I finished the outside burst using Kreinik #4 in silver. You may note that I used the heaviest fibers in the centers and then worked outward using lighter weights as I went. The DMC Color Infusion Memory Wire is the heaviest, followed by the stranded Silky, moved to the Silver Lame, and then Gold Rush. The last two were the DMC Sparklers and finally the Kreinik #4. All of the spokes of the bursts are couched down, which may explain why it took a little longer to get all of those in. I have one more thing to add to this, so the fini will be tomorrow night!

I worked the top spray tonight. The DMC Color Infusions Silky and Sparklers do not come in white or silver right now. So, I switched to DMC Marlitt in white--2 strands--and Kreinik #4 in silver--one strand. The long spokes are worked once again in the Silver Lame Braid. Tomorrow I will start working further out on the sprays.

I finally did some finishing over the weekend. This is one of the Kick Back and Stitch pieces I stitched a while back. I cut this piece out leaving about 1/2 inch from the stitched edge. I then creased all the sides to the back. I cut a piece of finishing foam to match and then covered it with gold lame. I placed the stitching on top of that and then......glued all the edges down! Next I placed that on top of the box...after the glue dried, of course, and then I glued this to the top. A little while later I came back and glued the gold trim all around the outside. Since this paper painted box is not destined for the Needlework Hall of Fame, I did not feel it necessary to worry about archival finishing. It will be a welcomed gift for a friend in August.