Leaping Into The New Year

The clock is ticking down for 2010, and with 2011 in view, I've decided to make The Prairie Schooler's 12 Days of Santa my big stitching project for the year. I didn't actually decide this until I started stitching #10, shown below. I love all 12 of these designs and think they will make a wonderful wall hanging when all put together.

I am using a very striking red thread from Victorian Motto that was sent to me by the thoughtful Marie P. I plan to do all the santas with this thread. I've got a supply of my favorite needles handy thanks to my pal Vonna who sent a pack of my favorite brand and size. I even feel like I could stitch in a Parisian cafe thanks to my very special friend Arcadia who gave me the lovely scissor and fob you see in the picture below. She sent me some other lovely gifts which I plan to share with you in my next post.

Earlier last week, I found a package in my mailbox with this lovely ornament from Carol. It is from The Prairie Schooler's A Prairie Year. It is just the loveliest ornament and I can't stop admiring how elegant it is! Thanks again Carol. I look forward to having it on my tree for years to come.

This next lovely ornament came from the talented hands of Robin. It graced my doorstep on Christmas Eve and made me smile with its sweet simplicity, beautiful shape, and sparkly trim. Thank you again Robin!

Happy New Year everyone!

Merry Christmas everyone! Here is a collection of the ornaments I've sent out as gifts this year. I'm so happy that they've all arrived to their respective recipients just in time for Christmas day. Click on the image below to see them in complete detail.



Thanks for stopping by, and have a Merry Christmas.

A Combined Effort

I put the final stitches into this piece just last week. I started this back in August when we were on vacation in the Philippines. I knew at that time that it would be for Justine's boyfriend's family. They enjoy skiing and what more of an excuse did I need to stitch the 2010 annual Prairie Scooler Santa?

Last night, Justine and her boyfriend stopped by for dinner. He's been visiting in the area but is soon on his way back to Southern California to join his family for the holidays. The time was NOW to do the finishing on my gift.

Justine is much better at sewing than I am and she wanted part of the gift to be her effort, so she did the finishing on it. By the time she was done I was already in bed, but she knew that I would want a picture of the finish. Here it is for you to enjoy too.


(click the picture for a closer view)
Thanks so much for visiting.

Gifts For and From

It was my friend Nicola's birthday the other day and we did a birthday exchange this year. Here is the gift that I
made for her.



This design is from The Prairie Schooler's alphabet series. I mounted it atop a wooden box which I stained.

I received a lovely e-mail from Nicola telling me she really liked the gift. I'm so happy that it got to her in time to add a little more joy to her special day!



This is the ornament that I stitched for her Christmas gift; it's another Prairie Schooler design. This one is from the Old World Santas Leaflet.

Besides sending gifts to my friends, I have also received some really sweet ones from special people.

This first sweet ornament is from the very talented Myra. I just loved the elegant Victorian look of this little skate. The blade is creatively fashioned from a piece of wire. I thought the way Myra shared it on her blog was beautiful. I was really touched when a little package appeared in my mailbox last week bearing this delicate little keepsake. Thanks again Myra! It is really a charmer and it will be treasured every year when I hang it up.



This next stitched beauty is from the sweetest lady I know, BeckySC
When Becky posted this little pillow to her blog, I commented how much I loved it because of the color combination of red and green. I was really touched when it came to my house last week.



Thank you everyone who has made my Christmas holiday a very special one this year!

Happy Holidays,