Finally framed

 I have mentioned that finding square frames is quite tricky so if I see some then I buy them.

Of course most of the time they are then not the right size for anything for ages however, I digress.

I bought two identical square frames from the charity shop, still in their original wrapper with the original price on there. The charity shop price was half the original and about normal charity shop pricing.

I had nothing in mind for them until in our last BFF session my friend and I were chatting and a particular Christmas themed piece I had completed was mentioned. The thought came to me later that it might fit one of the new frames.

And you know it did!

It stayed in the "mount" I made from an old Christmas card which I thought might have just been for display purposes when it was my  day in the Advent link up. in 2022, so it has been waiting for a frame.

Although it will have to wait till Christmas 2026 to be displayed.

Pleased as I am with that I am even happier the whilst getting out the Robin I also found The windmill and thought this too is of a size for the little frame.

Wow you think that has been waiting since 2013, erm no that is the year I started blogging and did a post about it. It was started and finished in a year that started with 19?? 

However, its wait is over and it went up on the wall immediately.

And for the Forestella song ? Nocturne and words from the Wind 

I think that this January has had more posts than any previous January, which is strange as I don't feel like I have been getting that much done.

There is an odd sense of achievement in having got from one end of this month to the other this year.

BFF RAL and SAL 21

 If you came here from Roni's blog then this first image will surprise ewe.

yes it is a sheep in a Christmas hat! This is the RAL part, as I had already started the backstitching on the SAL when last we were working on it. So I finished off the cross stitch and backstitch on this first whilst Roni caught up.

Then I moved onto the Wreath Mouse. I found one ninja as I was backstitching the mouse, some ??? placed ones whilst doing the holly leaves and decided that the backstitching in the random greenery was excess to my requirements.

Not that sure the yellow bits look like the bells I supposed them to be, even with the bit of gold blending filament, perhaps they are baubles?

I did not feel bad stopping backstitching at this point and not finishing the stitching as per the pattern as after some discussion my BFF also decided to limit the amount she was adding.

Here is mine with an idea of how it will look in it's felt frame from the kit, but as Roni noted we have  an over abundance of time to sort that, it will most likely be gazumped by other more time sensitive projects ( then next thing you know we will be complaining how Christmas crept up on us and be in a rush) 

CLICK HERE to pop over to my BFF's blog (well if you did not start from there) and see how her variation looks.

And yes that is the dragons in the background, I was showing my BFF my progress, I will update on that one separately later.

We think we have a plan for BFF SAL 22, but plans can change.

Christmas Eve and

 the red linen project.

I was drawn to the light effect when I saw the pattern in the WOX. Mind I did not have all of the colours or the red material and there was a little pause whilst I rectified that.

Most of the cross stitch is three over two, it looks  quite effective even without the backstitching.

The backstitch brings it into focus.

I did not have the specific sequins or beads specified, as there were just a few I decided to use what I had on hand.

I like how it turned out, which is great, occasionally patterns feel "less" when stitched than they did in progress. 

I had hoped to have it properly fully finished for this year. I have a poster frame hanger ready but other  things have pushed there way in. Life things and crafting things, not always in an order of importance when applied to crafting, just in order of coping. Perhaps I will manage it over Christmas other issues depending and it will be displayed for part of this Christmas.

Oh I forgot and have added this after by request, this is Festive Lamp Post designed by Fiona Baker and is from issue 301 Xmas 2020 The World of Cross Stitching.

I have this year tried to have something to post each day in the run up to Christmas, not quite an Advent but an odd attempt to hold onto something of a normal routine and in memory of the Advent hops of years gone by.

A new song from the wonderful Forestella

Which depending on how I am feeling hits me differently each time.

Hoppy Christmas

 to my BFF, we almost had a before Christmas 2025 this year. We still might manage to have Chriatmas 2025 in 2025, fingers crossed.

A Felting finish for Christmas

 one of those mad ideas that insist on being completed . Turning a cross stitch I modified from a Durene Jones design into a 3D felt sculpture.

Click here to see the cross stitch.

It was a plan for a long time. First I ordered felting wool in red and blue and greens ext. Then I wondered about how to do clothing on a character. I had only done a Bunny and a Cat before.

I even ordered a kit with the character wearing clothes thinking the instructions might help. Sadly it was a cheaper kit and the instructions were simply make as per picture. I have yet to make it!

I finally made a start during a BFF RAL.

I shared those initial pictures but once the image might have been more identifiable I stopped sharing. Including how I tacked the waistcoat.

Mind the first stage it looked more like the farmer from Shaun the Sheep.

That changed when I added the hair.

I had some fights with the right hand, it kept getting bigger and looser rather than tighter, the hand shown here ended up not being used I cut it off and started again.

Then I added the hat, including a tassel (a bought one this time)

The sizes of the cats perhaps not quite reflective of the cross stitch. And the smaller cat got bigger and erm bigger.

I am not great at cat features.

They are stitched onto orange felt.

I had bought a dome a long time ago, it was just say big enough (that tall hat and bigger cat).

After what was many months of thinking about and intention I finished it the day before it was gifted.

That works well as it stops me messing with it.

Gifted to my brother, he recognised The Hat that lead to the cross stitch that lead to this. My sister in law said we should get you a brown waistcoat and agreed the cats looked like specific cats  amongst those they have.

I was pleased at that. My sister in law has taken up felting since I made the Bunny, but her animals have progressed to realistic whilst mine have not. 

However, that does mean if I fall out of love with felting now this project is completed, if the kits from various sources once I try them do not equal the  joy of Bunny I will have a recipient for any left over stuff. 

I have a tendency to accumulate stuff in relation to a new hobby attempt.

All twelve cards together

 

The Christmas mice were finished last year and I was not sure what I was going to do with them.

I might stitch them again and try one of the other options as I have used up all of the label blanks from the kit.

Christmas card twelve

 the hard part with Christmas Cards is getting the words on the inside, the message just right.

in this instance I am doing so (I hope) with white pen on the green paper. I hope the ones I posted get there on time. There were life issues so I did not get them sent on the day I initially planned to.

Christmas Card eleven

 I added green inner pages to each card

with a peel off Merry Christmas inside

making the cards, that is the easy part.

Christmas Card ten

 it was fun making the cards up. 

as each mouse was different it felt right that each card was different. It also stopped me from getting bored with repetition.

Christmas Card Nine

 and the first of the last label colour, a light blue.

Christmas Card eight

 The little stars, and dots are from peel off sheets. Also a charity shop purchase.

I have some fond memories of skating, I am not at all good at it mind and don't think my knees or ankles would cooperate should I try it now.

Christmas Card seven

 The cards, simple brown cards are a charity shop purchase and came with envelopes.

So whilst theses are not charity produced cards as such they have still contributed to a charity.

Christmas Card six

 I have more card marking stuff than the amount of card making I do merits,  some I bought and some was gifted.

It is always nice to use some of it up.

This one has parcel ribbon on the card.

Christmas Card five

 

The ribbons on all but one of the card "parcels" are from rolls of stick on edges. They were given to me in a bag of card making stuff. 

Christmas Card four

 I used some lengths of wool from the gifted box (the rest of the wool is going to a charity shop, I won't use it, the pre-cut bits I kept as they won't do for a charity shop) in a colour coordinating with the gift label.

it feels nice using up little bits of oddments from my stash.

This is the last of the red label cards.

Christmas Card three

 the set of labels came in three colours

Christmas Card two

 each card is different, either in the ribbon

or the decoration used, stars or dots.

Christmas card one..

 this is the first of the mouse cross stitches. The kit was for gift tags, I have put them onto cards decorated to look like parcels.

They are removable so the recipient can reuse them, either as gift tags or as tree decorations.

A tiny Bob Ross

 inspired Christmas themed landscape. Brr chilly but fun.

More fun with the metallic water colours, I do like the way the mountains came out. And the chilly little trees.

Mind if I try it again, who knows how it will turn out or at the moment what I am going to do with it.

And the Forestella link? Well I think the chorus sounds very Bob Ross.

.

Christmas Tree cards part one

 with metallic water colour paints on black.

Christmas trees

I painted these back in October, when I painted the pumpkin.

I had a plan in mind for them becoming Christmas cards. So far that has not happened, one or two things got in the way of my preparations.

So I am not sure when part two will come along.