First finish for 2011

So, I think that I mentioned L-bug's and my trip to her not-so-LNS, Keepsakes, a few days back.  Luckily, it was still 2010 back then and I fell off the wagon already sometime in April, so we marched in (after the official closing time, no less) with credit cards in hand and flexing our bag carrying muscles.

I did well, as in "found too many things", and left with a bag full of charts, kits, linen and finishing supplies.  Since I always tend to feel a slight twinge of bad conscience after a spending spree like this, I try to stitch on a couple of the new acquisitions like crazy - I guess that I am trying to tell myself that the purchase in question truly was necessary....  Anyway, I did finish on of the projects today: "Oh Holy Night" by Just another Button Company (JABC).  The chart comes for free with the little button pack.  I thought that it was pretty cute and I did have a lot of fun expanding on the design and making it "my own", plus I drew some inspiration from JABC's larger nativity design "And They Shall Seek Him".
This is a photo of the finished piece - note that it is even FINISHED-finished. :-)

I found the dark brown and yellow/green rick-rack at Hancock's, the large star was a gift from L-bug a while back, and the little stand is such a handy thing from Twisted Thread (the TF16 2" Tin Easel - love it!).
As often when I finish something I feel a bit disappointed with the result, but I am hoping that I'll like it a bit more when I pull it back for Christmas in about a year.

Other than that, I have been trying to motivate myself to set up the sewing machine in the kitchen so that I can start working on a few quick finishing projects.  One of them is a new ironing board cover for my table board.  DH and I picked out the new fabric just minutes ago - I love when he pretends to care just to make me happy - and as soon as he is done making pizza (he makes it completely from scratch!), I'll try to get going.  Here is a photo of the sorry state of the ironing board and the three fabrics we chose from.

The tiny tin cups were also sold at Keepsakes; they are great to make stitched pin-keeps with!

I should also make an effort on a Merry Cox class project that is almost done.  Part of the smalls is a drawstring bag and it is not making itself, so I'd better hop to it.
The final piece is a cloth bread basket for a traditional Swedish Christmas sweet-bread baked with saffron, Lussebullar.  The embroidery was completed months ago and yet I managed to ignore it until a couple of weeks after Christmas.  And I did bake the Lussebullar last month.  Twice!

Today was our last vacation day for this round, so it is back to work tomorrow.  We spent most of the day running errands and I even convinced DH to stop by the small consignment shop that I love.  I found a couple of pretty sweet tea cups.  The Mother cup is just adorable, don't you think?  I am planning on making them into pin-cushions.  The little brooch is probably an eye-glass hanger, but I figure that it should work just as well for a pair of small scissors.
I am not sure if you can see it well, but the gorgeous cutting board that the cups are displayed on was a Christmas gift from my parents to DH and me last year.  It is truly a piece of art, hand-crafted with painted wood carvings.  DH said that it is too nice to use and I wholeheartedly agree.

Well, I'd better get going or there will be no sewing tonight.  First it's time to put all the birds to bed or there will be no peace.  It will be hard tonight thought; Rocky just landed on my shoulder and started to give me kisses and telling me "Hey Baby!" repeatedly.  She is just too cute!

See you tomorrow,