Ornament SAL, plans for the new year, etc.

I'm just now getting over my Holiday Hangover. I did receive two things from my Wish List-5 pairs of those plush socks, and slippers! Hope your Christmas was wonderful!

Here's the last ornament as part of the Ornament SAL



This is a freebie from an unknown designer. Not sure of the count of the linen. This took me all of two days to stitch and that's in between going to work and doing normal household chores. It's a quick stitch.

I also started and finished this



Peace by Erica Michael. On 28ct linen with overdyes. I started this up Christmas Day after everyone left for their homes. I'm seeing a door hanger with this one, flat or stuffed with wire for the hanger, rusty bells at the bottom, hmm....

I've been lining up all my WIPs and new starts for next year, and finding patterns to pair up with all these small cuts of fabric I have. Peace and Merry Christmas are stitched on fabric that I've had forever. I have a bad habit of buying fabric and forgetting what I bought it for! Now that I'm 'Stitching From Stash', I need to use up some of these pieces.

I'm really excited about getting my stash down to a manageable pile and having extra money to use on really important things like, oh you know, bills!

Here's another of my Turtle Trot stitching



Haha, I don't know what I've done with the magazine and graph for this. This won't be the first time I've misplaced a graph! Aaaand....I misplaced another one and this time it's both the magazine and fabric! I have some excavating to do:),

Here's all of my 10 new starts for 2014! Starting with this one below. After that-who knows?!



No intro needed! I live by this LK motto!


School Days by La D Da in the October 2003 issue of JCS. This is a subscription I had and this design has been a I-Wanna-Stitch all this time!


LK's Snowy Day, part of the 6 Fat Men series.


Cutest PSS design, found in JCS Jan/Feb. '11. Need more CC though.


Hornbook Angel



Dear House, waiting on fabric


No intro needed!


Blackwater Hollow Sampler by Stacy Nash


Celtic Bird by The Sunflower Seed. I may use a lighter fabric for this one. And this, number 10, Christmas and Halloween ornaments



See all those blue markers? It's my goal to stitch every one of those ornaments, Christmas or Halloween! There are some bigger designs in the two Halloween-only magazines also. Woohoo! I'm looking forward to New Years Day!

Don't forget to click on the pictures. From my vantage point on this iPad, my pictures are small and kinda blurry. So when I click on them, they appear larger and not blurry. They may look different if you're using a PC or laptop.

See my header picture? The new season of Downton Abbey starts the 5th of January! I'm so excited!

Well, that's my story and I'm stickin' to it! Lots of things going on in 3 days, new starts, revisiting some neglected projects. On a personal level, get in shape, take care of my finances, and a new outlook on life!

Take care, you all! I appreciate your comments and visits!




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Merry Christmas!

To each and everyone. May your Christmas be full of family, love, and food!




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Hurtling toward Christmas and other news

Wow. I'm so behind on everything and Christmas is just 4 days away. We're looking for a live tree and there is nothing! We might have to get another artificial (sounds better than fake) tree!

Barb and Catherine, I just sent off your winnings today, by Priority mail. I got those in the slot 5 minutes before closing at the post office. I'm hoping you'll get your packages Tuesday! Wah!

The other person I picked, Justine, emailed me and said with the cost of sending things to the UK, it's quite alright to pick another name to win my other sachet. Thanks Justine! So the person I picked is none other than-Gracie!, from Needles, Pins, and Dragonflies. She lives just an hour or so from me, so it was pretty neat that her package doesn't have far to go. Gracie, I have your address and I'll get the sachet into the PO on Monday. It should get there by Tuesday.

Whew! I woke up late this morning, 9:00 to be exact, after being woke at 3 by Charley Horse. Do you know Charley, that wonderful guy who strikes at the worst times?! It took awhile to subside even after doing my usual grabbing my toes and pulling back to flex my foot. I couldn't go back to sleep afterward so I grabbed my book and read for an hour before falling asleep again.

I have joined Stitching from Stash 2014. It's gonna be great. I have all my New 10 Starts 2014 kitted up. I had to put in an order for some GAST and WDW but that's it. So these starts are going to be my stitching from my stash. I'll have pictures up of what I'm starting next year soon. SFS14 (stitching from stash2014) requires you to use a budget of $25 a month to spend in stitching. You can't go over. But you can bank the 25 to spend up to $50 the next month. I needed this bad! I have a button up at the top left side of this blog. Check it out!

Up to this date, I've joined or re-joined 3 SALs-TUSAL, SFS14, and Turtle Trot 2014. Pretty easy to do, these ones.

So I picked more WIPs for the Turtle Trot. Here they are



This is Home-A Diminutive Sampler by Pineberry Lane. It calls for 1 over but I did it 2 over and am about to run out of the Roasted Marshmallow so that'll be one of my budget purchases in the new year.




In The Meadow by CCN. I mistakenly called the fabric Guacamole but its really Scuppernong by WDW. I love the snowflakes on this, it makes me feel like I've walked into a room with hanging paper snowflakes! I can tell you that those trees are going to be time-consuming!




Vintage Stars by Jeannette Douglas. I picked this up a couple days ago and stitched in the blue part.




Fancey Blackett.




Baseball Boys by Helen Nicholson. Found in a 1996 Keepsake Calendar. I don't like baseball, but I like the guys standing around with their cheeks full of gum, hopefully it's not chew! Yuck!




I will finish this in 2014! Lol. My long suffering WIP. That's some intense stitching that I'll be doing.




Yes, I just came to a shrieking halt on this. I hope to have this one done before Halloween.

I'm in the enviable position of starting a new start now because I need to have 10 WIPs! Woohoo!

I like to read so I have all my 2014 reading lined up.



This author is coming out with a brand new book next June, so I'm doing a re-read. I am missing Fiery Cross. It probably fell apart last time and I tossed it. I'm reading the top book, Voyager, right now. I've already read the first two, the Outlander and Dragonfly in Amber. Voyager is 3rd in the series.



Here's more. The bottom book is a thriller set in Victorian London. Sounds like a good read. The Dark Monk is the 2nd of a series, written by a descendant of a long line of hangmen! They're mysteries and the main character is a hangman. Good reading, too. the Cuckoo's Calling is by the pseudonym of J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter books. I've read excerpts and it sounds great. The top book is about a woman who changes herself and becomes a force to be reckoned with, my description anyway! Just what I need is a book of a woman who changes herself to inspire me to do something with myself!

Here's my total orts for the entire year!



It's not a whole lot but I feel like I stitched a lot and had finishes too.

Well, another long-winded post! Oh but there will be more next time! I still have an ornament to stitch for the last Ornament SAL and pictures of my new starts for next year. So I'll be back on the 30th or sooner.

Take care and stay warm out there!



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I left my mojo in Las Vegas, Final Turtle Trot 2013, long post!

My mojo went missing this whole past week, so I'm thinking I left it in Vegas. I had packed one of the sachets with me to work on during some down time. What down time?! We were in the hotel room just to sleep and change clothes! We stayed at Circus, Circus for the two nights we were there. Comfortable I would say, nothing fancy. But the price of a bottled water in a vending machine at the hotel was $3.00! Needless to say, we bought our water at a drugstore. We went to see the National Finals Rodeo, held every year in December in Las Vegas. It's like the Super Bowl of rodeo. I was raised around rodeo; my mothers family rodeoed, some still do, and my fathers family raised cattle and horses. So being around cowboys and rodeo is nothing new.

I didn't get photos of the arena but I did of a few of The Strip, one of a certain pawn shop, and a couple others. My daughter was the passenger and the photog. Amazingly I didn't hardly take pictures of anything! I just forgot I guess. So here are my few pics!






The MGM Grand, bathed in green in top photo. There was a Rainforest Cafe (I think that's the correct name) inside and we had to walk a long ways to reach this cafe. This hotel is just huge. Anyway, I wished I took a picture of this cafe as it felt like you were in an actual rainforest. There were animal sounds, a sky above you with stars and clouds, moving elephants and cheetahs and birds. Sometimes a thunderstorm would come through with lightning and thunder. Pretty neat. Prices were pricey though. But to me, portions were big. I had a Cobb salad and it took up a whole long plate. For two meals, an appetizer, drinks, the bill came to a little over $50. My daughter went to one of these cafes in Tempe, which is a city next to Phoenix, and begged me to go to this one.

The photo above is of the Venetian, I think. Inside its beautiful, makes you think you're in some palace in Italy. Along with the rodeo were trade shows that cater to the country, rodeo, horsey set. They sold things like cattle chutes, clothing, jewelry, art. One such trade show was inside this hotel. If we go again next year, I want to stay here!

Here's that certain pawn shop. Do you recognize it!



The Pawn Shop on tv! This was a must-see! We could only take a pic driving by as parking was around the side and back and at midnight, I wasn't about to walk through the dark.

By the time Sunday evening came, I was pretty well tuckered out. I had blisters on both feet, I have bad knees and they were yelling at me. Saturday we were wandering along The Strip at midnight! That's way past my bedtime!

On our way to Las Vegas though, we stopped at the bridge that crosses over the Colorado river. It bypasses Hoover Dam, which you could pass over at one time. Not anymore, thanks to 9/11. My brother worked on this bridge at the very beginning of its construction. You can take an exit and walk on the walkway or go on the dam. Here are pictures of both the dam, Lake Mead, and looking waaaaay down from the walkway.





Just looking at this picture above makes me dizzy. The wind was blowing like crazy that day and being on this walkway was like being in an open top tunnel, it was just whistling through there.

I was glad to come home! This weekend I'm doing NOTHING! Sorry for yelling. I've already warned everyone that I'm not moving from this couch. Except to finish my sachets, buy a Christmas tree. We're doing live this year. For the past 6 years, we've had fake trees. I destroyed two vacuums vacuuming up needles. This year we want live. Interesting to see what our cats will do! Wish us luck!

Okay, Turtle Trot, the last one. Can't believe it. I worked on Fancey Blackett



Here's before



She'll be one of my Turtle Trot 2014 WIPs.

Last post I mentioned I didn't have much Christmas charts-I'm taking care of that!



I know that middle one is not Christmas, but will you take a look at that black velvet strawberry!! I had to have it. I also bought two new charts from Shakespeare's Peddler, Christmas ones!



I'm waiting on word from Barb for her mailing address. Here's what I'm sending her-a $30 e-gift card to 123stitch, a sachet, some holiday appropriate goodies! Catherine, I'll have your sachet + stuff in the mail this coming week. Justine, I sent you an email.

I received a very nice package from Gracie at http://needlespinsanddragonflies.blogspot.com/ Gracie, I'm just blown away by your tatting talent! Here's one of her tatting creations





It's so dainty and petite! See the beads as ornaments. It's by far one of the prettiest things I've seen! She also sent me a kit



Thank You, Gracie! She also sent a Christmas card, my first of this season. No one sends Christmas cards anymore, it's sad.

Well I believe this is the end of this novel! After I hit the publish button, I remember other things to talk about! This is long enough though!

Thanks for stopping by and commenting! Oh, and its supposed to be 50 degrees here today! Short sleeve weather, alright! And 65 on Tuesday or Wednesday. Just this past week it was 11 degrees when I went to work at 5:40 am. Crazy weather, but I'll take it. Hope those of you in cold areas stay warm and dry!



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Answer to the mystery and winners!

I'm finally home after what seemed to be a forever drive back from Las Vegas. It's a five hour drive but it felt like it went on and on. I was ready to come home. I didn't even gamble!

Here's the answer to the mystery: Christmas Garden by Blackbird Designs. You ladies know your samplers and designers!

Well, I've got names! BARB! Because yours was the first name I picked AND you guessed correctly, you win the giveaway and the sachet.

I also drew two more names for sachets and you are JUSTINE and CATHERINE.

Ladies, email me at campbo41@q.com and let me know your mailing addresses.

Thanks everyone, for commenting and playing along! I'm going to bed!


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Last Giveaway hint!

Here it is, coming to you from a cool, very chilly Las Vegas:

The designers are very popular. Yes, there are two of them!

Tonight, I'll draw a name for the main giveaway and then a couple other names for the sachets.

Thanks for playing along!

Giveaway hint! One day left!

How about another hint?

Here it is: The Christmas tree is on a sampler.

So that one may be the clincher for some of you! One day left, you have until 10pm Sunday, West Coast time, to comment and leave your guess. That post to do so is 4 posts back.

I'm off, leaving for Las Vegas in a couple hours. I hope those of you facing some very cold temps stay warm and dry!

Another Giveaway hint!

Hint-Christmas tree, among other motifs, is featured on the front page of this design.

Can you tell I'm running out of hints?! I'm not the most inventive person! The hints I'm coming up with are obvious.




This is so me!

Any late comers to this Giveaway, look at the previous posts for hints. Then, go to official post, which is now 3 posts back, to leave a comment and your guess. C'mon, the more the merrier!

Hope the weather is fine where you're at! We're facing some Arctic air sliding in. It's supposed to get down to 19 degrees tonight. Yikes!

Take Care!


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TUSAL December

The last TUSAL post of the year-Yikes! My orts don't look like much but this may be the most I've had this year or ever. I take my floss waaay down to the end, about an inch or maybe 1 1/2", or whenever it keeps falling out of the eye!

I've joined the Turtle Trot for 2014. This time it's 10 WIPs, posting on the 10th of each month. I have 6 WIPs that are left over from this year. On top of that, I'm going to start 10 new projects, starting January 1st. I have stuff kitted up for that and I'll have pictures up. Sometime this month, I'll have pictures up of my WIPs that I'll work on in 2014. I'm going to make decisions on some of those WIPs too, like whether they depress me or am I still jazzed about them, how will I feel if I trash it? On one, I think I can remove what little stitches are on it and keep the fabric for something else. Yeah, sounds good to me! I'm also going to stitch from the stash next year. I've spent ridiculous amounts of $$ this year on my habit, and when things have slowed way down at work, I have to be ready for what could happen. I'm hoping it doesn't go that far.

So, I'm once again running off at the mouth, or at the fingers! So I'll leave off now. Don't forget to throw your name and a guess in on the Giveaway I'm having. Two posts back is the Official post to leave a comment and the guess. It's gonna be fun!

Thanks all, and have a wonderful Tuesday!



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Mary's Sampler, etc.

Here's another Giveaway hint-The tree is a Christmas tree!

I know, I know-pictures of Mary's Sampler are popping up all over! Here's another for ya!



You know, I pull the curtains to get some light in to take pictures and this is all I can get! I have a frame that would fit on this nicely but also on another finished stitching. This sampler deserves framing, not being made into a pillow. I'm glad I stitched this. I don't have enough stitched Christmas things.

I was on a movie kick this past weekend. Daughter was visiting a friend home from college back east so I was alone, me and the cats. I watched the Harry Potter movies, a Scooby Doo dvd, Disney's version of A Christmas Carol with the voice of Jim Carrey (Carrey is okay when taken in small doses!), some Netflix shows. All the while stitching on the gifts and Mary's.

Giveaway revision! I'm adding things that I didn't put down on the Official Giveaway post, which is the one right before this one. So be sure to comment and leave your guess on the last post. The last day to comment will be December 8, instead of the 14th. And the biggie- who gets what. Like I said the last post, if the drawn name also guessed right on the chart and designer, they will get the goodies AND the little gift. If the drawn name didn't guess right, they will get just the goodies. But-whoever guessed the correct chart and designer but whose name wasn't picked, you'll get the little gift plus some extras. It was these last two provisions that I left out. Whew! The last thing I want to do is confuse anyone! So it's going to be like 2 giveaways. I plan on stitching much more little gifts, so I just may do some random draws from anyone who comments. All you lurkers out there, leave a comment! After all, I have a pound of Balsam needles and that's a lot, I'm telling you!

I'm definitely in Christmas mode!

So, leave your comment and your guess on the last post before 10 pm West Coast time. Yes, I'm in Arizona but my daughter and I will be in Vegas from the 7th to the 9th, so I'll draw a name while I'm in Vegas!

It's been awhile since we've been anywhere so we're looking forward to our road trip.

Thanks for coming by, as always!



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A couple finishes, and a giveaway

Hello! Hope you've all survived Thanksgiving and Black Friday! Black Friday I don't do. I did last year just to say that I did it but this year I stayed home.

Yes, I'm having another giveaway but more on that later!

I spent today finishing some things. Here's No Quitter



I have chocolate on my wish list along with a big container of sewing pins (yeah, I don't ask for much), fluffy socks, and slippers, right where it's noticeable- on the refrigerator! We'll see if anyone pays attention! But as I was saying, I used vintage seam tape for the holder and secured with the buttons. The fabric it's sitting on is the backing.

Here's the latest ornament just stitched up last week



My Favorite Time by LizzieKate. I like how it turned out. The fabric it's on is also the backing fabric.

And last but not least is Christmas Wishes, and my favorite by far









The backing fabric looks like flying snow, right? Its also more bluer in real life. Using my best friend the glue gun, I trimmed it with the strand of red baubles.

I'm glad I have some Christmas ornaments to hang up even if its just two!

Be sure to click on the pictures for better views.

Okay, now onto the Giveaway!

Take a look at this tree



Can you guess what chart it's from and the designer? Here is one hint:
It's smaller than what is on the chart because I used 36ct linen.

That's all I'll give you! Heehee! I will post a hint every so often, up to the 13th of December. On the 14th, which is a Saturday, at 10 p.m Arizona time, I'll draw a name. If the winner also guesses correctly who the designer is and what chart it is, I'll throw in a small gift I've been stitching that are filled with balsam. Have you smelled that lately? It smells so good! If you're allergic to balsam, I can turn the gift into a pincushion. These little gifts are stitching up fast. I have two already and it's not even December yet!

It's open to everyone near and far, follower or lurker, does not matter.

I stashed recently but it's a different kind of stash:))



Wool projects. Can't wait to start these.

And regular stash



These are all going to be 2014 stitching. I've decided to start 10 new projects in the new year. Since I'm starting these and more, I'm on my way to BAP Attack to join the Turtle Trot WIP SAL!

A nice long lengthy post. I'm on the 3rd day of my 5 days off. It's going too fast!

Thanks for stopping in and commenting! I read every single one, just got to get better at responding! Take Care!


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Ornament SAL for November, another new start

Good Evening!

Here's my ornament



My Favorite Time by LizzieKate on mystery linen. I'm looking forward to finishing this.

I started yet another stitching! I was looking for a Christmas-y design and this was all I found



In the Meadow by CCN. This is the only chart I have of hers! Guacamole linen with over dyes. I love the fabric. I need more Christmas designs and only too willing to remedy that! Lol. I have lots of Halloween patterns and Christmas ornament patterns.

So what did you think of the ending of Mary's Sampler? I wasn't expecting a border, don't know why. Here's what mine looks like



I think in the new year I'll stitch the other version on dark fabric. I'm also happy to add the Mulberry flowers to the border for much needed color.

I'm starting to see some new and returning SAL sign ups popping up. What are you all joining up for? I'm mulling it over! I'll definitely join TUSAL again because it doesn't take much to take a picture and post it! I'm thinking of doing a daily start for about 10 days. It's a good way to start some of my bigger projects. The Turtle Trot, hosted by BAP Attack, is on again for next year but I'm undecided about joining up. I also want to keep on stitching Halloween and Christmas ornaments. On the negative side, not having to post on a regular basis means I disappear! I have posted more this year than previous years!

I have the next 5 days off from work! Woo Hoo! I'm cooking tomorrow, as usual, looking forward to stuffing my face! The rest of my long weekend I have to finish painting my bathroom, and the kitchen. Then the rest of my time I'll be finishing these, my next victims



A fellow blogger talked about how she's had the Super Mojo going on lately, meaning she wants to stitch everything in sight. Me too! My orts jar is the fullest it's been, and were about a week from posting it. I have stitched practically every night.

I think I'm just droning on and on now, so I'll stop here!

I'm now up to 113 followers, yay! Thanks to you all for commenting and/or lurking!

Wishing you all a very Happy Thanksgiving with friends and loved ones! We have much to be thankful for! Take Care!



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