Christmas is Coming.

It's that time of year!!! I have been on the search for those illusive Christmas gifts. You know the ones that in July you think will be a really good idea and then you forget all about them and have to start all over again(Aaaargh).
I came to the conclusion that I'd rather unwind with my cross-stitching. I've looked out my Christmas advent calendar which I actually finished for last Christmas but ended up having my appendics out so it never got used properly, so you might say this is it's first time of proper use. (Can't wait) It's a Bucilla Kit, Christmas Advent Calendar, and I really like it. You have 25 charms to decorate it with and they look very pretty.

Now I have some decorations that I have finished, they are a Dimensions 'Gold Collection' called Santa's Wildlife collection. This is another group of decorations that gave me a lot of pleasure.

I have yet to finish just one of my Jim Shore Snowmen,(there are four) so it's not looking as though they'll be seeing this Christmas, still it's just another project to keep going with.


I have signed on to YoYo's Christmas SAL so that is another piece I'll have to keep on top of and I'm afraid I'm not very good at rotation sewing because I forget where I'm up too. I am still trying to decide which of two to do, both are Jim Shore designs, one is called Three Kings and the other 12 Days of Christmas.

Now I have actually finally completed my Teresa Wentzlers Summer Carousel Horse I shall try and catch up on my Papillon Castles in the Air SAL which I am sorry to say has not yet moved any further forward, still never mind It'll get there in the end.

Here's some I did a little earlier!

I thought I'd post a picture of my UFO that I have been working on for some time. I started it an awful long time ago such as in the 1990's, put it in a cupboard and there it stayed. Eventually I thought I really ought to do something with it and started slowly to do a little. Now that's when I found I've Started So I'll Finish I have stitched regularly and have posted the up and downs of the saga of the Carousel Horse. Now it is coming to an end so just in case you haven't seen it before here are a couple of pictures showing it 'how it was' and 'how it is'. There's still quite a large amount of back-stitching to do and the outer frame still needs completing but I'm quite sure now it will shortly be finished.





Another piece I'm stitching is the Papillon SAL -Castles In the Air-. I'm about two downloads behind (Oops) and I think there will be another one shortly. I'm doing it on a printed 32 count linen and the colours are a combination of 11 set colours and the others chosen by myself. I must admit I am not the best at colour blending so I looked in my garden and all the colours in SAL are the ones I saw there. I have done a bit of a mix and match as there are two versions of the SAL . One is cross-stitch and the other a speciality stitch, as I am not keen on Lazy Daisy stitch I have taken bits from each one and put them together to suit myself. How it'll look when it is finished is anyone's guess but it coming along quite nicely.



As Christmas is on it's way here's a piece I have sewn through the Summer,( I just love Christmas) it's a Jim Shore Design and there are oodles of beads on it and I just love the colours. I quite like Santa doing 'other things' and have just seen the Sue Hillis Santas ( Sue Hillis Cross-Stitch Design Blog) so the charts are something to look out for.


I said I had a recipe for you. It's one that's been hidden in another cookery book and it has my son's name on the cover so I am unsure of the Author hope you like it:

How to Preserve Children

One Grassy Field
A Pinch of Brook
One and half dozen Children
Small Pebbles,2-3 Small Dogs.

Mix the children and dogs well together,
Put them in the field and stir constantly,
Pour brook over pebbles and sprinkle with flowers,
Spread a deep blue sky all over,
Bake in hot Summer sun for one hour
and set away to a cool bath tub.

Well now the kettle has just boiled, so it's off for a cup of tea and a feet up, a search for a small cross-stitch and a chill out before I go off on child sitting, netball supporting etc etc. Till next time, enjoy yourselves doing whatever is you favourite passtime. See you then