A Christmas Exchange!

I did a personal Christmas exchange again this year with Hannah. She also recently welcomed a baby into her household and I sent a little ornament for him as well. I made both ornaments to fit Hannah's woodland theme.

For Hannah
from the Joyeux Noel stocking
JBW Designs Stockings Full of Joy
DMC used:
471
522
3363
838
816
814
Beads: Mill Hill 62012
Stitched on 28 ct Platinum linen
WDW wool used for backing

For Baby

Bent Creek Hare Lines freebie (cannot find link for chart)

Threads Used:
Brown - Wisper W74 Cocoa
White - Alpaca 18 AL51 Ivory
Border - Carrie's Creation Peppermint
Stitched on a scrap of white linen in my stash

I'm trying to finish up a few Christmas ornaments for my family before Christmas. Why does it always take longer than I think it will?

I have also been busy trying to pick out threads for my new RR. I think I finally have it narrowed down, but not 100% yet.

Thank you all for your lovely comments that you leave. It always makes me smile. :-)

Cheryl asked if I would be framing my RR piece I showed in the last post. To tell you the truth, I'm not sure what I am going to do with it. I probably will end up framing it, but am still debating between that and a really nice pillow right now.

Stay warm & happy stitching!

Another PIF Arrived!

I hope that everyone had a safe and fun Halloween. I was still somewhat battling the cold/sinus thing and didn't exactly feel up to par, but enjoyed the night as best I could. While DH watched the Gators play and my DS was at a friend's house I passed out candy to approx 300 kids!!! No kidding! I'm glad I had purchased that extra bag of candy on top of my regular supply. After all the kids were gone and DS was safely home I went to bed! The sinus drainage is still wanting to linger, but I do feel better.

I have been busily stitching on Clare's piece for our Quaker RR. I just have a few more stitches and it will be finished. It will be in the mail on Monday for sure! Clare chose the prettiest autumn colored threads. Perfect for this time of year. As a matter of fact the name of the thread is Autumn Arbor by Gloriana. I promise to post a picture of her piece next week.

My final PIF piece arrived at Ann's. Here it is:

Prairie Schooler
ornament from "December"
Fabric: 10ct Stardust Heatherfield
Threads: Mostly recommended DMCs
Changes: green pants to blue for more of a "jeans" look
red for house to a brown for a "log cabin" look
Whisper used for Dog fur

Until next time...take care!

Happy Halloween!

I found out that 2 of my PIFs have arrived safely at their new homes. So, I actually have a couple of finishes to show you.

Here is Deb's:

Lizzie Kate Flip-It
"Friends"
Fabric: 28 ct. platinum linen
Recommended threads

I was just drawn to stitch this for Deb. She has been so sweet with her emails of encouragement over the past year. :-)

Here is Leigh's:

The Dragon has been modified slightly
from a freebie pattern by Dragon Dreams
The Sunflower is from Prairie Schooler's 1994 Santa
Stitched on 28 ct. ivory evenweave
Threads - my choice

A close-up of the dragon & sunflower

Leigh had told me she really liked dragons and sunflowers, so when I saw the little dragon pattern holding a coffee mug I decided to modify him slightly to hold a sunflower. And...voila!

On the work front...I've put my resume out at a couple more places. Still no real news.

On to other stitching...I sat down and made a small list of gifts I wanted to get stitched before Christmas. I think I will be able to get it accomplished. Making the list has helped. I will post pictures as they come along.

Best to all and have a fun & safe Halloween weekend!

Don't Faint!

I know, I know...you can't believe it! I actually have a finish. Well, actually 3!!!
I think it is my first for 2009. It's October and I'm just now having my first finish for the year. UGH!!!
These little ornies are for Donna's Stitching for a Cure project. I signed up for this last October and it has taken me the entire year to get them done.

What a year this has been!
To make a long story short and not bore you with the details...the last year and a half has been extremely stressful time. I've been working waaaayyyyy more than expected at work. So, after talking with my boss several times about it, I decided to turn in my resignation. This was a tough decision, especially given the current economic climate, but for the sake of my sanity and health it was time to go. This week was my last official week at work. I have my resume out at several places and pray that eventually the right job will come along.
I think there will be a lot of homemade gifts for Christmas this year. While there are family members that don't seem to really appreciate the time and effort put into homemade gifts, they will just have to get over it!!!
I plan on taking the next week or so and just relaxing and trying to get refocused a little bit. Then I plan on working on projects around the house and getting some Christmas stitching done. I truly hope to finish my Train project. It has been so neglected.
As for my PIF friends...fear not! I am almost done. Hope to have them in the mail very soon!

MOVIE THOUGHTS:
I haven't been to the movies as much lately since I knew the job was going to end and need to watch those pennies. But, I did see the following over the last few months:

The Informant - This was an interesting movie. I don't think many people will enjoy it, but I found it fascinating from a legal aspect. My husband works for the Federal Court and I worked in the legal field years ago, so we both understood what was going on and were fascinated by it. The movie had a quirky humor that some might not get and it would probably be boring to some. So...while I enjoyed it, others might not. Really like Scott Bakula!
Toy Story I & II in 3D - I LOVE these movies. It was so great to see them on the big screen again. Pixar is just great! Disney/Pixar made this a fun experience with the characters being involved before the movie and during an intermission trivia time. Just plain fun!
Fame - Great movie!

Looking forward to the following movies over the Holidays:

• A Christmas Carol
• Amelia
• Old Dogs
• The Princess & The Frog
• Did You Hear About the Morgans?

A special thanks to those that have left such sweet comments and sent me emails. It has given me great support during these difficult months.