It is fall again and, if you are like me, you are ramping up for Christmas! At this time, I have one or two WIP in cross stitch and one in knitting. But first I have to make the annual ornament for the grandkids.
Each year I try to fabricate a handmade Christmas ornament for each of my six grandkids. The ornaments are unique each year and include the child’s name and the year. (I believe that I have always put their names on them but now I am not quite sure.) This year as I was scouring Pinterest for ideas, I asked the moms of the older grandkids if they, the grandkids, even want ornaments every year. My kids came thru for me and said, “Yes, they always want to see what you come up with and love hanging them on the tree.” So, with a big grin on my face, the search was on!
I found one that I thought would be cool – cute bent spoons with a sweet Christmas saying stamp in the “bowl” of the spoon. With anticipation of a fairly quick and “easy” decoration, I ordered some new, inexpensive spoons from a retailer. I even put my happy little self in the car and drove over to get them. Well, here is a friendly FYI - if you plan to make bent spoon ornaments, do not get stainless steel spoons. First, they don’t bend. Second, if you want to stamp them, you will throw sparks. After investigating the purchase of sterling silver spoons, which are really pricey, I moved on to a different ornament idea. I showed it to my daughters and they both liked it--so much so that one would like one of her own. I will publish a picture after Christmas as to not spoil the surprise for the grandkids that follow the blog.
After finishing the Tardis, I wanted to get back into the Christmas wreath cross stitch I had started. I have accepted the fact that it will not be completed for Christmas 2021. There are hopes for Christmas 2022 though. And then there is the Thanksgiving variegated floss project that I have sitting in my area--protected from the elements in the Live, Laugh, Love Dust Cover-- if I want to alternate projects. I like to think of myself as being versatile, not easily bored or distracted. But, after working my morning job for the HVAC company, and then BloomingDaisiesCrafts in the afternoon, I have to admit that 1/2 hour to 1 hour is all the time and attention I have for my WIP. That small amount of time may not be conducive to getting my WIP done quickly but a little at a time does mean eventually. And, “eventually” could be Christmas 2022.
With my various yarn purchases from the North Texas Yarn Crawl, I have begun knitting a hat to pare down some of my yarn stash. I am hoping that one skein is enough to finish the hat. My husband and I joke with our kids that the lowest maintenance child is our favorite child. The grandkids are getting to the age that we can follow in the same vein. So, I don’t know which grandchild will end up with it but “the one” will be able to wear it like a crown...until there is a new favorite.
For BloomingDaisiesCrafts, I have pulled out the new Christmas fabric. They are all my favorites.
I am a collector of snowmen; so, of course, one of the fabrics features snowmen. It is included with the Christmas collection but is good for the entire winter season.
The second fabric has strands of Christmas lights on a snowy white background. The pattern is simple and clean.
The aqua blue field on the Christmas Gnome highlights the Scandinavian natives decked out in their own knit caps! The little men are interspersed with undecorated trees, making this a good choice for your winter WIP.
And last of all, in honor of my Arizona childhood, BloomingDaisiesCrafts has cactus Christmas fabric. These cacti are all decked out for the holidays (for those of you that have not experienced a Christmas in the southwest: yes, people do decorate them for Christmas.) The cacti are set against a black background as dark as the desert sky.
If you are looking for Christmas items to buy right now or maybe do not want to wait for the new merchandise, BloomingDaisiesCrafts has a strong line of Christmas products. Make sure to browse all of the product lines for your favorites which may also include the Thanksgiving/Fall items. The Fall-Autumn Dust cover is a customer favorite with a pretty pumpkin lining enclosed in a cover with reminders us of why Thanksgiving is most people’s favorite holiday of the year.
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