a year in review and plans for the future...

Well it is the first day of the new year, so full of promise and hope. Its funny, I really don't like new year's eve... its one holiday that I don't particularly like to celebrate, I would much rather be at home stitching it through or maybe even sleeping it through, but that never ever happens.

I always seem so reluctant to say good bye to the old year, to head into the unknown of the new one, but yet when I wake up on new year's day, it just seems so silly as it is a day like any other, except that it seems to be filled with more promise. A new start, a new beginning.

So that is how I plan on looking at it, a fresh start and things can only be better from here on end.

On to some stitchy stuff... let's see how I did on my 2011 stitching plan...

1. stitching an ornament once a month (doesn't need to be only Christmasy ones) - well I can't say I did one a month, but I did meet the goal of having stitched at least 12 ornaments last year... I actually managed to stitch 19 ornaments/fobs

2. stitch a freebie every month - again, not one a month, but I did meet and pass the goal of stitching 12 freebies... I managed to stitch 14...

3. Sunday SAL - yes that has been going along swimmingly... at the time of posting the plan, we were working on Molly, well we finished Molly, we started and finished Elizabeth, and we have started and are continuing to work on Mary Margaret of the girls by Carriage House Samplings. We have one girl left after this - Suzanne, and once she is started I'm sure Barbi and I will discuss what our next project(s) will be for the Sunday SAL.

4. work on my wips... well this one is a toss up... I listed 5 wips that I wanted to make progress on - Fairy Moon by Mirabilia, My Stitching Treasures by Jeanette Douglas, Madonna Dolorosa by Kustom Krafts/Solaria, Antique Lace Canvas Sampler by SJ Desings, and PGA by the Goode Huswife... I managed to finish 3 and didn't even really touch the other two... so not to bad of an accomplishment.

5. UFO's... I still haven't made any decision regarding the UFO's mentioned... I really should get on that...

6. Start anything I like.... I definitely met this goal and even surpassed it!

and last but not least

7. only stitch from stash and no stash shopping... I definitley failed miserabley on this one... not so much the stitch from stash but more on the stash shopping... I'm a stashaholic for sure!

Can't say I did too badly, I think I did pretty darn good at following those goals, or at least most of them! Especially since I'm not one to follow them once they are written down! LOL!!

On to the new plans... with a fresh clean slate!

2012 Stitching plan

1. Challenges and SAL's

Again there are an awful lot of cool and interesting challenges, SAL's etc going on this year... I'm going to sit on the sidelines for most of them, same as last year, as like I mentioned I have a hard time following a list of stuff to stitch and only sticking to those projects... but there are few that do fit with me and those I've joined, or actually I joined last year but will continue to participate this year. those being: TUSAL for 2012, IHSW (international hermit stitching weekend), and of course the Sunday SAL with Barbi - all the links for these are in my side bar.

There will be one more SAL that I will be joining, or more like co-piloting, and that will be our SAL for Lizzie Kate's 6 Fat Snowmen, with Veronica, and Barbi and whoever else would like to join. We don't have a set date yet, but we do plan on starting sometime around March. Just keep an eye out on our blogs for more details in the future!

2. Stitch whatever catches my fancy...

So far I have a tentative plan of what I would like to accomplish this year, and I have to say there are quite a few new starts on my list!

On the must stitch list to date:
-Suzanne - Carriage House Samplings
-Lizzie Kate's 6 Fat Men
-Plum Street Samplers - Sergei, Olga and Boris
-Mirabilia - Fairy Moon, and the Holly Pixie, Sabrina
-Birds of a Feather - Mystery SAL

The stitching wishlist includes:
- Elizabeth - Mirabilia
- Bygone Stitches - Quaker Virtues, A Quaker Christmas
- Stickideen von der Wiehenburg - Rose Quaker
- Angie Designer - Romantique Samper
- Jardine Prive - the 4 season patchwork patterns - spring, summer, autumn, and winter

A fairl ambitious list if I do say so myself... as this doesn't include any smalls/ornaments etc that will more than likely catch my fancy, or any wips/ufo's that I may actually pick up and finish (other than Fairy Moon and the Holly pixie by Mirabilia) And plus know me, this list will change, evolve several times by the year end!

and that is it for my stitching goals! I'm not even going to try and stitch from my stash only or not to shop, as I always fail if I say I'm going to try...I would like to curb my spending a little but we'll see what these desingers bring out as new releases this year!

Till next time, happy new year and happy stitching!