Comfort and Joy... And A January Blogoversary Give-away...

Happy New Year my dear friends! I hope you all had a wonderfully, jolly Christmas with your families and found many a lovely, stitchy treasure under your trees... Thank you ever so kindly my dear friends and family for the lovely Christmas cards, emails, warm wishes, the treasured gifties and thank you for your love and kindness most of all...

This was my first Christmas on my own so to speak and it was quite a change for me with many a blue cloud along the way...Thus needless to say, as I'm sure you've gathered by my long absence... I retreated back into the shadows for a wee spell... Nonetheless... it's a New Year with bright New Beginnings and Blessings... I had some wonderful Christmas/New Year tidings... My baby, wee Jamie is getting married and... I'm going to be a Granny! I am still smiling thru my tears at these glad tidings which herald a beautiful reminder for me... There are still blessings and miracles in the world and the sun's brilliant rays dispel the clouds when we least expect it...

I have a couple of stitchy finishes to share with you all, a few Christmas photos and a lovely surprise stitchy giftie from a dear friend! So, without further ado...

Joy by Lilybet Designs...

Stitched by Harmien

Thank you ever so kindly dear Harmien...

Harmien sent me a lovely ornament and My Dears, her stitching and finishing is exquisite! It now hangs in a place of honour as the very first ornament on my *Seasonal Year Round Stitchy Tree* and I will cherish it always, Harmien! {In these photos it's hanging on my main tree... poor wee darling was awfully lonesome hanging around by herself on my stitchy tree... so I thought she'd enjoy a wee bit of company for her photo shoot...}

The back of the lovely Christmas ornament

Harmien gave me...

I love all the stockings!

My Christmas Tree in the Living Room...

and wee Mr Darcy who isn't so wee anymore...

and Gandalf the Grey...

I started collecting new ornaments for my main tree last year as my tastes have changed through the years... and quite frankly I love Christmas ornaments and just can't resist all the lovely ones I have seen of late... and I thought it was time for a change... However, the cherished and treasured ornaments will always remain as I could never part with them... My eldest son, Elisha gave me my new tree this year as an early Christmas gift and I love it! My youngest son Jamie also gifted me with a tree... this one is a wee bit smaller and it's going to be my *Seasonal Year-Long Stitchy Ornament Tree*... As I mentioned earlier, Harmien's lovely ornament is the first one gracing it's beckoning green branches... Needless to say, I plan to be busy, busy, busy stitching ornaments for all seasons this year... I do have several already stitched up from the last few years and they are tucked away in a dresser drawer, quite upset at being stowed away in the darkness mind you and longing to come out into the light of day and shine in all their glory ... So, I plan to brave the unknown and start *finishing* the poor wee darlings... :-) My hopes are to eventually have enough Seasonal ornaments so that I can rotate the ornaments with the changing Seasons... Or, who knows I may just leave them all hanging year 'round! ;-) After all... the more the merrier!

Since this was Brandy and Nick's first Christmas together as husband and wife I stitched an ornament for them... and will continue to do so every year here-after... I had planned to stitch a set of Bride's Tree Ornaments for her in 2008... However... hmmm as the best laid plans of mice and women are oftentimes wont to go when it comes to my planning I am woefully behind... Hopefully, I will achieve that goal this year! Anyway... wonders never cease and I *finished* their ornament completely by hand all by my little ole' self... It was rather daunting and I procrastinated as usual as I was terrified of mucking it up... Nonetheless... here it is in all it's splendor and they both loved it! :-)

A Christmas Blessing

by Full Circle Designs...

2005 Just Cross Stitch Ornament Issue...

Stitched on Vintage Autumn Blush Cashel Linen

with GAST and WDW threads...

Brandy and Nick's

First Christmas Together...

This is the back of the ornament...

And yet another veiw...

I stitched a row of wee X's

all around the seams...

however they are not showing up

that well in the photos...

And I have another Snoopy Happy Dance to share with you all!!! I finished the Lizzie*Kate Wedding Sampler I was stitching for Brandy and Nick... {I still have a long way to go on the Lavender and Lace Wedding Sampler...} Anyway, I finished the stitching in plenty of time and had it framed and needless to say, she was over the moon with joy when she opened it on Christmas Day!!! It was the first thing I've had framed in years and years... {all my finishes since I started stitching again in 2002 are tucked away in a dresser drawer...}

And Two Shall Be As One...

by Lizzie*Kate

with a dash of LHN and CCC

for good measure...

Stitched on Vintage Mocha Cashel Linen

with GAST, CCN and WDW threads...

As you can see I modified the design a wee bit...

changing all the colours

and adding a few personal touches...

*** Edited to add... I forgot to mention the meaning behind the colour changes and personal touches... I wanted to use a green comparable to the green from Brandy's wedding and as for the other colours changes... I wanted to use colours that would go with most any decor and I chose colours I thought better suited to Brandy's tastes... As for the wee deer and fur tree... Nick loves deer hunting and he has his own forestry business... tree planting and land conservation et cetera... So, I thought the wee deer and fur tree would suit him perfectly! And they both love animals... they have three cats and a dog, thus the wee kitty... and Brandy loves flowers and her wedding theme was butterflies... They released live butterflies at the wedding... thus the wee butterfly...***

And here it is in all it's framed glory!!!

I just Love this frame!!!

Of course Mr Darcy

and Gandalf the Grey

had to give their nod of approval...

{photos are clickable}

And a close up of the frame

mat and *filler thingy*

which is the same as the frame...

Another close up...

Brandy was totally surprised and

over the moon with joy

when she opened
this gift on Christmas Day...

She didn't know anything about this Sampler...

My wee babes...

Elisha, Jamie and Brandy...

Nick and Brandy...

My future DIL Danielle and DS, wee Jamie...

Proud and happy parents to be... :-)

Cheers...

A toast to jolly old St Nicholas...

Happy Christmas Elisha...

Brandy and me...

And in keeping with the spirit of giving... it's my Two Year Blogoversary on the 16th of this month... My, but where has the time gone? Anyway... I degress... In keeping with the Spirit of Giving I'll be giving away something stitched and handmade by moi as a thank you to all my dear friends... You all bring such Comfort and Joy to my days and are ever an inspiration with your amazing talents and kind and generous hearts... Anyway... I'm posting a wee glimpse of what I'm stitching for the giveaway... There are hints in the photo... and many clues scattered throughout this post... No, I'm not going to make you guess what it is... however, you are welcome to try a guess now and then and wonder about it until the end of January when I have the drawing... ;-) So, if anyone would like something stitched and handmade by me, please leave a comment on this post mentioning that you'd like to be entered in the drawing and make sure I have access to your blog or your email addy... and I'll keep you updated on the stitchy giftie throughout the month with scattered clues hither and yon... ;-)

Once upon a time...

As for New Year's resolutions... I have but one this year and I borrowed it from a beloved friend, Ebenezer Scrooge...

"I will honour Christmas in my heart

and try to keep it all the year..."

~ Ebenezer Scrooge ~

~ A Christmas Carol ~

~ Charles Dickens ~

Thank you all ever so kindly for stopping by to visit... your thoughtfulness and words of encouragement are ever an inspiration... I wish you all a wonderfully, joyous and Blessed New Year... May happiness, peace, love, prosperity, good health and good cheer be your constant companions throughout the year... May your stitching chest forever flow with cherished treasures and May you find Comfort and Joy in many a blessed hour of stitching thyme... And may the threads of your life ever spin a tapestry of love and cherished memories...


Blessings and Love in Stitches...

Lizzy


I am thankful for precious moments... love eternal, glad tidings and blessings, children and grandchildren, furbabies and cherished Christmas memories...