Christmas Fixer-Upper

I have been cross stitching for nearly 30 years and if you looked at my full body of work, you would see that there are a lot of Christmas stitchings. Ornaments (lots of ornaments), tea towels, sweatshirts, scrapbook covers, and large wall hangings.

I made this one about thirteen years ago, according to the date I signed on it.  For some reason, I didn't get around to framing it until a few years ago.  By that time, I was a single mom, and I didn't really want "Celebrating Christmas Since ..." on it anymore, but I liked the stitching and didn't want such a cute piece to go to waste.  So, I picked out the words "Since 1997" and just continued the black squares across the bottom.  I found a nice red mat and a black frame and hung it for a few years.

When I got remarried though, I obviously didn't want to leave my old name on it. How lucky, that my old name and the new name have the same last few letters, so I could pick out the "FUST" and change it to "TROW".  I had to fudge the spacing a bit, as there two spaces in between each of the letters that only took up 3 spaces each. There was no way to make a W without is using 5 spaces, but because it's in the center, it works pretty well.




I also picked out the black squares at the bottom and
added "Since 2012". 

Now my Christmas house stitching reflects the family properly and I get to enjoy setting it out again.

Onto the next Christmas stitching!



 

 

Chalkboard Ornaments

When we blended families and the boys and I moved into Phil's house, I was forced to see how much crafting stuff I had accumulated.   Very often, I bought supplies that either never got finished (or let's face it, even got started) or I kept what was left over from ancient projects.  As I work on my
"40 by 41 Challenge", I search for new projects on Pinterest that will use up the supplies I already have.  It's feels great to empty out a container or shoebox full of "stuff" that might never have seen the light of day again otherwise.

When I saw the chalkboard ornaments from The Examined Life, knowing that I had a slew of little wooden shapes in the Oasis, I nearly ran to the store to load up on chalkboard paint.  I also grabbed a white paint pen.

When I dug the wooden shapes out of the drawer they had been stored in, I had to get the stickers off the backs.  Some were a little challenging, as they have been sitting there for awhile. Once all the stickers were off, I painted two coats on the good side (without the sticker residue), with a little help from my stepdaughter.  I only painted one coat on the back side.

 

 

Next, I used the white paint pen to outline the shapes - sometimes with dashes, some with dots, some with both.  Then I raided the stash for something sparkly. In the scrapbooking stuff I found a "ribbon" of holly shaped rhinestone and a holly shaped photo corner.  I used these to embellish the ornament (usually covering a spot that didn't come out as cleanly as I would have liked).

 



Add a little ribbon loop to the back, and we're all set!

 

 

 

As I mentioned in the post describing the Cinnamon Stick Stars, I wanted to give some of my good friends their Christmas treats at the beginning of the season so they could enjoy it all month long, rather than just for a few days before Christmas.  I packaged up a Cinnamon Stick Star, a Chalkboard Ornament, and a bag of Simmering Potpourri (check it out below) and delivered them  all one afternoon.  I hope my friends are enjoying their treats. 

 

What treats are you making for your friends this Christmas?

 

Simmering Potpourri

 

I found the recipe for the potpourri at Make It Do.  It includes an orange (quartered), a Tbsp. of cloves, 4 or 5 cinnamon sticks , and half a cup of cranberries.  Throw it a pot (or crock pot), add some water and enjoy.  I put all the ingredients in a treat bag, tied it off with some ribbon and wrote the instructions on a tag I made from card stock and the Creative Memories tag punch (a NECESSITY of crafting life).  Quick, easy, and so, so nice!