2019 Online Advent Calendar

Hi everyone!
I know you haven't seen me for some time here. It seems that even blogging has become difficult for me these days. Anyway...

Thanks to Jo of Serendipitous Stitching though I managed to make my last blog post for 2019.
And that's her Advent Calendar.
I am on December 22nd so here is my photo.

I had stitched this Christmas stocking for my son back in 1997. I managed to finish it for his third Christmas and I really like it so very much. There is so much detail in it. And beads too.

I had found the pattern in Cross Stitcher magazine issue of December 1996 and my mum did the finishing into a stocking when I finished it in time for Christmas 1997. So it was totally a labour of love from a mother and a grandmother to my little boy Miltos. I hope he will treasure it as a heirloom. And I hope you like it too.
For this Christmas I only stitched this little piece from Winter 2018 Craftpod kit. It's beautiful isn't it?

The red berries branch is from an older Craftpod kit too.
Jo also asked us to say in this blog post our favourite Christmas movie. If you read all the blog posts you will find lots of interesting movies to see for Christmas.
My favourite Christmas movie is a Finnish film called Joulutarina ( Christmas Story). It was sent to me as a DVD gift by my Finn friend Johanna and her family after we had visited Finland after Christmas 2006. You can find the movie with English subtitles on You tube and I personally show this movie to my pupils of the 6th grade every year and they love it.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0772176/
The second movie I love to watch not only every Christmas but also through the year and I have watched really a hundred times is You've Got Mail with Tom Hanks and Meg Rayan. In fact I am going to watch it today again as it is on our TV although I have it as a DVD as well when I want to watch it at other times. I especially like the scenes from New York at Christmas.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0128853/

I recently saw another movie on Netflix and really liked it so I thought of suggesting that one too. It is Klaus and it is animated and very very witty. I am sure you will like that, too.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4729430/

 I also thought of adding a few photos from this year's minimal Christmas decorations at our house.

 This is our big table with some fir branches, lights and tealight candles.

 My porcelain mushrooms, a wooden advent calendar winter scene, my nativity scene, and my crystal tealight candle holders.The blue cross stitched piece I made myself.

 This is where the stocking stands.

 Also you can see another Nativity scene, my son's first ornament a Santa on a bike, two little houses I got from Poland  and two music boxes from my friend Juliana.

That's a tea light candle holder I got as a gift from a pupil this year and the reindeer is from Finland.

 The wreaths I made last year. I had also made some blue ones that I sent out as gifts this year.

My pomegranate collection and the lights are from Finland too.

No Christmas tree this year.

But I admired this one at the city centre mall and loved it.Maybe next year!LOL!

 If you have read so far then I have a gift for you. This is a Christmas kit I had received from my friend Marabeth many years ago but I know this is not something I am going to stitch so if you feel like stitching it please say so in your comment. I will pick someone on 31st December.

If you would like to visit all of Jo's Advent blog posts you can do so here.

Thank you Jo for the inspiration once again.

Have a great Christmas and New Year's Eve. Enjoy the holidays.

EDIT. I finally did a drawing and the kit was won by Purple Pixie Dust.

Let the people choose-September-Bees

Hi everyone!
I never managed to do the August issue of Let the people choose as I was not in town and also didn't have anything monochromatic to show.
But September's theme is bees and I should have something ready but I haven't.
Still I am showing it to you as its theme is bees.
It is the summer kit by Craftpod .
I loved it although I haven't stitched it yet as I seem to be out of stitching mood. It will come back eventually as long as we will be entering cold, rain and winter, I guess.
Anyway Craftpod is a kit that comes out every four months. It is a surprise so you don't know what there will be in it. It usually has two things to make.
Here's the bees themed kit. There was a hoop embroidery  and a recipe.

 Let the people choose is the brainchild of Jo of Serendipitous Stitching and you can visit her blog and see more blogs participating in it.See you soon in the next GG.

Summer Postcard Blog Hop

I just received today a beautiful virtual cross stitch postcard from Leonore through Jo's of Serendipitous Stitching Summer Postcard Blog Hop.
Here's Leonore's postcard and message.

"Hi friend,

I hope you're having a great summer! It's sweltering here, really the only way to enjoy this weather is in the shade with a cool drink. You know I prefer iced tea, though!'

Leonore chose this design because it is her most international project so far.  99 - not only is it beer bottles from all over the world, but also she worked on it in four different countries on three continents!

I wonder if there is any Greek beer bottle there! Thank you Leonore for the postcard.

You can visit Leonore's blog Needles, Pen & Sword here and of course Jo's blog to see all of the cards. Mine has not been received yet so I am not showing it here.
EDIT. The photo of my piece was received so you can read all about it here in Jeremiah's Mom blog.

July Gifted Gorgeousness and the Super storm in Chalkidiki.

Hello everyone!
GG or Gifted Gorgeousness is Jo's of Serendipitous Stitching brainchild.
Jo asks us to show in the blog post something we were gifted cross stitch wise, or something we made and gifted.

Unfortunately I haven't managed to stitch at all this month. We were supposed to be at the beach house and I would stitch but things evolved differently.
Anyway let me first of all show you the new summer craftpod I gifted myself. It is dedicated to bees which are getting extinct and we should do something to protect them.

This summer again I am taking part in the summer craft challenge organised by Anna of In my closet. This time Anna is collaborating with other blogs to challenge us to be more creative. The first collaboration was with Katerina of Mindspinfabrica and Katerina asked us to make something stamped. So I used my sea themed stamps ( a gift from Karen some years ago, hence it belongs to GG) to stamp on self drying clay and make some ring dishes and key rings. The end result isn't very good but I loved making them.

Finally I'd like to share here with you some photos from the aftermath of a cyclone or Supercell or superstorm or waterspout that happened on the evening of July 10th at Chalkidiki where my beach house is. The phenomenon was awful and very very strong. It had continuous lightning, typhoon winds, rain and hail at the same time.  Unfortunately seven people were killed in the area, six of them tourists among them two children. One tourist, a Russian father with his two-year-old child was killed at the hotel next to our house.
The photos are all mine and they are in our neighbourhood.

Half of the tree missing.

 Huge wooden deck flew and dropped at our beach.

 Only trunks from the hundreds-year-old pine trees.

 I just hope this supercell won't happen again. It was something I have never seen before and my family and I were very lucky not to have any injuries or damages.Thank God!

Let the people choose-July-Finishing

Hi everyone!
Let the people choose is Jo's of Serendipitous Stitching brainchild.
The first Saturday of the month we post on our blog according to a theme.
As I don't do finishing at my cross stitch pieces and only frame them I can't show you much. My finishing is usually a custom made frame.
Like this one for example.

With that only I will only wish you a happy summer!

June Gifted Gorgeousness

Hello everyone! Hope you are already in a summery mood!

GG or else Gifted Gorgeousness, Jo's of Serendipitous Stitching brainchild continues.

This month I didn't stitch at all! Oh yes, unfortunately!

But I received a gift which I'd like to show you.

It was a thank you gift from Mia Craftartista! Thank you so much Maria, this is so sweet of you!

 And here's a recent find at a flea market which I couldn't possibly pass. A whole cross stitched runner with beautiful colours, lots of silver in it too, and dark velvet all around. It is in excellent condition and bought it very very cheap. So this will adorn my big dining table in winter!

(the photo contains the rest of my flea market finds. A book, a Mdina Glass vase from Malta and a new handmade hair ribbon made by my friend Katerina of Mindspinfabrica)
Nothing else to show you! Hope you enjoy summer!

Let the people choose-June-Mermaids

Hello everyone!
On the first Saturday of each month I take part in Let the people choose, one more of Jo's of Serendipitous Stitching brainchildren!

This month the theme is mermaids, such a great theme as I love summer, the sea, mermaids, sea world and sea glass!
What can I show you to stitch about mermaids?
There are some free patterns that I'd love to stitch one day.
First this mermaid by Alita Designs. You can find it here.

(photo taken from Alita Designs site)

Second this little mermaid by the Snowflower Diaries.

(photo taken from the Snowflower Diaries site)
Third a HAED free pattern.It is called The shell maiden. It would be a dream to stitch this one. Only 24 pages of pattern but I love it!

(photo taken from Heaven and Earth Designs, page)
Now apart from these there are lots more mermaid patterns that I'd love to stitch one day.
I have even bought two second hand ones from a fb destashing page. One is of the Mirabilia mermaids.The enchanted mermaid.

Mirabilia even has a free mermaid pattern on their site.

(photo taken from the Mirabilia page)

 And I also bought a Satsuma Street mermaid. Which if I ever stitch it it will be on white or light blue fabric and not dark blue or black as the original.

 But what I must definitely show you is this pattern which was gifted to me by dear Laura of
 The Little Stitcher.
She creates beautiful patterns so you have to visit her etsy 

I stitched  the pattern and added it on this fabric bag which was a gift from a friend and it had a shop advert on it. Doesn't it look lovely? Thank you Laura!

You can even find a free mermaid pattern on her site. It is called The guardians of the sea. I have stitched this many a time and have given it as a gift to sea glass friends.

(photo taken from The Little Stitcher blog)

Here are mine.

Finally I'd like to show you some mermaids paintings from a recent exhibition I went to. The exhibition was organised by the Northern Greece Painters Association.(SKETBE).

The first mermaid with lots of glitter on it is by Penelope Kapetanoudi.

 The second which maybe is not a mermaid but still very beautiful is by  Mary Keremidou.

 Look at all that detail!

  Finally this one by Pelagia Lehou. I love how the sunlight enters the water on her.

 Hope you enjoyed my Let the people choose post! See you next time!