Three Christmas ornaments for three young ladies

I finally made it to the bead shop and got the beads I needed to decorate the little Christmas ornament designs (adapted from a chart in  BH&G 2012 Christmas issue) I stitched for three sisters earlier in the month.  Tonight I stitched them up.

So, that makes five Christmas ornaments finished in February.  Not my best effort!  In March I plan to stitch the Christmas ornaments for my actual and honorary great-nieces and great-nephews (seven in all).

I just had to pop back in to show you what I found in my garden tonight. It's the tawny frogmouth that lives in the area.  I've taken pics of him in the garden before, but his visits are few and far between. When I took Miss Maddie out to answer a call of nature late tonight I saw him sitting on the old fence post.  He waited for me to get Maddie in and find my camera. I had to take the pictures 'blind' as I could see nothing at all in the view finder.

 then he moved to the fence

Here's a close-up

I feel very honoured that he has graced us with his presence yet again.

Another Angel

This one is a cross-stitched one.  The design is adapted from the Folk Angel in Dale Burdett's Quick to Stitch booklet - DB-N001.  I changed the Angel's hairstyle (Folk Angel had very fly-away hair!), her dress and feet, and all the floss colours.  This ornnament will be a Christmas gift for my friend who loves quirky angels and hearts.

Two new angels

One of the things I like to do is to rescue and give new life to distressed discarded angels.  Sometimes this  urge gets out of control, and I rescue discarded hand-made dolls and turn them into angels - usually to add to my own angel collection, but occasionally to pass on to another angel lover.

This little angel started life as a hand-painted wooden doll.  I found her in a charity shop in central Victoria last November, when I was making my way home from a trip to Tasmania.   I made her some wings from cardboard and string, because that's what she seemed to need, and added a hanging cord so she can hang from a doorknob or picture hook.  I have a friend who just loves hearts and collects quirky angels, so this angel will be hopping into my friend's Christmas stocking this year.

On the same trip I also found this hand-made cloth doll at another charity shop.   On her back she has the signature of her creator (I think it's Lily but can't make out the surname) and 'Christmas 2001'.

I gave her some Christmas beads and a set of wings, and now she is my Angel Holly (her dress has a holly pattern).  She will join my cloth doll angel collection.

I wish the people who created these dolls could know that they have found new homes where they will be cared for and treasured.

BTW, Emma/Itzy has a great give-away on her blog  My Creative Corner.  It's open till March 3.

At last - my first Christmas ornament for 2014

also my first cross stitch 'finish for 2014.  In all the years I have been stitching (25+), this is my slowest ever start.  It just won"t do!

This ornament is for a young friend whom I have always nicknamed 'Pussy'.  I have stitched a ornament for her every Christmas for the past 18 years, and this year I decided to feature a cat (inspired by my cat, Ruby).  The cat design is loosely based on one of the cats in BH&G's cat sampler from an issue in the late 1990s - possibly 1996.

Front

 Back

I do have another three ornaments stitched (for three young sisters who love a little bling on their ornaments) but I need to add some beads (which are at present still in the bead shop) before I finish them up.  They are adapted from the 'Peace' ornament design in the 2012 BH&G Christmas issue. Despite appearances to the contrary, they are all the same size (7.5 cm or 3" wide).

I hope to get to the bead shop soon!

I have just (rather belatedly - but that seems to be my pattern for this year) joined Measi's WIPOCALYPSE for 2014.  Fortunately she didn't specify a cut-off date for sign-ups this year, which is very heplful for slow-coaches like me. Measi's question for February is about stitching styles.  I am a boring old OOAT (one project at a time) stitcher - always have been, and always will be.  I know my limitations - I'm a tad obsessive about finishing a project once I start it.  Rotations are not for me!  The closest I came to a rotation was when I was stitching my HAED Jolly Old Fellow (2009 - 2012).  I compromised by stitching solely on JOF for several months each year, then packed it away and stitched my way through the other projects on my list - one at a time.  I do admire people who can handle rotations.  I wish I could.

Secret Stitching Sweetheart

I am so pleased I took part in the Secret Stitching Sweetheart organised by Jo . Just look at this delightful picture that was sent to me:

I'm off now to check out all the other lovely pics.

Some progress at last ...

I have just assembled the two crocheted heart shaped lavender sachets that have been waiting in my work basket for the past week.  And now I am just about to put in my first cross stitches of 2014.  I'm starting with some little stitched Christmas ornament designs that were in a BH&G Christmas issue in 2012 (if my memory serves me correctly).

Here are the sachets:

Time is moving on ...

Here we are, one month of 2014 now done and dusted - and I have not yet placed a cross stitch in fabric. Never heard of! What's more, I hadn't even drawn up my 2014 stitching list.   At least that is now done. Once again, it's mostly Christmas ornaments on my list - hardly a surprise!  My fingers are getting itchy - I found myself looking through Christmas designs considering what I might stitch this year.  Now, if I can just move it up one notch things might get moving - well, I can hope!  Maybe I'll go up now and sort out some charts and kit them up ...

Here's the latest pic of Miss Maddie, asleep in her new birthday basket, a gift from her much loved Auntie Kellie.