let's do it

I've been telling myself over and over the past several months to blog, but with so much uncertainty over the past year on the work front, I haven't had any mojo to write, much less stitch. Happily things have been resolved for the better - at work, and some little progress on the stitching front.  But you be the judge :-)

First up, we have this:

I finally finished the little rays representing the "halo".  The little golden aura over the baby in the manger,  Of course, not finished finished yet, because I don't know how.

Next up:

More stitching done on the left border - the top if the picture's displayed the way I'm seeing it. Why Oh why is this displaying so oddly?  On the chart, the year (09) is written on the left side, so if you notice, my corner is not quite aligned, which is making the opposite corner not right, too! I also noticed I am off one column somehow on the bird wing and tail.  What to do. I'm scared that if I continue stitching, the lines won't meet,   But I guess it's the easiest thing to check and do, or do and check, today.
Do all stitchers obsess this way?

Okay I had to stop because my photos were all awry.

That's better.  See what I mean?

And then the La D Da... done with all the little stitching of the borders.  Just have to do the initials.  My dad's, my brother's and his son's initials.

I changed the color of the flowers from the odd brown as charted, to two shades of yellow as it looked more cheerful and it's meant for my nephew.  But maybe I'll keep it.

Then there's this little PS ornament for the same nephew, still looking lonely.  I did the back stitching on the zepellin and its propeller, but haven't added the little berries to the two leaves at the bottom, which would make it look like holly and more Christmas-sy.

Last, there's my project from 2013, all by its lonesome.  I finished the entire border (supposed to be done in 1 month as planned by the designer!) and am revving up to do the border going up (another 1 month project, I recall). I am up to it (I should be, it's been 2 years lol), but looking at the chart I have no idea how much space to leave above the medallion motif before I start upward on the next motifs which I think are leaf motifs.  The page for the medallion motif is separate from the page for the motif going upwards. We had 2 months to do it before the next installment.  If I want to finish this, I'd have to buy the chart now, because the stitch-along for this is long finished.

I really don't know what I will do with this - wait until a sale, maybe.  Or leave it unfinished (sad face).  I also did some frogging on my LK Christmas double flip (the border which I mentioned awhile back - border again!), but otherwise not much progress on that.

In other, better news, my brother brought me some fabric I bought, and sent to his address:

This blue shade, which on my screen looks like DMC 996, is actually DMC 927 or something like that.  Just goes to show how colors aren't exact onscreen. (Or how I need a new camera.  This iPod just isn't cutting it).   I also had another fabric, folded just the same way, but it is a pale green, and I don't know where it went.  Sigh.  It took just 2 weeks for it to disappear, but I'm sure it's around somewhere.  And there's the needles I bought in Spotlight in Singapore last August. I thought I took a picture months ago, but it seems I didn't.

So I'm happy.

One more bit of good news -- there is a giveaway going on at Victorian Motto Sampler with Ms. Nancy.. Twelve days to Christmas, there's still time!

Wish me luck with all the little bits I have left to do.. and I wish the same for you!