Ready for Christmas!!!!!!

So here it is the first Saturday of December and I am ready for Christmas......yes ready and waiting. I had been worried that I would not get all the gifts done but I worked hard and they are complete. I finished off the last 2 this week and I am so happy that I was able to get them done. If I had stayed on my schedule that I made for myself at the beginning of the year I would not have been so close to Christmas with the finishing. But as all us stitchers do I let myself get distracted with new patterns and fun SAL's. My last 2 finishes are a Santa and a pig. I have a friend that is from Austria and in that culture pigs are lucky so I made her a towel with a little pig on it.

 And that was the last of the stitched gifts but I still had some homemade gifts to finish. Every year I try to find a new idea for snowmen and this year I came up with this cute candle holder. Inside the heads of these cuties has one of those battery candles.

Some other sewing that I did was items that I had a commission on. I have shown you some items that I make for sale and these 2 were order and I had to get them done for the customer.Yeah I know Halloween but that is what she wanted........

 

And the day after Thanksgiving is my day to decorate the house for Christmas. I have done this ever since I had my son. His birthday is on the 28th, so the day after Christmas all the decoration come down so that he has a separation from the Holiday. So I have a house full of Christmas and I love it. I collect snowmen and they are the majority of my items. I have 69 figurines/decorating items, I have 15 ornaments for the tree and I have 8 cups/plates/towels. Along with all of that I have a full 8 foot tree with nothing but Disney ornaments (97) and miscellaneous other decor. 

And finally the trees. The one with the blue and silver has my snowmen, the other is the Disney tree. 

Now that Christmas is ready and waiting I can get back to stitching for me. From now until the end of the year I want to spend all my time on my HAED Snowman. I want to get a big portion of it done. 

WIPocalypse.....November

Who the time has just flown by. I can not believe it is already time for WIPocalypse again. where has November gone?????? We will have a nice quiet Thanksgiving, just the hubby and me. The kids can not make the trip. They are coming for Christmas and that is much more exciting!!!!!!

The Question this month - Which designer has inspired you to stitch the greatest number of designs and why do you think that is? (via Hazel) 
I guess I would have to say Stoney Creek Designs I just love the style they have. It reminds me of growing up. That time before we had so many responsibilities and rules. A more innocent time. I also enjoy stitching Glendon Place Designs especially the Halloween designs.

So What have I done this month? Well I think all of these have been on my blog previously when I finished the stitching but I was able o get in my sewing room and make the bags up. All of these are Christmas presents for male friends.

I was also able to start and finish this towel. Took just 4 days. It was a design from the Winter Issue of Stoney Creek Magazine.

I also was in a sewing mood and I made this clutch purse for my daughter as a Christmas gift. And a couple of Autumn themed Owls.

 

I have a friend that is gaga about pumpkins. I was going to stitch her something but time is running out so I looked on Pinterest for an idea and I came across wine glass candle holders. Now my painting skills are limited but I think these are passable. I am sure she will love them. I found the glasses at the Dollar Store and the stems were already green so that was perfect. 

 

Lastly I am working on a Sue Hillis Santa design. He is her 7th of the Santa series. H will be a present for a dear friend for Christmas. You can not see in the photo but the snowflakes and the snowman have blending filament in with the floss.

WIPocalypse.....September

Oh the Blood Moon would have been beautiful to see but of all nights we had overcast skies........boo

September Question.....Where do you buy most of your stitching supplies?

Well that is not an easy question, for my specialty threads and some charts I have a LNS that is just 20 minutes away. Terri is fabulous with helping pick just the right color or texture to make my finish wonderful so I always buy what I can from her. For my DMC I do not want to pay more then I have to so Hobby Lobby or Michael's for those and fabric and most charts I will buy from the internet. If 123stitch.com or Patternsonline.com do not have it I am in shock. Both of these companies are fabulous when it comes to customer service. I use a few others but they are just when my regulars are can not help me.

What have I been stitching???

Frank's Family Portrait by Glendon Place is coming on well. As is my HAED Christmas Cottage by Dona Gelsinger

I have also started 3 new projects Friendship Compass by Glendon Place Facebook Group, Warm Winter Wishes by Waxing Moon and a self made pattern that will be a gift for a friend. The last one I can not show you a picture of as I am hosting a contest on my blog that involves that project.

 

I also have 5 finishes.... another of the squares for my sons quilt It is a map of England with an English Nutcracker. I finished the pumpkin canvas I bough from my LNS at one of her trunk shows. The Cottage of the Month "June" by Country Cottage Needleworks and Women who behave by Sue Hillis this is a gift for a friend. And finally Boo from Just Cross Stitch magazine Halloween issue

I plan to make this into a very unique finish....at least I hope it comes out. I have this image in my mind and this week-end I will work on it. Stay tuned for updates. That gets you caught up with my stitching for the last 2 months.