The Holiday Rush and Wrap Up

Greetings friends - happy Wednesday! I am struggling to believe we are in the final few days of 2021 - for me, this year went by in a whirlwind. Things have felt almost out of control since my last post - but I think November and December feel that way for most.

I would like to thank everyone for the happy and positive response to my 2021 cross stitch Christmas ornament design! I really enjoy seeing all the "My Frosty Friend" finishes on social media and appreciate the kind notes and comments sent my way. To those of you who visited my shop or used the Buy Me A Coffee link (I replied to all of you personally) - I can't thank you enough - I am very grateful for your support.💗

On a personal level, we had a lovely Christmas. Since moving to Kansas City, my husband and I have started a few new traditions. For those of you who don't know, my husband is in management for UPS (the reason we moved to Kansas) and he always works on Christmas Eve...so when he gets home that night, we drive down to the Plaza to see the Christmas lights. The first year, it was almost 10:00 PM and the only place we could find open downtown was the Cheesecake Factory - so we stopped in, had a cocktail and appetizer and then walked around the Plaza area. This ritual has stuck around, so for the 3rd year I can't believe this was our 3rd Christmas in Kansas), we visited the Plaza, had a light late-night meal at the Cheesecake Factory (luckily, I had made reservations way in advance, because it was 65 degrees - unbelievable for December in the Midwest - and the Plaza was packed), then drove around and looked at some of the best light displays in the KC area. The photos below are my favorite houses. On Christmas Eve day, I watch our neighbor's dog Gus (a super sweet Golden Retriever)…they were kind enough to leave me a tray of fresh cinnamon rolls ready to rise and bake for Christmas morning - how thoughtful was that?! So, Christmas morning, we slept in - then had hot, fresh cinnamon rolls and French press coffee. That afternoon, we went to the movie theater, another Christmas tradition, to see a movie - this year we saw Spider-Man: No Way Home (which was excellent!). After the movie, we went home for our traditional Christmas dinner of flatbread pizza and wine. We also exchanged gifts and I opened a couple special packages that arrived from dear faraway friends. A wonderful, relaxing holiday.

As always, I made quite a few holiday gifts this year. I did a lot of sewing and quilting this year and I'll post a few photos below. I always enjoy making gifts for those in my life who appreciate them. I also took a few stress reliever evenings and made some small items, just to give myself a break - I made a mug rug and a pin cube that I adore - plus, a fabric bowl to hold my pin boxes and tomato pincushion...

I have been keeping busy with my Etsy shop (creating/sewing more items and slowly adding PDF versions of my classic cross stitch patterns), finishing several client orders, and working on new cross stitch designs (details coming soon). Here are just a few photos of projects I have been working on (as always, the cross stitch pieces shown below are for a client - they are just my finishing work, not my stitching or my designs)…

Over the last month, I spent several days helping my local quilt shop with inventory - I also took a quilt class and attended an open sew day (both firsts since we made the move and it has been enjoyable to meet other quilters/stitchers in the area). On a fun note - I will be teaching a quilt class for The Quilted Sunflower - the class will be for my Pretty Posies Pouch! We are still finalizing the details and a date with The Creative Place where it will be held, but as soon as I have definitive details, I will be sure to share them. The class fee will include the pattern and the hardware for the wrist strap and the class will be held on a Saturday. We have discussed future classes, as well, so I hope this one is well-received. Bottom photo below is of longarm bobbin containers gifted to me by my LQS owner and friend - they work perfectly for storing small items in my studio!

If  don't make it back for another post before 2022, thank you for spending another creative year with me! It is an incredible blessing to have stitching and quilting friends from all over the world that allow me to pursue my passion. Thank you for supporting my small business, encouraging me, and sharing my love of all things needle and thread.