Last Finishes for 2010 and Gifts Received!

I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and are all ready for the New Year and more stitching :) I am happy to say that, looking back on 2010, I have had rather a productive year of stitching, have tried different finishes and my biggest achievement without a doubt has been without a doubt my Just A Thought casket. Never in a million years did I think I'd be able to do anything like that and make it look like it's supposed to be but I did!

Anyway I have had two finishes this week which will be last of 2010. First on Wednesday evening I finished Little House Needleworks Poinsettia House, my Winter SAL piece with Chris, Lisa, Lesleyanne, Hazel,  Claire and Nicola. I have loved every single stitch of this of this gorgeous design so thank you ladies for SAL-ing with me. I know Chris and Lesleyanne have finished theirs too.

Little House Needleworks Poinsettia House

28 count tea dyed opalescent evenweave

Crescent Colours & DMC

Started 1st December 2010

Finished 29th December 2010

I now have to decide how I'm going to finish this! I am already looking forward to Chris and I's 2011 December SAL. I think Lesleyanne may be joining us. This is the design we've already chosen to stitch!!!

I decided to have a new start on Christmas Day and although I did not get a lot stitched as I was enjoying myself playing on the Wii with Jess, Abi and my DH I have managed to finish what I started! My dear stitchy friend, Michelle, sent me the chart and I thought it would make a lovely new start for the festive season. I popped the final stitches into it this morning after DH and I had been to the shop so I could pick up a skein of DMC 930 as I'd run out!

The Sampler Girl

Wonderful Life

36 count Sand linen

DMC

Started 25th December 2010

Finished 31st December 2010

The only other stitching I have to show is my measly WIP on CHS SoHRH! Let's just say it won't be finished by the time the clock strikes midnight tonight so I will just have to finish it in early 2011 instead! I only stitched on this a little bit on Christmas Eve so this is my wee start on block 12.

My New Years Day new start won't be a biggy as it has been in the last few years. My first biggy will be on Monday and that is with Barb and Colleen. We are each stitching a Shepherd's Bush design. Mine will be Emmanuel's Song, Barb's will be The Journey and Colleen's will be Chequered Sheep. Anyway back to my New Years Day start! Lisa and I are going be SAL-ing on the Kelmscott Designs Hornbook Angel and we are both looking forward to it.

Speaking of Lisa I can now show the wee gift I stitched for her for Christmas. I took part of the Little House Needleworks Peace design ( a design for UNICEF) and stitched this :) I am delighted to say that Lisa loves it :)

Little House Needleworks Peace ( design for UNICEF)

40 count blue cloud evenweave

DMC

Gift for Lisa.

I love the pom pom trim. I was determined to get some as I thought it would be perfect for this and I actually managed to find some!

You may remember that Chris and I have a private ornament exchange each year and Chris emailed me yesterday to tell me she'd sent a recorded delivery parcel to me and I should get it today. Inside was an ornament, a Christmas card and a birthday gift. Poor Chris had to admit that she'd lost the birthday gift she'd made for me and had had to stitch something else. Anyway let me tell you both the ornament and gift were well worth the wait:) Here is the ornament which is a Blue Ribbon Designs one and I absolutely love it.

And here is Shakespeare's Peddlar Jenny Bean's Pin Tuffet mounted on a tin which is finished so beautifully. I've been wanting to stitch this for a while and even bought the chart earlier in the year but never got around to it. Inside the tin was some Lindt Chocs :) Thank you so much, Chris, for both the ornament and the tin xxx. I absolutely love them both and will treasure them.

Christmas was quiet for us this year but we all thoroughly enjoyed it. It's the first time in several years that I actually felt happy and relaxed about the festive period and it's the best Christmas I've had in a long time. It was just the 4 of us, we talked, played games and just generally relaxed.

I was blessed to receive some gorgeous gifts from some very dear stitchy friends. First of all from Lisa I received these gorgeous marking pins by My Big Toe Designs. They are so pretty and a beautiful colour. Thank you so much Lisa xx

I think Jane had been looking at my wish list as I received the beautiful LHN All is Calm chart, which I am looking forward to stitching in 2011, and she stitched The Sampler Girl New Year New Ewe! I couldn't understand her comment when I showed the one I stitched for Barb about it looking familiar and now I know why! She also stitched it for Barb! Thank you so much Jane xxx I will treasure it. At the moment it's hung on the garland on my mantle piece but after the decorations have been taken down I'm going to hang it with my other TSG pieces :)

I think Elaine must know my love of snowmen as just look at what she stitched for me. Isn't he adorable?! She also included a pair of beautiful pair of blue and white scissors and a snowman chocolate. Thank you so much Elaine xxx I will treasure them ( although not the chocolate as I have eaten it! lol)

Last but by no means least I received these gorgeous Dinky Dyes silks and a bookmark with the most beautiful saying on it from Karan. I don't know if you can see it but it says " The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams". Thank you so much Karan, I absolutely love the threads and the bookmark. I was going to stitch my Kelmscott hornbook angel in black thread but now I think I'm going to use one of the DD silks instead :)

DH's Dad, my Dad and DH's auntie always give us money to buy Christmas gifts for the girls and ourselves so DH and I try to buy things for each other rather than buy our own. We make lists to give each other ideas and my DH bought this stitchy stash and wrapped them up from my Dad so these will keep me busy for a while! The top fabric is for the BBD AotH when I start them as I want to finish Shores before I do!

Yesterday postie a lovely card ( a reindeer of course :) )from across the pond from Michele and inside the card was this lovely red thread. It's such a pretty shade too. Thank you so much Michele xxxx

Phew! I think that's all I have to show! Sorry for rambling on so long! I must apologise for my lack of blog reading and commenting over the last week but I will get caught up with you all after tomorrow :)

As 2010 rapidly draws to a close I just want to thank each every one of you for your friendship in 2010 whether you be old friends or new. I wish you all a Happy, Healthy, Prosperous, Stitch filled 2011 and here's to another year of stash, stitches and friendship. Hugs to you all xxxxx

Happy New Year!

Love & hugs

Sally

xxxxx