A cold, snowy start to the new year...

Happy 2025, everyone! Can you believe we're already into the second week of January? Are you in the midst of the snowy, cold spell that has hit much of the U.S.? Brrr.... At this time of the year, I like to look back at my first posts from previous years to see what I wrote, how I was feeling, etc. I had to laugh at what I posted in 2020. I wrote about hearing a neighbor playing "Auld Lang Syne" on his tuba at the stroke of midnight as 2019 rolled over into 2020 and how it reminded me of my father who played the tuba in the Army band. The last sentence of that first paragraph of my January 2020 post read: "I smiled contentedly as I finally drifted off to sleep in the wee hours of January 1, 2020... it is going to be a good year!" Ha! Boy, did I call that wrong--we all know what 2020 brought our way, don't we?

You just never know what to expect from year to year, do you? Last year was difficult for me and my husband as a number of unexpected health problems reared their ugly heads. I don't think I even mentioned that my husband ended up getting Lyme Disease not once, but twice, did I? And the second time his symptoms were much worse. Thankfully, the antibiotics seem to have taken care of it. My heart tests are ongoing and the echocardiogram that I had in late December did find some issues to "keep an eye on." Nothing horrible, thank goodness, just some things to be aware of. Sigh... I guess that's just part of growing older (but not a part I like!). 

Thank goodness, my stitching continues to be one of the constants in my life. When people talk about "losing their mojo" when it comes to cross stitching, I just can't relate. As I get older, I think I feel the need to stitch every day even more acutely as I know there will come a time when I can't stitch at all. So, I'm trying my best to "stitch all the things" right now! Today, I'd like to share the Christmas gifts that I stitched in 2024 as well as the gifts I received. 

This lovely Nativity scene by Crocette a Gogò from "Christmas Vintage Series #12" was stitched on 40 ct. raw natural Newcastle using a mix of the called for colors and my own selections. I added more snowflakes in place of the wording and finished it as a simple pillow ornament. I loved seeing it displayed with the wooden Nativity scene that was a gift from my mom and may just have to stitch another for myself!

My finish of "Christmas Vintage Series #12: Nativity"from Crocette a Gogò

I actually stitched the next design twice and sent both away for gifts this year (it's also one I've stitched for gifts before). The Prairie Schooler Two-by-Two Deer (from the 1998 Just Cross Stitch Ornament Magazine) is one of my favorites to give. Once again, 40 ct. raw natural Newcastle was used along with the suggested threads. The only color change I made was to use DMC 498 for the red color. I finished this one into a pillow ornament using a green checked fabric at the bottom with just a hint of ecru ric-rak above. Doesn't it look nice hanging from my handsome reindeer model?

Prairie Schooler Two-by-Two Deer finish (chart is in the 1998 Just Cross Stitch Ornament magazine)

I know you'll recognize this Prairie Schooler Santa stitched on black as I've made it many, many times before for stitching friends. It's so tiny and cute stitched "over one" on 25 ct. black Lugana. This is from PS Book No. 51, "Christmas Past." Round finishes are my favorites and I surrounded it with DMC cording in 221 and topped it with a gingham bow and silver bell. I have one just like it on my tree and my friend loved receiving her own!

Yet another finish of this tiny PS Santa from the "Christmas is Past" Book No. 51

My final stitched and gifted ornament for 2024 was this charming two-sided freebie called "Merry Christmas, Mr. Grinch" by Brooke's Books that I made for my 4-year-old grandson. You can find it right here if you want to stitch it yourself. Sadly, the very talented designer, Brooke Nolan, who was so generous with her many free designs, passed away in early December after a battle with cancer at the age of 61. Her obituary and the many heart-felt tributes sent from cross stitchers around the world can be read here. 

I will always think of Brooke when I see Mr. Grinch hanging from my grandson's Christmas tree. Mister B absolutely loves the classic Dr. Seuss book "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" as well as the original Grinch television show so I knew this was a must-stitch for him this year. I still have to stitch the Grinch's poor pup--Max. I used the suggested colors on 14 ct. perforated paper. This was my first time cutting out anything like this, but it worked quite well. The two sides--the "bad" Grinch (on the left) and the "good" Grinch (on the right) are joined together with a thin layer of Aileene's Tacky Glue (thanks for the tip, Stasi!). Notice how his teeny black heart has grown to a lovely plump pink heart once he realizes the true meaning of Christmas in the photo below. Just love it! This will always be a very special ornament for me--thank you for sharing your wonderful designs with us, Brooke. ♥

My grandson loved this clever two-sided Grinch ornament this year.

I also stitched and mailed five greeting cards. I really love stitching cards as the recipient gets a gift of your stitching without the expense of mailing a package. I may be doing more of these in the future! 

A trio of Quaker Snowmen--another freebie from Midnight Stitching which you can find right here--was sent across the pond to three German friends. I changed the colors from red and green to a pretty blue. In this case, I used Gentle Arts "Crystal Lake," DMC 311 and 976, and Anchor 0001 for the threads. All three are stitched on 40 ct. raw natural Newcastle. I thought they looked so cute in the blue aperture cards with a tiny bow glued on below. 

Three cards made using the free "Snowman's Quaker Christmas" chart

And finally, a set of Birds of a Feather "Peace Angels" flew to loving new homes. They were stitched on 40 ct. white Newcastle using a mixture of overdyed and DMC threads. I think most of you know that this "Christmas Angel Ornaments" chart (which contains four angels--you can see my finishes from 2022 here and here) has been recently remastered and released to the public. It can be purchased through Colorado Cross Stitcher's site right here. I'm thrilled to see these sweet designs available again after so many years of being out-of-print. 

A pretty pair of Birds of a Feather "Peace Angel" cards

So, there was a lot of frenzied gift stitching and finishing in December. I tell myself, every year, that I'll stitch gifts throughout the year and not put things off until the end. This year, I did "okay"--I at least stitched four of the above before things got so busy for the holidays. Next year, I aim to do better!

I was blessed with some wonderful gifts in return! Would you like to see? 

From Stasi at Bee-Mused and Bee-Stitching blog, I received this beautifully stitched wall-hanging. I actually hung it on the doorknob in our kitchen and it looked perfect. Love the simple message, too. Thank you, my friend!

From Cindy (@cindyderosa on Instagram) came this adorable beaded Santa ornament. Love the colors and beautiful beaded detail in this one. Thank you, my friend!

Robin in Virginia sent this charming Christmas sweater ornament (design by Lila's Studio) in my favorite blue colors. Such gorgeous stitching and finishing and I love that cute cardinal perched on the chubby snowman. Thank you, my friend!

June, over at Butterfly Wings blog sent a sweet card with a tiny angel pin, some finishing supplies, a cute Santa chart, a navy blue owl towel, and some yummy chocolates. Such a lovely box of goodies! Thank you, my friend!

 Vickie over at A Stitcher's Story blog, gifted me this tiny ornament with the word "Believe" stitched 'over one' along with a little tag explaining the true meaning of Christmas. She was able to make it flat enough to fit into a regular sized envelope to cut down on mailing costs--so clever! Thank you, my friend!

From Cindy C. (@cindycstitches on Instagram), came this cheery vintage looking piece mounted on a little paddle. She had it wrapped inside the hollow book box on the left--so cute! Love both and they will have a prominent place in my Christmas decorating each year. Thank you, my friend!

 

And a trio of lovely cards from three friends in Germany. Left to right: Manuela at Manuela's Flowergarden blog sent the sweet bird feeder card. Gabi made a beautiful red cardinal for me knowing my love of those wonderful red birds. And on the right, Martina from Mein-allerlei-hobby blog sent a lovely blue ornament . I may make these into tiny ornaments for my tree. Thank you, my friends!

I feel very honored to have these special pieces so lovingly stitched by friends from around the world! Thank you all so very much--and thank you to those of you who sent Christmas cards my way as well... I just love receiving an old-fashioned Christmas card. When I moved my twelve 2024 ornaments from my stairway garland to my tree, I replaced them with the wonderful creations my friends have stitched for me over many, many years.

So many memories of friendships--both old and new.

Thank you to stitching friends, both past and present for gifting me your little works of love over the years--they all mean so much to me! As do each of you!

Over on Instagram, I am hosting the fifth annual ornament-a- month stitch along. If you are interested in joining in--just post your ornament using #12in25ornamentstitchalong on Instagram so that everyone will be sure to see it. It's a great group of stitchers that has really caught on internationally. Lots of stitchers from Spain, France, and England began posting last year. Hope to see you there, too! 

Christmas was very quiet here as I knew it would be. We did FaceTime with my grandson who delighted in showing us all the Spiderman themed gifts he received. When I commented that he must have been a very good boy for Santa to have brought all those gifts, he grew very quiet. He looked away, placed a finger on his chin, and thoughtfully replied "I think Santa just didn't see me when I was being bad." Too cute! Oh, how I missed him... Thankfully, we were invited to lunch on Christmas Day by my middle son's girlfriend's mother. She prepared a wonderful turkey dinner and I brought the desserts: a pumpkin roll (that I made using this recipe on YouTube by Preppy Kitchen) and this tasty flourless chocolate cake with chocolate glaze. It's so easy, yet looks quite elegant with the confectioner's sugar sprinkled over a doily. When I served it, I added an arrangement of raspberries in the middle. I've made this many times before and it is always a hit!

A decadent chocolate cake made for Christmas lunch.

To cheer myself up while missing my family before Christmas, I bought myself a little Christmas gift. These tiny felted mice certainly brought a big smile when I opened the package... Aren't they sweet? I have a red and white decor in my kitchen at Christmas time and they fit right in. For me, it's the simple things in life which bring the most happiness. 

I love little felted animals and couldn't resist buying this quintet as a gift for myself. I just noticed that that poor little mouse girl on the right looks more like a hippo, doesn't she :)

Because Christmas wasn't the best this year, I actually took all of my decorations--tree and all--down on December 26th. I have never done that in my life. But, it felt good to have everything tucked up into the attic and the house all cleaned up, ready for a new year. I truly can't wait for next Christmas when everyone is here--it will be extra special! 

Well, that's it--the first post of 2025 done and dusted! The next time I check in, I'll be entering another decade. Yes, my 70th birthday will be here in just nine days. On what is almost always the coldest month of the year (and is surely that this year as we aren't getting out of the 20s any time soon), I'll be saying farewell to my sixties and hello to my 70s. I hope and pray that it will be a happy, healthy decade for me! Take care now, my friends. Bye for now...

Merry Christmas Eve, Eve!

Well, are you ready? I am, because our Christmas will be very simple and quiet this year. With my sons all visiting their significant others' families for Christmas, it will just be me and my husband. We have been invited to lunch on Christmas Day with my middle son's girlfriend's family (who live about 40 minutes away) so that will be a nice treat. I'm making the desserts for their lunch--a pumpkin roll and a flourless chocolate cake. I've made both before so, hopefully, all will go well when I attempt to bake them tomorrow! 

I've been wanting to take some photos of my tree, but the weather has not been cooperating! We got about four or five inches of snow over the weekend and my sunroom is so blindingly white from the reflection that it has made picture taking difficult. Not that I'm complaining! I'm thrilled to have snow and finally have a white Christmas after a string of green ones. Anyway... here are some photos--at night and during the day. Hope you enjoy my tree filled with over 200 cross stitched ornaments--lots of time and patience and love has gone into making each one.

Since we are going to be alone this year, I didn't get many of my decorations out. However, I did make sure to put up my cross stitch tree! Can't have those little beauties stuck in their under-the-bed box for another whole year without seeing the light of day, can I? It's a lot of work putting up even that one tree, but I've so enjoyed sitting in the evening with the fireplace lit and just relaxing by the glow of the tree.

Just look out the windows--can  you see all the snow covering the ground and the tree branches?

I just love the ornaments from the Little House Needleworks Hometown Series and need to get back to stitching them in 2025.

I grouped my sweet stitched angels together this year.

I scattered my many Prairie Schooler Santas throughout the tree, but a good bunch of them seems to be gathering in this spot!

As you can see, my ornament stitching is quite eclectic.

I need to stitch more tiny ornaments for the very top of the tree.

The view from our sunroom into the family room where we spend most of our time. My stitching chair is right behind that wicker basket on the right.

The view from our kitchen into the sunroom.

All is calm... all is bright

So, do you have snow where you are? For those of you who don't, I thought you'd enjoy a few photos to view from the warmth of your home. I really don't mind the snow at my age because I no longer have to venture out into the icy cold and treacherous roads for work. I actually enjoy sitting inside and watching it fall. 

The snow was coming down so quickly, we could barely see the house across the street!

This is the view out to our pond from one of the upstairs windows.

One of my favorite things about snow is how well the red cardinals show up against it. Can you also spot the more muted female cardinal in the upper left branch?

I just want to take a moment to thank all of you who visit my blog and leave such nice comments. I don't always have the time to thank each of you personally, but I so appreciate your support and friendship! Next month, I'll be entering my 17th year of blogging--can you believe it? Thoughts of stopping come and go more and more often as I age, but for now, I'm still hanging in there! Not sure if I'll be back until 2025, so, if not, I wish each of you a blessed Christmas and a new year filled with good health, happy times, and lots of stitching. Thank you again for being here! Bye for now...

Wishing each of you a peaceful Christmas!

♪♫♪ Noel, Noel ♪♫♪

Well, I'm back with one last finish for 2024--and it's probably my biggest! May I present the lovely "Noel Sampler" by With Thy Needle and Thread. Now, I'm not much of a sampler stitcher, but this one really caught my eye with that beautiful red house, the noble looking deer, and the tiny figures. It is stitched on 40 ct. porcelain Newcastle linen with most of the suggested threads. I love that this piece used only DMC threads! I did darken up some of the snowflakes and made a few of the letters either darker or lighter than charted so they would show up better on my chosen linen. 

"Noel Sampler" designed by With Thy Needle and Thread

Don't you love a nice red house at Christmas time?

The main change I made to this finish, was to stitch an entire family down at the bottom left instead of just a man and woman. I chose to stitch three little boys instead of the trees that were charted to represent my three sons. No, they're not triplets--I just made them the same size because it was easier :) Today, as young men of 42, 39, and 36, they are all about the same height with my middle son being just a bit taller than his brothers. I did give them hair color to represent each, though--the oldest has the darkest hair, the middle the lightest, and the youngest has hair in a nice shade of brown.  I also chose to stitch our dear all black cat, Shadow, instead of the dog that was charted. Shadow was my sons' steadfast companion for 14 years and such an integral part of our daily lives and holidays. He was a huge guy weighing in at 20 pounds--not overweight, just giant! The veterinarian once told me he could double as a black panther if anyone was making a movie.

My little family. I was the only girl--even the cat was male!

Below is a collage of three photos from the early 1990s  of my three boys with their beloved Shadow cat. 

Such wonderful memories of Christmas in the early '90s!

I truly love how this sampler turned out and hope to have it professionally framed. It may actually stay up on my wall year-round... We'll see! Do any of you leave out Christmas stitching all year? It seems a shame to put these big pieces away for eleven months of the year after all that hard work. 

As you know, this was the year of my plan to stitch some larger pieces for Christmas in addition to the small ornaments that I'm usually sharing with you. I'm happy to say that I finished five larger pieces this year! Would you like a recap? If you'd like more information on what fabric or threads were used, just click on the title for each one.

"REINDEER GAMES"

In April, I finished "Reindeer Games" by Erica Michaels. Such a fun and unique design!

"CHRISTMAS IS COMING"

In May, I completed "Christmas is Coming" by Shakespeare's Peddler. I just love stitching words so this one was a real treat.

"SANTA STOPS HERE"

August brought the darling "Santa Stops Here" by With Thy Needle and Thread. The colors and charming house made this one a joy to stitch!

"GLAD TIDINGS"

And in November, I finished "Glad Tidings" by The Drawn Thread. The silk threads I used added such depth to the color in this piece.

So, which one is your favorite? Oh, this is a hard choice for me, I truly love them all! Two are quite whimsical, two are very classic, and the fifth is just plain sweet. However, those darling stocking-capped birds in the Drawn Thread "Glad Tidings" finish have captured my heart so I'll pick that one. Now to get them finished and up on my wall by next Christmas. Wish me luck! You all know I'm a terrible procrastinator when it comes to framing pieces. 

Seven days left until Christmas... I can hardly believe it. I still haven't sent out cards and also have shopping to do. But, because we'll be having a belated Christmas celebration with my grandson in January (he'll be in Texas with his mom's side of the family on Christmas Day), I feel like I have a bit more time on my side. Tomorrow, I will work on my cards and finish decorating my tree. I'm finally getting my energy back after that prolonged virus--almost three weeks of feeling yukky. Thank you all so much for your well wishes in my last post. It sounds like this virus is making the rounds in all parts of the U.S. and I hope it's gone for good soon! Anyway, thank you so very much for stopping by during this busy time of year--I do love hearing from you. Take care now, my friends. I'll be back one last time before Christmas. Bye for now...

2024 Parade of Ornaments!

Can you believe it's time for yet another Parade of Ornaments here at Stitching Dreams? It seems like the 2023 parade just marched past, doesn't it? This marks the 15th annual parade on my blog--amazing! It's a gloomy, rainy day here in western Pennsylvania, but I'm hoping the sight of the colorful ornaments that I've stitched over the past year will brighten my day (and yours!). The Grand Marshall (that would be me :) is, unfortunately, a bit "under the weather." For two weeks now, I've been battling a very persistent cold/flu type of illness and just when I think it's gone, it returns. I guess it's about time that I make an appointment with my doctor. But, I'll at least push through and get this posted before settling into my stitching chair  for some quiet time. 

I hope you'll enjoy the 2024 parade... sit back, relax, and make a note of your favorite ornament as each one marches by. I always enjoy hearing about which one you liked best. So, without further ado... cue the music and let's get started!

The 2024 "Parade of Ornaments"

What's that you say? The ornaments are a bit too small to see clearly? How about if I zoom in for you...

January ~ March 2024

April ~ June 2024

July ~ September 2024

October ~ December 2024

 

Once again, my love for all Prairie Schooler designs is clear--five of the twelve ornaments are PS! They are just such classics... A bit like old friends--so comfortable and easy with those reliable DMC colors that always look like the cover photos. Honestly, I'm tired of purchasing overdyed threads and seeing that, when they arrive, they look nothing like the colors on the actual charts. I have no local needlework shop so I have to order everything online and I feel like I've spent a lot of money on overdyeds that I end up not using because of the color differences. How about you? Give me a good old Prairie Schooler DMC charted piece any day!

If you'd like more information on any of my monthly finishes, just click on the title of it below the photo and the link will take you to my post with information about fabrics and threads for each one. 

 JANUARY

"Christmas Card" by Crocette a Gogò

 FEBRUARY

"Christmas Green Chic" by Crocette a Gogò

MARCH

"First Snow" by Annie Beez Folk Art

APRIL

"Avery's Cycling Santa" by Homespun Elegance

MAY

2024 Prairie Schooler Annual Santa

JUNE

"Santa Please Bring Me" by Homespun Elegance

JULY

"Birds and Snowflakes: Chickadee" from Just Cross Stitch Magazine (February 2020 issue)

AUGUST

"Gathering Holly" by Annie Beez Folk Art

SEPTEMBER

1995 Prairie Schooler Annual Santa

 

OCTOBER

"Songs of the Season: Deck the Halls" by Prairie Schooler

NOVEMBER

"A Merry Mini Surprise" by Prairie Schooler

DECEMBER

"A Merry Mini Surprise" by Prairie Schooler

So, did you choose a favorite (or two)? Mine is February's gingerbread boy--I just love his sweet expression and the rusty jingle bells at the bottom. That Merry Christmas ornament from January is right up near the top, though. I really do love ornaments stitched on black! I always have people telling me they look forward to this post and to my Christmas tree (which I don't even have decorated yet!) and I'm happy that my little monthly ornaments can provide some inspiration. This was the fourth year that I've led the monthly ornament stitch along on Instagram and it's been such fun meeting many new stitchers from around the world. Perhaps you'd like to give it a try and join us in 2025? Just use the #12in25ornamentstitchalong to tag your ornament finishes on Instagram so we can all enjoy them--hope to see you there!

For even more inspiration, you may want to click on the following years for past ornament parades: 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, and 2010. Whew! That adds up to a lot of ornaments over the past 15 years, doesn't it? And during my very first year of blogging, I was actually stitching an ornament a week (although not all Christmas ornaments--just ornament-sized things). You may want to go back and look at that year, too, by clicking here: 2009. 

Such a soft, pretty glow in our hallway at night

A final look at the 2024 dozen

I will soon be moving my monthly ornaments on my stairway garland to my Christmas tree and replacing them with ornaments that I've received over the years from stitching friends. For you long-time parade watchers, you probably noticed a big change in the background of my photos above... no more red dining room! Yes, after a decade of "talking" about painting it, we finally got it done in March (well, when I say "we," I mean my sweet husband). Now, to be honest, I do miss it--but only at Christmas time. I absolutely love the soft blue-gray color (called "Zero Gravity" by Behr) that we chose--we also painted our guest room that same color.  It really lightened up the dining room and makes it feel so much bigger! I still need some sort of window treatment and art work, but I like to take my time in choosing those things.  Here is a glimpse into the dining room from the front hall.

A peek into my newly painted dining room...

And here is a photo of it that I took in March right after we painted it the soft blue/gray color...

Nothing like a freshly painted room to lift your spirits!

The old dining room color was great for Christmas, but I only liked it that one time of the year. It was just always so dark in there! This is what it used to look like...

Before: pretty, but very dark! The older I get, the more I need light colors in my life.

How about you? Do you have any big painting/remodeling/decorating projects lined up for 2025? We'd like to paint over all the yellow walls (that you see in the hallway and up the stairs) with a soft beige color. Painting up the stairs will be something we'll have to hire someone to tackle--no way do I want my husband attempting something like that! 

Our Thanksgiving was fine, but since I was sick, I pretty much just pushed through and couldn't really relax and enjoy the holiday. We had 14 guests and by the time the day was over I had totally lost my voice! In fact, it didn't return for three full days! Poor little Mister B just didn't understand why his Nonna couldn't talk to him... It's still not quite back to normal so I guess I'd better give in and go to the doctor.

Since we had fewer people than normal, we had Thanksgiving in the kitchen this year rather than moving everything out of the sunroom like we have in years past. It was a bit crowded, but much easier on our old bones since we didn't have to move all that heavy furniture.

These pretty fall flowers were a gift from my oldest son and daughter-in-law

Yum... Just some of our Thanksgiving meal: turkey, gravy, stuffing, mashed potatoes, carrot  soufflé , green bean casserole, corn casserole, pumpkin cranberry bread, applesauce mini-muffins, fruit salad, and strawberry pretzel salad. For dessert I made a selection of cookies and a pumpkin and pecan pie, but forgot to photograph them.

The one thing about being sick is that my appetite isn't the greatest--no weight gain for me over the holidays this year! At least so far :)  I hope you are all staying healthy during this busy, busy time of year. I still haven't sent a single card, decorated my tree, or baked a batch of cookies. And not a single present has been purchased except for my grandson... But, that's okay--I'll just do what I can and leave it at that. Wishing you all an enjoyable countdown to Christmas. And thank you, as always for your very kind comments and emails. Take care, my friends! Bye for now...