Stitch In The New Year!

Wishing everyone a Healthy and Happy New Year!!!!!

~*

Oops!  There's a mistake in the "a" in "Year"...if you choose to stitch this just use the "a" in Happy...sorry about that!

And All Through The House...

Christmas Eve . . . the tree is finally trimmed:

Our daughter arrived safely on Sunday and we decorated the tree last night . . . she appreciated that we waited for her.  The gifts are wrapped.  Some of the baking is done . . . will get to the rest of that today.

I had an ornament design in mind when I saw these cute laser cut wooden snowflakes at Michaels.  I managed to make just one for our EGA ornament exchange.  (If we could just get more than 24 hours in a day I might get more done).  They're quick and easy and I'll make more of them next year . . . when I start my Christmas stuff in July!

I stitched a simple little snowman head . . . thought he needed a hat.  I didn't chart the snowman but I think you can easily see the stitches in the photo.  I cut out two cardboard circles the size I wanted and a little batting for the snowman side.  I stitched around each circle of fabric and pulled the stitches tight around the cardboard disks.  I then glued the two disks together with some PVA glue . . . this stuff is great!  I then chose which snowflake I wanted and glued the disk in place.  I glued a little chenille around the disk . . . seemed to need a finished edge.

Have a very Merry Christmas and a Healthy, Happy and Stitchy New Year!!!

~*

The Week Before Christmas

Tis the week before Christmas

the tree's without trim

the gifts are unfinished

readiness looks grim!

Here is a free chart from The Nebby Needle for those of you who are still stitching Christmas things:

The threads I used were The Gentle Art:  

0120 Pine; 7012 Picket Fence; 7039 Bayberry; 0360 Cranberry.

As you can see, I have not finished it into an ornament/pincushion/banner . . . or whatever.  If you choose to stitch it and actually finish it off, please send me a picture.  I'd love to see what you do with it!

I'm so behind . . . at least our Christmas cards were mailed yesterday!  I face this problem each year . . . time management . . . that darn ADD!!!  I like to take each holiday as it comes and enjoy it to the fullest.  Therefore, I enjoy Halloween without thinking about Thanksgiving and then enjoy Thanksgiving without thinking about Christmas.  Then . . . suddenly . . . it's Christmas and I'm not ready!!!!

Most of the decorations are up . . . it's just the tree.  This is the first year we've gotten the tree without our daughter here and I just can't bring myself to decorate it without her here (she arrives on Sunday).  I think we should wait!

The living room mantel.

Santa with all his wine cover buddies from Hungary.

Living room coffee table with my Christmas matryoshka dolls . . . also from Hungary . . . probably made in Russia.  For some reason Hungary has a lot of Russian matryoshkas for sale at the Budapest Market . . . love them!

The dining room.  Need to find my fake poinsettias to replace the hydrangeas with . . . hmmm . . . where can they be?

The dining room hutch (that my grandfather made . . . that I refinished several years ago).

My favorite Russian/Hungarian Santa . . . also from the Budapest Market.  He had a little crack in his hat so I got him half price!!!

The family room mantel with all my little hand carved Santas that my father made and the stockings that my mother stitched.

And then there's my favorite little guy . . . Santa from my childhood.  Don't tell my brothers I have him!  They probably haven't thought about him in years.

See . . . I have gotten a lot done.  Other than the empty containers sitting around and pine needles (fake and real) littering the floors, we are almost ready . . . almost.  Started baking this morning . . . much more to do . . . gotta run . . .

Have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year!!!!

~*