It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

As you can see....this is our first real snow of the year and it's the wet, stick to the trees kind! Very pretty, but glad it came on a Sunday and I can stay inside.

Lots of stitching photos to catch up on since the last post! First up I had Lauren pick out Amberlyn's ornament for the year and she picked one from the JCS 10th Anniv. ornament book. The hair took me over 2 nights to do! I don't like cutting oval forms and it has me looking to find what I can buy to cut perfect ovals. I'm really not interested in cutting my own mats for framing, but I do want to cut perfect shapes. I guess I need to see what my options are. Anyone have suggestions? Next up is a new start and finish! In one of my groups we started a "mystery" start. If you guess what it is, you get to start a mystery. I've had this pattern for at least a couple years and just never got around to doing it. So I started, and finished! I have the buttons on order. He should be holding 3 snowballs. Then I'll turn him into a flatfold.


I did a bit more on Natalie's RR, so here is when I got it and then what it looks like now.




And then the only other thing I worked on was my Mystic- Seasonal Collide. I'm still working on the first tree (which I think is the most boring one as colors go) I am almost done with this page.


Preparing for Christmas is going like it probably is for everyone else. You never feel like you're ready, but it comes no matter what and you get through it. All 3 of my trees are up and my house has been transformed to enjoy for the next few weeks.
I'll leave you with a picture of Amberlyn checking out the first tree I put up this year. I hope everyone has a happy holiday!

A special get together!!!

Before I get to the good stuff I have to say that I got back on a roll with my Mystic and worked on it pretty much exclusively the end of Oct and beginning of Nov. I don't know why these pieces are so hard to put down. There wasn't lots of confetti so I made some nice progress.
But the most exciting thing is that 5 of my stitching friends (from 5 different states!) took time out of their busy schedules to come to Michigan and spend some quality time together. We met at my house, did some hot tubbing, wine drinking and non-stop conversation. The next day we headed over to the West side of the state and stopped at Stitching Bits and Bobs. Spent almost 3 hours there and then to South Haven (on Lake Michigan) where we had rented 2 cottages. We shared our WIP, purchases at the store and finishes. We even had a couple finishes over the weekend. A cube and and a flatfold. I learned a new finish and got a lesson from Karen on how to make a beaded scissor fob. Isn't it pretty? There really wasn't very much stitching going on. I have found I do my best stitching alone!! LOL
I gave each person a mitten ornament (to symbolize the state of Michigan).
I persuaded Karen to bring her HAED World Tree so I could work on it. I actually finished the 2nd page for her. I guess I should ask when she wants it back!
I have finished 2 more ornaments that were stitched awhile ago and I had my stocking finished for Amberlyn. You can't see it, but the stocking has beautiful blue velvet on the back! Here is the link to my 2010 finishes album if you want to see other angles of the finishes.
And I haven't gotten any new photos of Amberlyn since Halloween, so here she is as a witch...and chewing on her glow stick.I hope everyone has a calm beginning to the holiday season and can enjoy all the little moments!!! Thanks for stopping by!!

On a roll!

I did even more finishing this week. I finished a LHN piece into a flatfold for ME! I've done several and have never kept one. I still need to get some trim for around the edge, but once I find it, it will be quick to finish. Every photo should be clickable to enlarge.


And then I finished another ornament. I don't know why the left side looks lopsided, it really doesn't look like that in real life. Maybe it was the way it was laying on the counter. I have only 2 stitched ornaments and one little wine piece to "finish" into something and ALL my things are completed!!! No stitched pieces languishing in a drawer somewhere.
This week most of my time was spent on my Chatelaine Fairy Flower Garden. I am now 1/3 of the way done. The whole bottom is finished except for the crystals which go on last.
















I also received the final RR of the year. Natalie's 2nd piece to go around, since the first one was done!!!! It's 2nd chances by Ink Circles. I have finished 6 motifs just this week! I love the shades of purple used in it. Plus it's using my favorite floss, Carries!!!

And since last time I posted I didn't have any photos of Amberlyn, I'll show you this one from this week. I took the picture myself while holding her. She got the boo boo at home a couple days earlier and NOT at Grandmas!!!!

A week of accomplishments, inside and out.

I got some finishing done this week. This turned into

this.

This one finally got framed. I had to add the dime for size comparison and I won't be tackling another 40ct gauze project.
And one of the ornaments I recently stitched is an actual ornament now.

And outside.....remember this? And how pretty is was? Well the poor tree is an Ash tree and has the dreaded disease and must come down. So now that area looks like this. ==>

And we moved the ring to another tree. Carl hated mowing around it anyway.
After the tree is taken down and the other one moved into the same place, another ring will go up so I can have my impatience plants back! Not much stitching happened this week. But I did order the new Witches Wheel and will be purchasing the PTP Solar fabric for it next month when I head to SB&B's. If you haven't seen the pattern, here it is. I figure I need more Halloween stuff for Amberlyn to look at. That's my excuse anyway.

Back from Paradise

Or as other people might know it, St. Maarten. The prettiest island I have ever been to and we had a great time in the sun, sand and just relaxing. I would recommend it as a vacation place to anyone who loves water and sun!








I took a few smalls to work on while there. I only truly finished one while I was gone, the other 2 had to wait, I lost the pattern for one and the other I didn't pull all the colors! And on my way home, St Maarten took my scissors! I have flown LOTS with them since 9/11......Oh well, I got them finished up this week.

Since we've been back the weather in MI has been awesome as well. Today is in the 80's and sunny and this week is supposed to continue in the 70's. Can't ask for better for October. We went to our friends house who boards horses and took Amberlyn with us.

Once a month is all I can handle

Apparently for blog posts. I see I'm pretty consistent at a monthly update.
What's up the last month??? Well I was pretty attached to my Mystic-Seasonal Collide. I finished page 5 and then had to lock it up! There are 2 more pages to the right, but I think I might start working the next row down when I pick it back up. I really need to get going on some other things!(photos are clickable for enlarging)

Then I received Paula's RR, An Open Heart, by The Drawn Thread, and have started the inner border (there are 2) and have completed 3 bands at the bottom. That beige on beige is harder than you think!

Lastly I finally picked up the Papillion's Castle In the Air SAL. I had ended it in March on the "woven leaves". Not my favorite. But I picked it up, reread the directions and mastered them. I finished Part 5 and have Part 6 almost half way done. All my WIP on all these projects have their own album on my Multiply site. The 2nd picture you can see the woven leaves better.

Nothing much else of excitement happening here. NFL football has started so my Sundays once again are full with company, watching games and stitching. Fall is in the air and leaves are starting to fall. I love the season, but know what comes after. If only we had 2 months of winter instead of 5 or 6.

Amberlyn is almost 16 months old now. Here she is celebrating my husbands birthday Aug 30 holding onto her favorite thing.....the dogs leash. She wants it as soon as she comes in the door. Why do I buy her toys??? Thanks for stopping by and happy stitching!