. Enjoy the day. Hope you meet your deadlines. Thanks, Robin