STITCHING WITH IRIS

I received this little design from Cathryn of Blueladie Designs as a Christmas gift in her Christmas Giveaway on KYKS.  I love Santa's and anything to do with Santa so this went to the top of my to do list.  It only took me a couple of hours to stitch.  Well a couple of hours plus some frogging time.  Thank you Cathryn

Designer:  Blueladie Designs Project:  HO HO HO Fabric:  16CT white Aida - Charles Craft Floss: DMC Started:  12/26/2014 Completed: 12/28/2014 It will be made into an ornament

I finished this little design yesterday while Bob was cooking dinner.  It was a great dinner of roast duck, baked rice and roasted Brussels sprouts, carrots and onions.  For dessert we had pumpkin pie which I baked on Christmas Eve morning.  It was just the two of us yesterday but it was a wonderful day.  I think we both really enjoyed the quiet day together.

Designer: Nicky's Creations Primitive Designs Project: a b Christmas a freebie from Candy Cane Stitchers on Facebook Fabric: 14 CT Antique White Aida Floss:  DMC Started:  12/15/2014 Completed:  12/25/2014 I think I am going to make this into a no-sew cube.  I just need to find the right fabric and ribbon .

Including the pages of Bridge in Monet's Garden and all the other little projects I stitched this year, I have completed 41 projects in 2014.  Retirement really increased my stitching time. LOL

Wishing all my blog friends a Merry Christmas.  I hope you and your family have a memorable and safe holiday.

Just wanted to share some pictures of our tree and a recipe for one of my favorite cookies/

Bob getting ready to start pulling ornaments out of the trunk

Bob putting ornaments on the tree

Eiffel Tower ornament I made for Bob this year to  remember  our 2014 Paris trip

The side of the tree we see when sitting on the sofa

Close up of some of our ornaments

The view of the tree when we are walking into the family room

The cross stitch ornament is a ornament I received in an ornament exchange a few years ago. The snowman was one of the 1st ornaments I ever made.  I was probably in my late teens early 20s

This ornament is one I stitched this year.

This one was stitched and gifted to me by Sarah

The little ornament with the stockings I received on a Christmas card from Barbara and I made it into an ornament.

This is our little mouse band.  These were part of my MIL's decorations.  I love them and they come out of hiding every year

More of my Santa collection

I baked a batch of cookies this morning. This is my 8th batch of cookies 250 Dollar Cookies 1/2 Batch Full Batch Ingredients 1 Cup 2 Cup Butter 1 Cup 2 Cup Sugar 1 Cup 2 Cup Brown Sugar 2 4 Eggs 1 tsp. 2 tsp Vanilla 2 Cup 4 Cup Flour 2 1/2 Cup 5 Cup Blended Oatmeal 1 tsp. 2 tsp baking Soda 1/2 tsp. 1 tsp Baking Powder 1/2  tsp. 1 tsp Salt  1/2 1 8 OZ. Hershey Bar grated 12 Oz. 24 Oz. Chocolate chips 1 1/2 Cup 3 Cup Chopped Nuts (your choice) Directions: Measure oatmeal and blend in a blender to a fine powder Cream the butter and both sugars Add eggs and vanilla Mix together the flour, oatmeal, salt, baking powder and baking soda Mix flour mixture into wet ingredients in batches Add chocolate chips, Hershey bar and nuts ` Roll int balls and place 2" apart on a cookie sheet Bake for 10 minutes at 375 degrees Full batch makes 112 Cookies

Only 2 1/2 pages left to stitch.

I finished this quick stitch in and just love it.  I've also added a couple of pictures of Bob, Susan and I dressed up to go out to dinner last night.  Susan is spending the weekend with us to celebrate Christmas.  She and I have been friends since 1965.  A few years ago she moved to Virginia so we don't get to see each other much these days so a weekend together is really something special.  This year is really special since we didn't get to spend any time together last Christmas since I had a broken ankle and entertaining was a bit hard.

Blueladie Designs Christmas 2014 Fabric: Ocean Kiss Floss: DMC

We went out to dinner last night with my friend Susan who is visiting from Virginia This is Bob and me

Susan and me

I promise no more after this until we decorate the tree.

These are pictures of our family room.  I shared a couple the other day of our fireplace and the CCN Christmas Village.  Now some of my Santa collection.

Santa is everywhere in my family room. OK there is a mouse up there but he is holding a Santa.

OK there are a few kissing angels mixed in. My niece did the angels in ceramic class about 29 years ago.  They usually reside on the mantel but I wanted to change things up this year; The bookcase is new this year we took it from Bob's Aunt Ruth's apartment after she passed away.  I just love the way it fit right in our family room.

More Santas on the shelves with a few cross stitch finishes thrown in. The house on the table is something I did in ceramic class many years ago. The tablecloth was stitched by a friend.

More Santas.  I try very hard not to buy any more Santas.  While I love them I just have no place to store them anymore.

This is my little ornament tree all decorated in snowmen and snowflakes and Lizzie Kate's Merry Christmas hanging above it.

I crocheted a lot of dishcloths to give to family and friends.  Hope they like them and the little flameless candles they are getting.

No more decorations I promise until we finish the tree.  Well we have to get the tree first and that won't be until next Thursday.

Send some good thoughts as I have a friend driving up from Virginia today and we are having snow right now.  They keep saying it is only snow flurries but ............... you just don't ever know.

'Till next time.

Here are a few more pictures of my decorations this year.  I do enjoy decorating for Christmas and do go a little overboard.



Some of my Beyer Caroler collection in my living room.

My countdown to Christmas with one of my large Santa's in the living room

This Santa is a latch hook Santa that I made about 40 years ago.

Mr. & Mrs. Santa (Beyer Carolers)

I'll post some more in the next couple of days.


Have a great Tuesday.

This past week I have been a busy little elf decorating for Christmas.  This is my favorite time of year and I so enjoy seeing my house come to life with all the colorful Christmas decorations. 

This is the fore place in four family room. I stitched the 2 stockings many years ago and the Santa and Sleigh with is called Hang on (I know you can't see it very well) a few years ago. I changed up from how I regularly decorate my mantel.  I thought since both stockings are Santas I needed to have the whole theme of the mantel Santas.



The cross Stitch is CCN Santa's Village I stitched on this faithfully every month in 2013 and finally finished it in early 2014. The book is Twas the Night Before Christmas and was my DH's book from his childhood.  We read it every Christmas Eve.  The Santa sitting on the cabinet I bought in Paris in 2008. I like displaying the old with the new.

I'll post more pictures over the next couple of days.  The next couple of weeks are very busy but that is a good busy.  Seeing old friends. My best friend of many, many years is coming for a long weekend this coming Thursday.  I haven't seen her since October of 2013.  She deserted me a few years ago and moved from Pennsylvania to Virginia to be near the only family she has left.  I treasure the few times a year that I get to see her. 

Well I am off to wrap some Christmas presents.  I enjoy wrapping but I don't enjoy getting all the stuff out and then having to put it all away.  I am having lunch with a group of ladies I use to go to the gym with and I crotched them each a dish cloth and bought them each a flameless candle so I have 9 extra grifts to wrap. 

Till next time.