Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!  I hope your holidays are filled with joy.  I will be back in the new year with a big, exciting announcement!  See you then!  :)

Christmas All Around the House

I thought I'd show you a few of our Christmas decorations.  We haven't even gotten everything out of the attic yet; at this point, I'm not sure we will.  But this is what I've done so far, so here's a bit of a tour.  Above is the mantle over our fireplace.   This is essentially the same as last year.  I added an additional ball garland, but otherwise it's the same as before.  I made the wreath last year to match; it's still one of my favorites!

The fun gnome and mushroom ornaments I told you about previously are now residing on a feather tree in the kitchen.  Also in the kitchen is our Mickey Mouse gingerbread cookie advent calendar:

I love this advent calendar!  I got this as a gift from my parents after we took a huge, multi-generational trip to Disney World during Christmas time.  This was in the window of a store there, and I just about had a heart attack when I saw it.  I'm so glad that Mom got it for me; every time I see it I think of that trip and how magical it was to be at Disney surrounded by Christmas decorations and music.

Above is the entry way.  I love the pink/gold glitter trees!  I found the tablecloth on Ebay (I have it folded in half to drape over the console table) -- the workmanship on this tablecloth is amazing to me:

I made a wreath to go with this grouping, but I'm still not sure that I like it.  I think it looks kind of like a sea urchin:

 Finally, I have a weakness for vintage felt Christmas things, so we've got them all over the house:

Our Elf on the Shelf (who the girls have named "Minty") ended up here yesterday morning:

That's just a little bit of what Christmas looks like around here this year!  I hope that you are having a joyful holiday!

Cuteness Alert!

Those of you who have been following my blog may know that I have a thing (a recent, kind of inexplicable thing) for gnomes and mushrooms. So, while searching "gnome" today on Etsy (instead of doing the gazillion things on my to-do list) I happened upon the most adorable shop: A Little Sweetness.  Be still my beating heart: there are girly gnomes (hooray!) and mushrooms, and even Little Red Riding Hood!

These are all embroidery patterns, but there are also prints and notecards, and other lovely things made from shop owner Tasha's delightful artwork.  You simply must go check it out!

I think once I'm done with my 25 Days of Christmas Stitchalong, I'm going to treat myself to a few of her darling embroidery patterns!

I hope your holidays are going well.  Things are crazy around here, but festive, too!  Happy holidays!

Stitching Update

The 25 Days of Christmas Stitchalong is moving along!  I'm trying hard to stay caught-up with a square a day, but I admit that it's hard during the crush of Christmas.  I've really enjoyed getting back to stitching; it's very relaxing for me, and the Christmas theme is fun.

It's not too late to join in the fun!  Check out my other blog to join in on the fun!

25 Days of Christmas Stitchalong: Ladies, Start Your Stitching!

It's finally here!  Today's the first day of the 25 Days of Christmas Stitchalong!   Here's my first square.  Follow along with the fun on my other blog, and be sure to leave a comment with your blog address if you'd like to join in!  It's not too late to get in on the fun.  I can't wait to see what everyone is stitching.  :)