Gifted Gorgeousness SAL

I was pleased to find the SAL as most of the cross stitched items I make each year are destined to be gifts - usually Christmas gifts.  This year I will be making around 50 Christmas ornaments and also several framed works to give as Christmas presents.

So far this year I have stitched six Christmas ornaments, but not yet made them up.  I usually batch my ornament finishing, and I plan to finish up this batch after I  have stitched one more Nutcracker ornament.

Here's what I have stitched:

Nutcrackers from Jeremiah Junction Nutcracker Factory III booklet(for a pair of sisters)

Ornaments for a young niece and her baby brother.  The Santa is from Barbara Mock's Christmas Quickies I booklet.  The Santa Teddy is from a Dale Burdett Christmas booklet.

and two little stocking ornaments - one for my great-nephew who will be celebrating his second Christmas, the other for a little English boy born a few years ago (the original ornament I stitched for him got lost in transit).  The stocking design is adapted from one in LA's Christmas Caboodle leaflet. The tiny teddy is adapted from a design in Graphwork's Mini Motif Designs Christmas Vol 8.

I have just one more Nutcracker to stitch, then I will make these up before I start anything new.

January WIPOCALYPSE Report

Another year - another stitching list.  Mine looks somewhat like last year's list - predominantly Christmas ornaments.  Because I'm a compulsive 'one project at a time' stitcher, I have no UFOs or WIPs, so all my projects are new starts. This year I plan to stitch 50 Christmas ornaments, all to be given as Christmas gifts.  I also plan to stitch a Birth Sampler for my great-nephew, a name-sampler for a special little girl, and a Christmas project for myself - though I haven't yet decided what that will be.  I will also finish a Candy-Cane Santa kit that my niece has started but hasn't the time to finish now that she has a new baby in the house.

So far in 2015 I have stitched, but not yet finished up, two ornaments from my list.

I still have some buttons to add to the second one. The inspiration for the design is a little stocking chart from LA's Christmas Caboodle leaflet (1986), but I have changed the size, pattern, colours, and contents of the stockings. The tiny teddy is adapted from a design in Graphwork's Mini Motif Designs Christmas Vol 8.

I can't resist adding this photo of Miss Angela sporting her new haircut - her first ever.  It's actually a work in progress - being groomed is not Angels's favourite past-time!

I think she';s just gorgeous!  She is now 6 months old.

It's Christmas Eve

Lorri Birminghan Santa

I wish you Christmas Joy

My final finishes for 2014

The last of my Christmas ornaments for 2014.  I stitched these for two delightful neighbour children, sisters.

This year I have stitched and finished 51 Christmas ornaments and made two stitched pieces for framing.  Not my most prolific stitching year, but I am pleased to have finished all the projects on my stitching list for 2014.

More Christmas Pics - my Kitchen and Sitting Room

My biggest White Santa.  He has been art of my Christmas since the early 1990s.

Angela inspecting my 1970s Christmas tree

and a better pic of the 1970s tree

Angela posing in front of the snowpeople

My Christmas salt and pepper shakers on the kitchen windowsill

My 1950s tree

Christmas Joy

Miss Angela, wearing her new Christmas collar sent to her by Julia in WA:

Thank you, Auntie Julia

And I have  more finished ornaments to celebrate.  These are for the latest members of my extended family.

And I have stitched and finished two more, but mailed them to England without first taking photos. I thought these would be my final ornaments for 2014, but I'm stitching again - Christmas ornaments for two neighbourhood little girls who will be visiting me before Christmas.

Some more Christmas photos:

My "Santa" Tree

A close-up of my larger vintage Santas

My vintage Santas in their display cupboard

My very special Santa brooches

My Santa candles and candleholders

My Santa pens

My Christmas House - Entry Foyer and Dining Room

Santa stands at my front door to greet visitors.

My "Elements of Christmas"display box in the entry foyer.

The "Angel Room" (the dining room)

I will be back in a day or so with photos of my kitchen (christmas salt and pepper collection and fridge magnets) and sitting room (Christmas trees and white Santas), then later with pictures of my top landing (Jim Shaw Santas), lounge room (Santas including my vintage Santas) and study (nativities and nutcrackers)