Gifted Gorgeousness Report for April

This past month has been a very quiet one for me. Like many others, I have been self-isolating at home. I'm not a very social person, so I was surprised that I found it so difficult. I now treasure my weekly trip to the supermarket, which is the only time I get to leave the house.  I yearn for food cooked by somebody else. When this is over, and we get back to something resembling normal life, I plan to eat out for a week!

So, it's the middle of the month - time to report for the Gifted Gorgeousness (GG) SAL, hosted by Jo at Serendipitous Stitching. Basically, if it's stitched to be gifted, or stitched using gifted supplies, it qualifies for the GG SAL.

If you've visited here before, you'll probably be aware that most of my stitching is Christmas- related, and it's mostly Christmas ornaments. I have stitched some ornaments this month, but I'm starting with something different - a bib which will be a Christmas gift for a great-niece born in March.  I took elements from three bib designs in Linda Gillum's 'Bibs by the Bunch' (LA #939), and added a few tiny butterflies ( 'The Omnibook of Quickies', Jeanette Crews #805).

I also stitched a Christmas ornament for Niva. The teddy design is a DMC on-line freebie that I found many years ago. I have also stitched two more DMC teddy ornaments for babies who will be celebrating their first Christmas in 2020. I'm waiting for names to finish the ornaments.

This ornament is for my second sister, who has a fondness for cherubs. The designer is Karen Brittan, and I found the chart for the Romantic Cherubs alphabet in an old issue of UK Quick & Easy Cross Stitch magazine.

Two more TIAG freebie angels (with a few changes). This year all my nieces and two of my sisters are getting TIAG angel ornaments for Christmas.

This little tree is a JBW design, from the 2017 JCS Christmas Ornament issue. I did make a few amendments- changing all the floss colours, and replacing the cross stitch at the top of each tree with a tiny gold star. This one is for my youngest sister.

The next  two ornaments will be hanging on my own tree this year. They are stitched with gifted fabric and floss. Four Calling Birds and Five Golden Rings for my 12 Days of Christmas ornament set.  I chose to stitch kookaburras as my calling birds, because I love their call. If you don't know kookaburras, they are large solid birds of the kingfisher family. Their call is long and loud, and is reminiscent of laughter. You can hear their call  here.  I was inspired by a little kookaburra design by Di Noyce, published in an early Jill Oxton Cross Stitch Australia magazine, but I did make quite a few changes.  The 5 Golden Rings is from  a set by Lesley Grant which I found in UK Cross Stitcher December 1995 issue.

Finally, three little button and/or bead decorated Christmas tree ornaments. I doubt I'll be getting Christmas visitors this year (I anticipate the restrictions on gatherings of more than 2 people will still be in force), so these will go in the gift basket for 2021. Surely we will be out of this crisis by then!  No designer to credit - these trees just grow as I stitch.

That's my lot for this month. I hope you can stay safe, wherever you are.