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Saturday 31 December 2011

Final Final Happy Dance

Okay, so I got it wrong!  I actually managed another finish today!  That makes a grand total of 73 finishes in one year!!!  Of course, many of them were smalls but even so....

These are from Cross Stitcher mag issue 247, the cover kit.  I won't go into long details about how much this magazine has disappointed me this last year (again!) but they slightly redeemed themselves with these designs by Angela Poole.  But why oh why supply aida for designs with so many fractionals and backstitch splitting the squares?  Why?  Why?  Why?  Only the tree was suitable for aida stitching which made it a little bit of an odd-man-out in the set.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not an evenweave-snob, aida is fine for lots of things especially cards and things with whole stitches only.  I particularly like dark coloured aida and use it quite often.  But not for fractionals!  And there wasn't enough light green or red for all six....

Anyway, enough moaning, here are the designs stitched on the last piece of my tea-dyed evenweave (how versatile has that been?):

 And here they are, all scrapbooked up!

This is a little vignette showing my TUSAL jar.  I didn't get to enter the TUSAL last year as I didn't have a blog at the beginning of the year.  In fact, being able to join the TUSAL was my prime motivation to starting a blog.  That and the fact that my family do not pander to my narcissistic tendencies enough.  I crave adoration from the wider world!  Edit - and Audrey Hepburn is a fan too, so it seems looking at my latest follower (No 174).  Welcome to the blog, Audrey :-)

 The hand-made card is from my SIL and the little fireplace has four stockings with our names on, isn't it cute?

Here is the TUSAL in all it's glory:

And here is my kitchen TUSAL (with friends):
Why do I have a kitchen TUSAL?  Because I also stitch in the kitchen while waiting for the tea to heat up.  (I don't do cooking as such, well, not much if I can help it!).  The huge candle has come out every Christmas since we've been in this house and burned throughout Christmas dinner.  At this rate it will see me out and probably the large boy and his descendants too!

The small festive thingies sit at each of our places during the meal too.

The plan for all my ORTS is to use them to stuff this once it's finished:


This is Part 1 of a cute little Christmas design by Jenn of Leftsox.  I have Part 2 now currently being stitched on some gorgeous green evenweave courtesy of Mouse House Emergency Fabric Supplies.  Thanks, Mouse, I owe you one!

Finally, who can identify the item my kitchen ORTS live in?  The main TUSAL was a jar of sweet and sour sauce in a previous life.  I thought about using a Branston Pickle jar for the English connection but was concerned my ORTS and therefore my ornie would smell of old pickle for evermore!

On that note, have a wonderful Old Year's Night and a magical New Year's Day.

19 comments:

cucki said...

hello dear, i love your lovely cross stitch cards from cross stitcher mag..they are so cute..
lovely jar..and beautiful stitching.
happy new year..
love cucki xx

Shebafudge said...

The Cross Stitcher designs look lovely. I have to admit that issue was the only one I've bought in about a year. It seems to be harder to find Cross Stitcher now - wonder if that's because of the direction it's taken.

Is your TUSAL one of those dosing ball things for the laundry. They probably have a proper name but I don't know what it is...lol.

We have the same little fireplace as yours - it sits on top of the TV.

Happy stitching in 2012!

Shirlee said...

Jo ... I also did not get to be in the TUSAL last year since my blog only began in May. I'm looking forward to participating this year but I still need to find a jar ... lol! I love that mitten design. I probably would've bought the magazine just for that : ) Have a very Happy New Year dear friend! May it be all you hope for! Blessings, Shirlee

Anna van Schurman said...

Seventy three! Wow. I had such a horrible year, even for me.

Happy New Year!

Mouse said...

oooo well done ..... i'm like you I've cancelled my subscription with them as not liking what they are doing now ... love the ornie and glad to be of help :) and its an ariel lid or something like that for the washing liquid :) and I've gone for a coffee jar for my orts this year :) hope you have a great day too :) love mouse xxxx

Nicola said...

Is it the ball for your washing machine that you put the liquid in?

73 finishes is some going. WOW. Congratulations.

Christine said...

Lovely finishes. I almost never use the cover kit materials as they are intended. I must be one of the few people who actually likes the new direction Cross Stitcher has gone in, I was so tired of the previous cutesy designs, teddies and licensed characters I could have screamed.

Topcho said...

Lol, well done with one more finish for the year! Love the cross stitcher ornaments, and this scrapbook finish is the cutest! :D

Stitchabilities said...

I think I am an Aida snob as I really don't like stitching on it anymore, well all the mags have taken a nosedive in my opinion, I used to collect them as they used to always have something ...but not anymore!
Well done on your finishes I think my total maybe in the single figures!!
Happy New Year

Sarah said...

I agree with you about Cross Stitcher, the seem to have less and less patterns I actually want to stitch. A lovely last finish for the year though, good luck for the next one!

Lesleyanne said...

Your finishes are gorgeous. Love them scrap booked. I think your orts is a dosing ball for your washing machine liquid.

Kaisievic said...

Hi Jo, I agree with you about the aida - so annoying! It is impossible to use with fractionals - I gave up on stitching a Margaret Sherry freebie from a magazine because of the aida!

I think that your kitchen ort jar is a salt pig (or at least that is what they are called in Oz), am I right?

Happy New Year, Kaye xoxox

P.S.Don't forget to enter my 2nd 12 Days of Christmas in Blogland Giveaway.

Mindi said...

I love the little tags you stitched up, and they look fantastic on the scrapbook page!

I signed up for TUSAL for the first time this year. I picked out an old blue Ball glass jar to use, but I'm worried the blue glass might make it hard to see the threads inside.

♥ Nia said...

Your scrapbook looks gorgeous :D
Congrats on your finishes!!! uhuuuu :)
I understand your dissapointment so well.. makes me sad because I used to love this magazine so much =/ Oh well, better things will come for sure! ;)
Happy 2012!! :D

Laurita Hall said...

I agree with you, Aida is easy to work with, but when it comes to fractionals mmmmm...

Your xmas tags are gorgeous! Congrats!

BTW: I wish I was as cute as Audrey.. in the meantime let´s pretend I´m Sabrina or HollY.. LOL

hugs,
Laurita

Jenny said...

Oh, I am so happy now that I bought this issue, since your finishes look absolutely super-cute! I will take your advice and switch the fabbie though. I figured that the Aida was included to make it easier to finish into labels, but I agree about that fractionals and Aida does not mix.

Have a very Happy New Year, Jo!

Siobhán said...

Your finishes are fantastic. Oh my GOSH I can't believe how many things you finished last year!! I really need to get my skates on, as the saying goes. ;) What a fun idea to have a kitchen TUSAL jar.

Happy new year!

raised by cross stitching wolves said...

Your finishes are beautiful! I've only seen 1 or 2 issues of Cross Stitcher, and I loved them, but I'm with you on the aida for fractional stitches. Beautiful tags and I love your scrapbook finish!
~ Lorraine

Caitlin @ Naughts Cross Stitches said...

gorgeous stitching. I love the way you put them in a scrap book.