"'Zee Renard"

Hello, Everyone! I do so hope that all is well with you and yours. December has been quite a month (and still is) yet I HAD to stop in for a very important reason: I have been lucky enough to win Jolene's Generous Christmas Wish Giveaway! I could not have been more surprised to see this image on her blog amidst photos of her family's Christmas Fun:



The condition of Jolene's giveaway this time was that you made a wish by telling her what, from your wishlist, you wanted to have as a new Start in 2010. Now, there are a lot of nice things on my wishlist, and I love them all, but I thought about what I might actually be able to START right now/soon (considering my WiPs, and an exchange commitment) and also the winter season and so narrowed it down to two things- Red Bird Sampler and Sweetheart Tree's Think Snow. I asked her to pick if I won. Secretly, I think I did want Red Bird More!!! Squeee! I'm really so thrilled about this one. Now, I'll have TWO WiPs featuring Red Birds, but I'm gonna keep the first under my hat for a bit longer. ;)


And, while I'm here, I finally have a tidbit of a thing I can actually show you! And it's even my own stitching at that:


Feast your eyes upon my start on the Workbasket's Fox Forest, or as I like to call it, "Zee Fox" lol (Marc's corny humor is contagious)! This chart is a generous loan from Edgar, who stitched it earlier this year and finished it into one of his "Incomparable" Boxes for his contribution to an exchange. I've been just batty for red foxes for quite a while now, and am so pleased to have done this little bit, at least, of a fox design. I can say that this is also my favorite fox of the whole bunch in this piece, so he can keep me company while I stitch up the rest.

Well, I'm off to a gathering of Marc's College Friends called "The Monthly Party" (You must forgive these guys; they are programmers and haven't the talent for titles that we stitchers have. ;) I hope everyone is having a very Merry Christmas and general good time. Please find some cozy stitching time and expect a return of my Wednesday showcase posts in the new year (if not another blog from me before).

Yours in Stitching,
Berit

Wednesday Wish-Its (Three)

Leading the pack today: a mouse variation of the darling humbugs Ann has been making lately; Isn't he just the cutest!? I love everything about it--fabric and even the cute lace-edged jar he's perching upon. :D



Next is Carol's sophisticated "Pearls and Rosebuds Fob" from Drawn Thread. Carol, I understand, has been very busy with other commitments this year, and has not been as active in blogland as she has at other times, so I don't know her that well, but I sure feel like I know and enjoy her work! When I first started looking online for xstitch stuff, her works really stood out to me in places like the world's largest collection of smalls blogs. I am Such a fan of her works, and get so excited each time I see a finish perched upon a windowsill.



Here's a little something from a photo tour of Mituswa I did a couple of years ago at my video game blog. It's a set of darling cat-themed mugs that were sold at Utsuwa no Yakata. They have a nice bit of texture in that the glazing was done in such a way that the "line art" on the cats is at a lower level of relief than the rest of the mugs. I really do wish I'd bought some when they were still available. Has anyone got a time machine they'd be willing to lend me? ;)

Aaand that's all I have for this week! Boy does the holiday season just fly! We've only just started, but I already feel like I'm behind. I also feel like I haven't done any stitching, yet the truth is that I'm almost finished with an ornament! I also made some pomander balls, and am hoping that Marc will get interested and make some, too! I've got the cloves and oranges laid out along with an invitingly-placed awl. I also want to show 'n tell about Thanksgiving: I cooked my first turkey ever and it came out perfectly--so juicy! But, it looks like we are going into the City tomorrow to see the tree lighting, so I'd better go to bed now before I oversleep again (This morning we slept like logs until 11:30 AM! Marc's work is casual about arrival times (he can leave here as late as 10 AM--but not that casual! It's important to show a properly punctual commitment to arriving in time for lunch. :P Or, at least early enough to justify taking a lunch when the Noon-1pm hour rolls around!) We've also been busy driving to Ikea what seems like every day this week, but is in reality only two. Amazingly, I have to go back again to exchange a defective apron!! After we finish with our tinker-toy assembly, I might take some pictures to post up! :D

Yours in Stitching,
Berit

P.S. Primitive Bettys has released two new patterns as of the first of this month--please check them out if you <3 prim like I do! I love how her patterns are available via etsy, too!
Also, Sampler Girl has a new freebie out--My True Love Gave to Me. Have I ever mentioned how much I want that toffee apple pattern from her Stitching Janeite's Pattern Book? Tasty! Now, if only it were sold individually.