The Cup of Fortunes: Week 52 (December 21-31)

The Cup of Fortunes is empty. Can you believe it?

I've embroidered 84 fortunes and 84 sets of lucky numbers. I picked this particular project this year because I love collecting random things. Realizing I collected 84 fortunes in the five years I've lived in my house was shocking to me. I've always collected fortune cookies, but never in this massive way. Over the years, fortunes have made it into journals, the inside pockets of purses, memory boxes, and cookbooks. They flutter out of a book when I move. I never put them in a single container for such a long period of time. For whatever reason in December 2019, I put the first fortune in a ceramic measuring cup in the kitchen and kept doing it until December 2024. And now they're all embroidered, captured forever in thread. It's like a journal come to life. 

People keep fortunes for all sorts of reasons. I love them for their ominous positivity and sense of humor. Some people collect them because of ritual and the notion that fortunes are lucky. People use the lucky numbers for the same reason. It's a type of belief that doesn't necessarily make sense, but completely makes sense. 

I think the Cup knows things. For the most part, I randomly selected one or more fortunes each week. As I got closer to the end of the project, I was more selective with which fortune I embroidered each week based on the time remaining, but for the most part, I let the Cup decide what was going to be stitched. There were weeks when it was spot on or predicted something that happened. There were fortunes that felt so perfect for the moment I was in that the only thing that makes sense is the Cup knows things. I believe that in my heart. 

I know there are people out there who think things like fortune cookies and horoscopes are silly and complete nonsense. I could say the same thing about organized religions, but I don't. Belief is important, whether you believe in a higher power or the Cup of Fortunes. We all get to believe the things we believe. 

I went to church with my family on Christmas Eve. I was raised Catholic, but left the church in my early 20s for lots of reasons. I go to church on occasion to make my mom happy. Anyway, the priest spent his homily talking about joy. I was so not expecting that. I don't remember the specifics of what he said, but his general message was to find joy and to share joy with others. I don't think I've ever heard a priest say something like that. Yes, he was talking about joy in the context of God and Jesus and the Catholic Church, but anyone listening to him could take the basic meaning with them. 

My original plan with this year's project was to focus on themes like collecting and ominous positivity. I did that a little bit here and there, but what I mostly focused on was joy. Finding joy in small things. Laughing at the random fortunes that made no real sense. Sharing the small joys from my week. Joy was the real driver behind this stitch journal. My joy came from embroidering 84 fortunes and lucky numbers and sharing a little bit of the magic of the Cup of Fortunes with you. 

Joy is resistance. Joy is power. Joy is love. I have enjoyed every minute of this project and I'm glad I got to spend a year with the Cup of Fortunes. 

Part of my Christmas present from a friend - I haven't made them yet but plan to in February for a craft swap I'm hosting. What fortunes will we get? 

Here are the last two fortunes and lucky numbers of this project. Wild.

December 21

December 22

December 23

December 24

December 25

December 26

December 27

December 28

December 29

December 30

December 31

Weeks 1-52: The Cup of Fortunes

The back of the piece - look at that chaos!

This year's sketchbook doesn't close. It's the addition of the envelopes for each week. 

I did track my time each day this year. I haven't calculated how much time I spent on the entire project. Normally, I do that but I don't know that I need to know this year.

The empty Cup of Fortunes and the Ort Jar. I didn't use nearly as much thread this year as I've used in past years. The orts will go in a bag to be used for another project (at some point). 

WIPs, Christmas, Tattoos, and Other Small Joys

I was able to get a little work in on L'Hiver over the holidays. It's coming along nicely and will be a nice "work on it as I can" sort of project for 2026. I would like to complete it by the end of 2026 and submit it as one of my Woodlawn 2027 pieces. We'll see. 

One of the things I wanted to do this year was to get a new tattoo. I've been talking about getting another for awhile now, and finally decided to do it before the year ended. I found a shop called Madison Street Tattoo, and was able to get an appointment for December 27. I had a great experience with this shop; it's the first time I felt welcome in a tattoo shop. I have three other tattoos and always felt like an unwanted visitor each time I went in. This experience was different and I'll definitely be going back for more work. 

This design is super cute and features one of my favorite sayings, "Whimsy goes with everything." It's a Kirk quote from Gilmore Girls. Yes, I have a Kirk quote on my arm. Kirk was 100% right and this will serve as my daily reminder to never lose my whimsical self. This world is designed to kill whimsy, and I'm going to do everything I can to not let that happen. 

It is very difficult to take a good picture of this one since it's on my right arm and the angle is a little awkward. It's healing nicely and I have plans to possibly add some small details in the future.

Look at the cat! I didn't give the artist any reference images of Keely, but that cat is the right amount of chonky to be him. It's perfect. 

Bea had quite the Christmas. Since I don't know much about her life before I adopted her, I'm going to assume she has never celebrated Christmas. She was so good. She didn't even attempt to climb the tree. She sort of ignored it most of the time, and mostly looked out the windows behind the tree. She hung out with us more than she did at Thanksgiving, and is completely obsessed with my parents' bedroom. I'm very proud of her. She got spoiled by everyone and I even found a treat she likes (Purr Pops - salmon and tuna flavors). Very successful first Christmas for Miss Bea. 

Watching The Nightmare Before Christmas for the first time (Bea), for the millionth time (me.)

She really loved the tissue paper.

Helping my dad wrap presents.

Bea and the tree.

I also celebrated Friendsmas with my friend Anita this week. We went on a little adventure, visiting places we say we're going to go to but don't (or haven't been in awhile in Anita's case). Bea also participated in her first Friendsmas by being the only gift we need. 

Anita also gifted me a set of four spaghetti poodles. They're amazing. I have no idea where they're going to go in my house, but I'm super excited to welcome yet another set of possibly haunted vintage ceramic animals to my home. I really need a new bookcase...that would solve a lot of my home decor/collecting issues.

The gray one wants you to go on a quest. The twins are mob wives. The pink fluffy one was rejected by the Care Bear Cousins.

The 2026 Stitch Journal Project: Liner Notes

I'm getting ready to start the 2026 stitch journal project. This project will focus on music and fabric collage. I'll share more about the concept for the project and how it's going to work on Saturday in the first post of the year. The focus will be on 12 musicians, bands, or albums and I'll use the music as an inspiration for creating a fabric collage. The collage will feature embroidery, paint, applique, beads and sequins, and whatever else I decide to include. There may be text, but this isn't a project focused on lyrics. Lyrics may be part of the collage but they're not a requirement. 

One of my bigger goals with this project is to use only items I already have in my studio for each collage. I have a lot of fabric and other decorative items, and I have a huge collection of thread. When I say I never have to buy thread again, I'm not exaggerating. I have my own collection, mostly DMC and Sublime Stitching, and have inherited thread collections from two avid stitchers. I didn't know either woman, but they were organized when it came to thread. My part of the collection is what happens when you have good intentions but no time to really organize. Their collections are meticulous. I received MLM's collection in two parts and am planning to only use thread from the first part of her collection for the 2026 project. I'll share more about her and how this collection came into my life in Saturday's post. 

For now, here's a sneak peek of some of her collection in its new home. I did a complete studio clean out/reset yesterday and I actually achieved my goal of finding a place for this part of the collection (this is the second part of the collection).

Bea was also a huge help during yesterday's studio clean up. She did her best to lick plastic, climb under things, and nap on unfinished projects. I couldn't ask for a better studio assistant. 

Happy New Year from me and Bea! I hope you have a wonderful evening doing whatever you're planning to do (make smart life choices) and that your 2026 is whatever you'd like it to be. Bea and I will be home watching movies. I'll be enjoying a martini and a French fry board (3-4 types of fries and 4 dipping sauces). 

Do you want a 2026 Groundhog Day Card? Complete this short form and you'll be on the list for a handmade card.