Tuesday, December 31, 2013

2013 Accomplishments

I guess I did all right this year.  I finished ten of my Crazy January starts. I managed to get down to two left from 2011, and both of those are in my current rotation being worked on.  I also completed sixty projects and finished some of them into gifts, ornaments, and items to show.  That last I need to work on more in the coming year.  I will be doing the Crazy January thing again this year, with all new pieces.

I also traveled a lot this year - to the Ukraine, to France, to Germany, to Romania, to Poland, and to the US.  Maybe next year I'll travel less and get more stitching done.

Yet More Jewelry

Another Vienna Christmas market find.  I think I'll wear this with my black dress for the Chinese opera on Thursday.

Dinner With Roman

 One of Andreas' former employees immigrated to Austria early this year.  While we were in Vienna, we met up with him and had dinner.  We walked from the opera house past St. Stephen's and beyond until we found this place - Linderskeller- and went in.  Like a lot of European places, it was in the basement and looked like a hole in the wall from the outside.

The food was traditional Austrian, with the guys having schnitzel.  I had something different.  It was a set dinner of beef broth with slabs of roast in it, some toasted onions, and a potato dumpling.  It also came with a piece of apple strudel for dessert.  Needless to say, I couldn't eat most of it.






Bad Background, Good Scarf

I think Andreas chose this background because the towel was the only non-printed surface in the apartment we were staying in.  The color does nothing for the scarf, though.  It's a beautiful scarf and I finished it in the car while we were driving from place to place.

Monday, December 30, 2013

Christmas At The Hofburg

 We found these decorated windows on the back side of the Hofburg.  They were pretty, but not in a likely place to be seen.  The rest were just taken around the palace, but the last was taken because I swear that has to be a statue of Stefan cel Mare, even if it -is- in Austria.






Bunny And Butterfly

Got the bunny and a butterfly done.  Time to go on to the next critter.

Advent Reveal

Here's all the stuff from my Atelier 196 advent goodie package.  It had everything from alphabet tape to needles in it.  Now I need to put it all to work making awesome stuff.

Sunday, December 29, 2013

On To The Bands

I've gotten two bands done of the approximately twenty.  They're pretty quick and easy.

Petit Point

 Although it's common to think of Berlin as the home of petit point, there was a large amount of it done in Vienna during the Austro-Hungarian empire.  We stumbled upon a shop while wandering the Hofburg during our stay.  I really liked the place because not only did it have traditional pieces, it had modern designs and monochromes.  These are photos of the storefront.  It was really gorgeous in person.



Saturday, December 28, 2013

A Bit Of Flub

Thee backstitching I did was fine; the cross stitching this time, not so much.  I was so very happy to start a new area that I wasn't paying attention to where and put it on the wrong side.  Going to eventually have to rip out what I did there because the stitches are sideways.  Out they'll come come, but not today.

My New Hat

We were not looking for a hat, but there this one was in the boho district Christmas market in Vienna.  I loved it, and Andreas took this photo of me in the train on the way home.  It took a few tries to make me laugh.

Friday, December 27, 2013

Tu Es Finis

The sheep are done!  It's another piece to cross off my crazy January list as I get ready to start a new one.  I think I will be making this into a small pillow.

Encrusting

The beading is getting so thick it looks encrusted.  I think the finished product will look great; I'll just be taking a lot of time getting to it.

To Start

When I arrived in Fort Worth, I had these kits waiting for me.  One is from Jen Goodwin and is a surface kit.  The other is counted and is from Barbara Jackson.  I really need to settle down long enough to do some stitching.  I miss routine.

New Toy

My husband is a fan of knives, so we went to Smoky Mountain Knife Works when we were in Tennessee.  I got a knife, too.  Mine is to carry in my purse as a security device.  It's nice and well balanced and definitely made for a smaller hand.  The knife will stay sheathed, and I can hang it around my neck or strap it to my leg if I want to.

Wednesday, December 25, 2013

Branching Out

I've now started both the man and the tree.  The question is - which will be done first?

Last Night In Moldova For Now

 I wanted to eat at Pani Pit before leaving Moldova, and we ended up postponing it until the last night.  Andreas wasn't very hungry and we were kind of rushed, so it wasn't quite as enjoyable as usual.  Andreas had the Greek salad and some mamalygia.  I had the zeama, berry steak, and a cappucino.  The food was very, very good and fresh.  I miss zeama, but now it's less than two weeks until we go home.




Little Flowers

Pretty little hairpins I picked up for a couple of euros each at the Vienna Christmas markets.

Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Anniversary Night

 For our anniversary in October, we went to Pegas.  Andreas had his usual rabbit pasta (he loves this dish) and Greek salad.  I am going to have to learn how to make that, so when we move he can still have it.  I had beef salad and carpaccio.  The carpaccio was excellent, though I wish they'd use a different cheese on the salad.  It's a slightly sour cheese and doesn't add to the salad overall.  



Winging It

I have started the angel herself.  She's coming along pretty well, though it will take a while to finish her.

Stitchy Purchase

This is the only stitchy purchase I made in Vienna.  I found the lace in a yarn shop; the yarn was not as extensive as what I had found in Frankfurt in September and nothing else really appealed to me.

Unique Material

I picked up these hairclips in Vienna.  They're unusual in that they're made from strips of dyed bamboo.  They're very lightweight and this photo doesn't do their colors justice.

Monday, December 23, 2013

Marine Ball 2013 Food

Our table setting this year was for eight instead of ten, which made it seem less crowded.  The candle centerpiece was very pretty.  First course was a rather meh salad.  It was refreshing, though, to see no glob of mayonnaise on it.  Andreas had  the chicken and I had the steak.  While the food was by no means hot, it was better than last year's absolutely cold food.  The steak was not overdone and the chicken was not rubbery.  The cheesecake was rather flavorless, so we only ate a few bites.





Foliage Added

I've added some foliage to the flowers.  This is coming along pretty well, and I should be done relatively soon.