Wrapping Up My Trip, Some Gifts a WIP and a Finish - Lots of Snaps

Gentle Readers and Dear Friends, well, today will be the last post of the year.  It is really nice to end on a high note.  I have so enjoyed the past year and look forward to another year of fun stitching and posting!!

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I am going to wrap up my trip with Christmas day - not only was it the hottest of all the days I was home, but I left late in the afternoon so it was my last day there.  We did our usual breakfast buffet of "Tortilla Breakfast Casserole," "Sausage Pinwheels" and assorted pastries, egg nog, juice and coffee.  We opened up gifts and it was so very nice and quiet with just the family and Christmas music playing.  It was also getting very warm... I said hot....  so we took off for the beach and a few hours of lovely breezy sunshine and sand.  I had my camera and got some nice snaps..

This is a shot looking south.  We stopped a little north of the Granada approach, where no cars are on the beach. I know the snap is a bit hot but I really liked the reflection on the water and the sky.

There were a ton of birds just hanging out, I guess since the tide was going out they where looking for snacks.

This is one of the smaller older beach house left along this stretch  - most of the older homes have been pulled down and replaced with mini-mac-mansions - a real pity, but I guess progress is progress...

This last shot is looking north - I just liked the way it looks.

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When I got back home (SF) I had a couple of presents waiting for me....

from Faye - Carolina Stitcher - stitched me this wonderful pyn keeper....

....  I saw a lovely ornament ( I attached a tiny eye-screw to the back et voila) on my stitching tree!!

and Marie - Creative Thread -  sent me a gorgeous skein of forest green floss.

 - and - a friend of Rico's had this wonderful ornament made for us.  

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I have also been working a bit on the "A la Belle Etoile" Sal and here is an updated snaperoo - 

On this piece I did change all the recommended DMC floss over to silks and am really enjoying them!!  I even went back and changed my conversion of the Gloriana "Elizabethan Green" I had originally chosen - I changed it to Belle Soie "Attic Tea" and am really happy about that!!  This is working up nicely and I should have it "off the snap" soon.

While I was home I finished up the ABC Noel - and here is the completed piece....

"ABC Noel" - Les Ambrosales

36 ct LL Vintage Meadow Rue

Recommended DMC

October 11 - December 24, 2011

I did drag out the stitching a bit to make a Christmas Eve finish, but it was worth it.  It was a fun stitch and although all the DMC I used were the recommended colours I did change up some of the colour placements to fit what I though looked best -  I am stubborn that way.

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That's about it for today - I wanted to wish everyone a very Happy New year......

Isn't this a great older Dutch card!! - Have a safe weekend!!!! 

I'll be back on next Tuesday - woo hoo for the three day weekend!!!!!!!

Take care,

edgar