Happy New Year 2011

Finished project - Noel ornament

The other freebie design by Sandra Longan Miller. http://smalltownstitchin.blogspot.com
I adapted it slightly by adding a border.

Finished project - Merry Christmas ornament

Sandra Longan Miller of Log Cabin Needlework's is an aspiring cross-stitch designer and the above is one of her recent freebie designs (I modified it slightly for my purposes). I've been visiting her blog for a long time and have watched her progress with some interest. http://smalltownstitchin.blogspot.com/ I plan on stitching up her other freebie this week-end.
I opted for a slightly non-traditional Christmas color scheme. The fabric is the backing to it. I fussy cut the butterfly section. Now to wrap it up and send it out to it's intended recipients :)
I hope you all have a wonderful festive season and stay safe.

Outdoor Wednesday - Indoor Kitchen Christmas

I'm right in the middle of making a wreath and it looks like I inadvertently have a bit of a tartan/plaid theme going on in my kitchen. My new sparkly table cloth, shown above, is waiting for me to finish up a centerpiece of snowmen candle sticks.
Greetings to you all from my mischievous snowmen as they attempt to climb upwards ......... to visit .......

And over by our atomic clock our snowman is trying to decide if he wants to go Christmassy or stay autumnal :) Poor thing, he lost his nose in a severe frost a few years ago :(

The only blizzard I've seen recently has been courtesy of our snow globe. (Addendum - it's now Sunday and we have a real life blizzard. We were out driving in it for a little while. School has been cancelled for tomorrow.)

One of my twin snowmen is dying to sneak into the room and say hello but is feeling somewhat bashful.

If you want to see some stunning Christmas decorating hop on over to http://asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com/ or click on the link in my side-bar.
Also head on over to http://suelovescherries.blogspot.com/ for some fun REDNESDAY.

Happy Haulidays giveaway - Chronicle Books

Well now what do we have here. An interesting book giveaway (with a fun twist) that closes on the 10th.
I read about it at http://artquiltmaker.com/blog but the link is http://www.chroniclebooks.com/happyhaulidays if you want to participate.

 The idea is you pick books up to the value of $500 from the Chronicle Books site. Post your list, add your link with them, and if your name is drawn not only do you win but someone who leaves a comment at your blog entry also wins the same list of books. How cool is that :)

Here's my list - a bit of a mixed bag but nonetheless interesting I think.

Whip Up Mini Quilts by Kathleen Ricketson
Applique Your Way by Kayte Terry and Jennifer Causey
French General - Home Sewn by Kaari Meng and Jon Zabala
Sublime Stitching Craft Pad by Jenny Hart
Sublime Stitching by Jenny Hart and Alexandra Graslewski
1,2,3 Sew by Ellen Luckett Baker and Laura Malek
Pattern Magic by Tomoko Nakamuchi
Amy Butler's Style Stitches by Amy Butler
Lotta's Printing Studio by Lotta Jansdotter
Baby Bib Embroidery Kit b y Jenny Hart and Kenneth B. Gall
The Printmaking Bible by Ann d'Arcy Hughes and Hebe Vernon-Morris
Eco Fashion by Sass Brown
Guastavino Vaulting by John Ochsendorf
Digital Textile Design by Melanie Bowles and Ceri Isaac
The Art of Dale Chihuly by Timothy Anglin Burgard
Plants and Their Application to Ornamnet by Eugene Grasset and David P. Becker
Charlotte in Giverny by Joan MacPhail Knight

So hop on over to Chronicle Books and have some fun.

LofSHE BofM block

Our on-line embroidery group has been doing a block of the month all year. December is my turn and I decided to keep it simple but reflective of this season of peace and joy. Meet "Dove in Flight". She is about 7" wide and fits nicely on to an unfinished 10"x10" block. I am doing a tone on tone geometric white. One of the options for the outside edge area is to fill it all in and have it look like a piece of stained glass.

I have not decided how I'm going to finish the project off because I am nowhere near finished up with the other blocks that the ladies designed.

Outdoor Wednesday - succulents

From a recent visit to Cheekwood.