Another Necklace

Pretty murano glass bought here in Moldova.

Pretty Blue

 These are the last of the raw rocks.  The next sets of photos are of polished, pretty gems.  I think the blues in most of these photos are gorgeous.  It's hard to think that they're imbedded in rocks and not part of seawater.

Admitting Defeat

I have officially abandoned Patriotic Angel from Dimension.  It was a frustrating experience for me, especially as there were many shades of the same colors - and they were very close and unsorted.  The aida cloth was stiff and hurt my hands.  Even that would not have prevented me from finishing - except there was no way to figure out exactly what colors were supposed to be where.  As Dimensions uses its own coding system for colors, I could not go back into my stash and pick out the proper colors.  

This is the first time in three years I've abandoned a Crazy January project.  It makes me sad.  On the other hand, I cannot see continuing with a piece I loathe - not for design reasons, but for implementation.

Crazy January Start Thirty - Snowfall

Just a square of perforated paper to stitch on.

Fantastical Shapes

 It's hard to believe I spent most of an afternoon in Vienna taking photos of rocks, but it was fun.  I see shapes in these rocks - landscapes, dragons, swans.  I also see the most beautiful colors.  If they were better displayed instead of being displayed as an academic collection, more people would see their beauty.

Ornament From Judith

When I got home from the US, this cute little snowman from Judith in Germany was waiting for me.  He's adorable.  Thank you, Judith!

Second Time Isn't Always Better

We went to Olive Garden a second time during our trip.  It was definitely not as good as the first.  In fact, it was so bad I sent a complaint to their corporate headquarters.  The Hattiesburg Olive Garden evidently has a problem with understanding how to cut and cook their food.  The steak was razor thin.  There was no way it could have been cooked medium rare as requested.  Instead, it tasted like overdone cardboard - and was burnt.  The server was very good when he was around.  He was not the person who brought our main courses, however.  Very disappointing visit.