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...
