Happy New Year!

Well my friends...2009 is coming to an end, and a brand new shiny year is a few hours away. May your's be filled with lots of love and happiness...and for those of us....lots of stitching!

I won't be finished my Snapper Year this year. I am still about 1/2 a border away from it, so it will be my first finish of 2010!

The Sweetest Gift! - Merry Christmas to all

Today in the mail I recieved the sweetest gift I think that I will get this Christmas. Kati sent me one of her beautiful stitched ornaments that I admired and fawned over on her blog, but certainly didn't think that one was for me. So imagine my delight when I opened the envelope that came in the mail today.
Thank you Kati! Love you!!!!!!


I hope everyone has a safe and joyful Christmas!
Merry, Merry!!!!

The rest of the house

My tabletops and such also take a good day to set out, so I thought that I would share those with you too. My white tables, my desk. My side tables etc. All things I've collected over the years and can't resist. At Christmas I am definitely NOT a minimalist. LOL

All my shopping is now done, just the wrapping to do, but the great thing now is that they have bags...so just slip those in...fluff up a little tissue, and more than half are done. Bags are so pretty.

More decorations.

No stitching going on...just decorating. But I'm now DONE!!! So hopefully this weekend(cross my fingers) I'll actually be able to feel what it's like to have a needle in between my fingers again. At this rate Snapperyear's border won't be finished by the end of the year...but I'm hoping. I only have a couple of more things to pick up as gifts, and then some cookie baking to do and then it's just sit back and relax. (the best laid plans...right?)

We're made our plans for New Year's eve, we're going (as we do every year) to the Hungarian Culture Centre for some fabulous food, dancing and great friends! Some I haven't seen since last New Year's, so it's always a good time :)

The Main tree is up, this is the one that stands in our living room, with the village on top of the entertainment unit. Next year we are going to actually build it it's own setting, so I'm looking forward to that. It's a slow process of collecting a piece each year, but it's coming together, and I love it :) You'll also see under the tree 3 of my snowglobes, I have a collection of those as well, which I'll try to show more of tomorrow.

Thank you all for your comments on my stitching tree. That tree is a work in progress that I love to show off, and brag about.

My stitching tree

***Warning Picture Heavy***
The first of my sets of pictures. I had to start with my stitching tree...that's how Mom refers to it and she's pretty much right...this tree in our family room has nothing but stitched ornaments on it. the majority being stitched by me and then gifts from stitching friends as well. I love love love putting this tree up every year. It gets bigger and bigger each year.

Along the fireplace you will see our stockings all hung with care. These are all cross stitched by me as well, accept for Elexandra's and Judy's. Those one's were done by Judy, my sister-in-law. Who, pretty much after these stockings, retired her stitching needles. You'll see mine, My Hubby's, my three neices, Brent(Brother) and Judy's (his wife) all in a row. That was a very productive and busy stitching year for us. We decided that we wanted to have Stitched stockings and we pretty much started the day after Christmas one year, and stitched all year.

I've taken a couple of shots of the room at different angles as well.
You can click on all pictures to see bigger views.

Not much stitching going on...too many other things to do right now. I'll be building the village and doing the tabletops tonight & tomorrow. Standing up the tree in the living room tonight to drape, and wrapping the lights on it tomorrow. letting it drape again and then putting on the ornaments on the big living room tree on Sunday...then it's just a matter of sitting back and admiring all the Christmas gorgeousness!

December Swirls

In more ways that one...first here is the last square of my snapper year. I am going to start working on the border and hopefully soon I'll have a happy dance on this one.

We're having a blizzard!!!!! Not just a heavy snowfall, a blizzard with wind blowing, and snow falling and zero visibility! It's CRAZY!!!! I'm so glad that we're home and that we have no where to go this weekend. We can just start decorating the house.

I'm going to do my family room this weekend (with any luck) That's where my craft tree goes. And my stockings will be hung. Next week I'll do the living room and the village. But I'm thinking that I might get some of the village and the tabletops started during the week, so that all that's left for next weekend will be the tree. But we'll see how thing pan out. Either way I will get some decorating done this weekend, and maybe even some baking....mmmmm mmmmmmm!

My ornament finishes 2009

Let the decorating begin!!! I love Christmas Month!
Happy 1st of December everyone!

Tigger with Flakes

Design: Tigger with Flakes by Leisure Arts 32 ct Blue Spruce Lugana

LOL...oh my...how I amuse myself! This one, just like Pooh, didn't have a title attached to it so I named it myself...somehow me thinks I will never have a career at Hallmark. He was a little tougher to stitch than Pooh. Lots of fractional stitches with his stripes...not my favorite things to stitch, but that's ok.

So I think that is now the last of my ornaments for this year. I will be stitching in December (I think) the new ornie from LHS...once I get it. But as far as ones for my tree this year...I'm done! Which means I start my finishing. Weeeeeeeeeeeee!!!! It'll be a fun weekend. I'll be posting pics as I go :)

I have a roof

Not much to show on my LHN SAL but it's something. I have the roof up on the house of this level of the stitching. I'm hoping that next Sunday I'll get the house done, but who knows what next week will bring.

We've got hubby's work Xmas party on Saturday night, then he might go out hunting Sunday and Monday again, before the season closes. But we'll see. I'm really hoping that I'll be going stash shopping this weekend too!!! ???

Tonight, I'll be watching The Biggest Loser, then Dancing with the stars finale, and hopefully finishing my little orange blob that will eventually become my tigger with flakes ornament.

Ok...is anyone else really sad that Jon & Kate + 8 is over?? I didn't think that I would be, but after last night, I'm kinda bummed!

Pooh With flakes

I have no idea what the name of this ornament is. So I'm calling it Pooh with Flakes. It's out of the LA - Disney Home Pooh & Pals book with no name...so there you go..gosh I'm so creative! NOT! LOL This is one of the two ornies that I will be stitching for my friend's two sons. In the next couple of days I'll hopefully be posting...wait for it....."Tigger with Flakes" LOL Whew, I'm clever!

Design:Pooh with Flakes by Leisure Arts, 32 ct Blue Spruce Lugana

Also just have to let you all know about a great giveaway. Erynne is celebrating her 2nd blogoversary and is giving away a generous prize!

What a difference a weekend makes

Went to work today and everything was roses and sunshine! I think everyone was just ready for the weekend...because all the barking and the biting has stopped. I hate it when we get updates on our software company, something always goes wonky, and then all hell breaks loose. The thing is we can only get as much fixed as the software company will fix at a time...so yelling at those that are in contact with them is not helping! ARGH....nor is calling them every hour on the hour telling them that it's still not fixed yet...cause chances are...they already know...cause we do our jobs...and we tell them...just as we're supposed to! ARGH!! ok my rant is over...LOL Everything was fine and in working order today, so it was all good. When the boss is happy, everyone is happy. (for the time being...knock wood...cross fingers...dash of salt over the shoulder)

My progress on my SAL is here. I've finished the top row now. So next Sunday I start on the bottom row. I really love this piece.


Off to pull floss for a couple of ornaments now. woo hooo!

Hunting Widow

Hubby left this morning in the weeeee hours of the morning on his hunting trip. This is a pilgrimage that he and my brother do for a week every year, to basically do the male bonding thing. Grunting, farting, burping, chest thumping "me hunter...you beast" thing. I actually don't mind it....cause when he's gone I get to do the girlie things. Eat nice simple meals, watch a week of television without ever once stopping on a hockey game. Stitch and last but not least stretch out on the bed with all the pillows and fall to sleep in "fresh-air" You know what I mean by that...don't you ladies??? No stretching and farting ceremonies before sleep! LOL


I finished my November Twirls square on the BC snapper. One more month to go and then the border and it's done! I love how folky this looks.



I'm settling in with my Sunday SAL piece now for the afternoon, and later make a taco salad for supper. (Hubby hates tacos! LOL)

SAL update time

Again I'm late with my update pics. I was just still revelling in the ROS finish. It's soooo nice not to have to work on it anymore! LOL It actually is quite a stunning piece though.

Here's my update on my Neighbourhood SAL. It's coming along. It's nice not to work in blocks of colours at the moment. I quite enjoyed stitching the girl and the tree.

Then I also finished stitching on the LHN ornie that we are stitching kind of as a whet you whistle to the monthly ornaments. I really liked this one. It's from the 2004 JCS ornie issue...Woodland snowfall.

Woodland Sampler, Designer Little House Needleworks

I've had a really crappy week at work, even though yesterday was a day off, it has turned into a big pile of poooo! Sometimes I question why I put up with it! ARGH! It's not even worth talking about....I'll get over it like I always do, but oh boy...when I'm in the throws of pissed-off-dom, I could burn the place down!

DONE!!!!!!

The band is warming up....can you hear them....cause I'm about to do a dance!!!!!!
Rose of Sharon by Mirabilia...my personal project from hell is COMPLETE!!!!!

Design: Rose of Sharon
Designer: Mirabilia
Stitched on 28 Ct Solo by Silkweavers

Somebody get me some punch!

Can you taste it??

I am so close to a finish on ROS I can almost taste it! I feel like I am in a race with this piece and want to get it done before the weekend, so it can be over and done with! I know it's not a nice way to take about a piece of stitching, but I put it away once for a few months because I couldn't stand working on it anymore and took a break from it. I feel like I'm at the point with it again, but I'm ALMOST done!!!! I have to finish it so I can move on!



Thank you for listening to my little rant! LOL



Now I have to post this because Nina is having a Christmas giveaway. If you have never visited Nina's website then you are in for a feast for the eyes. She is a wonderful and creative cross-stitcher, but it doesn't stop there, her photography of her pieces are displayed like those you would find in a magazine, if not better. Go see if you don't believe me.

So frustrating!

My ROS is turning into the project that will never end! I have the dress all stitched now, and the hollyhocks that are on the right side of her, now I just have to finish the hollyhocks on the left side of her and she's done. I thought that I would be able to finish her off this weekend and have a happy dance with her, but it is taking way longer than I anticipated with all the colour changes. So soon enough I suppose, this week for sure and she'll be done. I would take a pic, but you know how sometimes you have your stitching at the exact perfect tension, in the exact perfect position to get a section of stitching done? Well that's where she's sitting right now, perfectly in my qsnaps.

I didn't work on the Neighborhood SAL at all yesterday, cause I thought that I would make a final push at ROS, so that sat untouched this week. I ended up not stitching yesterday anyway, had lots of running around to do and things to get done, so that by the time I sat down I was too tired to stitch, so I just vegged and watched tv.

One thing that I did do on the weekend though was joint the Little House Needlework Ornament of the month SAL!!!! I'm excited about that. So this coming year I won't have to ponder over what ornaments to stitch each month they will be auto delivered to me from Down Sunshine Lane I'm excited about that too.

So much to do still, stitchwise, before Christmas, or so much that I want to do anyway. I have two ornaments that I have to stitch for my friend's two sons. I stitch them an ornament every year, and I decided on the ones that I want to do this morning at 6 am while I was waiting for my coffee to brew. Plus I have all the ornies that I stitched this year to finish. I'll probably take a weekend soon and get those done.

hmmmmm I hear the pangs of Jingle bells in the back dark corners of my mind.
Do you think that might be a sign of mental illness?? LOL

A finish & some WIP's updates

It's Monday, and I'm so glad that it's over. I felt like I was power working today at work.. Head down and full steam ahead. Crazy, I tell ya, just crazy! Got lots done though.

I had a pretty good stitching week last week. I finished my ornament...I'm going to finish it as a cube I think. To large to be a pillow one for the tree, so I think I'll make it into a cube with a nice ribbony bow, and put it on one of the tables in the family room. (In case you didn't know I'm a christmas junkie!!! My house looks like Christmas central by the time I'm finished with it...two trees...one with the family ornies, the big shiny tree, and then I have a craft tree, with nothing on it but X-stitched ornaments!) You'll see when I post pics. I am already excited about Christmas. LOL

Design : Holly and Berries
Designer: Little House Needleworks
Stitched on 28 ct Cameo Lugana using recommende fibres

I was going to stitch this over 1, but once I put in the first few stitches on that it was a quick decision to give up on that! No thanks! As nice as it would have been, it's just as nice this way :)

I also worked on my Neighbourhood SAL and put a few stitches into ROS. She is going to be my focus piece for this week. No other stitching planned until Sunday. So hopefullyyyy.........

So that's it for today. I'm off to have a little something to eat, and then to settle in with some tv and ROS.