Cold January

January has been abnormally cold so I'm hoping February will bring warmer weather and more sunshine. To escape the cold weather, we went on a 6 night cruise the beginning of the month.  We had a lovely time and enjoyed the warm weather and nice ocean breezes.

We had an ice storm this week and didn't leave the house for two days. The good news is that more indoor time this month has meant reading, stitching and sewing.  I finished a few ornaments, stitched on Jenny Bean's Friendship Sampler and also did the finishing on some ornaments.

The first thing I want to share is the beautiful stained glass piece that was designed and made by our friend Diane.  It is mounted in the window of our guest bathroom.  We wanted a remembrance piece with a beach theme because Denny's mom loved stained glass and the beach.  She would have loved how it turned out and the picture does not do it justice.  Diane did a wonderful job and it is even more beautiful when the sun hits it.  If you click on the picture you will be able see more of the detail.

 I was a bit late taking down the Christmas tree but I did remember to take pictures of some new additions.  I made these wire ornaments and I see more of these in my future.  I'm thinking about trying a heart shaped one for my Valentine tree.

These cute little knitted ornaments were made by a friend of a friend.  She had a booth at a local craft show and I had to have them.  They actually were on our big tree but I put them on this ornament tree for the picture.  Aren't they adorable?

This pretty seashell star ornament was a gift from my friend MaryLynn.  She did a great job on it and it is perfect for a tree at the beach.

I stitched this Prairie Schooler design last year but didn't get it finished in time for Halloween.  The cold weather and ice storm this month gave me plenty of time to get out the sewing machine and catch up on finishing.

I normally start a big project on New Year's Day, but after thinking about the ones that are still in progress I decided to start a small project instead.  And it is already finished and hanging on my Valentine tree even though it is technically not a Valentine design.  So my first finish of 2014 is this little dachshund and she reminds me of Miss Chloe.  The fabric was a birthday gift from a friend and I've been saving it for the perfect project.

My stitching group does an annual Valentine Ornament exchange and I stitched this Love Bug design.  I love how colorful and cheerful it is so I stitched it a second time over one on 28 count for my Valentine tree.  Here they are side by side to show the difference in size between over one and over two.  The one on the right is on the way to it's new home.

This is the third ornament that I stitched this month.  I have always loved Snoopy so I had to stitch him for my Valentine tree.

And finally, here's a picture of my Valentine tree.  It still has plenty of space for more ornaments.  

Hope you've enjoyed this post.  I think I have my stitching mojo back since I also finished the stitching on another Halloween ornament that I started last year and a Christmas ornament that I'm not sure when I started.  I've picked out the fabric to finish them but you'll have to wait until my February update to see them.