It's Been a While....

So.....first I had computer problems....then I had camera problems.....now I seem to have ALL of those resolved, so I am finally posting some pictures of my finished Christmas ornaments.

First off are all my Prairie Schooler Santas - I know I've mentioned previously that my siblings are all hockey fans (I'm not - funny how that happens! LOL). We're originally from Chicago, and last year the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup for the first time in almost 50 years. So even though stitching the same ornament FIVE times was not my idea of fun....I did it for them! Here is the finished product. The first one I stitched came out a little too big for an ornament. So, I finished it the same way as the ornaments but with a longer hanger, figuring that my sister (who has a small apartment, and doesn't really feel she has room for a tree) could hang it on an interior door knob or hook or something. She seemed to be happy with it..

Next up is an ornament from the Just Cross Stitch Ornament issue. I made some changes to it. The original pattern called for the house, roof, and the lettering were all in black. I felt that was too severe for the ornament, so I changed the colors up a bit. I used a grayish blue for the house, a dark gray for the roof, and did the lettering in the same green as some of the decorations on the house. Hopefully, I remained true enough to the original pattern....but made it my own at the same time! This one went to my dad and step-mom.

And now my two cute / too cute Mill Hill kits. These are for my niece and her family. With four kids, I'm sure there are Naughty days and Nice days.....and probabably some days that are a blending of both! These were a ball to stitch, and I plan on doing more like this in the future. The beads don't show up real well, but each letter has one row lengthwise of beads...and all of the lights on the strings of lights are beads.

Last but not least, this one may not seem very Christmas-sy. But Las Vegas has a lot of special memories for my mother and me, so I stitched this one up for her. She hadn't gotten it yet when I talked to her on Christmas, so hopefully it will show up in her mail box tomorrow.

That last onrnament has some other emotional significance for me. A stitching friend that I've been blessed to meet on line, and then was lucky enough to get to meet twice in person lives in Las Vegas. We have recently found out that she is very ill, and not expected to survive much longer. She is in my thoughts with every stitch, and my prayers are with her and her family. Loss is never easy, and particularly at holiday times.

This holiday season - hold your loved ones for an extra second or two, and make sure to tell them how much they mean to you......

Thanks for checking out my blog! And I promise it won't be four months before I post again!