Daily Stitching and Christmas

 I did get a little stitching done this week. Some running stitch and satin stitch with Perle cotton and some stem stitch with two strands of floss.

 Tomorrow is Christmas and my son will be coming home from the west coast. He is hoping that his flight won't be canceled as some are and that he doesn't test positive for Covid. He has had one in home test  (negative) and will take another before he leaves. I thought we were so over this, but here we go again.

We will not be going into NYC for a day as we have always done in past years except for last Christmas when he didn't come home (Covid). He is worried about the train ride into the city and back and all the cases that are popping up there. Another tradition down the drain.

I'm off to make an apple pie, his favorite, and start the prep for my Beef Wellington. Who doesn't like that?

So Merry Christmas to all and hoping for a much better 2022.

Linking up with Off the Wall Friday.

Bah Humbug!

For the past several years (except for last year) I have hosted a ladies luncheon for fifteen at Christmas time. I was so glad that things were back to almost normal and I could do it again this year. After all we had all be triple vaxed.  So I decorated, polished my silver, put the leaves in the tables, ironed the tablecloths, set the tables, put the party favors on the napkins, got the extra chairs from the basement, set up the folding table with another tablecloth for the buffet, and cooked and cooked. All set for Thursday at noon.

THEN more than half of my guests went to a book club meeting on Tuesday evening and got the news  Wednesday morning that the hostess had tested positive for Covid.  What to do, what to do? Most of them went running to get a test on Wednesday, but from all the info I could get online and elsewhere, you should wait 3-5 days after exposure or you might get a false negative result.

Sooooo, altho it broke my heart, I canceled. I did not want to take the chance of exposing anyone. Hopefully they are all fine and not sick at ll, but I just couldn't take the chance. 

Better luck next year, I hope. Today I spent part of the day, dismantling the tables and putting things away. As for the food, I can freeze some of it and the rest will have to be tossed. 

                                                                      Dining room

                                                         Party favor on the napkins.

                                                                                Kitchen

I have a friend whose daughter works in the hospital and she told her to wear her mask everywhere. The hospitals are filling up again with Covid cases. Just when we thought we could relax. Then I remembered that this is not the end of the world for us. We were not affected by the horrendous tornados in some parts of he country. Just a little social setback. Hopefully I can do it next year and I will save those party favors.

Suffice it to say that I got very little sewing done this week. Just this one from the Japanese design book and another almost finished.

I am linking up with Off the Wall Friday. 

Daily Stitching

 I am loving the designs in the Dover book of Japanese designs. The two that I did this week were a little bolder so I was able to use the Perle cotton again.

                               This last one was an easy peasy one from my stencils. Did it in no time.

What I did spend time on this week were these party favors for my annual (except last year) Ladies Christmas Luncheon. I have fifteen guests for a sit-down meal, altho I have to split it between the dining room and kitchen. It's the only time I wish I had a bigger house, or at least a bigger dining room, but it all works out.

For the past few years I have made a snowman favor of some sort so when I saw these felt ornaments on Pinterest I knew I had to make them. They weren't hard to do....some gluing, a little hand embroidery, lightly stuffed and hand buttonhole stitched around the outside.

Since we are wearing masks again inside stores, I hand painted this little Christmas tree on a blank mask that I  bought at Joanne's this summer. Added a little bling with stick-on jewels. Who knew we would be wearing mask this late, but I was glad I had saved this blank. I had painted flowers on them this summer.

I'm linking up with Off the Wall Friday.

All Through the House and a Little Stitching

 Stitching took a back seat this past week because I was busy decorating. If you read my blog, you will know that I love to gussy up the house for the holidays. I did a few things different than last year and some the same. Here a a few pictures.

My Santa tree that I do every year in the family room. I started this tradition many years ago and for several years it was just a four foot tree that went on a table. For the past few years it has been this 7 1/2 foot tree. It is pre-lit, but this year it would only blink white lights, enough to give you a migraine, so I had to put 6 strings of 100 lights on it. (swear word, swear word). Most of the ornaments are glass Santas, but I had a lot that I wasn't using, mostly smaller wooden, cloth, etc, from that 4 foot tree so I put them in a shopping bag and took them to Savers. Hopefully someone else will find joy in them on their tree. I do love my Santa tree.

Mantle in the family room with one of my Christmas quilts made many years ago. It is machine pieced and hand quilted with gold metallic thread.

This is where the changes begin. I used to put a tall slim tree in the living room with silver, white and gold ornaments,  but last year because the pre-lit lights were not working AGAIN I threw the tree away and decided to go for something simpler. This is a twig tree with mini LED lights. From my vast collection of ornaments I put on the former tree, I chose only silver birds with real feather tails. I love the look and it takes up less room and doesn't fight with my big Paula Nadlestern ornaments on the coffee table. More about those later on.

                                                     At the base the tree.

The large ornaments made using Paula Nadlestern fabric and lots and lots of sequins and beads. They took forever to do, but I really enjoyed making  them. One of the reasons that I put the simpler tree up was that I wanted these ornaments to be the star in the room. I wound some mini LED lights around the base of the containers for some added sparkle.

These five crystal angels used to go on the dining room table, but this year they are on the small hall table, again with the tiny LED lights.

Some of my Santa collection on the bakers rack. The bottom shelf will be used for wine glasses when I entertain.

These mercury glass trees used to go on the coffee table in the LR, but now are on the side table in the DR. More of those LED lights around the bases.

                            Dining Room table with red ornaments hung on the chandelier.

Centerpiece.

I did do a little stitching.  I mentioned last week that a friend had given me a Dover book of Japanese designs. Many of them are circular and are perfect for my squares. Some are quite delicate and I switched from size 8 Perle cotton to two strands of floss. 

I am linking our with Off the Wall Friday.

                     

Thaqnksgiving

 Thanksgiving at my niece, Lauren's, again after missing it last year. As always her table was exquisite with all fresh flowers and some wooden accents. She never repeats from year to year. Dinner was delish as usual and she had a signature drink, Pumpkin Spice martinis with gingerbread man peeps.

All the ladies enjoying their drinks. They were sooooo good. 

My Christmas trees are going up tomorrow so I had to make a tree for my little squares. I could be finished with this project with just one more square, BUT my good friend , Paula, gifted me with a wonderful book of Japanese designs by Dover. There are so many that are circular and very adaptable for my squares. I will have to do one more vertical row and that means 13 more. I'm pretty sure that is what I will do. I'll post some next week.

I'm linking up with Off the Wall Friday.

Weekly Stitching

 I know that it's been awhile since I posted. Firstly I spent two weeks in Florida and only got a little bit done. Secondly My iPad, where I take my photos, was not transferring them to Photos on my laptop. After about two hours online with an Apple tech it is still not right. I had to send myself the photos and drag them onto my desktop to use them here.

Only four finished. I am busy doing other things, which I will show you later.

One last Sunday Morning sun

I've long had an affinity for Ginkgoes and have used them in several of my art quilts so I had to do one on a square.

I thought it would take a nice design if I had four leaves facing out. I like the single leaf better.

                                                              Yet I did it again.

Weekly Stitching and Sunday Morning Suns

 While making ALL these circle designs on 4 inch squares, I don't know why I didn't think of the designs I made for CBS Sunday Morning. Two of the stencils had what looked like rays around the circle, so I made squares with different variations of a sun.

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Favorite of the week, not sure why. Maybe it's because he looks so happy.

Then I made anther negative space circle with variegated Rose' to Merlot thread. I left a quarter inch border to allow for the seaming.

Linking up with Off the Wall Friday.

Weekly Stitching

 Just four this week because one if them took forever.

This is the one that I got extra credit for. I know it's not a circle, but my challenge, my rules to be broken. I just couldn't resist doing a heart.

One of those cute stencils and how I adapted it for stitching.

I did not want to go all around those big ovals with a stem stitch, so I made a big lazy daisy stitch and then a smaller one inside. I turned the inner design into straight lines and French Knots.

That's it for this week. Maybe, MAYBE, I'll be more productive next week.

Weekly Stitching and Watercolor Cards

 Six little squares this week, all using those fabulous stencils.

I concentrated on small watercolors this week, 4" x 6", the perfect size for mounting onto a card front. I found some terrific blank greeting cards in Michaels, sets of all different colors.

I enjoyed making these. A pen and ink drawing of leaves, then added watercolor squares and splatters. I  think they are also good for masculine cards. You don't always want flowers.

This is a mini version of a CeeCee design I did last week. I am going to try to duplicate it, but that doesn't always work.

These last two are my own designs, but using the CeeCee techniques. Again I'm not showing you the flops or the ones I threw away. I am putting away my paints for awhile for various reasons. I will explain that in another post.

Linking up with Off the Wall Friday. In addition to seeing some great art, Nina Marie always has some interesting posts. This week she is talking about how fabrics are printed. Something of which I never gave much thought.