2023 Parade of Ornaments

Greetings! And a warm welcome to the Stitching Dreams annual parade of ornaments! Can you believe this is the 14th year of the parade? Every year when I share my twelve newest little creations with you, I am so proud to have accomplished this. To be honest, as I get older my stitching has slowed down--I noticed that this year in the little notebook where I record my finishes. But, for some reason, I still get a little thrill with each ornament finish... Amazing at how something that small can be so rewarding. It's helped that I have so many wonderful stitchers who are now stitching an ornament a month with me over on Instagram (#12in23ornamentstitchalong). Is anyone in for 2024? I'm not going anywhere and still plan on stitching a little treasure each month. 

So, who's ready for the parade? It's a cloudy December day here for parade watching, but I'm hoping the dozen entries into the 2023 parade will brighten all of our days. So relax, sit back, and enjoy. And as you watch, keep track of your favorite ornament--I'd love to know which one you like best in the comments!

2023 "Parade of Ornaments"

And yes... I still have that red dining room! How many years have I been talking about painting it? Although I love the color this time of year, it makes the room very dark and the older I get the more I crave light and bright. So perhaps, next year, there will be a new backdrop for the parade? I've actually purchased the paint so that's a step in the right direction. Now to get to work and get it painted after Christmas is over! That cute red and white snowflake rug was purchased on sale at Target this year for less than $10! I love it--it's just so cheery!

I'll zoom in on the parade for you as I know the above photo is a bit small. 

January ~ March 2023

April ~ June 2023

July ~ September 2023

October ~ December 2023

It's funny, I didn't think I had stitched many Prairie Schooler designs this year, but it turns out that five out of the twelve are PS: February, March, April, November, and December. As always, I'd love to hear what your favorite is. For me, it's a tie between my December ornament and my May ornament. What's that you say--you'd like a closer look at each so you can really decide? Well, here you go...  (You can click on the name of the ornament under each month to be taken to the post containing more information on each one).

JANUARY

With Thy Needle and Thread: "Rudolph & Friends"

FEBRUARY

Prairie Schooler: "A Merry Mini Surprise" Skating Santa

 

MARCH

Prairie Schooler: "Angels" Angel of Plenty

 

APRIL

Prairie Schooler: "Old World Santas"

MAY

TraLaLa: "Christmas Day"

JUNE

Jeannette Douglas: "Noel Stamp"

JULY

Heart In Hand: "A Very Merry Christmas"

AUGUST

Lila's Studio: "Spirit of Christmas, Set 2"

SEPTEMBER

The Victoria Sampler: "Merry Christmas 2012"

OCTOBER

The Trilogy: "Secret Snowdrift"

 NOVEMBER

Prairie Schooler: 2012 Annual Santa

 DECEMBER

Prairie Schooler: "O Christmas Tree"

So, which one do you like the most? As you can see, my taste is quite eclectic. I love the little pillow finishes the most, but round and oval finishes are also among my favorites. I'm honored that so many of you have told me that my ornaments have inspired you--both here on my blog and on Instagram. I hope that you'll take the time to browse through my past parades and, perhaps, find even more inspiration! You can simply click on each year and be taken directly to the post that has information on that year. If you count them all up, including this years, that is 168 different ornaments. Of course I've stitched more over the years, but these are the ones featured in my parades since 2011. Enjoy! 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, and 2010. I also stitched an ornament-sized piece a week (not all Christmas themed, though) in 2009 when I began blogging. If you'd like to browse through that year, you can click right here: 2009

My little red and white Santa keeps guard over my parade again this year. I'm curious to see how this little display holds up when my 3-year-old grandson visits over Christmas ;-)

This little Santa watches over the parade each year.

Here is one last look at the 2023 ornament collection...

A final look at my 2023 dozen

I'll be transferring these new ornaments to my Christmas tree very soon and replacing them on my stair garland with ornaments received from friends over the years. Friends from all over the world will be represented and I love seeing their special gifts each year. It always reminds me of our special friendship and of the wonderful online stitching community we are blessed with. A special thank you to all who have sent me ornaments over the years--I treasure each one.

I hope everyone is enjoying the countdown to Christmas--just a bit more than two weeks until the big day! I still need to get my cards sent out and some presents purchased. I'm also excited to start my baking next week although I won't be baking as much as normal because everyone seems to be on some sort of diet or other these days. Not me--my motto is everything in moderation year-round! Enjoy your weekend everyone! Bye for now... 

Thankful for life's simple things

Happy Thanksgiving week to all of my friends here in the United States! I'm sure those of you who are hosting the feast on Thursday are busy shopping for ingredients, prepping what you can in advance, cleaning the house, and crossing things off your to-do list. I have to admit that I've relished the extra time I've had this year without any obligations at all for Thanksgiving. I've spent time bringing  Christmas decorations down from the attic, organizing card lists, planning menus, and even buying a few presents. I'm hoping that by the time December rolls around, I'll be able to just sit back and enjoy the beauty of this special season. Without a doubt, this is the earliest I've begun preparing for Christmas. How about you? Are you holding off until after Thanksgiving (as I usually do) or have you begun checking things off your list of holiday tasks? Or are you one of those rare people who have everything already done?

Before I get to my stitching, I just want to take a few moments to thank all of you who left supportive comments or took the time to send an email urging me to keep on blogging. Some of your comments left me a bit teary-eyed and all touched my heart. It wasn't just that one horrid comment that I received that has me thinking about signing off... there are many things that have been bothering me over the past year. January 2024 will mark 15 years of blogging for me--pretty good I'd say, as I've seen many blogs come and go during that time. But, I'm tired of adjusting to the changes to the Blogger format, fed-up with how difficult they've made it to comment on certain blogs (including mine I'm told!), and just kind of worn out. I'm getting older--I begin my last year in my 60's in two months.  For now, I'll keep going, but there will come a time when I'll say adieu and I promise--absolutely promise--that I will let you know and say a proper goodbye. 

I've never been this far behind in my monthly Christmas ornament challenge! But, I'm almost caught up and I thought you'd enjoy seeing my two latest cuties. For September (yes! I'm that far behind!), I stitched "Merry Christmas 2012" by The Victoria Sampler. This is one of the charts that can be found in the 2012 Just Cross Stitch Ornament issue (on page 71). It is stitched on 28 ct. dove gray Monaco with DMC threads. Although there wasn't a ton of stitching involved, this one was not my favorite to stitch... Do you see all those tiny reindeer and the sled carrying Santa? All are stitched over one. I love the final effect, though, and the sweet snowy town that they are flying over. To make it an oval finish, I added many more snowflakes. I like the blue checked backing fabric--it's nice to have an ornament now and then that doesn't scream red or green, don't you think?

"Merry Christmas 2012" from the 2012 Just Cross Stitch ornament issue

 

October brought yet another blue ornament and one I've wanted to stitch for many years. Just recently, a friend lent me her chart so I was finally able to check that one off my list. This is an older design by The Trilogy called "Secret Snowdrift." It's stitched on 40ct. woodland brown Newcastle using a variety of overdyed threads and DMC. I just love the six snowmen being blown about by the swirling snow--and check out those two little penguins peeking out! Adorable! This originally came out in kit form and I believe you can still purchase it. There is a lot going on in this piece so I kept the finish simple--the back is a blue flannel material from one of my son's old shirts and the blue cording is tied in a simple bow at the top. I also added a silver snowflake charm for a bit of sparkle. What do you think?

My finish of "Secret Snowdrift" by The Trilogy

Here are my September and October ornaments all ready for my tree... Just two more to go--can I finish by December? Yes... I... Can!

September and October ornaments for 2023

 

Since we aren't hosting Thanksgiving this year, I only put out a portion of my Thanksgiving stitching for a small display. The sideboard next to my kitchen table is perfect as we get to enjoy these pieces while eating our meals. I already posted these next photos on Instagram and some were surprised that this was just a "portion" of my Thanksgiving stitching. Yes, I only put out the easily accessed pieces this year--the ones I keep in an old dresser drawer in one of my guest bedrooms. The others are in boxes piled high in a closet and I was simply to lazy to get them out this month :)

Thanksgiving display for 2023

How about some close-ups? If you have any questions as to what the names of certain designs are, you can go to this post last year where I named all of my Thanksgiving pieces. Links are provided to each finish so you can learn more details. 

My favorite piece is the large Prairie Schooler turkey in the brown frame.

So, tell me... do you have a favorite? Mine is that classic Prairie Schooler turkey surrounded by the fall leaves  the last photo. I just love him! But, that tiny pouch stitched on black is a close second. Do you stitch for Thanksgiving? I try to do a piece or two each year, but, unfortunately, wasn't able to add to my collection this year.

Although we aren't hosting Thanksgiving, my husband and I were both craving pumpkin pie! That is a must-have for the two of us each year--along with pecan pie. But, I'll let you in on a little secret--I hate pie crust! I hate the taste of it and hate making it even more! I've never had a pie crust that I like and often leave most of it on my plate and only eat the inside of a pie. But, I've found a perfect solution--a crustless pumpkin pie! And a delicious one at that... It was so easy and saved so much time (and aggravation!) when compared to rolling out and transferring a tender pie crust into the baking tin. I found the recipe on the site "Cupcakes & Kale Chips" right here. I know this will become my new go-to for holiday desserts; in fact, I plan on making it again for Christmas! Give it a try and let me know what you think...

A yummy crustless pumpkin pie and an older (2005!) fall finish: Bent Creek's "Leaf"

I think you know by now that it's the simple things in life that I treasure... time with my dear family, a good book, the way the sunlight plays in autumn, a piece of music that moves me to tears, the smell of something yummy baking in the oven, the feel of the fabric as my needle and thread weave tiny x's while I sit quietly stitching. When we visited my little grandson earlier this month, I enjoyed another of life's simple things--something I hadn't done in many, many years: jumping in a big pile of freshly raked leaves. I think you can tell from the smiles on our faces how much joy this simple act brought us all. 

One of life's simple pleasures: jumping in the leaves with my sweet grandson

So, look for the simple things in life--they're all around you and bound to bring a smile to your day. I wish each of my U.S. friends a blessed Thanksgiving with friends and family. Through all the discord and disasters and discontent that the world has experienced lately, we still have much to be grateful for right here in our own back yards. And, as always, I'm so very thankful for the friendship of my fellow stitchers over the years. Whether a new reader or one of my oldest friends, I appreciate each of you. Bye for now...

Mister B (that tiny speck in blue in the lower left corner!) flying a kite on a beautiful autumn afternoon in Maryland

Chirp, Gobble, Quack!

Good morning all! Thanksgiving is almost here! Are you ready? This year we'll be heading to Ohio for the day to celebrate with my husband's family. Can you tell I've been relatively stress-free having a year "off?" Oh, I'm still making the pies, a cookie tray, the pumpkin-cranberry bread, and the strawberry-pretzel "salad," but it is such a welcome relief not to be the hostess. None of that exhausting pre-feast cleaning and set-up that accompanies all the shopping and cooking. What are your plans this year?

Somehow, all of my stitching lately has been bird-related! I didn't plan that, but well, I do love our little (and-not-so-little) feathered friends. The first finish I'd like to share with you today is my ornament for September (yes, September--I'm way behind on my monthly ornament challenge, but I will get it done!). This is from the 2013 Just Cross Stitch Ornament issue and is called "Baby Cardinal" by The Victoria Sampler. I do believe it is the tiniest ornament I've ever made...

 The Victoria Sampler's "Baby Cardinal"

The stitched portion measures only about 1¼ inches square so it made a perfect piece to finish as a flat mounted ornament (you can follow Vonna's very helpful tutorial right here). I think this is stitched on a 28 ct. dirty linen (it was one of those mystery scraps that seem to accumulate in my fabric cupboard). I used a mixture of DMC and overdyeds and since I didn't have the tiny star that was called for, I improvised my own star in pale yellow. I also made the baby cardinal's tail longer. Isn't he sweet?

Baby Cardinal ornament

My next finish was the first La D Da piece I've ever stitched! I've had "O Birdy" in my stash for a while and decided it was high time I brought him to life. I love the colors in this piece--so rich and autumnal. This majestic looking fellow is stitched on 40 ct. creme brulee fabric using DMC threads. Don't you love his purple plume? I'll be framing this one (some day!).

"O Birdy" finish

My other two birdy stitches were both for birthday gifts... For my friend Shirlee, who celebrated her birthday in October, I stitched this La D Da piece called "Yellow Bird." Yellow? Yellow? Well, obviously I changed the color! The pretty green silk is by Dinky Dyes and is called "Sea Grass." I loved stitching with silk--another first for me! I added Shirlee's initials to make it into a little pinkeep for her to sit on a shelf or actually use for pins. She is another bird lover so I thought this would be a perfect gift...

 "Yellow Bird" (in green!)

And remember when I told you I stitched two of the Shepherd's Bush "Give Thanks" last month, but only showed you one? Well, that's because the second one was for a gift. One of my fellow Pennsylvania friends,  Mary, celebrated her birthday earlier this month and this one went to her. Here is the larger of the two I created on 40 ct. flax Newcastle using the suggested threads. I made him into one of my little pillows so Mary can display him on a mantle or bookshelf.

 Shepherd's Bush "Give Thanks"

I thought you might enjoy seeing the difference stitching something "over one" versus "over two" makes in a piece. Here are both of them together... Barb won my giveaway for the "over one" turkey and reports that he has safely landed in Washington State. And, guess what?! I stitched a third one, too, but since the intended recipient hasn't received it yet, I'll show you that version in my next post...

 Shepherd's Bush "Give Thanks" finishes

I found some photos that I took over the past few months of the feathered friends who have visited our yard and thought you might enjoy them. My husband surprised me one day by bringing home a new hummingbird feeder (our old one seemed to have mysteriously disappeared into the black hole that we call our garage attic!). It didn't take the little hummers long to find a new and plentiful source of food--I think we had some visiting the very next day. Of course, they are gone now that the cold weather has settled in, but we so enjoyed seeing them flit around right outside our kitchen window this summer.

Once the cold weather appeared and the hummingbirds headed south, we put up a thistle feeder. The goldfinches enjoyed feasting for a while before they, too, left for warmer climates.

Even though it has cooled off, we still get visits from these sweet chickadees. They stay around all winter and certainly brighten up the landscape.

And just look at this big old turkey trying to steal the food of the tinier birds! My husband saw a whole flock of them out there, but by the time I ran and got my camera, this lonely fellow was the only one left. (I had to take the photo through the glass window so please excuse the glare).

I've saved the biggest and best bird for last! In September and October the city of Pittsburgh had the honor of becoming the first city in the United States to host the famous  giant 40 foot rubber duck! They had to design him a bit shorter than normal to fit under our many bridges. The duck, designed by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman, has now visited over a dozen cities around the world and has brought smiles to young and old. Of course, we had to go see him and I can't begin to describe the atmosphere--there were just happy people everywhere grinning ear-to-ear at the sight of this giant yellow bird bobbing up and down in the waters of the Allegheny River. What a brilliant idea the artist had--something so simple, yet so appealing to people of all ages! I'll leave you with a few pictures (you can click them for a better look) we took that day--I still smile when I think about that sweet duck!

The giant rubber duck invades

 Pittsburgh in September 2013.

Doesn't his face just "quack you up!?"

A view of the duck at Point State Park from 

the North Shore of the Allegheny River.

The Pittsburgh city skyline brightened by a duck!

Well, that's it for this week! I want to wish each of you a wonderful Thanksgiving with your families on Thursday. I can hardly wait until our family is complete again and my youngest son (whom I haven't seen in almost three months) arrives home from Washington, DC for a few days. Lots of catching up and laughing about old family memories will ensue, I'm sure! I love it when all three of my sons are together teasing each other and joking together as we sit around the kitchen table.  I'll be back in December with my final three ornament finishes--I promise! Bye for now... 

 WISHING YOU A DELIGHTFUL

THANKSGIVING DAY!

May Blooms

Good morning, my stitching friends! I hope all of you here in the U.S. enjoyed a relaxing and fun-filled Memorial Day weekend. I was so happy to have my youngest son home from Washington, DC. for four days--I hadn't seen him since early February, so it was the first time all five of us had been together in nearly four months. How I enjoy watching my three now grown "boys" together--they always have me in stitches with their antics, teasing, funny songs, and family jokes. In between visiting with them and cooking and cooking and cooking (I'd forgotten how much food four males can put away!!), I did manage to put the finishing touches on my bowl of May smalls...

May Blooms

First up, is Bent Creek's "May Blooms" which looks nothing like the original which you can see here. Do you ever work backward and pick your colors based on how you want to finish a piece? Well, that's exactly what I did with this one. I had this gorgeous piece of blue and yellow fabric which I wanted to use for the finish so I chose my thread colors based on that... It is stitched on 40 ct. white Newcastle linen using a variety of blue and yellow overdyed threads from my stash. I finished it into a flat-mounted ornament and tied some pretty yellow cording around it to finish it off. You all know blue and yellow is my favorite color combination, so you can imagine how happy I am with this finish!

Nest Under the Flowers freebie

My next finish, is a freebie called "Nid Sour les Fleurs" (Nest Under the Flowers) from the wonderful blog Le Chalet des Perelles which can be seen right here. The chart can be obtained by emailing a request to its talented designer, Cathy. (Look in the right sidebar under "Contactez l'auteur" to send an email to her.) This one is stitched with DMC on 40 ct. raw natural Newcastle linen. I seem to be stitching a lot on 40 ct. lately--it seems so much easier because you just have to use one thread and there are no worries about the threads getting twisted. This one is finished up as a small pillow and accented with a ruched ribbon made of dusty blue satin...so sweet.

Buttercup Sampler

The flowery finish which was my next choice to be included in my May bowl, is "Buttercup Alphabet" by The Victoria Sampler. Don't you love buttercups--so sunny and bright! When you were a child, did you used to do hold them under your chin? If you saw their reflection that meant that you "liked butter"--remember? Come on--who doesn't like butter!! I only had one of the overdyed threads suggested for this finish so I substituted similar colors from my collection of Nina's Hand Dyed and Sampler Threads and I'm very pleased with the result. To me, this almost looks like a watercolor painting--do any of you see that effect in the flowers? Buttercup Alphabet is stitched over one on 28 ct. cream cashel linen and finished off with a soft yellow and white flower print and rope trim.

"Lavanda" freebie

Finally, another freebie finish called "Lavanda" by Luli which can be found right here. For this finish (stitched with the suggested DMC colors on 40 ct. white Newcastle linen), I did something a bit different. I sewed a small loop of pink ribbon in the middle, added a trio of pastel bows, and placed a bouquet of tiny flowers inside the ribbon. Ideally, these would be dried lavender, but not having any right now, I simply inserted a few sprigs of pink coral bells for the photo. What do you think?

Below are my four latest May finishes along with the two I showed you in my last post:

And here are all six--displayed in the bowl along with some of the prettiest clematis blooms which are growing in our yard... I'm so pleased that I've been able to keep this bowl filled with new finishes each month so far this year. I already have a theme in mind for June--can anyone guess what I'll be stitching?

I received a surprise gift from dear Brenda at Brenda's Stitching last week. I mentioned, in a comment on her blog, that I had never used chenille trim and she kindly sent some to me to try it out on some of my little pillows! I just love the colors you chose, Brenda, and think they will be great accents--especially for some of my to-be-stitched fall pieces! Thank you so much, my friend--you really made me smile. If you haven't visited Brenda's blog--please check it out. Her work is not only beautifully stitched, but perfectly finished as well!


So did you do anything especially fun over the long Memorial Day weekend? I did something I hadn't done in 30 years--yes 30 long years!! I rode a bike! The last time I was on a bike was when I was pregnant with my oldest son three decades ago. We took a trip to Cape Cod and spent many relaxing afternoons just biking around the island. My husband is an avid cyclist who often rides 50 or even 100 miles at a time. He's been after me to give it a try, so this weekend all the guys convinced me that now was the time. It was a bit scary and I was slightly wobbly at first, but I so enjoyed it! We ended up riding over 17 miles (which in Pittsburgh, with it's hilly terrain is not the easiest riding!) and although I may not be sitting comfortably on hard wooden chairs for a few days, I think this may be the start of a new interest. When we returned from our ride we all indulged in these goodies...probably the best brownie recipe I've ever tried. If you love fudgy, ooey-gooey brownies like we do, check out this recipe for "Brooke's Best Bombshell Brownies." Oh, my!! Believe me, I'll have to add more miles onto my daily treadmill workouts to get rid of the calories from those chocolatey treats, but, they were so worth it!

Thank you for all of your kind comments on my last post... You were so very supportive and understanding about my sadness at having to clean out my childhood home. It was a long, tiring, and emotional weekend, but we got the job done and I'll post soon about some of the treasures I found in the old attic--I think you'll enjoy them! Have a joyful week, my friends, and I hope you find some time each day to stitch and create--even if just for a few minutes. It is so good for the soul. Bye for now...