I think I found my next cross-stitch project.

Last shopping trip at the LNS, I saw a stitched model of a sampler I really liked. I almost grabbed the pattern, but thought, "I just bought stash I don't need, and dropped off some framing that will turn out a little pricey. I shouldn't."

When I went back to pick up the framing order, I saw it again - but not only was that framing order pricey, but I felt the need to grab a whole year of Flip-Its* in one sitting because there was only one copy left of some of them, plus some floss, plus Daughter insisted she wanted a project and Hubby didn't help me talk her out of it...so I didn't want to drop any extra cash.

Then I got home, and a vague memory of asking someone at the store to find the pattern for that model kind of filtered back up. And there it was, already in my stash. I suspect that nearly buying the pattern a second time is a sign that I really, really, really love this pattern - so next up in the queue, now that I've got the project for my impending niece or nephew as done as I can get it at this point, is Sweetheart Tree's "Busy Bee" sampler. If I do it on 28-count instead of 32, I've got everything I need but the beads, charm, and paillettes.

(I'm finding lately that I'm really drawn to traditional and semi-traditional samplers, especially ones that include specialty stitches, which kind of makes the number of Teresa Wentzler non-sampler designs in my stash kind of discouraging...ahh, well.)

*Flip-Its are small, cute, monthly-themed designs by Lizzie-Kate. The obvious thing to do with them is, of course, to work all twelve as one somewhat larger project. They're $4.50 apiece for the pattern and a charm, which doesn't sound bad when you're buying them one at a time, but that's $54 in patterns and charms for a whole year. Plus, Lizzie and Kate apparently love GAST and Weeks overdyed threads, which add up even if you're judicious about where to use them. (They are courteous enough to provide DMC substitutions, which means I don't have to spend $2 on a skein of floss that will be used for 5 stitches in the entire project.) Plus, that turns the small, cute designs into something of a BAP, or at least a MAP. Reflecting upon this has led me to question my sanity in starting the whole thing, but I suppose my sanity has always been in question, and now I've spent $54 on patterns and charms...