Christmas offer for you

Time for the annual gift certificate.  As before, you can choose 123Stitch, Anita's Little Stitches (great accessories and scissors) or any other shop that offers gift certificates.  The gift is $30.00 (USD).  You can purchase the usual charts/threads, but since it is a gift, choose something for a treat.  An accessory or dookie or scissor that you would not have bought for yourself. 

Enter on this post only and please include your last name or email.  With everyone being no-reply and many having the same first name, it will help me a lot!  You can also enter by email by clicking this link samplersandsantas@gmail.com.

 

Good news!  I found the other Kogut Santa.  He was in another box of stitchery I completely forgot about, including the checkered stag.  He is now in his rightful place in the Santa hutch.

 

 

I still get requests for the Postman Santa source.  It is the old hard cover Leisure Arts book titled Christmas Portraits.  They come up on EBay and Amazon once in a while.

Another of my favorites, the ho ho ho design, was also in the box along with several others not shown here.  How many more can I stitch?  It's getting to the point that I don't know where to place them and with simplifying more each year, maybe it's time to stop.

 

 

 

As every year, my exterior decorating is about an minimal as can be, but I feel it goes with the house.  If you've seen it in prior years, it's not much different.  Pretty easy to buy bunches of greens and just stick them inside of a tub.   I don't use velvet ribbon, usually jute upholstery webbing with the red stripe.  This year, I chose cranberry burlap on a roll and just knotted it. 

 

The contractor was here this morning with estimates for labor only, no materials.  I was very surprised at the hourly rate, but hired him on the spot after years of waiting for someone to work with us.  Well worth it.

 

 

I not only rearranged decorations, but also the beat up furniture from the family room.  Replaced with the parlor's pieces.  Not comfortable.  But glad I did because the material on the sofa allowed me to see that I can not live with a pattern.  I need subdued, not at all the fabrics I had chosen for a new purchase.

 

Hope you have a great start to the weekend.

 

******************

More

I am enjoying the photos of Christmas decorating and stitchery, but not seeing as much as I would like.  I want to see more of yours! 

Here's more of my constantly changing and rotating items.

 

The only gourd I have from my painting days.

 

Where three Santas once rested. Anna Eliza Abe from Threads of Gold, a PS Santa, and Lucy Redd on the wall.

A beat up piece I found that now sits on top of the old table I use as a desk, with gifted stitchery except for the bottom needleroll.  It looks dusty inside the letter slots but it's not, just very dull wood.

 

The boys on the mantle (Birds of a Feather OOP) with some PS'ers. Country Sampler Stacy Nash club's Peacock Peacock hangs with the star.  On top the box is a gift from Shirlee (FOUR years ago!) stitched on osnaburg, but can't remember the design name.  I really like stitchery on that fabric and should use it more often.

 

 

Had enough?

MIA

 

Kogut's Primitive Santa is missing but I doubt if its in action, he is just sleeping somewhere.  This has happened with other pieces only to find out I had a giveaway and it's gone.  Did I?  Am I wasting my time searching because he has left home?  I doubt that I gave him up but have no idea what happened to him.

Santa cupboard.

 I moved a few of the guys around which may happen again.   Which will happen again.  Count on it.

 Teresa Kogut's Country Santa hangs on the cupboard's bottom door.  I love this finish.

 

Similar to the free from The Primitive Hare that is another favorite here.  I've seen quite a few of these with red over dyed threads, really really nice. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

It looks like the top left Santa is in a barrel but there is a wooden container of some sort in front of him.


Note to Deborah H. (Hi!) - sorry, you are no-reply and I can't contact you.
The boys at the top of the page are OOP from Birds of a Feather.  Individual 4x6 cards for each one, Red Santa, Green Santa, Black Santa, and Gold Santa.  

Let's see what I change tomorrow!  Hopefully I will still be able to move after therapy.

**********************

 

Making progress

Many of the stitched ornaments are not hanging on trees this year.

 

 

 

 

 

If you look closely you'll see the little plastic soldier.  Several are throughout the decorations as a reminder of our military.

 

 

Still not stitching, my thumb is worse after removing those fricking little bulbs on the light strings to test and repair at my sister's.  The tool has a bulb remover but I couldn't get it to work most times and it doesn't stick it back into the socket. 

 

Gloomy rainy day, tomorrow will be better but the last day before the cold.  So I'll take the silk poinsettias and the solar lanterns to the cemetery before it gets really cold.

 

We haven't exchanged gifts at Christmas for many years, but I get my two siblings some little thing anyway.  This year, I've decided they can get me something for all the food and errands that I help with.  I want the Microplane wide ribbon grater for onion and garlic (fabulous!).  I gave them the place, parking is 6 feet from their door, the price with tax, the exact name on the label, and the shop's hours.  You wanna bet she asks me to pick it up and she'll pay for it?

 

Have a good one!!

 

*************************

The unfolding

The ins and outs of linen.  Not always.  But certainly this time.  When unpacking my Christmas stitches I remembered that a Teresa Kogut piece was done on Confederate Gray (my first time with that color).  I hated it.  Too pink when mixed in with other finishes .... until .... I turned it to the other side.  Loved it. So I unfolded my new linen and peeked inside and there it was.  The less pink softer color that is agreeable to me, no need to return it.   I never thought to unfold the fabric and look inside and am surprised at the difference. 

Received my Early Homes magazine.  It's not as many pages as the other primitive publications, but I love it as well.  Lots of sources for colonial and early style, not as extreme and "grungy".  Twice a year is not enough for me, wish it was quarterly, but it is more of a special publication from Old House Interiors and I have every issue from the beginning.  If you can't find it, you can order from their website, https://www.aimmedia.com/early-homes/.  I have auto ship so I don't miss an issue.

 

It's December and we have two more days of decent temps, trying to get the leaves done.  Mark has an issue with his foot and needs a cane to (painfully) walk so I will be on my own which is fine with me, but not good for the shoulder.  Leaving shortly for my sister's because those two PITAs can't figure out how to use that Lightkeeper tool to fix the Christmas lights.  Again.  I told her she better get her butt out of the house and into a store, not just restaurants.  I can't remember the last time she got her own groceries and necessities. Then we're off to the doc for injections in his foot.

 

Hope your day is a good one.

 

Thanks for visiting.

******************************

A dozen Santas sale - SOLD

SET IS SOLD

 

If anyone is interested, the total for all 12 including shipping (USA) will be $45.  I hung them on the old ladder, and noticed something.  For some reason, day three does not have the backstitching on the bottom like all the others.  As I mentioned, the backs are either the same fabric, satin, or velvet, hangers are matching cord hand sewn to the front, and they are lined with muslin.  I'm assuming muslin because that is what our local needlework finisher used exclusively.

 

They were stitched as she received the new card, so did she not remember the bottom?  Was the fabric cut too short?  Was there a mishap from the finisher?  Don't know, but day 3 is missing "Three Christmas Wreaths" at the bottom. The hangers are quite long on some and could easily be shortened or knotted.  The smallest is 4 1/4" x 6" and the largest is 5" x 7".


After looking back at the dozen charts, I see that the pink, blue, and other colors were the recommended fabrics. 

 

 

Please email me samplersandsantas@gmail.com if you are interested.

 

******************************