Ms. Scrooge

23 days til 2011
16 days til my furlough and 10 glorious days to myself...and stitching...and maybe playing with a new kitty...and spending time with family.

Those are things I am looking forward to...

I haven't been in a blogging mood since I am in a hunker-down mode to get myself through the holidays. I am yet again Ms. Scrooge. I enjoy seeing everyone's photos of decorations and I live vicariously through their Christmas spirit and prettily lit Christmas trees. Those of you that have trees solely decorated with hand-stitched ornies, I stand up and applaud. OMG, can I get my needle to stitch faster?! I envision one of those little trees in my home someday. But for now, I've slapped a wreath on the door and that's about it. At least the hallway smells all pine-y and nice. I hope my neighbors appreciate it!

I've been re-organizing and cleaning...trying to kittyproof because I want a Christmas Kitty. I still have to re-organize my stash and put all the things like floss, fabric and such that I have lying about IN my cabinet because, you know, that's what it's there for. And while I'm doing that, I may as well box up the VHS and get rid of them seeing as I don't watch them because I don't have a VCR anymore and what's the point of keeping VHS if they are practically obsolete?! So little projects like that keep cropping up. Busy, Busy. I'll soon go to the pet store to look for a kitty bed and scratching post and food bowls and placemat so those are already here when I get the kitten. I want to be prepared.

I'm also dealing with annoying little issues that have cropped up that kind of round out the feeling of "rounding out an already bad year". Things like discovering a tear in the fabric of my 3-month old recliner. I am still trying to figure out who will come out to fix it but they had better come soon! At least the recliner is still under it's one year warranty but really...3 months in and it's got a problem?! And I received one of those lovely "give me your first born" red light camera traffic violations. Seriously, why does California have so many budget problems when they are bleeding people dry with these fines?! And for the record, I didn't run the red going straight. I made a right turn without stopping at the red because it had just turned and the coast was clear. No "Camera Enforced" sign. But the plain fact is I didn't stop at a red. Do I really want to go in front of a judge and say I was starving and stuffing my face with popcorn on the way to buy some fake Spanx and the coast was clear and won't you give me a break because I have a clean record?! I don't think they would understand. I will just have to pay the fine and go to traffic school. Terrible timing. Huge fine to pay while having to buy Christmas gifts too!

2011 can't come soon enough!

***

Onto the stitchy stuff...

On Saturday, my stitching group had their Christmas get together. It was a lot of fun to see ladies I only get to see occasionally and be dressed up (for me) and have a fancy lunch. I stitched a little, I knitted a little and talked a lot, You have the option of participating in an ornament exchange and this year, I whipped something up.
Thanks to Karen V. for posting her overdyed conversion. I don't have very much silk and so I used her suggested colors of GAST Endive, Piney Woods and Oatmeal with DMC 347. Stitched on a scrap of 32 count Lakeside Linens Pearled Barley. I backed it with the fabric shown here and did a braid with skinny green ribbon for the hanger. It was the first time I used the sewing machine in months and I think it turned out nice. Simple yet elegant. It did make me realize that I need to stock up on some pretty ribbons because I am seriously lacking in that area of finishing supplies!

I also stitched an ornie for myself. This was the first ornie of the three that I recently stitched. I fell in love with it and just had to keep it. I think I would like a pinkeep style finish and don't feel up to cutting the matboard at the moment. My creativity really seems stunted when it comes to finishing despite being surrounded by wonderful ideas in blogland...I wonder why.

Tweet Gift by Full Circle Designs

2010 JCS Ornament Issue
32 count Vintage Examplar
Recommended Threads

I stitched a third ornie which was for the Hooked on Exchanging Ornament Exchange. I'm a little worried as I haven't heard if it's been received and it didn't have far to go. I guess USPS is busy with the holiday boom.

And last but not least is my TUSAL jar. It got quite full...mainly from ornie stitching and fraying linen threads which I stuck in there.

I'm wondering what to do with my orts in the new year as after the next new moon, I think I will start over from scratch.It's fun to see the threads fill up the jar and how they vary in color. Daffycat is continuing the TUSAL this year. Go sign up if you're interested!

Over the weekend, I pulled out Mary Wigham. Talk about a blast from the past! I am still working on the same motif...the weird funky flower. I am 1.5 motifs from completing Part 1. OMG, there's 8 more parts to it! Ack! But in all seriousness, it's nice to see the motifs transform and since each one is a different color, it feels like a mini happy dance each time you complete one. I decided to stitch this as a true reproduction meaning I'll be stitching Mary's initials and not my own. I figure if I'm going this route, I may as well go all the way. I'll be personalizing AotH next year anyways. It doesn't look much different than the last time I posted, ohhhh months upon months ago, so I will wait until I at least finish the funky flower before posting a photo. I need to get cracking so I can liven up the Mary Wigham blog and be a good moderator. Life seriously got in the way this year.

I've been reading about the Crazy January Challenge on so many blogs lately. That is one crazy challenge! I will not be taking part though because I have anxiety attacks when I have more than 4 works in progress! But I am going to enjoy seeing what everyone is up to.

Well, as I end my post, I want to take the time to say thank you to my regular blog readers and followers. When I was feeling especially low this year, I'd come on my little blog and whine and your positive comments and hugs really helped me power through all the emotions I had been feeling and make me feel a little less alone...and well...I've been feeling lonely a lot. I don't think that people really understand how stitchers really bond and come together. But I am thankful that we do. And in the new year, I will do a little something special. I don't know how and I don't know what, but it's coming. And even though I am Ms. Scrooge, I hope that you and yours are enjoying the holiday season full of twinkly lights, decorated trees, carols and smiles. May your season be merry and bright.

Now me, I need to find some cider to make me some spiked mulled cider and then I won't be so scrooge-y! :)

Until next time...