As promised

I have my 2011 final finishes ready for showing.

The first 2 are Lizzie Kate's.  They're just fun and festive pieces to work on during the holidays. 

This next one is Fresh Fallen Snow by Little House Needlworks from the 2011 Just Cross Stitch magazine.  It's stitched with DMC 3865 and GA's Forrest Glade.  Loved the colors.  I just wish these designs (a general sweeping statement about the ornament issue) were proofed a little better.  There were 2 mistakes.... I caught one and didn't notice the other until I was done.  The sample in the magazine is done correctly so SOMEONE had the correct pattern.  (The first mistake is that one of the snow flakes in the lower left is charted with the wrong symbol.  The second is in the bottom right snow flake.  There is an extra stitch in the part that would point to 1:00 on a clock.  I declined to pick it out and fix it.)

 This next one is also from the JCS 2011 ornament issue. Little by Little Design Company's Joy of the Snowflake.  Hardly looks like the original, right?  Love the pattern but hate the original colors.  Who wants brown like that at Christmas?  So, it's stitched on a festive red fabric using Vicky Clayton silks.  Referring to my sweeping statement about the magazine above.... what the heck is going on with that border??? OMG.  Is that a slap-dash job or what????  I switched mine around a little so it had more eye appeal then ended up leaving a gap in the bottom left corner where my initials are.  (In my typical attempt at anonymity.... They're further obscured by my scissors.) 

So, that's it for my holiday stitching.  I am back to working on a couple large WIP's.  I'm not taking on any New Year's challenges however I am kind of watching this one with interest.  I really like watching people stitch large pieces.  There once was a time when that's ALL I DID.  I have many large patterns in my 'to be stitched' basket and fully intend to invest the time in stitching them.  First, I'd like to feel like I have less in that basket so I don't feel pressured to work, work, work on finishing things. 

I hope I don't drive you all nuts with too many background changes.  This has proven to be a hard time of year to settle on one design.  This newest one is labeled as a Christmas one but, in my neck of the woods, snow and a few red berries will be about all there is to see out the windows.