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!

..and here it is, pardon the lighting!

I think I was concentrating more on the display rather than the stitched pieces, but I'm sure you'll recognize most of them..

Most of them are Just Nans and maybe a Prairie Schooler thrown in, with Charlie Brown and the Great Pumpkin as the tableau.  My niece jokingly said to her mom (my cousin, and the stitcher of all these) - "I'm going to tell lola (grandmother) that you have this little shrine to a pagan holiday!"

Personally I'm not much into Halloween stitching, but looking at these and other stitcher's stitching, they are starting to look cute!

Have a lovely Sunday, and a good week ahead!

Pluses and minuses

Heigh ho, another Monday.. I've heard that statistics say Monday is the most common day for heart attacks as well as the most favored day for self-destruction.  What is it about Mondays?  People say "Monday morning blues"... Why aren't Mondays viewed as the start of a beautiful week instead?

Okay okay okay... enough of that claptrap!  It's the start of another work week and that's why people hate Mondays.  I can totally relate, today.. I make an effort to go to work despite this cold I have (I'm on medication already) but it is a different type of cold in that it's mostly cough.  It sounds much worse than it is -- I'm not coughing as hard or as often (mouth covered with a hanky or tissue of course) -- as I was last Friday.  But lo and behold, here are all these people -- well, 3 actually -- afraid I'll spread the germs... I feel like a  walking germ  :(  Well if I'm still infectious then why the heck does Medical give the all-clear and let me report for work??   Sorry for that but I'm seriously annoyed.

On the plus side.. I've managed to start a new square in the Advent Alphabet - F, for fireplace!  What an achievement as I didn't even know when I would be touching that piece again!  But that Prairie Schooler angel ornament did the trick and I am quite back into the groove. I did the angel's hands and mouth so now she looks more like the Just Cross Stitch ornament 2011 pic.   I'd even be happily absent a day just so I could do more stitching, except I have an errand to do for my mom tomorrow.. so I'm off to work again later (oh my gosh is it really Later already????)

Another plus is my nephew and niece are here - that is, I think they arrived today.  They're staying with their maternal relatives for half their vacation and the other half with us - only it's not our turn yet.  No message yet from either of them, or from my SIL to my mom.  Hopefully they're here and safe.

I sound cranky -- I am! I don't like Mondays.  Picture update to come later this morning of the PLUS side to the Monday (Whoa.. I even sound cranky about something positive!)  LOL

a little finish

Celebrate!  Dance of Joy!  I finished a little freebie from Prairie Schooler "Deck the Halls", another Christmas tree!  This is another one for my niece, so she has a choice of Christmas trees.  The little girl always surprises me.  I thought she'd want an angel ornament, but no, she wants a Christmas tree! I'm a little freaked out that Christmas is less than two months away... Anyway I stitched the July freebie from PS, and here's how it's supposed to look (from the site): 

 

Now, if my USB connection was working I could show you my take on it! A little "original and my version" comparison as it were..  I used a lighter colored floss for the candle "flame" and the color  practically blended in with my fabric, an Aida 16ct.  DMC 676 instead of 677.. I should look at what I pick up more carefully!  I've done that with other things, too, not just floss!  Even a tin of ice cream!  You can imagine how dismayed I was when I got home lol..  Cookies n Cream instead of Coffee Crumble!

I'm now doing the Guardian Angel, another freebie, from Cosmic Handmade, and it's a cute 'contemporary' angel.  This one's for my sister-in-law.  I also saw other cute angels (in a more traditional design) from Told in a Garden.  As you can guess, my own projects are not getting much love right now, because I'm so fascinated with all the freebies!  But as soon as I'm done with the Guardian Angel, I'm doing the Angel from Day 1 of my Whimsey and Wit Advent Alphabet!  That's 'cause I finally have some silver thread for the angel - DMC, not Kreinik.  My gold thread, ah blending filament, is Kreinik, from many years ago.  I bought a whole bunch of different colored ones from that little (and little-known, alas) store in Mile Long because I really wanted to do a set of Russian angels that were in an issue of Cross Stitch and Country Crafts.  Some things never change, lol.  I will be looking through my magazines for that issue - I think that was in the early 90s, before 1993.  I'll post a pic soon, maybe use another camera..