Holly & Hearts Ornament

Here is a shot of my current progress on my ornament. As I have mentioned in several recent posts I have really enjoyed working on Sandy's Holly & Heart designs: who wouldn't love the delicacy and elegance that are so very much a part of her style? I have given some thought to how I might want to finish the Sampler: certainly it is a piece worthy of professional framing but I have been wondering about a bell pull finish. I think I am going to have to do some on-line investigating of bell pull hardware. If I can find something the right size and style, that might be the way to go. I still have some stitching and all the beading to do on the ornament. But I am happy with my current progress, especially when you consider I have had very little time to devote to stitching in the past day or two. I look forward to the beading stage of the project because I have to admit I love the bling of the beading. I do believe beads can add so very much to many types of projects. Teresa Wentzler borders spring to mind and the more formal sorts of Christmas ornaments and seasonally themed bellpulls. Perhaps because I love fantasy themed projects that just seem to lend themselves to beading, I have acquired quite a stash of these tiny treasures. And there are always a few beads left over after every project that can then be incorporated into ornaments of all kinds. I have also acquired a stash of jewelry size beads and crystals and charms in the hopes of eventually learning how to make scissor fobs.

And the reason I haven't devoted much time to stitching: J.D. Robbs latest entry [the 38th] in the "... in Death" series arrived at the house in Wednesday's mail. Of course I had to start reading Celebrity in Death immediately. It is as interesting as all the others, a bit better than some and a bit less so than others. I guess it's rather like a long-running TV series: if the characters are well-drawn and likeable, the storyline can run on indefinitely.

And, to change the subject yet again, there were 314 hits on the 2/22 post. I have never had that many hits on a single post. The highest I have had previously is about 180. I am wondering if this was the accidental consequence of a key word search or whether my recent joining of the TSS group is bringing more visitors to the blog. Another possibility is that it was The Sweetheart Tree design that sparked so much interest. Who knows!