2018 Online Advent Calendar

Hello everyone and happy holidays!

Welcome to my door!

Knock on to see what's inside!

This is the Online Advent Calendar made by Jo of Serendipitous Stitching and you can find all of the days in her blog.

This is December 15th and it is my turn to show you what I have stitched this Christmas.

Please come inside.

First I stitched  "All Dolled Up" by Little House Needleworks, a pattern I had won in Kaye's of Kitten Stitching giveaway some time ago.Thanks Kaye. It looks lovely stitched and I put it in a white frame. I also gave the pattern away and the winner is Clare of Aimeteu's Stitching.

I also stitched these felt trees with sequins and beads from my stash and from what I was sent at the Secret Crafter Exchange about which you can read in my GG post tomorrow.

 And this little Christmas Dragon was stitched this Christmas too.
It is December 2015 Holiday Treat by J.L.Aikman-Smith of Dragon Dreams Inc. which you can find for free on their facebook page.This is travelling to a dragon loving stitching friend.

Also Jo asked us our favourite Christmas song and I must say I have many but my all time favourite classic is the 1942 White Christmas with Bing Crosby

.

But I also love  a song I often teach my children for Christmas.

If you want to follow more on the Advent Calendar today you can also visit Mary's Threads to see what she has stitched.

The next blogs you can go tomorrow are A stitcher's Story and The Flashing Scissors.

This Online Advent Calendar is organised by Jo of Serendipitous stitching. Hop along to see the rest of the days.Thanks Jo for organising this. Have great holidays! Merry Christmas and a happy new year!

November Gifted Gorgeousness

Hello everyone!
It's GG time again.

For those who are new here Gifted Gorgeousness is the brainchild of Jo of Serendipitous Stitching.
Every month we show things we have stitched for gifts or have received as gifts.
Here is what I stitched from 15th October to 15th November.
First of all because I hadn't done something from my summer ctaftpod I made a small pattern from the card included in the parcel by Brie Harrison  to fit the hoop that was included in it.
This was my grandmother's favourite flower. She called it skoularikia (earrings) but I know it is called fuchsia.

Now there were three hoops on my wall.

Then I started my autumn craftpod
and again chose to stitch something from Brie Harrison's card to fit the hoop included.

So now there are four hoops on my wall.

Then I made the paper mushroom that was included in the parcel.

Mine is not as good as Lucy's so go to Attic24 to see how she made it and developed the whole theme.
Then I made a small piece for Let the people choose-November-Birthstones which is again a brainchild by Jo.
You can read all about it here in my blog.
It's by Palko Lap blog and you can find the pattern here.

This piece I am going to turn into a card or ornament and gift it to a January birthday person.
Is anyone of my readers a January child? Like me?
The other thing I finished is 'All dolled up" by Little House Needleworks.
I had received this from Kaye of Kitten Stitching in one of her giveaways. Thank you so much Kaye, see how beautifully it turned out!

I haven't decided how I am going to finish it yet.

And as it was a gift to me I am going to gift the pattern too so if you want it please let me know clearly in your comment. I will leave this open till November 25th.

I gave myself a gift too. Two Christmas magazines this time. I hadn't bought Christmas magazines for a very long time. And these were the cheapest I could get in Greece. I wanted to buy Prima makes but it was 22 euros. Where are prices going to?

I also want to show you something I noticed in a shop in my neighbourhood. It is an upholsterer's workshop. And these are embroidered pieces all matched together probably to fit a sofa or armchair.

I'd love to see the finished piece.
Also I saw this stitched piece at the antique market last week.

Finally the giveaway from the Halloween blog hop. I gave Barca the chance to help me and she was most willing. 

 Aimetu Clare  of Aimetu's Stitching won the Halloween Happiness pattern. Please send me your full name and address to my e-mail, thanks.

Thank you Jo for gifting it to me it is high time it went to someone else to stitch! I really loved making it.

Hope you enjoyed this GG blog post from me. Have a nice weekend!

September Gifted Gorgeousness 2018

So September is here already and schools have started.
The weather is amazing to spend by the sea but unfortunately we can't as we have to be in the city working and looking after mum so no sea!
I haven't stitched much to show you.
But first what's Gifted Gorgeousness?

It's the brain child of talented Jo of Serendipitous Stitching where we show anything we have stitched which was gifted to us or anything we stitch to give as a gift.
So this month I mostly stitched on my Karaghiozis  piece which will be added to the collaborative work lots of Greek stitchers are contributing to. I will probably concentrate more on this in winter.

 I also made a sea glass felted stone to gift to my friend Eleftheria on our trip to Lesvos island.

Eleftheria lives on beautiful Molyvos (Mythemna) village which is amazingly built on a cliff overlooking the sea!

 This month I received a glow-in-the night white thread from dear Jo in order to finish my Halloween Happiness piece. I haven't stitched it yet but since it is a little only I am hoping I will soon have it finished in time for Halloween! This pattern was a giveaway win from Jo and the fabric from Brigitte.

And I also received another giveaway win this time from Kaye of Kitten Stitching! Now you know what I will be stitching for Christmas this year. Kaye added some extra gifts!Thank you so much!

But there are some other things I want to show you in this blog post too.They are cross stitch and embroidery related.

We spent four days on Lesvos island with my husband in August. A beautiful big green island  with so much to see.

I spotted an old embroidery shop in Mytilini, the capital, covered in embroidery pictures.

 In the Agiasos Church of Virgin Mary there is a small byzantine museum. Here are some embroidered pieces.

 In the Agiasos Folk Museum I also potted these.

 I also want to show you these pottery items. I have bought both of them at charity bazaars at the Macedonian Museum of Modern Art. They are made by a Lesvos island clay artist called Vanio and she has painted them with cross stitch patterns.

Finally here are some vintage craft magazines from the 80s and 90s. Some of them I gave to a friend of mine who will definitely make more out of them than me.

 Hope you have  a great September.See you next month!