Stitching...

 

Progress...

I Imagine you will understand, Dear Readers, when I tell you that while I was working on the Christmas Card drawing (for weeks and weeks!) I had to not allow myself to do any petit-point stitching. This is because once I begin to stitch, I find it very difficult to stop... and I needed to devote all my spare time to the drawing. So the Baktiari carpet languished while I devoted my attentions to drawing. Well, last weekend I finally had a few moments when I could pick up the stitching again! Above you can see where I had left it early in December. The central portion is nearly finished and the border is well under way.

It was not difficult to get back into the pattern.

Sorry for the darkish pictures... 

it is still so dark here in the evenings!

But that is beginning to change noticeably as we move into February.

Once again, I am in the stitching mode... 

and aim to make great progress over the next few weeks!

But that is all I got done, Dear Readers,

just a little more stitching progress!

The Card...

 

Ready or Not....

Well, Dear Readers, here it is the Fortieth edition of my Annual Christmas Card.... every year since 1983 I have drawn and printed and sent to friends and family a Seasonal card! Yes, Christmas is long gone, but it takes a long time to get all the details right. And given the time constraints of employment and occasional illness it has rarely been completed by Christmas. And if it is Late as usual... then perhaps it is really right on time! At any rate, there are always dozens of additional tweaks and shadows and touch-ups that could be added, but I have to stop somewhere. So this is it! As always, it is 8.5 x 11 inches, pen and ink and watercolor on watercolor board drawn to actual size and color copied. The theme is always the events of the past year woven into  an illustration, almost always with a letter to capture the theme.

Here is a closer view of the upper part. 

This is the printed version and the glossy paper

 always makes photography difficult... the reflection is hard to avoid.

Here is the lower section.

And if you question whether The Dollmaker's Studio

 was the primary work of the past year.... 

well, all I can say is that it was worked on

 all year in tiny little slow bits... 

not enough to warrant much in the way of blogging....

But enough to warrant recognition, unfinished as it is!

And that's all I have to show, Dear Readers,

The Card, Ready or Not...

Finally Finished!

I hope you enjoy seeing it.

Not Much New....

 

 But A Kit or Two...

Well, Dear Readers, my New Year got off to a slow start this year as the cold I had been "managing" for weeks became worse, and needed some medical treatment. Nothing serious, mind you, not Covid, not "the flu"... just that awful nasty sinus virus that won't let go! I needed to take medicine (I never take medicine!).... have extra rest (but I have too many things to do!)... drink more fluids of the right kind... stay home from work (but I'll never get caught up!)..... you know the drill! And as the cold was "going down hill" right before the New Year, I was still trying to assemble a few of the "12 Days of Christmas" kits I had received... You can see Day 4 in the above picture! An adorable set of paper-doll dress-up kittens! Most of the assembly was in the box construction itself.

Here you can see the Kitten paper-doll and the clothes he can wear.

And here you can see he is wearing his PJ's

 and carrying his candle, ready for bed!

And the kit for the 5th Day of Christmas was a set of Santa Blocks....

 

Wooden blocks that you glue an old fashioned Santa Illustration to each side...

 

The old Illustrations are truly lovely 

and the reproductions of them are very sharp and clear!

 It took a long time to cut out each one and glue them all to the blocks!

 

 I apologize for the blurry photo... 

it was late and the light is not good.

Here they are all nestled in their box!

And the 6th day of Christmas....

found another board game to assemble.....

Or maybe it was the 7th day of Christmas...

again, the images are lovely!

Here they are on their magnetic board...

with the box and the little die for rolling!

Want to play?

Okay, I know... I have things to do too...

like work on the Christmas Card.....

Yes, Dear Readers, I got delayed....

 it got delayed.... Everything got delayed!

All because of a horrible nasty darn cold!

But I am on the mend now.

I'm back at work trying to get caught up....

The kits are in the waiting for "someday" pile...

And the Christmas Card is still in process...

not done but getting closer every day!

So you can see, not much is New but a Kit or Two!

And the New Year, of course!

Happy New Year!