Beautiful colors - one of my favorite schemes, and reminds me of the Japanese Imari porcelains I started my needlepoint designing with so many years ago. I will apply the same colors to what I'm doing now with crazy quilt in needlepoint. As for "balance" - will have to think on that one. (According to my children, I am a bit UNbalanced.)

I love those jewel tones! I am definately going to do the color challenge this month.

Love the photo of your threads, these are so lush and rich.
Balance - something I wish I could attain as I always seem to have too much to do and too little time for everything I am trying to do. I would say that I am in a constant state of movement if I stop I fall off or drop things, I have to keep moving from one thing to another so that I get something done on each thing, wether it's housework, projects etc, and hope that i eventually fiish soemthing by it's deadline.

I would say I am balancing very precariosly on a tightrope whilst juggling many different things and hoping I don't drop anything or fall off.
hmmm juggling/tightrope/balance - think I have a design idea ... off to work in my journal ;)
Ronelle

Thank you Sharon for this new challenge.
The July challenge is on my blog.

Judy's idea, above, sounds wonderful!! My initial thought is to make something that will fit my blog http://justenoughtime.wordpress.com, because that's really what the blog is about: finding the balance in my life with just enough time for all the things I find important. Not sure how that will come out visually or what medium I'll use, but I'll be thinking about it today.

Balance..its more a rhythm!
Ups and downs.

thank you Sharon

will have to think on this one - cool theme and I think I have most of those colors already so that is a good thing.
www.goatgoddess.wordpress.com

Almost scary when I read the challenge and know immediately what I want to do with it. LOL This is a topic I give a lot of thought to, working at achieving that balance in my life. Now off to stitch, an area of my life that might be just a teensy bit out of balance. Do you think?

I have a brief initial thoughts posting on my blog today.
http://justenoughtime.wordpress.com

Balance - interesting concept for someone who has hearing problems. After all the sense of balance is based in the ears. Also the balance between doing things correctly and doing things in a new way. I will have a long hard think about that. The colours really appeal to me, very rich looking, not my usual colour palette so a real challenge. Grace

Hi Sharon, I wanted to publisch my comment on TIF july, but I got discarded and I don't know why?

Jacqueline
Your comment never appeared at my end of the system. All I can think of is that there was a database hic up on the servers at wordpress.
Sorry I have no control over it.
You are the only person who has sad they have had this problem so lets hope it is a temporary glitch and wont happen again

Being someone who works with symbols a lot in my work it's got to be Yin and Yang for me.
Although I do hope I can have a different take on this. It's about priorities. What do I make a priority in my life? Good question. It should be to organise, as my life has always been chaotic, but it isn't, it should be to get enough sleep and exercise, but it isn't. Well, how to portray this in a piece of work, possibly using a symbolic interpretation such as Yin and Yang, well now there's a challenge for me. Not sure if I will pull this one off, but I'll have a go. Good one Sharon, now you have me examining my life, not so sure that I want to, lol. Thanks for the challenge though. Cheers Tricia

I've gotten a little behind. I retired Friday, so I should have more time to stitch. I've finished my block for May
http://www.flickr.com/photos/marcih/2732497562/

June is almost done - I had a good day of stitching yesterday.

I've just posted my initial thoughts on the theme of balance on my blog. It will be interesting to see what comes of this!

http://sewingmagpie.blogspot.com

Hi Sharon
I have posted my CQ block on my blog--I had a few problems making a block that I liked but after making 2 I like this one best....the colours haven't photographed true but you will get the idea.
Doreen
http://doreeng.blogspot.com/

I just put up my July Tif. Make sure you enlarge the second and third images on the right so they show up square as intended to be seen. Typepad showed them as square on the preview.
I love the colors for the August Tif and the topic is very thought provoking. Terry

Hi Sharon,
I have just finished my TIF August.
Regards
Waltraud
www.farbtupfer.blogspot.com

I'm running behind, but I have just posted my finished June TIF challenge piece called "Endless Possibilities".

http://barbs-spiritsong.blogspot.com

Barb

Hi all, I've put up two posts about this month's challenge on my blog... http://fibrefan.blogspot.com/

I finally started the initial thinking process for August and posted it on my blog: http://tangomusings.blogspot.com

My first thoughts on the August challenge, and a preliminary sketch are now up on my blog. http://www.tyquilts.com/blog

Life is a circus with two acts! Balance and Juggling. We need them both in equal parts. (plus lots of pretty colors and needlework)

What wonderful colors and what a great theme! I hope I can make time to work on this one in the next couple of weeks. I haven't been able to touch the challenges since May due to problems with (can you believe it?) balance in my life. I'll babble more about that on my blog later this morning.

Virginia

Hi Sharon,

Thanks so much for another interesting topic and color combination. I've created a color shading chart for everyone again this month and look forward to this month's challenge. The chart is on my blog - www.dianem.wordpress.com

Hugs, Diane

Hi there,
after a long absence it feels I been able to come back and join in :D
To try and catch up I've put June and July's challenge toghether in some wet felted pieces - on my blog
http://hebartjournal.blogspot.com/2008/08/oo-and-i-felt-like-new-woman.html

Now to august :D

Hi Sharon and everyone

I've been getting a little behind. I just finished June and have decided to skip July just for the moment. I have started on August and have a photo and my initial thoughts on my blog.

http://www.barbs-spiritsong.blogspot.com

Barb

Further thoughts on this months challenge, and my progress are up on my blog
http://www.tyquilts.com/blog

Hi Sharon Ive done July http://paulahewitt.wordpress.com/2008/08/12/take-it-further-challenge-july-halfway-to/
and August http://paulahewitt.wordpress.com/2008/08/08/tif-challenge-august-balance/

pretty much at the same time!

Well, I had to give this a lot of thought, but I think I've got it. Balance, difficult to get, but the effort to get some balance is good... see my blog for my TIF August start.

I've finished August, it's on my blog.
www.linda-stokes.blogspot.com

Some actual stitching progress made. Scroll to the bottom of the post to see it. I didn't remember counted cross stitch as being so hard! Must be the fact that my eyes are 20 years older than when I used to do it regularly.
http://www.tyquilts.com/blog

Hi Sharon

I went back from holiday last week end and I'm trying to catch up with July and August challenges. They're both inspiring and the colors are great as usual.

Hi,
First thoughts are here, however I don't feel too inspired about my work for August so far.
http://travelfibreandthread.blogspot.com/

Sharon I am not sure why but my comment was discarded on the July TIF page. Anyway here is the comment I tried to put there -

While I liked the colours I have had to make do with the theme and my interpretation is not all that imaginative but it is definitely a half way mark!
Drop by http://maggies-textiles.blogspot.com

Hi Sharon, my comment was discarded too. I posted my July piece on my blog
http://patchworkadosbandas.blogspot.com/2008/08/recovecos.html

I finished my August challenge piece. If you'd like to take a peek it's on my blog.

http://ruthsfiberphotos.blogspot.com

I haven't started the CQ purse yet in the colors, but found yet another of my favorites in color and subject matter - a canvas by Inge Wooley that she gave me. Iznik ceramics! I really need to find balance in my stitching time - much is work, and I forget to do it for enjoyment!

Hi Everyone, I've progressed a little bit more with my August TIF. Waiting for the shisha mirrors to arrive, hopefully before next weekend. See my progress on my blog.

http://barbs-spiritsong.blogspot.com/

I'd given up on the challenge but suddenly realised that this piece actually fits the theme! See it on my blog http://faffingabout.blogspot.com/2008/08/take-it-further-august.html

I'm posting my challenge start on my blog right now. Thanks for all the work involved in this.
http://focus-on-fiber.blogspot.com

First textile step on my blog
http://patchworkbroderieetcetera.blogspot.com/2008/08/tif-challenge-august.html

Hi Sharon, August TIF done for now and pix on...
http://fibrefan.blogspot.com/

My inital thoughts and design for the August challenge are posted at http://paintedquilt.blog-city.com/balance.htm

Hi, finished August piece now on my blog
http://travelfibreandthread.blogspot.com/

I finished the first piece.
http://laurencepatch.blogspot.com/

My August piece "Balanced" is complete and there is a photo and details on my blog. Sue McB

My August piece "Balanced" is complete and there is a photo and details on my blog. Sue McB

Http://paddysdaughter.blogspot.com

My August piece "Balanced" is complete and there is a photo and details on my blog. I left the address of my last comment.

Sue McB

http://paddysdaughter.blogspot.com