To the left you will see some of what I did while I was in Arkansas last week. It is from the 2005 JCS Ornament Issue and is Little House Needleworks “Home for the Holidays.” I modified the colors of the house, chose only to stitch the top half, and turned it into my finest needleroll so far. I am quite proud of it. 
As an exception in my 25 Projects Challenge, I was allowed to buy some stash while visiting Dawn! 
Originally we were going to try and go to Tulsa to The Silver Needle, but there was a snow storm on the day we were going to go, so we just settled for Dawn’s LNS. I made out pretty good and did a great job of raiding the dollar bin for treasures!
From the dollar bin:
- “Poet’s Heart” Chartpack– Lavender Wings
- “Emerald & Lily of the Valley” – Black Swan’s “The Gemstones and Flowers Series”
- “Strawberry Band Sampler” – Hillside Samplings
- “Hearts and Stars Mini Sampler” – Mosey n’ Me
- “Spring’s Notice” – Blackbird Designs
At regular price:
- 10″ x 15″ piece of white Meran
- Sampler pack of Needle Necessities with 1371, 1551, 151, and 178
- 2005 Just Cross Stitch Ornament Issue
- “The Old Doll” – Little House Needleworks
- “Forget Me Not Needleroll” with charm – Sweetheart Tree
In addition, while I was on my mini-break I made some interesting observations about my stitching.
Number 1: I am really favoring samplers at the moment because of the specialty stitches they offer. I never thought I would actually like samplers so much! 
Number 2: I have finally decided that monochromatic designs can be just as pretty as designs with lots of colors. (This is something that I never thought I would agree with.)
Number 3: I like designs that are done in the style of antique samplers. I am not yet sure if I like antique reproduction designs, but I would like to try one.
I have reshuffled my 25 Projects list to toss out a few things that I have decided I don’t want to stitch that badly after all so that I can add a few different things… including Lavender Wings’ “Poet’s Heart.”