Sunday, December 30, 2012

Christmas Projects!





 Hi,  I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas!  I certainly did.  A few days before Christmas I finished the 2012 Sampler de Noel.  I put a few beads on it for a bit of pizazz - it really came out nice and cheerful! 

 This is an ornament that I finished in December.  It is one of a series by Historic Stitches and has personalization on the back.  I think it came out very cute.  You can also see a painted glass ornament that DH brought me from the Christmas Market in Vienna, Austria.  He said that I really missed out by not going - so a trip to the Christmas Market in Austria or Germany is on my list for next year, when I have an empty nest, and can easily take off and do those things.



 And this adorable little stocking was stitched by my dear stitching buddy Carol S.  I tried to picture it beside the much larger version that I stitched, but the relative sizes don't come across in the picture.  Take my word for it, the one Carol stitched is just exquisite!  It is so tiny and perfect!  In this picture you can also see a cat that my mother made.  She was a quilter, and made a set of these adorable patchwork cat ornaments that I treasure!

I put up my tree very late this year, and so I did not pull out all of my ornaments, and instead used only the ones that were handmade (or new).  I just love looking at all the ornaments - this has strenthened my resolve to stitch more ornaments next year!

I don't have very much else going on.  My son and I spent a few days in South Mississippi visiting my dad, brother, niece, and other relatives.  We ate and drank and visited as much as we could in only a few days!  We were able to sit outside on restaurant decks and patios - the weather was great.  We visited Abita Microbrewery in Abita Springs, Louisiana - I highly recommend it.  They have the greatest root beer ever made, and their microbrews are fabulous! We spent one day in New Orleans - shopping Royal Street and eating beignets and drinking cafe au lait.  We spent one day in Gulfport, Mississippi, visiting and enjoying the scenery.   Fortunately, we ducked the storms and so had no travel problems. 

That's all for now - I'm off to sift through my stash and dream about all the projects I can do next year.  Hope everyone has a Happy and safe New Year!

- Margaret C