This is the Day is coming along.

I am liking the colors a lot more now. The fabric looks more goldish in person than it does in the picture. Here, it looks more tan than gold.

I was stuck for the better part of a week in the box with the alphabet. I didn't like the tannish color, but now it looks a lot better against the richness of the other colors.

I managed to finish the background, but there will not be enough of Conch to finish the piece. I think I will use the DMC alternative rather than re-ordering. If anyone decides to do this design, plan on ordering (2) Conch.

I am working in the lower left. I have just finished the base of the beehive.

The vines on the side are the most time consuming, with the little viney offshoots that I always have to count, no matter how many I do!

It is still snowing here. I think it will be June before we see the ground again! Has been so cold, none of it has melted. Our heating system isn't working very well. Thank God, we have a woodstove to back it up. Hope our wood lasts. We have burned through quite a bit of the wood so far. My task for today is to try to find another source of firewood, (not an easy task this time of the year)!

Enjoy your day!

This is the Day Update and a Winner!

I have made some progress on This is the Day.
Unfortunately the day before yesterday I noticed that I made a mistake very early on in the alphabet. It is off by 1 stitch. I know, not a big deal, but I must admit that it bugs me, when I was being so careful! Now the little box will be too close to the border. Anyway, I have come way to far to take it all out. I had to make an adjustment in the vine in the top left-hand corner. I was holding my breath, but I think it worked out. This is what I have so far:

I didn't think the sheep showed up against the linen well enough, so I outlined them with a slightly darker shade.

As you can see, I still have a lot to do. The background in the letters takes a long time (partially done pinkish area). Hopefully I will not find any more mistakes. Undoing or working around mistakes is always so time consuming!

On another note, I have a winner of my little blogiversary drawing! The winner is Carolyn who incidentally has a drawing of her own going on, so hop on over and check it out!

Congratulations Carolyn!

A Little Blogiversary Giveaway!

My 3 year blogiversary will be on January 14th. In years past, I have completely missed this auspicious occasion! I thought it might be nice this year to mark the occasion.

We had another snowstorm yesterday. The snow looks so lovely, peaceful and serene outside my window. It reminded me of this pattern I have in my stash.

The pattern is Stitcher's Retreat by Jan Rannochio.

Please don't get too excited because the drawing is just for the pattern. I just read that apparently it came with 2 buttons to sew on between the words. I never had these. I bought the pattern by itself. As I said, no bid deal giveaway. It just reminded me of the scene outside my window.

I like what it says on the back:

A Stitcher's Retreat

"We stitchers often dream of a faraway place, filled with peace, tranquility and endless time to pursue our craft.

Although we may not be able to physically accomplish this dream, may our joy and love of needlework magically carry us to this "Stitcher's Retreat"."

If you think you would like this pattern, just leave me a comment on this post. Don't forget to leave a way to get in touch if you don't have a blog. If you have a blog, please feel free to post the giveaway. I will have the drawing on January 14th.

New Year! New Start! and my TUSAL

My new start is This is the Day, by Tracy Riffle, from the Jan/Feb 2009 issue of Just Cross Stitch Magazine.

I love the deep, rich colors!

I am stitching it on 40 ct Zweigart in Sand, using the suggested overdyed cotton floss.

This is what I have so far:

Also I have my first installment of the Totally Useless Stitch-a-long (TUSAL), hosted by It's Daffycat.

Not much to show, however in my defense, I am stitching on 40ct, so it is only 1 strand over 2 stitches.

I have been reading with great interest about the Crazy January Challenge. I am amazed how many people are organized enough to do this!

This is definitely not for me! A few years ago, I resolved to finish what I start. This policy has held me in good stead! For the most part I have stuck to this with a few notable exceptions (large quilts and the Loara Standish sampler, which require a lot of concentration). I hear the UFOs nagging at me, and it just bugs me too much! In fact, I don't even decide what I am going to do next until I am very close to finishing the one I am working on. Then it is just whatever appeals to me at the moment. This keeps it fun and fresh for me.

I really admire people who are successful at this! Also it makes for great blog reading! I love to see all your pictures!