Friends & Finishes!!

Well ... it was back to reality today ... back to work after two weeks' break ... SIGH!!! What is it about holidays that they always seem to be one week too short?! :0) We had a lovely five days at Blacks Beach and even though it was raining when we arrived and raining the morning we left, the days in between were perfect Aussie summer days ... sunny and hot. Yes, I realise that I am one of the few people who go looking for hot weather. :0)

While we were away, I lined up my buddy Lynda and her son Jayk to house and dog sit. (the house is way less bother than the dogs! Tee! Hee! Hee!) Imagine how I felt to return home to find this sitting on my kitchen bench

A lovely bunch of native flowers and a note welcoming us back from holidays. Aaaaaawwww!!! Thanks Lynda!! :0) How spoilt am I to have such wonderful friends who spoil me in so many ways!!

 

And since I've been spoilt, I guess it's that time where I get to spoil a couple of people. Yes, it's time to let you know the OPAM random draw winners for December's tally. Can I firstly say ... WOWSERS!!! We had a HUGE ...

 

877 FINISHES!!!!

That is our BIGGEST monthly tally for the year!! You gals must have been super busy sewing bees in the lead up to Christmas! :0) And that monthly tally takes our yearly tally to ...

 

7,710 FINISHES!!!!

Can you believe that!! There sure was some activity in sewing rooms around the world last year!! :0) As we wrap up OPAM 2012, I'd just like to take a moment to say a few thank you's. The first thank you is a SUPER DUPER one to my Partner-In-Crime, the Co-hostess with the Mostest, Sweet Peg. Not only does Sweet Peg share the workload behind the scenes of OPAM, she is a wonderful friend who encourages me to be creative, inspires me to set myself stitching goals (she finishes SOOOOO many projects!!!), surprises me with 'just because' gifties  and makes me smile! :0) Thank you, Sweet Peg and here's to another year of exciting OPAM adventures!! :0)

 

Thank you, too, to all of you who have been part of OPAM 2012. Some of you have even been playing along with OPAM since May Britt and I launched it four years ago. Without your willingness to share your creative adventures and how it fits into your life's journey, OPAM wouldn't be the encouraging, inspiring, creative forum that it is ... THANK YOU!!

 

Right ... on to what you're all waiting to read ... the draw winners are ...

 

JEANNETTE

 

ANNE-LISE

 

Congratulations gals!! Please contact me with your snail mail addresses and I will pop something special into the mail for you soon. A big congrats to all of you who added to that huge monthly tally, too. I hope you are all very proud of your achievements for 2012. And even if you didn't finish quite as many projects last year as you planned (and lets face it ... who DID?!?!), but you took time out of your busy schedule to sit, relax and be creative, then you're a winner too, cos that's what OPAM is all about. :0)

 

So ... those of you starting to ask about OPAM 2013 ... it is DEFINITELY happening and Sweet Peg and I are looking forward to lots of creative clever clogs' joining us for more fun this year! :0) Sign up will be at the end of January to give us a little rest and we will both post details and guidelines on our blogs, so stay tuned. Sign up will be open for just a week, so make sure you don't miss out ... you might like to add Sweet Peg and Me to your list of blogs you follow so you're ready to jump in.

 

PHEW!! After all that, I think I'm ready to head off and keep a long-overdue date with my pillow!! :0) I hope you're all having a great start to 2013 so far and that your week is off to a brilliant start, too. Til next time ...

 

BEAR HUGS!

CHEERS!
KRIS

PS. What is with blogger making crazy changes that only seem to make things more complicated for us poor non-technical bloggers?!?!?! GRRRRRR!!!!