Long Time... No Blog...

I guess I fell off of the blogisphere after my last post in... November I believe?  Not only did I not blog again but I've also not visited any blogs for months!  There's no one real reason why I stopped for awhile.  Life was busy, I'm trying to get my weight back under control (which can be quite time consuming!).  For most of December I was plagued by a headache that never really went away so many things suffered like working out, eating right, stitching, and so much.  I think also when I found time I just wanted to be stitching!  Though I was off of work for two weeks over the holidays I found we were just so busy!  Either we had company or we were company, there were also parties, get togethers and prepping for Christmas too!  On top of feeling like shit most of the time with that headache which persisted despite being off of work.

So lets get away from all of that boring and mundane stuff and get onto what this blog is all about, stitching!

I have been working away on The Accolade, but I'll save that for WIP Wednesday (yes I still want to at least do a once a week entry for you folks)!

December ended up being a flurry of stitching and finishing ornaments!  My fingers were just flying and the hot glue gun didn't get much of a chance to cool down!

 The masterpiece Todd and I collaborated on - our first ever!

My first Christmas party was a gingerbread house building party (it was a riot!) hosted by my good friend Marline and her new husband!  I love giving ornaments as hostess gifts instead of chocolate or a bottle of wine.

I decided barely a week before the party that I had to stitch Lizzie Kate's 1st Christmas for their tree!  A flurry of stitching and heartache over heart-shaped finishing here's what I produced and not only I but Marline was so happy to put it right onto her tree!  This is customized with their last name thus I covered it up when I took this picture.

1st Christmas by Lizzie Kate for Landon, Lucy, and Zach, Carter's did not get photographed

 The back of all of my 1st Christmas ornaments

Stitching the ornament for Marline started a crazy avalanche!  I decided most of the new babies I knew out there should have one!  Actually first it started with my favorite little man Zach who I stitched TW's Birth Announcement for back in the first half of 2014.  Then it just snowballed into one for the son of the little girl I used to babysit (I recently reconnected with the family on Facebook), one for the Chaplain's little girl at work , and one for my good friend Tracey's Nephew (which I stupidly forgot to photograph... I never do that!).  In all I stitched 1st Christmas 5 times!!!!

Roaming Reindeer

Blue Ribbon Designs

Just Cross Stitch Ornament Issue

Stitched on 40ct tanzanite linen

I had also stitched up this lovely Blue Ribbon designs ornament since my last blog entry and did the finishing on it. I liked this one so much I kept it for my own tree.

I've done a lot of finishing since my last entry as well, in no particular order:

 A Merry Little Christmas

Lizzie Kate

Flat fold

 Merry Cats'mas

Freebie - unknown

 Peace Button

Jeannette Douglas Designs

Just Cross Stitch Preview Issue

 Ribbon Reindeer

Freebie - Daffycat Designs

Wreath Reindeer

Freebie - Daffycat Designs

In November/December I took part in an ornament exchange organized by Angela at Hooked on Stitches.  This exchange renewed my faith in exchanges as the last one I took part in did not go well, at all.

Bell Ornament

Jeannette Douglas Designs

Just Cross Stitch Ornament Preview Issue 2008

This is the ornament I sent out to my partner in the UK, and I was shocked that it arrived in under a week!

In return I got this fantastic ornament that I was just so pleased with and I want to learn how to do the ribbon trim!!!

Over the holidays there was one day the living room was off limits while Todd put together a new entertainment unit.  Its best to just stay away when he's putting something together.  So I de-cluttered my stash room and put together this little display area of smalls I've received, and my scissors in their scissor frogs.  Just love it!

Red Threads

Rosewood Manor

Stitched on: mystery fabric

At some point I also had a small stitching finish... I can't remember when.  This will be finished into a bead edged ornament at some point when my finishative comes out to play!

Now finally onto this year, 2015!

January 1st saw the annual emptying of the ort jar!

I've also had two small finishes so far in January, I admit both of these had been started in December but they are my first finishes of 2015!

Red Threads

Rosewood Manor

Stitched on: mystery fabric

 Fa la la la!

Freebie - Plum Pudding Needleworks

Stitched on: 40ct Natural Linen using DMC

Well, that's it!  I've been busy that's for sure!

WIP Wednesday and Finishing

Its been a busy and exhausting couple of weeks, thus no blogging!!!

During mid November for the last five years I've been one of the organizers of a Live & Silent Auction, Wine & Cheese event to raise money for the school we support in the Dominican Republic.  Our project was recently featured in a local magazine called Faces you can read it here if you'd like.  Running this event just takes everything out of me, from the weeks leading up to it getting my students to get in donations for the auction, to the shopping, to all the behind the scene things that need to be done.  The night itself is a very long one!  This year I didn't get home until 12:45am!  I was rather frustrated this year because I didn't get to go to the Timberhouse Retreat I've been attending every November for years.  Now the reason I didn't get to go was because of when we scheduled the auction on the same date, but because the Timberhouse messed up our booking , it was supposed to be the week before.  Though we booked that date before we left last year it wasn't put in the system right and they booked someone else instead.  Needless to say I was quite bitter that I couldn't be there.  I've been going to that retreat since almost the beginning, when it was first held at the Butler Creek B&B before it closed.

So since November 14th if I wasn't sleeping I've been stitching.  All I've wanted to do lately is be a hermit.  Winter setting in and the darkness hasn't helped.  I think this is going to be a rough winter for me, psychologically.

When  I last posted, The Accolade has been moving along nicely, I finished page 8 (of 12) and started page 9!  It would be nice to Happy Dance this piece next year.

Snow Business

Just Nan

Stitched on 28ct mystery fabric

Stitched with DMC & using Mill Hill Snowflake charm

I took a bit of a break from The Accolade last week and stitched up and finished this adorable group of snowmen by Just Nan!

Tall Snowman - The Trilogy

My finishative came out to play, and I finally turned these two ornaments I had stitched earlier in the year into on the tree finished ornaments.  These two show the comparison between over two on 32ct and 40ct. I must say more and more I like my ornaments to be on the small side!

I'm working on another ornament this week, the picture didn't turn out and I couldn't be bothered to get up and take another.  Again its on 40ct and if you follow me on Instagram (@tkd_chick) you'll see it in progress there!  I'm sure I'll be happy dancing it for you next Wednesday!