A quickie project for travel, and progress on prezzies!

So, after coming home from Pullman for my brother's graduation from WSU, I thought about how annoying it was getting in and out of the travel bag I had packed in order to get work done on the Xmas gifts I'm making for my sister and her family.  I had everything I was working on in one of those hanging makeup travel bags.  Well, it was great and all, but it was bulky.  So, when I got home I scrounged around and put together this little thing!

I had been looking online for some neat ideas for a good travel embroidery set, and I found quite a few good ones.  However, since I don't have an Altoids tin, or even just a cute little tin, I decided to go with something that I already had.  I saw one (I think it was the DMC blog website) made from a slim wallet, and thus this was born.

A friend was gonna get rid of this pretty nice slim wallet when I was helping her unpack after moving, and I said I would take it off of her hands for her.  I hadn't really had need of it at the time, but I'm glad that I grabbed it now!  

Its just the usual inside of a wallet, really.  But, then I started adding to it.  ^-^

So, I have a lovely little paper ruler, a threader, some extra floss bobbins (I have a tendency to pick up new thread when traveling.  An idea will pop in my head and I'll then start slowly planning for it.)  There is also a leather thimble (for the extra pokie days) and a pair of mini scissors.  Those are temporary, I lost my good embroidery scissors while on the trip back from the graduation.  Dang it. >.<

But, I have gotten more work done on my nephew's picture.  I finished the one for my sister, but because of the chance she might look on here at the pictures, it will not be posted till after the holidays.

I am making a picture for my niece and nephew of their names, something they will hang on to for a long time.  Hopefully.  Seeing as he is six and she is four, they might not appreciate it as much right now, but hopefully will later.  But, they will get plenty of mindless toys too.

I, like an idiot, decided to use the Hobbitton script to write their names.  Of course it is probably one of the hardest things to cross-stitch ever.  However, it goes well with what I did for my sister.  I only have myself to blame.  

I found this amazing site that will transform whatever text you want into a x-stitch pattern, with whatever font you want to use thats already on the computer.  http://coricamo.com/photo/index.php?lang=en  LOVE IT!!!!

 What I have so far.  It is very slow going for this, especially since I'm trying to make it not as blocky as the pattern and more like the printed version.  Thus, there is a lot of 3/4 stitches, and half stitches.

But yes, I shall post more about this one soon... and as soon as I restart Maddy's.  I didn't like how that one was going, so I shall re-do.  She might not get it till after Christmas, with how slow my progress is...  To think, the first one I did really didn't take that long....