Some Stitching...

Hello friends!

It's a bright, sunny, almost warm day in SE Michigan today and I got to get outside to take a picture of my latest finish.  This is a hornbook (well, it will be once I get a hornbook and mount it) designed by Elizabeth Talledo (Dames of the Needle) and is in the current issue of Just CrossStitch magazine.  The second I saw this sweet little design, with its perfect colors and beautiful font, I knew I had to stitch it.  Elizabeth has said that there will also be more smalls to go along with this.  I hope I have enough velvet ricrac!  I stitched this exactly as called for but added another leg to the Nun stitch border so it's more of a box stitch finish.  My ricrac is also a deeper reddish/pink than the one Elizabeth used but that's just because I happened to have it on hand.  

Can't wait for the extra pieces!

The hornbooks are going to be a year long series in JCS so make sure to get your copy, now!

A few months ago, my guild had what we call a designer day.  This year it was 

Plum Street Samplers.  In addition to bringing anything we had stitched by Paulette we were challenged to stitch and finish her "To Thine Own Self be True" freebie and finish it however we envisioned.  I thought you might like to see some of the creative finishes that were shown.  There are more but I seem to have lost that picture (typical).  Mine is the one in the center - the little book.

And just to reassure you that I still had a fun Christmas despite missing Tyler here are a couple of pics/stories I thought I'd share with you.

The ugly sweater party was on Saturday night.  

Saturday afternoon we still didn't have anything to wear. 

While out shopping, I wandered into an Urban Outfitters store and saw these atrocious cactus looking things on sale for $15 each in the men's department.  

I quickly snagged up two of the fifty or so that were left 

and 

beelined it for the check-out line.  

Treasures in hand, I hurried home with my finds to show Rob.  

Of course he was busy watching football or something when I got home so I just took them upstairs to wait till time to get ready.

When I took them out of the bag, I realized that uh-oh, those aren't cacti, no sir,

they're pot leaves!

You'll notice that even the star on top isn't straight!

We wore them anyway.

I don't know if folks at the party were more amused that we wore them 

or that I bought them without realizing what they were.

As one friend at the party said, I guess this will be forever known as our

Childless, Cannabis Christmas.

LOL.

We also had our Christmas work party in December.  Or if you work for the government like I do, you can't say it's a Christmas party - it has to be a holiday party - blah, blah, blah.  It's always a lot of fun but this year, my dear friend Lisa and I had an extra good time.  Not sure why - could have been the shots at the bar or maybe it was just the holiday spirit that got us.  Anyway, we decided the best way to take a selfie was to lay flat on your back so that your facial wrinkles sort of fall away.  We had to test our theory and I'm not sure it really worked but we were hysterical, nonetheless.

Love this girl!

We also had to thank our bartender Dave for the great job he did mixing our drinks!

Here's hoping your holiday was full of laughter, too!

Thank you for the warm welcome back and for all your lovely comments!  

You're the best!

Love and Peace,

XOXO

Terri

P.S., Tyler survived the gas chamber with no problem.... now to get past swim week!

Fingers crossed and prayers appreciated!