Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year to all my friends and their families!

Bonnie

Trying to Wrap Up Christmas!

Why is it I can't stop making cookies and crafts at Christmas?  The floors are clean, the presents 98% wrapped, the decorating is what it will be and I'm dragging out the flour and glitter.  What???

So I will make one more cookie - Raspberry Jammers - all butter and raspberry jam and a little flour and sugar - as soon as the butter softens a bit.

The ends have no calories
 and we eat them quick so we don't gain any weight!

Then I'm ready to make some more Snowmen so while the cookies are baking, I will make Snowmen heads and begin the process of making a flock of Snowmen!!!  I sold and gave away the ones I made for our sale in November.  I don't have one and I want one or two or more!!!

I've been collecting the salt and pepper shakers and other jars to make more so I thought I needed to increase my stress level.  I guess I need the extra stress to feel like Christmas is coming!!!

They need their glitter and fancy little scarves, etc.
 but they already have a certain personality with their hats and faces.

On the other side of things, Norma Jean is oblivious to all the festivities.  She is so relaxed she might fall right off the back of the couch!

Not a care in the world!

Glittering tomorrow!

Bonnie

Merry Christmas to Me!!!

I'm an embroidery fanatic!  Forever I have been doing all kinds of embroidery - now I enjoy redwork because I'm lazy and I just have to use red thread.

I embroidered this little snowman and created a pillow-type
sleeve to fit over a plastic free standing picture frame!

Well - I just won two gifts from Pat at Bird Nest on the Ground!  Pat is such a talented and creative quilter and embroiderer and beader!  She gave away gifts to two followers of her blog.  I won the Somerset Holiday Magazine and one of her "Heart" pincushions.  This is a first for me so I'm so excited!!!  And on top of that, the magazine (actually more of a book!) and the pincushion (so special because Pat created it) are two of my favorite things!  Thank you, Pat!  Click on the link and visit her blog to see her Christmas Crazy Quilt - it is gorgeous!

I haven't done crewel embroidery for 35 years so I have to show you two examples of what I used to do on a regular basis.

I completed this kit back in the 70's -
I learned so many stitches!!!

I must have been into jungle animals but I love his majestic look!
  Lots of couching in his mane!

Today we are getting a touch of snow - it looks a little more like Christmas around here now.  I think it will stay until Saturday when my family is coming to celebrate someone's birthday!!!  Happy Birthday, Jesus!

We could use a few more flakes
 but just enough to cover the brown grass!

Merry Christmas!

Bonnie

Decorating the Outside!

Today seemed like a good day to finish decorating so I put on my winter coat and braved the cold winds! 

We have Juniper, Spruce, Colorado Blue Spruce, Norway Pine, White Pine, Jack Pine, and Arborvitae in our yard.  So I began my pruning adventure and lopped off lower branches where I could and thinned the others like the Spruce where I could just take a piece of a layer. 

I just gathered my favorites and started arranging in my window boxes and wheelbarrows.  I still had a small stash of winterberries from our Christmas sale - I love the little touch of red!



Our little Christmas doggie in the window!



Love the old bird houses...sometimes a bird will come
 and visit but won't move in!



Even gargoyles like the decorations!



Our Christmas goose nests in one of my old wheelbarrows!



I wonder how long before our little guy is covered in snow???

Now I feel better - I almost ran out of time to get this project done.  No snow in the forecast so my family will be able to see my little outside vignettes on Christmas Eve.

Merry Christmas to all!

Bonnie

Decorating My Pets!

I'm not sure why it is but decorating my pets for Christmas is so much fun!  What with the tree decorating, shopping and baking, this part of the holidays is just so funny.  Every year I dig out the reindeer antlers and the little Santa hat and try to pose the animals in their finery.

I used to get so crazy about getting a good photo to perhaps use in a Christmas letter and ended up so frustrated.  The camera just doesn't click fast enough so I have hundreds of shots of the sides of their heads or their backsides jumping down off my lap.

Here is Honey looking (with her one eye)
 so festive and so excitedly happy!  She is so cute!

Another pose of Santa's other Reindeer
 - such a happy puppy!!!

Norma Jean coming to Honey's rescue...
she heard the laughing and couldn't stay away!

So now its Norma's turn, I get the hat close to her so she can
 investigate and somehow she gets it hooked on her paw
 and away she ran with the hat trailing behind her!!!
  Oh - I could hardly breathe I was laughing so hard.

For some reason she doesn't trust me
 - check out her spooky eyes!!!

I'm always the winner because I do not give up!
  Isn't she so cute...I think she's saying a few things under her breath.   

They always forgive me and forget the next Christmas that I will win - I will laugh and they will show up on Facebook and many other places in their Christmas hats!

Take care,
Bonnie