Don't cross me

Hi, I'm Ashlee. Don't be fooled. I'm not really that old, but please tell that to my creaking joints. Patterns available over at gumroad.com/oldladyblogs

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Time to throw the old year out and prepare for 2023! This is the time to look back and remember my favorite pieces done throughout the whole year.

This year has not been kind to me in regards to stitching. Honestly, these 6 are...basically all I've done this year ;__; there's just been so much going on, I had zero time to do much. Plus, not a whole lot of ambition lmao. But between surgeries and health issues and pet issues and personal issues, I'm happy I at least got my six or seven things done. :)

Maybe it was too many dragons...maybe I did too many dragons to get motivation to do anything else XD

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The last of my ornaments I made that I forgot to post lmao

One for Ashley, the tree for me, and another little snowflake for a new friend :)

Every year since...2017? I make a little ornament for myself. This year I wasn't feeling very Christmas-y, so I went with a pretty little snowy tree!

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TIS THE SEASON FOR ORNAMENTS except I did not go crazy this year I only made four for some coworkers and one for Ashley and one for me for a total of six so there

I started this new job in October and my anxiety says "Ashlee everyone Must Love You (but even if they say they do they do not)" and so I give people things to make them like me. So they all got individual tins of cookies and fudge and a snowflake ornament.

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A commission for a friend please ask me nothing about this because I know nothing about My Hero Academia except for that it Exists :)

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A gift for a friend's birthday coming up. I was like yo Ashley what theme you want this year and she goes MERMAIDS so lo mermaids it is.

I actually really like this pattern! I need to get better at matting, but I'm not mad at how it turned out tbh.

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I actually made this a good eight years ago but just unfortunately got it back. It was a gift for my grandmother, who passed this last August.

It's weirdly amazing to me, to look back on an old project I put my heart and soul into and think "I could do this again, but better." This was one of my very first "complex" projects--by which I mean multiple colors next to each other, and little confetti stitches. I remember being in literal tears at one point, because I kept miscounting and nothing was adding up or going right.

I was about 22 or 23 when I made this, and being 30 now and looking back, I can't believe how far I've come--not just in stitching, but also in life. Ups and downs and highs and lows... The last eight years have been an emotional roller coaster, you know?

I am, of course, sad I was given this back. It was a gift to a person who is no longer here. But it's also nice to have as a reminder of everything.

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Trying to catch up on my backlog of finished things so like hi I'm still still alive

Idk if anyone, like, noticed??? But i....really like dragons??? And I may have done one or two (or five or six) already but this one is special cuz I designed it!

The details are incredibly hard to see, but this is on a light green mottled background with silver metallic thread and green beads. The dragon itself is 6 shades of purple and green eyes with a white and grey chest, all outlined in black.

Why am I being specific on colors? Because this is also my one and only pride piece I'll ever do. This was finished right at the end of June (and designed about a month before) after a talk I had with a fellow ace friend. We were lamenting about how there wasn't a lot of cool ace merch around and also how, and I quote, "dragons are dope as shit," so I felt compelled to make this one.

I'm not really an "out and proud" type of ace. I live in my own little world and do my own little things and take care of my own little pets. I don't feel the need to scream it to the rooftops--in fact, practically no one I know in real life knows I'm ace. And that's cool, you know? My personality is very much the OPPOSITE of loud, so I'm happy with how things are.

That's why this is such a subtle pride piece--from first glance, it's just a dragon. But I included the purple for asexuality and the greens for aromantic and the black, white, and grey of both. (Don't come @ me with the new sunset type of ace flag, it's pretty but I just don't get it, and it's my ace and I'll ace how I want thanks)

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I'm terrible hi it's me I'm alive still.

I've had this done since, uh...early June? I have no excuse for being a dumpster fire of a person and not uploading in forever, except I kinda fell into Some Type Of Mood and got busy and stuff.

So here's my dragon! I added the beads to the original patttern. Because I like beads. And...stuff. and things. I don't know, man, I'm just horrible right now

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MEOWTH! THAT'S RIGHT!

My companion piece to the giant Team Rocket stitch I made for my friend :)

I wish I had kept up with Pokemon, but my interests went elsewhere. I still enjoy it as a nostalgia factor, though, and I DO still have all my cards!

This pattern called for Jessie and James to be under the words, but 1. I had already done them in the Big Piece and 2. My wrist was also completely destroyed at this point and I just wanted this to be done. I like it better like this, I think...

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Hi :)

I'm a horrible person :)

I've had this done since NOVEMBER but Trinity's birthday wasn't until APRIL so I had to sit on this for a bit :) and then I got busy and didn't upload so I mean, here it is?

No lie, I've actually wanted to do this specific piece since about two months after I started cross stitching (which...7 YEARS now, wow!). So I'm happy that 1. I finally got to do it, 2. It's going to a GREAT home, and 3. It only took me roughly a month or so to do! I think, in terms of size, this is my 4th? Largest piece. It's like a 12x18 or so, so pretty big!

It also has a companion piece I stitched up, which will be uploaded next!

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Ahhhh she’s done!! This took me like, four or five months, from start of design to finished stitch. But! I have the fourth and final installment of Baily Sarian’s “Murder, Mystery, and Makeup Mondays,’ cross stitch form!

Wowee was this a journey! After I finished “Get Better Idols,” I told myself that was it. I was d o n e. And then I got bullied into making another one lol. So I told myself, ok, fine, one more and that’s it.

I purposefully designed this to be like a mirror to Suspish, my first MMM stitch. I wanted to keep the gold, since that and the skulls were the “theme” that carried all four together, but where Suspish is on a black fabric with white outlines, I wanted this one to be white fabric with black outlines. As such, this is the only one out of the quartet to feature black thread. Still stitched on 18 count aida though because Ashlee do be loving her some 18 count.

I started designing this in...September or October? And then started stitching in November. But it didn’t get finished until very very early February, due to a few things. Got caught up in other projects, other hobbies, life in general, y’all know how it be.

You can find this pattern over at my shop, right here. You can also find Suspish, Aqua Tofana, and Get Better Idols while you’re at it :)

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Small photo update because I haven't been stitching much. I do have two projects completed, but I've just been very busy lately! Also been going through some stuff, so we'll see how that turns out.

So please be content with the Cutest Little Rodent Ever. Last March, I adopted a precious little hamster, who I dubbed Thaleia, and then I immediately discarded that name in favor of just calling her The Hamster (or just Hamster).

She likes to run around on my headboard and dig into my plants. She ALSO likes to hide in my closet when I let her free roam

I would kill my best friend if the Hamster asked me to, I just love her so much ;__,

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Happy new year! As always, here are my top favorite finishes of 2021:

This year was incredibly hard for my family and me. Cross stitch was a...somewhat therapeutic escape from such a rough time, and I'm glad I got as much done as I did. Still, here's hoping 2022 is, at the least, slightly better than this past year.

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Happy new year's eve! Hope everyone stays safe.

This is my final finish of 2021. Well, finishES. Please ask me nothing about them, I know nothing, they're gifts for my friend. I just stitched and picked out the frames lol. I wanted them together because they're both for the same person and they're from the same show and also because I'm really lazy.

And if we're having a bit of fun... for every one good shot I take of my pieces, I have about 10 like this because SOMEONE is incapable of leaving me alone:

He found a stick and had to show it to me XD

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I forgot about this little guy! I made a little birb for my grandma because she likes birbs

However, this one was done on 25 count, in order to fit in the frame, and I don't think my poor eyes will ever be the same. Looks cool, remind me to never do again

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So since 2017, ever since I discovered these little frames, it's my new tradition to do an ornament. If you look through the ornament tag here, you'll find a bunch of them I did--they make great gifts for friends and family.

I have a very healthy obsession with foxes. I LOVE me a little fox. I wasn't totally sure what I wanted this year, but I found a cool blackwork group on Facebook, saw this, and was like YES MINE.

I also tried a new thing of painting the fabric with some watercolors I have hanging around. And it didn't show up, but the white part of the hat has glitter glued on it! I'm quite in love with this

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Taylor had a request for mushrooms--since she has a very UNhealthy obsession--so I busted out the Fancy Fabric. The head was originally going to be filled in, but "no I like it like that!!"

This was a fun and quick stitch, especially since I didn't have to do all that fill in! It was done on 14 count aida, for once, since that was the prettiest fabric Taylor picked out :)

You can find this pattern right over here at my shop