TUSAL, At Last

Here it is - a week late, but, as you can see, quite full. All those lovely red, green, black and gold orts at the top are because I was inspired by Carol, and her ornament a week self-challenge. So I printed out a couple of dozen of the charts I have been collecting for years, planning to stitch one ornament a week. But once I started stitching - I couldn't stop!

This one is trimmed and the backing fabric cut - but not yet sewn. I had this filed under cross stitch quilt squares, but don't have the author's name.

I know this was a recent freebie - but at the moment I can't recall the site and my printout doesn't say.
This was actually the second one of this chart that I stitched - altho I started it first - I wasn't paying close enough attention and started stitching the flowers in green instead of the called for red - so I stopped and started again correctly, finished it (and gave it away), and then picked this one up and finished stitching it with the red and green switched - and liked it!
I adore this little penguin - altho I just noticed I didn't stitch his eyebrows (isn't wonderful how you notice these things in photos?). I didn't stitch the white on his belly and his eyes since he is stitched on white - a case of the "lazies".
Just a simple candy cane - but I think it's rather pretty.
An alphabet tree - I've done several of these in the past, altho this is the first time I've stitched this particular chart.
And all I've got done on my little Christmas tortoise is the outside backstitching - something different that I'm trying for the first time that I saw suggested here. He should be called Slow as Christmas, don't you think?

I've stitched all of these on 14 count aida, cause I have lots of it in my stash. WalMart used to carry an inexpensive brand, and I bought lots of it when they were clearancing the cross stitch supplies.

I'm sorry that I can't provide links to the freebie ones above. Some of them are no longer available, some I don't have author info on and on two of them, the websites no longer exist. When I first started saving freebie charts that I found on various sites, I had no idea that 10 or more years later I would have thousands of charts (printed and saved to disk) and that I wouldn't remember where I found one particular chart. Nowadays I make the effort to include the website in the saved chart's name, if the author of the freebie hasn't included it on the chart. And I'm trying to remember to put my info on the freebie charts I design.

Thanks for visiting today.

Christmas Wishes

Wishing you and all your dear ones a most Happy Christmas!

O Holy Night

Alyssa Rossi sings O Holy Night - amazing!

O holy night, the stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of the dear Savior’s birth;
Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn;

Fall on your knees, Oh hear the angel voices!

O night divine, O night when Christ was born!
O night, O holy night, O night divine.

Led by the light of faith serenely beaming
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand
So led by light of a star sweetly gleaming
Here come the wise men from Orient land
The King of Kings lay thus in lowly manger
In all our trials born to be our friend.

He knows our need, To our weakness is no stranger.
Behold your King! Before Him lowly bend!
Behold your King! Before Him lowly bend!

Truly He taught us to love one another
His law is love and His gospel is peace
Chains shall He break, for the slave is our brother,
And in His name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
Let all within us praise His holy name.

Christ is the Lord, O praise His name forever!
His pow'r and glory evermore proclaim!
His pow'r and glory evermore proclaim!

My favorite carol.
Thanks for visiting today.

The Friday 56 – 11 Dec 2009

The Rules:

* Grab the book nearest you. Right now.
* Turn to page 56.
* Find the fifth sentence.
* Post that sentence (plus one or two others if you like) along with these instructions on your blog or (if you do not have your own blog) in the comments section of this blog.
*Post a link along with your post back to Storytime With Tonya and Friends.
* Don't dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

HAPPY FRIDAY!

The book closest to me is The Phoenix Transformed by Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory
”Oh. Oh. Damn,” Harrier said.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Christmas Humor

First, thanks to Diane and Marsha over on the EMS Cross Stitch Board for The Monks (click on the monk picture for the video).

Then, to share my favorite version of The Twelve Days After Christmas (click on the choir picture for the video)- if you want to see the lyrics, you can find them here.

Still in the humor line - we all have terminology that we use quite casually - and sometimes forget that not everyone will understand what we mean. As a cross stitcher, when I think of floss - I think of embroidery thread - usually DMC or Anchor brands. Ann (in the UK) pictured some floss wallets she had made - and then explained them - which reminded me of when I first became a Floss Mom - my DH listened patiently to me talking about my Floss Kids all over the world - and then, quite seriously, asked, "Don't their dentists give them free samples?".

Thanks for visiting today.

More Ornaments

Hopefully, I'll get my tree decorated this afternoon during the SEC championship game (Roll Tide!). When (and if) I do, I'll take some photos - the greatest majority of my Christmas ornies are handmade by me over the past 30 something years, and other handmade ornaments have been received as gifts or in exchanges.

In the meantime, here are few more pics of other ornies that are special to me:

Away In a Manger, a freebie from the Chart Shop (a fantastic source of free charts, most card size). It took me forever to figure out the little pink thing in the lower right corner was a pig!

Another ornie framed with a canning jar lid - I thought I remembered him being called Mad Santa - but when I checked the Mad Santa chart is different, so now I'm not sure where I found this chart. I stitched him with four strands on 14 count green aida - I didn't want to chance the green showing through on his white fur or beard.A beautiful Matroishka ornament I received in an exchange from an angel stitcher (from Russia).

A sweet angel stitched for me by Jenny, one of my Floss Kids.

I've seen several versions of this in different places, this one is Microsoft Word - Anna12_Elchweihnacht NEU.doc (despite the name, clicking on this link takes you to a web page, where this title links you to a pdf document!).

While searching to make sure the above was still available as a freebie, I ran across this crocheted pair.Aren't they sweet? I don't read/speak German so the pdf associated with it doesn't help me! Anybody up to do some translating for me?

I hope you've enjoyed seeing some of my ornaments.

Thanks for visiting today.

The Friday 56 - 4 December 2009

The Rules:

* Grab the book nearest you. Right now.
* Turn to page 56.
* Find the fifth sentence.
* Post that sentence (plus one or two others if you like) along with these instructions on your blog or (if you do not have your own blog) in the comments section of this blog.
*Post a link along with your post back to Storytime With Tonya and Friends.
* Don't dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

HAPPY FRIDAY!

The book closest to me is The Lost by JD Robb, et al.

"That was… Okay.” Hard to argue when they’d both nearly been killed when dismantling a subversive and illegal human cloning organization.

It's good to be back after missing this meme for a couple of weeks!

Thanks for stopping by today.

Speaking of Missing Exchanges

Have you ever had an exchange go astray?

A few years back, I did on an Holiday Ornament Exchange.

A quick note on the quality of these pics - I did not have a digital camera in 2005 - so these were taken with my flat bed scanner!

This is the ornament I originally stitched:

Front

And back

I don't know about you, but I seldom stitch the same chart twice, so when this ornament didn't arrive Down Under, I stitched this replacement:

Front

And Back

I was rather proud of using a cinnamon stick for the trunk of the tree, and thank goodness, this one arrived safely, although it took three weeks! As far as I know, the original ornament never showed up.

And I'm sorry - I've had a quick browse thru several hundred of the free designs I have saved - but I haven't spotted either of the above, altho my faulty memory says they were both freebies. If anyone recognizes them, would you let me know so I can give proper credit?

Almost complete change of subject -

Do you remember the Kerstballen designs submitted last year to Miriam's blog? Lots and lots of creative ideas (in case you need some - lol!). I submitted several, but had designed a few more that I never got around to sending to Miriam.
Pictures are clickable for a larger printable view. All the usual legal bla-bla-bla applies - but if you stitch one or the other, please do send me a photo.

And here's a pic of the plaid calico cat framed with a canning jar lid. I did submit this design (along with a plaid stitched back chart) to Miriam - have a look at her blog if you'd like to get the chart.
Do you have an exchange gone astray story?
Or a free ornament you designed?

Thanks for visiting today.

PS - I haven't forgotten about my promised giveaways - one will be coming real soon now.

Mitten Ornaments

Wow - I can't believe it's been a week already since I last posted - time is winging by!
I've been really slow getting out my Christmas decorations. Today was too cold and rainy to decorate the outside, and I just couldn't get motivated to start decorating inside, either. Maybe if I share a few favorite ornaments, I'll get my decorating mojo going.

Pere Noel and the Missus. I charted the Missus after stitching Pere.

Caribou - isn't he silly?

And a set of four to spell out the season.

All of the ornaments are simply backed with felt and have either ribbon or yarn hangers.

Free charts can be found here. Seven pages of creative moufles!

Nope, still not in the mood to decorate. Any suggestions?

Thanks for stopping by today.