Getting There & OPAM!

Hello to all you lovely folks out there in blogland! It's a lazy, hazy, summer afternoon here on top of our 'hill' & I have to confess to feeling a little lazy & hazy myself. :0)

Firstly, I need to say a HUGE thank you to all of you gorgeous gals who left supportive comments, sent emails or text messages to cheer me up & check how I was doing after I shared with you that my year had got off to a pretty yucky start. I felt so very blessed to be surrounded by such positive, supportive friendship. While the circumstances were pretty crappy, perhaps it was a good reminder for me to start 2017 with ... A reminder that I have truly AWESOME family & friends supporting me! :0)

So, after a shaky start to the new year, I'm starting to feel more myself again & have even been doing a bit of sewing ... Nothing monumental & nothing finished, but feeling good enough again to be a bit creative.

I started with a bit of hand stitching on Friday night when our Friday Nighters group started back ...

At the end of last year I needed a new hand stitching project in a hurry, so decided to get a jump start on next Christmas (this Christmas?? I'm so confused!) ... Don't get excited ... I probably still won't get around to DOING anything with this until December! :0) Michelle Ridgway ... Do you recognise this little hide-and-seeker? :0) The stitchery was designed by Michelle as a sweet Christmas giveaway & it was fun to stitch someone else's design for a change. Not sure what he will be made into yet ... December is still a long way away. :0)

And I also dragged a machine project out of the cupboard ...

This disappearing four patch has been on the slow boil for over two years now. I drag it out when I feel like sewing but don't want to have to make notes to write instructions etc for a pattern, but my attention span is that of a goldfish & I tend to cut & re-sew four or five blocks before it goes back into the cupboard. This is one of the many reasons I don't take on epic quilts like the Fabulous Fiona does ... I'd never finish them. :0)

And speaking of finished projects ... I need to do the final OPAM draw for 2016. Firstly, a HUGE thank you to my GORGEOUS Partner-In-Crime Sweet Peg for co-hosting OPAM. She is such a busy lady & such a sweetie ... And she has agreed to join me again in 2017 to Co-host OPAM. :0) YAY!! 

Thank you, too, to all of you lovely ladies who have played along with us. Numbers have dropped off a bit in the last couple of years as lots of people stop blogging & move to what Chookyblue calls 'the dark side' - Facebook & Instagram :0) - to share their creative endeavours. I know it's not as instant, but I believe there's still a place for blogging, so thank you to participants for keeping the fun going. Some of you have been playing along since the very beginning & that's so nice, to know that you enjoy OPAM so much & find it helpful as a motivation to be creative.

Sign up for 2017 will be at the end of January, so stay tuned. :0)

OK ... Well we must have all been madly preparing for Christmas this year, as December was our record month for finishes ...

435 Finishes!

WOW! Well done everyone! And that took our total of finishes for 2016 to ...

2261 Finishes!

WOWSERS! There must be SO many sewing cupboards with spare room in now, right?! Tee! Hee! Hee! Well done to everyone ... Including those of you who may not have added to your tally, but spent time working on long-term projects. Keep it up, everyone! After all, the main goal of OPAM is to encourage us all to take time out to relax & create.

And the winner of the December draw was ... 

JUDY S

Congrats Judy! Send me an email with your snail mail address & I'll pop a little something in the post for you once I get organised. :0)

Well ... That's about it from me for today. I hope you're all enjoying a relaxing &/or productive weekend. Here's hoping for a good week! :0) Til next time ...

BEAR HUGS!

CHEERS!

KRIS