Likewise, because of the commitment thing, I haven’t ever taken part in anything that consistently requires something of me. I know I do WOYWW each week, but that’s a bit different. I think.
You are probably as familiar with this as I am!
Nearly seven years of adding stitches in waiting rooms and on holiday.
I’m in no hurry with it, but I am committed to finishing it some time.
Interestingly, having decided against sections per month, I seem to be keeping them all clumped. They are not dimensional images, I need practice and more experience. They are totally freehand though, which is why the scale varies wildly. And, I’m happy to accept that some of these little images are in need of description. So I bought a cheap diary, and each time I embroider an image, I enter it on the day’s date in the diary with a really brief description.
I’m enjoying it! It takes longer to decide what there is about any given day that needs recording in a single image than it does to actually embroider it. And of course there are days that are so ordinary that it’s a bit of a stretch. But as I can’t imagine 365 images actually fitting on this erm, canvas, it won’t matter I think, if I leave off the days where all I manage is more domestic stuff. Having said that, I have only recorded WOYWW once so far and you can see an iron…I did actually spend a long day doing nothing else in the early new year, catching up after a houseful at a Christmas! 
Close up you can see that despite washing my hands, the fabric is already grubby at the edge where I hold the hoop. Now I use that little piece of felt to protect the fabric from my grubby left thumb. You live and learn. And as for freehand…I have help. Lolly found this fab site called the Noun Project which has probably millions of icons of well, almost every noun you can think of. Very very helpful. Doesn’t mean I can stitch them to look familiar, but it helps. Ask me again in a couple of months, see if I’m keeping up! At least with a diary, I can enter the intended idea and do a catch up session if necessary- although that starts to be work rather than ten minutes with a cuppa I think. Are you doing a year long ‘thing’? I’d love to hear about it. 
You can see Jan on my phone, we had a lovely video chat whilst I tidied up after the little album caused me to make an incredible mess. That’s done and will be posted today, so whilst chatting, I staged and snapped this pic because I thought I might start on something else and make another mess and then I wouldn’t have evidence of a clear up in between! You can see some new stamps that Neet caused me to buy out of sheer FOMO. So the stash diet lasted 27 days. Hmmm. Although, as stamps, these weren’t necessarily on the diet list, that was and remains about scrapbooking stuff. That black thing on the floor at left is my scissor sharpener, and like so many things, I’ve only noticed it because I took a photo! As I won’t get to my desk again this week because of month end and loads of diary stuff, please let me be vicariously crafting by showing me what you’re up to. Grand!
I’m making up a small album for my sainted Aunt, filled with pics from her birthday party last summer. It was such a lovely day and it’s been lovely to look at pictures that remind me about the possibility of really good weather! It’s not a huge album and the inserts are split, and I have a finite number of pictures, so I thought I’d steam through it and have it in the post by now. I started it at crop on Saturday, spent a couple of hours on Monday evening and a few minutes while supper was cooking on Tuesday and reckon it’ll need two or three more before it’s ready to send. Colour me surprised. So what can you see? Well, there’s me reflected in the door (gosh, I may consider a blind…). There’s the orange glow from the electric heater. There’s evidence, if you like, that I haven’t been at the desk for very long - only two pairs of scissors in view. I can’t actually say that the others aren’t buried under the stuff, but a quick glance in the holder at left makes me think I’ve been quite erm, disciplined! You can see my box filled with stickers, very useful for embellishing and decorating these small pages. They date back years, some I’ve had to add glue to because they’ve lost their sticky. Can’t chuck ‘em though, they are still vibrant and fresh on the picture sides! 
Largely tidy desk, not too much of an eyesore, for a change! Actually, there is an eyesore. I’m still playing with cups and other images. You can see some small cups stamped in a very limey green. I thought I’d fill them with violet and yellow pansies. Had to use the magnifying lens to be able to colour them. As if that’s not ridiculous enough, the flowers now need fussy cutting out. And me, my eyes and my podgy fingers are just not up to it. I shall seek inspiration from my folder full of dies. Pretty sure my change of erm, artistic direction won’t hurt anyone! Very much in evidence is a new project that I’m undertaking. The family cookbook. It’s not a ‘get it done’ job, I shall work in it as and when; it’s definitely a journal of sorts, and this way, I can do handwriting, stamping, colouring, whatever…all without wondering why, or getting tied in knots about everything being contrived. After all, it is totally contrived! I’ll prolly show you some more about it at some stage, it’ll certainly be on or next to my desk for a long time to come!
You can see that I’m erm, playing with some Gentlemen. Primarily to repair a package that I posted about six weeks ago that came back to me yesterday. With all the disruption to our postal system, I’m rather surprised and grateful that it found it’s way back. I’ve also had a some fun with teacups.
I haven’t finished yet, turns out I have a few teacup/coffee stamps and dies that I feel the need to binge use all of a sudden. Strange how that happens. I’m grateful though that I feel the need to use what I’ve already collected rather than having to sit on my hands and wish I hadn’t imposed a ‘buying new stamps’ ban! 
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