A special Christmas ornament

This ornament is for my niece's much-loved dog, Tilly, who will be celebrating her second Christmas this year.  If you have very good eyesight and use a little imagination, you might see (as I do) doggy treat bones decorating the wreath.

No designer to credit for this one - it's one that just grew as I stitched.

Another two ornaments finished

These are for Georgia and her new baby sister Elsie, great-nieces of a good friend.

The little stocking is adapted from the stocking design in LA's Christmas Caboodle leaflet, and the teddy is one of Dale Burdett's designs.

This brings my Christmas ornament total for 2013 to 38.  I have decided to stitch four more ornaments, three for neighbour children, and one for my niece's beloved dog Tilly.  Then I will definitely put my ornie stitching basket away for the year.  I do have one more thing on my stitching list for 2013 - a wedding sampler for my niece Ciara and her fiance Johnny.  I hope to start that soon, but I don't yet have the chart.  Ciara's sister Aislinn is designing the sampler, and I fear the design is still in the development stage.

I found three more ornaments to stitch

and now they're stitched and made up.  These ornaments will be Christmas gifts for three gorgeous young Irish-Aussie sisters who will, I hope, visit me this Christmas.

The angel design is very loosely based on TIAG's Amish Angel freebie.

Another three ornaments finished

These are the last of the ornaments on my stitching list for 2013.  They are for three young sisters who quite like a little bling on their Christmas ornaments.  If my calculations are right, that makes 33 ornaments finished this year.

The little Santa is adapted from a chart in an old issue of BH&G's Christmas Ideas magazine (possibly 1974 issue).

Miss Maddie is still doing very well.  Apart from our twice daily battle of wills about taking her tablets (I do make sure I always win that one) she is very settled and seems to be quite contented.  Here she is in her basket.  She loves her sheepskin - she's lets me know she's not happy when it's in the wash,

My third recycled angel

I never thought I would have a use for the tiny black acrylic stars I have had in my bead box for ages - but they were just right for this angel!

Two new angels

They didn't start their lives as angels, but it's amazing what a pair of wings and some Christmas bling will do! Both these dolls were rescued from garage sales, and they are now going to have a second life in my house.

 I'll be making another set of wings shortly, for the third rescued angel-to-be.

Happy News

I am so pleased to report that Miss Maddie is much improved, and almost back to her usual self.  She has responded well to her new medications, and her heart is pumping more strongly now.  Although she tires easily, and needs more frequent periods of sleep during the day, behaviourally she is just the way she was before she got sick.  In fact, she is eating better and certainly drinking more. Even the Vet admits she is improved, and she has now graduated to monthly vet checks instead of the weekly visits we have been having.  I am so happy!  Here are some pics I took tonight.

And I have even managed some stitching.  Here are four ornaments I finished up today.  The little Santa design is adapted from a chart that I saw in an old issue of BH&G's Christmas Ideas magazine - I think it was the 1974 issue.  The tree is adapted from a Dale Burdett chart.