Elfin Stitches: Gifted Gorgeousness Report for May

This past month has been a very slow stitching month for me. I really do have to pick up my act if I want to see my stitching list finished this year. And I do!

So, here is my finished Santa ornament, which is a Christmas gift for my youngest sister, Wendy. I have stitched a Christmas ornament or framed cross stitch Wendy every year since 1984.

Santa ornament designed by Melinda Blackman,

from Cross My Heart's "Christmas Magic" booklet (1992)

And here is another Christmas gift - the ornament I stitched for my friend Kellie,who has a fondness for angels.

The angels were adapted from a Pat Waters angel chart in A Christmas Collection (1986).

The rest of the ornament was my design.

Another Christmas gift - an ornament I stitched for my friends Rohan and Ross, who have brought their family to my house for a Christmas visit every year for over twenty years. I stitched onto this ornament a tiny stocking for each family member. I still have one little charm to add to the top of this ornament - my current thought is a little pale blue pearly star, but I may find something better when I go through my charm collection..

I adapted the holly border from a DMC freebie Holly Alphabet by Katherine Martin Tripp.

I changed the floss colours and substituted red Delica beads for the white cross stitches in the chart. The rest of the ornament was my design.

And yet another Christmas gift, for a gorgeous young Kiwi, the grand-daughter of a very old friend.

Adapted from TIAG's 1986 freebie, Amish Angel.

I changed the cap to hair, used beads for the wings, and added some bling.

And here is my final finish for the month - a 'thank you' gift for a cousin who did me a great favour last year, and who expressed an interest in having a Christmas design pendant to wear in the festive season.. I found this double-sided pendant at a market in January, and stitched a tiny round 'pillow' with Santa on one side and a Christmas tree on the other. I really love the pendant, which has a magnetised closure. I am now wishing I had bought more.