Small Post Day

 Today is the day we post a picture of a new small, an event hosted over at  Stitching Lotus .
Here is an Ornament I found in the 2009 Issue of Just Cross Stitch Christmas.  Trying to Stitch up all the things I have had on my Must Stitch List for a very long time.  I did use the DMC conversion, it is called Evergreen Forest.

This is the first update of my last Nutcracker for 2016.  So far it has stitched up pretty quickly - it is on a 28 ct.

Small Business Saturday

It is hard to make this season all about Retail.  But I do try.  So today is Small Business Saturday.  Every year the Saturday after our Thanksgiving has been promoted as the day to support your local business.  And I do.

I will be at Cafe Kubal for Coffee, Columbus Bakery for Bread,  Eastwood Brewery, and of course a Stitchers Garden.  Coffee, Bread, Beer and Stitching.  Pretty much gives you a clear picture of my addictions.  Of course, I shop at these places all year, it is just fun to hit them all in one day.  And the weather looks as if it is will be perfect.

Last Saturday it was 70 (F)
Sunday - Monday Morning we had 25 inches of snow.  Yup... that was fun
Today it is 40 (F). Has been warm all week and almost all the snow is gone.  The fun of living in the middle of a bunch of lakes.

Stitching Updates:

This is my PEACE Finish.  It is a scrapbook page (Thank you Jo).  Of course the camera dulls the background blue.  But this page between, the snowman and the little red bird, the full moon, well it looks so peaceful to me I thought it would be a great fit.  And I am displaying this in my shadow box for the season.

 Next I had a couple of little tiny finishes -on perforated paper, foam backing and a little clothes pin to attach to a tree.  My kids love this silly movie, A Christmas Story.  On Christmas Eve, the 24 hour marathon of A Christmas Story starts. These are the two little boys.  This is a great movie for me to watch because it takes place years ago and reminds me of my early Christmas days.  Good memories. If you have never seen this give it a try.

This is my Woodland Sampler update. I am almost halfway finished.  My goal is to finish this before January 1st.  This will mean I will have finished 4 of my Year of WIP challenges and I will have 12 months to complete my goal of 10 finishes.  Also here is a picture of my last Nutcracker,  He is a little bigger than the others and 97h x 50w  and I am stitching him on 28ct 2 over 2.

He is a baker -- and of course he has GINGERBREAD.  My favorite taste of the season.  And 2017 will be the year of Gingerbread.  Hope to knock off a dozen of those.  Stitching from Stash of course! I have about 50 gingerbread patterns.

I have two more December goals.  To do a year of chalk January by Hands On Design - this will mean I only have July and August left. And a small for the last month of the 2016 Small challenge.

Here's hoping I will be able to catch up on all my blog reading over the next couple of days.  

Thank you for stopping by.

11 Down and 1 to Go

Here is my Finished Nutcracker Sampler.  They will be finished and on Display with the rest of my little guys very soon.  These guys make 11 -- I did two of these as individuals the last two to the right.

Of all of my 11 Nutcrackers I have finished the little green dude to the far left of this picture is my favorite.

I have one more to finish before the end of 2016 and that one goal for the year will be met.  Meeting my goals by the original due date never happens - so there is not a very high percentage that this one will be met - but I am so very close.

This took me so much longer than I thought it would, but I have not really concentrated much on stitching over the past couple of weeks.  This is done on 22 ct white 1 over 1 all DMC called for threads, accept the faces and hands of the nutcrackers - I did them in DMC 3772 to add a little color to my project.  I found this in Better Homes and Garden Christmas 1990.

I am not going to post the updates to my election challenge pictures as a blog post.  They are all WIPS from my year of WIP challenge and I will post those pictures on those pages at some point.

Did a quick inventory of my Stash - Charts and Magazines only - and I am a little embarrassed at how much I have.  Am going to be doing a whole bunch of different types of new starts next year, because I really did buy those charts once upon a time, because I wanted to stitch them.  And I still dowant to at least give them a start.

Looking forward to having next week off.  Much needed vacation - I really plan to spend so much time getting caught up on my blog reading and reconnecting with those parts of my life that bring me joy.

Not a Stitching Update

I thought if I blogged I would feel better.  I am very, very blue today.  We like minded New Yorkers are not processing anything today.

Please let me believe that there is a kinder more compassionate side to this person we have heard and seen in these past few months.

Please pray for our Country.  That we may get past this election and still hold to the belief that all humans are created equal - and have the same liberties and freedoms.  Love is Love (no matter who you love)  God is God (no matter how your worship).  The color of my skin or my sex or my place of origin does not determine my character or worth.

Please pray for America to go forward.