Shortest Day SAL

I hope you're all ready for Xmas! The area is getting ready, because this is what was happening today:

It was beautiful to watch, although not so fun to drive in. But now I'm home and don't have to leave the house until Sunday, so I can enjoy it from inside my cozy house. 

Stitching has been happening! I joined Jo's Shortest Day SAL, which was maybe a Facebook only group and managed one small finish for a little friend of DD's:

The bottom photo has a truer colours. This was a little cutie from a WOXS series of Xmas smalls on Chromatic Alchemy 14 ct Nimbus I think. 

I'm also charging along on DD's gift:

and finally remembered to take a photo of the Frosty Friends I was working on:

I'll finish them some day. Maybe I should try and fit them into the Christmas Ornie Blog? The themes this year are:

January - Deck the Halls

February - Rudolph the Red-nosed reindeer

March - We Three Kings 

April - White Christmas

May - Hark the Herald Angels Sing

June - Good King Wenceslas

July - God Rest You Merry Gentleman

August - Away in a Manger

September - The Little Drummer Boy

October - Oh Christmas Tree

November - Jolly Old St Nicholas

December - Frosty the Snowman

I can hopefully manage a few and get some more ornaments done so I'm not scrabbling like this year. :) If you'd like to sign up, check out the other themes and info here. 

I hope you all have a very Merry Xmas and/or Happy Holidays or enjoy your days off! Your comments are always so encouraging and helpful and I really appreciate them.

Tiffstitch

Gifted Gorgeousness - December Edition

It's the last Gifted Gorgeousness of 2017! I hope you've all had good years full of gifts made and received and stitched with/on. Check out how we've all tried to join in over at Jo's smashing blog!

I haven't been getting a ton of stitching done, and I gave up on Frosty Friends as gifts for DD's teachers. I settled on towels instead and finished this one recently:

This is a free design from Kincavel Krosses. There are lots of great Xmas designs, some smalls, so if you're still looking for a pattern, check there. I stitched it on an ivory towel with an Aida band with DMC 4520. 

The other teacher will get this towel that I finished in 2015 I think:

make that early 2016 by the album it's in. :)  This is from Cross Stitch for the Holidays 2011 edition and I used the charted threads. 

I also received a gift for Stashmas from the Cross Stitch Forum:

There's an annual Stashmas exchange and I had a great time this year! I forgot to take a photo, but this is what I sent my exchange recipient:

I finished November and got it sent off a little bit late:

and as you saw in the last post, December was finished:

and the gift for my Xmas-loving friend:

plus the progress on Covered Bridge:

and Fishing:

I still forgot to take another photo of Frosty Friends, so I will try and get a photo at some point. :) There's a little bit of time left in December to try and get this little kit finished for DD, so I'm going to start tonight. Nothing like last minute! 

Happy Stitching and Happy Holidays if I don't get back on here before Xmas!

Tiffstitch

2017 Advent Blog Hop

Here is is, only a week to go until Christmas Eve! This is a big day in our household as well since DH's birthday is coming up as well. Hello to everyone hopping over from Jo's blog and a Merry Christmas!

Check out everyone's Advent posts over here at Jo's blog!

This year Jo's question is: How do you plan to spend Boxing Day?  Do you have any traditions associated with this day?

When I was younger, on Boxing Day we would go around to all of our local relatives and see what they had received for Xmas, eat leftovers, etc. I had 2 sets of aunts and uncles to see and 5 cousins total, so there were always lots of things to play with. I don't think we did another big family meal with our grandparents since we spent almost the entire day at their house on Christmas Day. Some years my parents would go out to the Boxing Day sales, but not that often. 

Now that I'm working full-time, and living in the US, a lot of times I've had to work on Boxing Day. I don't this year, we're going to take it off, so it will be nice to have a day to relax. Perhaps we'll think of something to do as our own tradition? We've already made up one for our tree and put it up on DD's birthday in November. She gets a kick out of it, so we'll continue as long as she's happy with it. 

On to stitching! I'm sad to say I really haven't had much time lately, much too much going on in the house, but I'm still aiming to get a few things done for local friends and maybe DD's teachers. 

However, I will get this in the mail and hopefully it will arrive on time!

Palko-lap December:

I stitched this on Phlogiston by Chromatic Alchemy with DMC 4520.It was a fun little stitch and my first time stitching with the Coloris line. I think it was pretty easy to stitch with, typical DMC issues, and worked well. 

I hope you all have a very Happy Holiday season, however you celebrate it! DD was very enamored by Santa this year. :)

Happy Stitching!

Tiffstitch

Time to Start the Xmas Stitching!

Okay, just kidding, let's pretend I started months ago... :)

Hope you've all had a good 2 weeks! It's been very busy for me, hence no posts since the last one on November 21st, and that was a scheduled post! I was away at my parents and came home to emergency house guests fleeing a domestic situation. We're all alone again and they're in a safe place and things seem to be moving in a positive direction at this point. Fingers crossed it will continue for them! 

Now for some updates. I'm extending the time for finishing my gifts for my Grandma and uncle to hopefully Xmas, although I might extend the time for my uncle's. I did get some done, but it was busy at home, as usual, plus my parents have been having issues, but anyways, stitching got done! And that's always good. 

Oh, and I might have a small addiction to the new Animal Crossing mobile game....

 Covered Bridge got a lot of beads and more stitches:

Fishing is really coming along:

I had forgotten to bring this one with me, so madly trying to finish it before I start December:

And I got some border done on Frosty Friends. I'm hoping to maybe get a couple done for Xmas gifts for DD's teachers. There's not much to show, but they will eventually look like this:

I hope you've all had productive weeks and enjoyed your holidays if you had them!

Back to stitching, I need to make up for lost time. :)

Happy Stitching,

Tiffstitch