It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas....

Well, maybe not in Chilly Hollow, where I am NOT decorating this year. I am tired of spending a ton of time hauling out decorations, putting them up, picking them up off the floor after the puppy bangs into the tree to see them better, and then repeating the last item daily until it is time to put everything away again. This year Santa can leave my presents on top of the dining room table! Still, it is very nice to see all the needlepoint decorations. Summer Louise has put photos of many little ornaments she's finished for her customers on her blog and it gives me a lot of Christmas cheer just looking at them. Hint: Skip the top entry unless you want to crave candy! http://www.summerlouise.com/blogger.html 

Jane and Margaret have received finished pieces back from their finishers and also put photos on their blogs. I expecially love Jane's use of her little mini socks to hold silverware for dinner parties! http://janew1102.typepad.com/my_weblog/2008/12/6-days-of-christmas-are-back.html http://cranecottage.com/stitchingblog/?p=584 

Judy Harper's showing how easy it is to design your own little mini socks. http://needle-crafts.blogspot.com/2008/12/mini-stockings-and-ornaments-design.html 

I love her "Elizabethean Rose" border. Here's a charted and larger authentic version done from an Elizabethean cushion. I've always thought these old rose designs beautiful but I never thought what a pretty border a smaller version would be. http://www.dragonbear.com/cenrose.html

Finally, many stores have wonderful December newsletters up with news of sales. Homestead Needle Arts' is my favorite because of all the great photos of the sale Christmas canvases. By the way, the canvas above is a Melissa Shirley Christmas angel from Homestead Needle Arts. http://www.homesteadneedlearts.com/thelatest.html 

Enjoy the little break from my long, drawn-out finishing series. I am beginning to bore even myself, but I wanted to break all the steps into manageable pieces. 

Jane/Chilly Hollow

Main blog at http://blog.360.yahoo.com/chillyhollow