This is the fireplace in the living room. There used to be a gas fire in the centre. We inherited it when we bought the house but it got condemned several years ago !!!! Normally the large vase, which you can just make out on the right of the picture, sits in the centre, but during the festive season it gets replaces with a cross stitch wall hanger.
I bought the kit from a sewing shop in a beautiful place called Solvang in California. At the time (1991) it was the largest cross stitch project I'd ever done.
We go from the largest to the smallest project I've ever made. These are 'the 12 days of Christmas' cross stitched on 27 count fabric - that's 27 holes to the inch. Ouch !!!! I seem to remember setting myself a challenge to make one 'day' per month. I think I did it with one month to spare.
These cute little fella's are Waverly the snowman and Iggy and Mo the snowballs. They're all hand knitted and Waverly's sack contains twelve little knitted bags, each with a knitted present inside....
On either side of the mantelpiece are two cross stitch Christmas cards and above that is the 'jingle bells' bunting I made a couple of weeks ago. We had some baubles spare from the Christmas tree so I just put them in a glass vase, which is at the bottom of the main picture.
I decorated the dresser in the kitchen with paper snowflakes (so easy to make and surprisingly very therapeutic too). The 'falling' snowflakes are simply made by attaching them to a length of white sewing cotton.
Have a great week.
Love
Gertie xx
PS why not pop over to Handmade Monday to see what other fellow craft bloggers have been up to.
I love delving into the Christmas Box and bringing out all the decorations, I love the memories attached to the older decorations and each year adding new things.
ReplyDeleteLoving your snowflakes, I love making them too. Have a great week.
Jan x
Gosh, so many 'loves' but that's ok, it's Christmas so I'm allowed :)
DeleteYou can have as many 'loves' as you like xx
DeleteThose snowflakes are the most detailed I have ever seen! Your cross stitch is amazing too. You have so much patience.xx
ReplyDeleteThanks xx
DeleteThat is one big cross stitch and well done on making the diddy ones. I've never been able to cross stitch in anything other than aida so am in awe of those that can do other material.
ReplyDeleteI think my days of sewing on anything that small are over..... xx
DeleteHi Gertie, it was so much fun reading your post this week. I love Solvang (maybe because I'm Danish). It's about a 3 1/2 hour drive north from where I live. I love the cross stich and of course the santa. I wish you a very Merry Christmas.
ReplyDeleteSolvang is such a beautiful place. I wished we could have spent more time there. A happy Christmas to you too xx
DeleteYour homemade Christmas makes are wonderful! I don't have the patience to make knitted toys, too many ends to tie in and fiddly bits. Your snowflakes are lovely - my children love making snowflakes at Christmas, I have a stack I need to thread and hang up. When I've finished my coffee.....
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean about fiddly bits. The temptation is always to knot them.... Hope you managed to get your stack sorted xx
DeleteYour cross stitch days of Christmas look lovely, as are the snowmen. But I agree the snowflakes are amazing. So detailed.
ReplyDeleteLots of lovely Christmas goodies m- one of the nice things about this time of year is the memories that our Christmas treasures brings back to us. goodluck with the dentist, like you had the good news that a second tooth has to come out but, thank goodness, early next year. hope you have a good, pain free, week.
ReplyDeleteBoo to you having to have a second tooth out, but hurray that it's going to happen next year xx
DeleteLots of lovely decorations. I just have a Christmas tree up and a few outdoor lights. The snowman and snowballs look so sweet.
ReplyDeleteThanks xx
DeleteI love all of your handmade decorations, each one looks fabulous and I can see your house is very christmassy.
ReplyDeleteThanks xx
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