My 2011 Review

Here are my pieces from this year!  I was very pleased to finish so much!  I didn't realize it until I put them all together.

The first is the Bee Man's Garden.  Don't you love the hive?

And Alphabets has to be my favorite finish to date.  I LOVE this piece, red, red, RED!!! I love red samplers!

The next piece is Needles and Pins Pinkeep from With Thy Needle and Thread.  I made this into a lovely Pinkeep on an oil can base for Melody (Woolwoman).  I really want to make one for me.

In Disguise from Cross Eyed Cricket.  I've had this pattern for-ever and while I was unemployed I finally decided to pull it out and stitch it.

Another Halloween piece done during my hiatus.  Lizzie*Kate's Halloween. 

Her Sampler by Carriagehouse Samplings. 

Noel...someday to be made into a pillow.  When I get up the courage. LOL.

All is Calm.  I want to make it into one of those nifty pillows. 

My adaptation of A Cardinal Winter

Lucy Minton from The City Stitcher

An Autumn Splendor

A prolific year, indeed!

Picture, Pictures!

So, this week I decided to break out "June" my sewing machine and sew up a few ornaments and make a flat fold.  I can't sew a lick really, but I did my best.  Here are the fruits of my labor:

 Silent Night

LHN

DMC

30ct Weeks Dye Works "Tin Roof" Linen

 Noel

The Prairie Schooler

DMC

32ct Belfast "Lambswool" Linen

 Snowman '10

Lizzie*Kate

GAST and Weeks Dye Works fiber
"Mystery" Linen

Don't you just love the pom-pom trim? Looks like snowballs!

Frosty Flakes

LHN

Cresent Colors Cotton Fibers

30ct Weeks Dye Works Linen "Straw"

I also finished Cardinal Christmas but I haven't made it into anything.  Maybe this weekend, if I get a chance. And this is my latest start and the project I am working on right now.  I hope that I don't lose interest in it because it's a Christmas piece.  I get bored easily, don't 'cha know?  The piece is stitching up faster now since I finally finished Santa's Sleigh. 



Merry Christmas

The Prairie Schooler

DMC

28ct "Lambswool" Lugana Evenweave

I hope that tomorrow the day is sunnier so I can take a picture of the BeeMan's Garden and maybe some pictures of what I did complete in 2011.  I've seen so many blogs with a "Year in Review" and I am so inspired to do the same.  I do have a few pieces I've finished.  Plus, I need to take some "today" shots of the WIPs I'm focusing on for the Wipocalypse.

So, my dear friends, thank you for hanging in there with me and for all your thoughts and prayers this year for me.  Thank you for your inspiring stitching and for all the "enabling" too!  I wish each of you a very Happy New Year!  May 2012 be the best year for you!

Blessings,

Joanie

Merry Christmas and the GiveAway Winner

Hi all,

I hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas.  Ours was very low key, it's not the same with the kids being so far away.  We did get an opportunity to Skype with them and of course, once we got off the computer, I cried like a baby. 

I got lovely gifts from Japan, a beautiful temari ball for my Christmas tree, a colbalt blue ornament, a handpainted scroll and a Japanese calendar.  I gifted myself with the newest Blackbird designs book and all the fixin's to stitch it.  I certainly don't need another chart, book or bauble, but hey, I can't resist!  I got some stitching done too over the weekend,  I finished the Bee Man's garden and another LHN ornament that I modified.  I'll post those pics soon because it's very, very grey here today and the pictures will be very washed out.

Now, on to the giveaway.....the winner of my Christmas Gift-Away is....

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MISSY, Raven

Girl, drop me a line at Mikes1mom@gmail.com with your address and I'll get this in the mail to you!

Thanks so much for all those who played!

So, today I have an interview.  Say a prayer around 11 for me.

Gotta run!

Christmas Giveaway!

Merry Christmas everyone!

I am so sorry it's been such a long time since I've posted.  Life is so in the way.  I have been struggling with my job, mainly my boss.  It's really a sorry tale.  I thought that he was going to fire me a few weeks ago.  The job started going south right before Thanksgiving.  Mainly, it's a communication thing.  But my boss is the boss and the boss is never wrong, so it's my communication that's lacking.  I am not sure what I am going to do.  I like the people that I work with and I think that given time, maybe it will work out.  But I am pretty skeptical.

On the stitching front, I did finish a few ornaments.  Frosty Flakes from LHN and a Prairie Schooler snowman.  I don't have pictures because the David is in Japan with the little camera.  I tried taking pics with my cell phone but they didn't come out very well.  He will be home in a few days, so maybe I'll be able to take a snap or two. I am working on Prairie Schooler's, Christmas Eve, but it's a slow stitch for me.
 
And I've bought some things, Merry Christmas to me!  I bought the new Blackbird Designs, Christmas Garden, and all the fixin's which I'm going to start on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.  I also bought the new Stocking too. 

I joined the WIPocalypse.  Go take a look.  I have too many wips.  Need to pare down some of them and I did good with finishing some of my Wips during the first half of the year but the later half, not so much.  I have to make a list.  I pulled some of them out and nothing right now is calling my name.  I'm hoping this little SAL will motivate me.

Now for the giveaway.  I have been going through my stash and I've come up wth a couple of duplicate charts and magazines.  I am giving away the following:

2011 JCS Ornament Magazine
LNH Ornaments:
Cardinal Winter
Silent Night
Gingerbread Village

The Scarlet House:
Jingle All the Way

So all you have to do is comment to this post only.  I'll draw a name on Christmas Eve.  I'll throw in a few extras too....

Hope everyone is ready for Christmas.  I'm not but that's ok.  This year, I'm doing my best to reflect on Jesus' birth.


Merry Christmas!

Blessings,
Joanie