My Christmas Gift from Linda

Faith Hope Love 2007 Ornament
by Gayle Reger for Abby Rose Designs

This is the beautiful ornament that Linda stitched for me, which is now hanging proudly on our tree. I love the vintage colors, and Linda's stitching is just lovely, but what I love most is that this is a one of a kind ornament just for me. According to Linda, the word peace was not in the original ornament. She liked the idea of a 4th word instead of the year and chose "peace", something we can all use a little more of in our lives.

Linda stitched the ornament on an unknown fabric with Belle Soie silks - Cinnamon Stick, Collard Greens, Sister Scarlet, Mudpie and Cranberry. Linda also included a cute fingertip towel which is now in our guest bathroom. I don't know how she knew it, but I have a distinct lack of holiday themed decorative items in our house, and a Christmas towel was a welcome addition for the holidays.

Also in the package was a new lighthouse ornament to add to our collection, this one from the Marblehead Lighthouse in Ohio. It's one we have yet to visit, but it's definitely on our list.

On a final note, Linda has decided to get her blog up and running again, so please drop by and visit her at Taxing Stitches.

Bent Creek's I Do in Miniature

It's almost like I'm obsessed with ornaments lately, isn't it? I know I've posted quite a few, and there's more to come. Somehow they all just seemed to come together at the end up the year. Mind you, it could have been that pre-Christmas push to get some gifts done, but then again, some of these ornaments were quite overdue, so who knows? Anyway, next up is something I stitched for one of my best friends and her new husband:

I Do by Bent Creek

Stitched 1 over 1 on Vintage Light Exemplar

I'd like to make a shameless plug for my pal Julie, the recipient of this ornament. Julie's an amazing friend, a wonderful cook, and one of the most fun, generous, big hearted and free spirited people I know. Julie is also a published author, and you can buy her book, The Hard Way, online or at your bookstore of choice. If they don't have it in stock, ask them to get it for you. Oh, and while you're at it... check out her website http://www.julieluongo.com

Julie and I have been friends since grad school, and I don't even want to tell you how long ago that was! She just got married this fall, and having been with her through many ups and downs, highs and lows when it came to relationships, I have to say I am grateful every day that she is now married to someone that loves her and recognizes her for the fantastic, amazing, stupendous, and all around awesome person that she is. And her husband's not too shabby himself. I have a larger piece in the works as a wedding gift for them, but I wanted to give them a small token to tide them over.

This was my inspiration for this ornament. I saved the photo in my idea file, knowing at some point I would come back to it. Scroll down to see the ornament Joan did last year for her daughter and new husband.

My color conversion for this piece is as follows: GAST Dark Chocolate (vines) and Maple Syrup (letter), CC Cupid (heart and initials) and Blacksmith Blue (I Do), and WDW Cognac (leaves) and Whitewash (accents). I also used a silver DMC Metallic for the rings as the actual wedding bands were white gold.

Finally Framed!!!

I thought maybe you all deserved a break from all those ornaments! Let's take a little trip down memory lane and a dive into the finished AND framed pile (pitifully small, I know.) I like to show *finished* finished pieces on the blog, but someday I will embarrass myself and post a photo of my finished unfinished pieces. Maybe several photos. Maybe a lot of photos. I have a whole drawer full of pieces patiently waiting to be finished for some form of display.

The Path by Dimensions (kit)
Stitched on 14 ct. Aida with included threads

I don't even know when I actually finished this piece - probably back in 2003-2004 when I first started stitching, and it's been languishing in a drawer ever since. It was one of the first pieces I purchased, a Dimensions kit, and I think it may still actually be available in craft stores. I admit, I almost never look at the Dimensions kits any more. Not much changes with them anyway and they're all sold with some kind of Aida cloth, which I rarely stitch on. (There's one small chart I stitch for the occasional birth record that I like using Aida cloth for a chunkier look).

While we're on the subject of confessions, I will confess that I probably ordered the frame and the mat 2-3 years ago as well, and they sat in the drawer on top of the finished piece. I have no idea why it took so long to get around to framing it, but once I pulled it out and said, "THIS TIME I MEAN IT!!!" (for the fourth or fifth time), the whole thing got framed in about 30 minutes.

You can't tell from the photo - my husband's patient framing saved me - but the stitching is completely off centered. There's an inch or so of fabric on one side, and three on the other. I don't know how it happened, but somehow I started stitching off center and by the time I realized it, I wasn't about to rip out everything and start over. I had already been planning on framing the piece, so I figured I'd just fudge things a little when I got to the framing. Lucky for me, it worked out.

This piece is intended for a friend of mine, one I've known since kindergarten. She lives in Virginia now, so we don't get to see each other as often as we'd like. In fact, it's been about a year and a half now since we've seen each other. Now that we both have children (hers are school age), it complicates travel even more, but I still think the sentiment holds true for us. It's just that sometimes, that path means picking up the phone more often than seeing each other in person.

Christmas Round of the Fair and Square exchange

The final Fair and Square exchange round for 2010 was the Christmas round, and I was paired up with Melissa P from Massachusetts. These are the squares that Melissa stitched for me:

Christmas Round 2010 from Melissa P
Windows of Faith, Hope and Peace by Primrose Needleworks
JCS 2010 Ornament Issue

Isn't her signature square so clever? It took me a minute to figure it out, but I finally got it. 2010 in the four corners, and her initials and state in the middle. Very cool.

I had originally considered stitching these for her as well, though I am sure my signature square wouldn't have been quite as clever. At the last minute, I changed my mind and went with a different design. How funny would it have been if we stitched the same ones for each other? (And yes, I would have gone with the blue as well.)

This is what I DID stitch for Melissa:

All Hearts Come Home for Christmas
by The Cat's Whiskers Design Studio
JCS 2010 Ornament Issue

NOTE: There are two small errors in the chart. I noticed them when I was stitching and they were fairly easy to correct. You can see the correction here.

Melissa's likes were wide open, so I went with this design. I've always liked the "All hearts come home for Christmas" sentiment and I thought this was a pretty rendition of it. I didn't have the called for colors and didn't like the DMC alternatives that were given, so I dove into my stash and came up with my own color selections. I used DMC 815 for the red, 783 for the gold and 904 for the green. I think they look very pretty against the antique white fabric.

I can't wait to see how Melissa finishes it. The finish in the magazine is a pinkeep, but I think this design lends itself nicely to a biscornu as well.

Another Just Nan Ornament Finish

Christmas Hearts by Just Nan
stitched over 2 on 32 ct. Antique White
with DMC threads

During a Fair and Square exchange, I had the pleasure of being partnered with Linda B. We really hit it off and have been emailing back and forth ever since. Now if I can just talk her into starting a blog....

When Linda suggested a private ornament exchange, of course I said Yes! I love looking at the stitched ornaments on our tree each year when we decorated, and I knew Linda's ornament would be a very special addition to my collection. I also wanted to do something special for Linda, and as you may have guessed by now, this is one of my favorite patterns, and finishes. I love that even though it's a simple pattern, it's quite beautiful when it's finished. I also love being able to personalize pieces, change colors, etc. I think it makes every piece special and unique.

I also really like the mix of threads in this piece. I don't think the original called for using satin / rayon threads, but when I stitched it the first time with a red satin thread for the hearts, I was hooked and immediately started thinking about other color combinations. This pink and green one has been in my head since almost the beginning, and I absolutely love how it came out.

I used DMC 30899 (Rayon) for the hearts in this one, DMC 367 and 368 for the greens, 762 for the grey and 962, 963 and 3832 for the shades of pink. I used the same silver lined seed beads from the craft store to embellish this ornament as well.

Drew's Christmas Ornament

Art Deco Frame by Julia Lucas Designs
JCS 2005 Christmas Ornament Issue
Stitched with DMC Perle Cotton (Variations 4040) and DMC Thread

Oh yes, you'll be seeing more of these. This is the version I stitched for my friend's son Drew (the recipient of the Jungle Baby Birth Record I posted about earlier). I wanted to incorporate the jungle theme into the ornament, so I used a clip art giraffe to decorate the birth information side. Luckily, the colors of the clip art tied in nicely to the variegated thread.

This is such an easy stitch, and something I can work on in the car. Since we travel to our hometown on a regular basis to see my husband's parents and grandmothers, we spend a fair amount of time in the car. It's a little difficult for me to stitch on fabric, but these are done on plastic canvas and are much easier to work on in a moving vehicle.

As you can see, I like to go with variations on a theme, and for this one, I tried out the variegated perle cotton. I like that it's a little different than the regular perle cottons I've used for other ornaments. I have several other ornaments in the works. I used an opalescent DMC thread for the accent stitching, but to assemble the ornament, I used regular DMC floss. DMC provides a color chart that lists which colors are used to make up the variegated threads so you can match a solid color floss to the variegated ones. I picked one of the colors to whipstitch the edges together. Also, I used a clear plastic canvas and trimmed it very closely so I didn't feel there was a need to whipstitch the edges of the openings.

To protect the photo and the birth information (which is printed on my color inkjet printer to regular paper), I used a regular laminating pocket I picked up at Staples (I've also seen them at Target and Walmart). This is *not* a heat set laminating pocket - just a regular one that presses together by hand. I line up the photo and the birth information in the windows, then use double sided mounting squares to stick them together. (You can find the mounting squares in the scrapbooking section. Once I get everything lined up and stuck together, I set them up in the laminating pouch and go from there. A little bit of hot glue helps me make sure the laminating pouch stays in place while I whipstitch the edges together. (Be careful not to melt the pouch). Once everything is together, I squeeze in a little more glue to hold the edges of the frame down around the picture and birth info.

A round of lobsters

Lobsters in the Round by The Sampler Girl

Stitched 1 over 1 on 32 ct. evenweave with WDW Turkish Red

This post has been sitting in my drafts for a while and I never got around to posting it. I actually finished it up in early January last year, which is why 2010 is stitched in tiny little stitches to the left and right of the "F" in the middle. The F is my own addition - I used a fancy font I had in my stitching software. I thought it would be a nice little monogram / personalization for the ornament.

The chart had been in my wishlist for a long time, and I finally bought it when Tanya was running a sale. I've seen it stitched on low count fabric for pillows and such, but I was immediately thinking "ornament" when I saw it. I used a mystery piece of fabric from my stash and stitched it over 1. I adore it, and it hangs nestled among our large collection of lighthouse ornaments. In fact, a good portion of our tree is filled with lighthouse / nautical themed ornaments.

I don't have a photo of the backing fabric. I used a fairly generic red and gold holiday themed fabric and storebought cording. I usually have decent luck at Joanns if I take the stitched piece with me and match it up to fabrics and trims. Not that I wouldn't love a bigger selection, but sometimes it's nice to have your choices limited and not feel so overwhelmed.

The One that Started it All

Art Deco Frame by Julia Lucas Designs
JCS 2005 Christmas Ornament Issue
Stitched with DMC Pearle Cotton and DMC Metallic Thread

This is the ornament that started it all. I was flipping through the JCS 2005 Ornament issue after purchasing it on eBay a while back, and fell in love with this design. My father-in-law had been going through old family photos and scanning them onto the computer. One of the photos he scanned was from their wedding and I knew this ornament would be perfect.

As I've mentioned before, I didn't like the way the original instructions for the ornament called for doing the back, which is when I came up with the idea of making a double sided ornament. I had intended to doing their names and wedding date on the computer in a fancy font, print it out and call it a day. But on a subsequent visit to my in-laws, my mother-in-law brought out a box of loose photos and other wedding memorabilia and talked about some day putting it in an album or scrapbook. One of the items in the box was their actual wedding invitation, and I asked my father-in-law if I could make a copy of it. I *told* him that I was helping our cousin Kerri with her wedding invitations and she was interested in seeing what other family members had done, as I didn't want to explain what my real reason was and ruin the surprise.

When I got the copy home, I played around with it and made a miniature version of their wedding invitation for the back of the ornament:


Oddly enough, looking at the invitation sparked another conversation, as my father-in-law's father's name, Gerard, is misspelled on it. Normally, it wouldn't be a big deal, but since my son's middle name is in honor of his great grandfather, and it's spelled with the "e" on everything from his birth certificate to his announcements to his sampler we stitched, I wanted to make sure we had it spelled correctly. So yes, it was indeed misspelled on their wedding invitations.

But wait... there's more. In another "You must be kidding me" episode, I sent the pictures to be printed at WalMart, and asked my husband to pick them up on his way home from work. He called me from the store and told me the clerk at the photo counter refused to give him the prints because it was copyrighted work and we'd need a release from the photo studio to get the print. I was absolutely furious, and went over to the store myself to speak with the manager. I explained that this wasn't actually a professional photo - it was a snapshot taken by a friend, and I could in fact produce the original snapshot if necessary. And even if it was a professional shot, the photo had been taken forty five years ago - who knew if the studio was even still in business? The manager finally relented and gave me the print, but it cost them my printing business. I now either order the prints online, or get them printed elsewhere. I won't be having any prints done at WalMart, that's for sure.

And on a happier note, the ornament was gifted to my in-laws on Christmas Eve. They were absolutely thrilled with it, and very touched that I had put something together like this for them. I'm so glad they liked it, and it's now hanging front and center on their Christmas tree.

Jungle Baby Birth Record

Jungle Baby by Imaginating
Stitched over 2 on 32 ct. Antique White
with recommended DMC Floss
(name intentionally blurred for privacy)

Believe it or not, I started this piece just before the baby was born, and was working on it while we were down the shore on vacation and his mom was in labor with him. Andrew, or Drew as he is better known, took his own sweet time getting here. It's a good thing he's such a cutie - his mom was in labor for almost two days!

The piece wasn't finished when I got to meet Drew for the first time, but he did get it the day before his six month birthday. (Go me! Usually it takes me a little longer.) We had a lunch date with Drew and his mom the other day, and I handed over the completed piece, as well as his ornament, coming in the next post. Drew seemed to like it, and his mom loved it. She couldn't wait to get it home and put it in his nursery.

My son is 8 months older than Drew, and the difference those eight months make is incredible! I remember holding Drew for the first time a few months ago, looking over at Nick and thinking, "There's no way my Nick was this tiny!" And in a few months, Drew's mom will look at another baby and think the same exact thing. As all you moms know, these little ones grow CRAZY FAST. Drew's a little older now than the last time I saw him, and he's such a cutie. He's got the most adorable chubby little cheeks and big, bright, cheery eyes. So cute!

I'm so pleased with how this came out. I think it's going to look great in Drew's jungle themed nursery (jungle themes seem to be very popular these days). And yes, it is framed in a standard 8x10 frame from the craft store. I've been leaving the glass out for pieces that won't be hung in a high traffic area or somewhere they'll be exposed to things like grease. Since this is going in a baby's nursery, I don't think I'll need to worry about the piece getting too dirty.

Fair and Square Exchange with Lenna

The Huddle by Ink Circles
Stitched by Lenna V

Last week, I received my squares from my exchange partner, Lenna V. Lenna also included a SUPER CUTE tuck pillow with her squares. Lenna's friend makes the pillows, and if you are interested, you can get in touch with her by emailing lrlockley@sbcglobal.net. There is also a phone number on the label that I will be happy to email you.

Lenna also included her signature square.

I love these reindeer, and the pillow will be right at home displayed on our shelves in the living room, next to our Christmas tree. Thank you, Lenna, for a wonderful exchange.

And I'd be remiss if I didn't post a photo of the squares I sent Lenna. I chose a design from the JCS 2008 ornament issue.

Let it Snow by Country Cottage Needleworks
JCS 2008 Ornament Issue
Stitched over 2 on 32 ct. Picture It Plus fabric in Gothic
with my own selection of threads

Once again, the Picture It Plus fabric was an absolute joy to stitch on, though the dark color did make it slightly more difficult. However, the fabric is just lovely and the color is gorgeous. If you have the opportunity to pick up some Picture It Plus fabric, I definitely recommend it.