TIF Update - January Concept

I really wanted to show more progress than this, but all of my energy is going into the new house. I did get more stitching done on the color piece for January, but when I went to get it out to photograph it was missing. I can't imagine where it could be with all the chaos and clutter around here. Ah well, I'm sure it will turn up.

This is the current state of my concept piece. Since the inspiration for this piece is admiration for my husband, it would be easy to get the wrong idea. So, let me quickly say this is the start of a tree. I was doodling ideas during a bible study and came up with a twist on the tree of life. I set out to do a landscape background. I intended to use more of the greens and browns from the palette I chose, but the piece took on a life of its own. As you can see the background landscape is all deep reds. The idea is to embroider words into the roots, specifically the seven spiritual gifts. It's kind of a play on roots being the foundation of a tree and the spiritual gifts being the foundation for the personality of the man I admire. I plan to 'hang' symbols from the branches of the tree that represent my husband's talents and special qualities.