Just some photos to prove ...

... that I am still stitching. I absolutely need to stitch at least a little bit each day to de-stress and relax during this hectic [not to say, frantic] season at work.

So, here goes:

Before work yesterday morning, I spent a little time on sewing finishes:

This is the Sue Hillis complimentary chart of a piratical Santa ... sort of a companion piece to her YoHoHoHo, which I stitched last month and will be taking to the framers [along with five other finished projects] later this month when things have calmed down a wee bit.

This is my third ornament for The Stitching For A Cure charity blog: The Breast Cancer Ribbon Angel. Since my younger sister and a first cousin have survived breast cancer thanks to advancements in treatment and research, this charity effort is very dear to my heart.

And over the past few days, I have been adding to my Fertile Circles piece ... I am beginning to get the hang of this particular type of embroidery after a bit of a false start ... I'll be covering up that unfortunate bit of flame stitching with another "layer" of embroidery in flosses that work better with the dominant colorway ... and that clutch of beads that looks awkward at the top left of the design will eventually be the head of a snake [another classic fertility symbol] made from a very thick fiber that will be couched on the surface of the piece, winding through the nests. The finished piece will be made up as a needlebook rather than the handbag I had originally thought of doing. The photo is a bit dark ... the oranges in the design are actually quite a bit brighter ... I must not have had my Ott light angled quite right when I snapped this photo. I'll do better next time.

I hope to get another hour or so done on this piece this morning before work ... I get up early just to ensure that I have some time to stitch during the day.

I also managed to get a half an hour of "lunch time" stitching on The Sweetheart Tree's Holly and Hearts Sampler yesterday ... but I'll wait till I finish the large tracery heart row before photographing this piece again.