Season's Greetings!

Happy Friday Friends:

It has been a busy week for me let me tell you. Working until 8 or 9 at night is for the birds! Colleges should really forewarn Accounting students that once they commit to an Accounting career, they are basically giving up every January until retirement. Unless you persue doing taxes and audits, then you give up way more months than that. No fun!

I have a card project to share today. Amazing right?! I haven't posted any paper projects in a while. My paper stash was feeling neglected so I put my stitching down for a night to play with my paper.

I participated in the January card swap over at the Paper Wishes Message Board. The theme was Winter Holidays. It could be a card for any holiday that occurs during the Winter season. Since I am obsessed, in love with winter theme anything, I jumped at this challenge.

All of the materials to make the card are from Paper Wishes including the little stamp set and Dazzle stickers in the photo.

Enjoy your weekend! My Saturday will unfortunately begin with another 4 hours at work...**sigh**.

Bye for now friends. Thank you for taking the time to stop by. :)
Jen

Updates! January IHSW and Tusal

I'm back again with another update. This weekend was the first International Hermit and Stitch Weekend for 2012. I spent yesterday working on my exchange piece for the Stitched with Love Exchanges, so I can't share that one yet. Believe me....I WANT TO! It is such a lovely design that I will be re-stitching for myself. I do hope my partner likes it.

I started another project today. I wanted to stitch one Christmas ornament a month this year for my Christmas tree. As luck would have it, Lainey started the Christmas All Year Around SAL blog where each month is a different ornament theme. Brilliant idea! I just had to join. January's theme is Santa. I was planning on stitching a Lizzie Kate design but later realized the design size was too big for an ornament. So I chose a different Santa pattern from this book in my stash library. It is one of three designs in a trio called "North Pole Greeting Ornaments".

I'm stitching this piece on 28 ct Ivory Jobelan using the called for DMC Threads.

Finally, here is my January TUSAL (Totally Useless Stitch A Long) Update. For three weeks of stitching, I've done quite a bit. A pat on the back for me. :)

**Editor's Note: If you would like to join in the TUSAL, just sign up a Daffycat's Blog. **

Have a Great Week Friends :) Thanks for stopping by.

Jen

SAL Update: Halloween House

Happy Sunday Friends!

My internet has not been nice to me this week. It goes off for a time then comes on...off...on..you get the picture. So now that it is having an "on" moment, I can post my Halloween House progress for last week. A tree is taking shape!

Enjoy your Sunday All and thank you for stopping by. :)

Jen

1st WIPocalypse Update

Hey Everyone:

I'm back with my first WIPocalypse post of the year. One of the UFO's I brought out for this challenge was this one.

"Bring Coffee" Dolly Mama Design by Janlynn Designs.

I admit, the colors in this design are very unusual, but the saying is what attracted me to it in the first place. I am a coffee girl and Starbucks is my friend. :)

I guess when I stitched on her last, I must have been stitching with my eyes closed or something because I found some major mistakes that needed frogging. I somehow stitched her arm in the wrong color. Can you say blonde moment?!

Again..most interesting colors. Pink hair with orange streaks and a lime green dress with turquoise and purple circles. Talk about a fashion statement! I stitched on her for a couple hours tonight, but didn't get much progress done. I think I ripped out more that I stitched. Her necklace is supposed to have some french knots in it. I guess to look like she has pearls, but they looked so terrible I just did regular cross stitches instead.

One more thing to show before I go. I picked up my framed "J" Fairy from my LNS on Saturday and I just have to show you all how great she looks in her new frame.

I love it! The brown really accents the earth tone colors of the design.

Thanks for looking everyone. Nighty Night!
Jen

SAL Update: Halloween House - Spiders and Bats!

Hello Friends!

Just popping in to share this week's progress on my SAL of Halloween House by Ursula Michael with Linda.

Look at this creepy spider just hanging out! Eeeekk! I hate spiders. Now I get to look at one every time I pick up this project. :D I have realized there is quite a bit of back stitching in this design. I know many stitchers don't enjoy backstitching but I would much rather do backstitching than french knots any day!

Thank you for your wonderful comments. I really do appreciate them.

Enjoy your weekends!
Jen

My UFO Nightmare...

I'm starting to remember why I left this Thomas Kinkade cross-stitch kit in my closet for ten years.

Isn't this the scariest stitching mess you have ever seen? First of all, I wish those kit companies could think of a better way of organizing the threads for us consumers. Included in the kit was one of those cardboard "organizers" with punched holes. I was a good girl ten years ago and sorted my threads. I neatly wrote the thread color numbers above the appropriate hole...BUT Man o Man!!... just looking at this mess NOW is making me nuts! I can't work with threads all jumbled together like that. That "organizer" is not organizing anything! Looks I will be spending some time making bobbins this week!

The chart is a magnificently (horrendous) black and white chart with a gazillion symbols. Plus, many of the colors in this design are tweeded. (Two colors of floss stitched together) How special is that! And included too is this ultra fine pearl filament "floss". This stuff reminds me of that pretty grass you find in Easter baskets.

O and would you like to see what aida stuck in a hoop and all folded up in a bag for ten years looks like?

A most perfect example to any newbie how not to store your projects. This aida had an immediate date with my iron tonight.

Finally, here is closeup of what I started ten years ago:

I gave myself a goal to complete at least half of this chart by the end of the year. The only problem is that this chart takes a lot of concentration because of the millions of symbols. There is also some specialty stitches as well. I see myself only being able to stitch this project on the weekends when I am home while the sun is out and shining. I just don't have the required brain power in the evenings for this one. Wish me luck!

Good Night All...I am off for some rest and reading.

Jen

SAL Update: Halloween House

I finally started Halloween House by Ursula Michael. I couldn't begin Friday night as planned due to other weekend events which included my cousin's wedding yesterday.

It is quite fascinating to see that each of us who is doing this SAL has started the design in a different place. I chose to start with the moon. I spent about 7 hours stitching just this part. The area that looks white are actually white stitches. I chose to stitch the design on 14ct white aida as called for in the pattern.

If you would like to see all of the participants in this SAL, they are each listed on Linda's Blog.

Thanks for looking and I wish you all a fabulous week.
Jen :)

2012 Stitching Projects and Challenges

I really admire all of you stitchy gals that put up your stitching lists and goals for 2012 so early last month. I'm a terrible procrastinator, but then again I hate lists. I'm better at working on a project when the motivation or inspiration strikes me. To all of you participating in the Crazy January Challenge....Good Luck! I will be watching from the sidelines. I'm hoping to at least have 15 finishes by the end of the year myself. I just don't know what 15 projects those will be yet.

Actually I do have some stitching plans to share today. I don't have fifteen or even sixty projects planned like some, but just a few. I decided I wanted to work on a couple of big projects this year. At least one or two. Thank you to those who commented on my HAED post. I think I will wait on that project for now. Maybe in a few months, I will be inspired to start one of the Mini Charts. I think it will be Mini Citrine. I love the butterflies.

I did join two challenges and one SAL this year. The first challenge is Evalina's Oldest UFO Challenge. I have several really old UFO's in my closest that have to come out. They are all kits. I chose one of them. This one will probably take me more than a year to finish. May I present: "Everett's Cottage" by Thomas Kinkade. This kit is 10 years old. I don't know what I was thinking when I bought this. I guess I walked into Michaels one day and said "I feel like stitching a Thomas Kinkade today". Too bad time travel doesn't exist or else I would go back to that day and tell myself "No". I had done a little bit of the left hand corner and that was it. I could tell I've become a better stitcher in 10 years cause when I glanced at the back of my stitching, I got scared. I've made a page for this project where I will be posting my stitching progress as I go along.

The next challenge I joined is the 2012 BAP Sampler Challenge hosted by BeckySC. She is challenging participants to stitch a sampler that is at least 175 x 200 stitch count. If you finish by December 31, you will be entered into a drawing for a $100 GC to an LNS of her choice. I've chosen "Little House Neighborhood" by Little House Needleworks. I've made a separate page on my blog to track my progress for this one.

Finally, I joined a SAL hosted by Linda. We will be stitching "Halloween House" by Ursula Michael. I was one of the lucky winners of this chart from her blog a few months back. It is a fun design I think. I will have a separate page for this one too.

Last but not least, I have my heart settled on a new Mirabilia called "Deepest Love". I have half of the materials, but I will wait a month or two before getting the rest. I can hear my credit card groaning.

**Almost forgot one more! From the Art of Disney....Mickey Mouse painting Walt Disney. Priceless!

Besides these big charts, I do plan on stitching smaller charts as well. I have fallen in love with Country Cottage Needleworks designs. I also want to stitch more ornaments for my tree next year. I have "0" ornaments right now. No lie! I will also continue participating in Exchanges. Those are so much fun. As I said my personal goal for 2012 is 15 finishes. If I can finish at least one of these big charts, I will be happy.

Lets see how I do!

Happy New Years!
Jen

A Stitchy Giveaway.

Happy New Years!

Just a quick post to let everyone know that Sarah is having a stitchy giveaway to start the New Year off. She is giving away stash and a $20 GC to 123Stitch.com. How generous of her! Make sure to hop over and play. A winner will be drawn February 4th.

Happy Sunday!
Jen