He’s adorable! And he matches the card perfectly.
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You find the cutest little patterns! Sorry you had a frustrating day, but what a positive way to vent!
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It’s a kit that came for free with a magazine. I keep a drawer of these little quick stitches especially for days like yesterday.
I’m less frustrated now 
Last night part of the wallpaper we put up suddenly looked really awful, but it looks much better now.
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OMG, amazing.
Hey Friends, just an FYI: The deadline for the Get Ahead of the Holidays Challenge has been extended for the next two weeks. So get crafting and be sure to enter!!!
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I was looking through some old magazines the other week and I was inspired to make a few things.
A magazine from 2010 came with a kit for 6 cards. There was no thread or fabric left, so I guess I used that up, but I did find the cards and embellishments. Luckily I have more than enough stash. Both cards stitched up really quickly.
Then I saw some cute Scandi-style ornaments in a magazine from 2008! And I actually stitched them red on white back then. The ornaments are still in my tree to this day. Then I remembered I had a scrap of red fabric in my stash. It’s only big enough for two, so I picked my favourites.
All the white thread was leftover from an old kit, but I just ran out, so I need to get some from stash. I don’t know the brand or colour number of the thread so I hope it matches plain white DMC!
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These are really cute!
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Thanks!
It was so funny, I was reading the magazine, I saw those ornaments, really liked them, and only then I remembered that I had stitched them before, in 2008! I’ve made so many things that sometimes I forget, but apparantly my taste in Christmas decoration hasn’t changed.
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I started a small chicken the other day. Finished today, and it turned out it would be a great xmas gift for mums boyfriend. 
So thats one less xmas gift to make!
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this is super cute. it reminds me of the chickens in the game Stardew Valley
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Yes, thats where the inspiration is from!
I saw a photo of someone who made the goose too, and it looked so nice, so I think I have to make one myself, using this pattern.
Mr. Imma isn’t home tomorrow, so that’s when I’m going to prepare the Christmas wallhanging for his home office! It’s a fabric panel + backing that needs to be sandwiched and then quilted. I think probably handquilted, it’s not big and as it’s a decorative quilt, the stitching is only for show. I can do the quilting in my sewing room and hide it when I hear him walking up the stairs but ironing and sandwiching requires more space.
After that I need to figure out if there are any more gifts or decoration I still want to do. My side of the family is visiting us one day in the festive period, we haven’t heard from my in-laws side but it would be great if they would be willing to visit us as well. I know hosting is a lot of work, but hosting two families on two days isn’t twice the amount of work of hosting one family on one day. When the whole house is tidied and decorated for one visit, the second visit only requires a quick tidy and sweep of the living areas, and a cleaning of the bathroom/kitchen. And I could do all of the baking and most of the cooking in one day. My family is more difficult to cook for, my in-laws prefer a whole chicken and some simple sides. That’s my favourite dish to cook for guests because it only takes 10 minutes to prepare, the oven does the work and it looks super impressive. But my side of the family aren’t fans of “big piece of meat + sides” - type meals.
What are you guys cooking for Christmas, if you are hosting? And if not, what are your favourite type of meals to cook and eat during the festive period?
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I made lasagna last year, which is about as far from traditional as it gets, but it worked out really well! I made two different kinds (both meatless) and assembled them the night before and popped them in the fridge overnight. The next day, all I had to do was stick them in the oven, no extra prep work necessary. We did salad and garlic bread with it, and it was a warm, hearty meal that everyone enjoyed…and that didn’t result in a ton of extra dirty dishes or leftover containers in the fridge for the next week.
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We’ve done lasagna many times with much success.
For drop in guests when we have no idea when or how many, we make several hearty appetizers and several kinds of charcuterie boards.
We did chili and gumbo or other soup meals as well.
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When we used to go visit my parents for Christmas I’d pre-make the tofu ricotta and red sauce then at their house I’d toss all of my normal lasagna ingredients, but subbing the noodles, in the crockpot (elbow macaroni, tofu ricotta, spinach, red sauce) and cook on high for 4 hours. I’d also make some fresh garlic bread when the “lasagna” was ready. It was super simple and easy, fed everyone, and didn’t make many dishes. The pasta wasn’t quite as soft as usual lasagna but was still delicious. I probably could have precooked the noodles a bit before tossing them in but that would have lessened the easy factor.
When we have visitors I usually pre-make chickpea gravy a day or two before then in the morning I make some fresh “buttermilk” biscuits and heat up the gravy on the stove.
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We’ll likely do the traditional turkey with mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, sweet potatoes, roasted brussel sprouts, corn, cranberry sauce, fresh bread, and pies. It’s the one day of the year I wish for a microwave to reheat pre-made dishes. It really is a juggling act otherwise.
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Seems like lasagna is a popular option for many people!
In my family, about half don’t eat meat, one is mostly vegan (eats only eggs) and no one is a huge fan of meat. That in itself is not an issue, we grew up not eating a lot of meat, so I know plenty of veggie and vegan recipes. The issue is, one person doesn’t eat pasta, a few eat no spices at all, another person has sensory issues so prefers to eat food with distinct recognizable components, rather than something like lasagna or stew. For my in-laws, I know I can just put a chicken on the table with sides of bread, salad and green beans, ice cream for dessert and everyone is happy.
A few years ago we did a build-your-own burrito buffet for a party, where we put out all the ingredients on a side table and everyone picked what they liked. At the time it wasn’t optimal because we didn’t have a dishwasher and only a small fridge, but with a dishwasher and a decent-sized fridge, that would be much more convenient. It was messy though, maybe not ideal for Christmas when everyone turns up in their nicest clothes.
@Magpie I only know that type of meal from Christmas movies, and it does look delicious on a screen, but it seems like a LOT of work!
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It is more than one day of prep & cooking but that’s part of the once yearly ritual we all enjoy so much. The left-overs are marvelous as well, I always make a soup from the turkey bones. Incredibly delicious & nourishing for the winter body.
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Do you have crockpots/slow cookers? My mom does the food on the stove and moves them into crockpots on “keep warm” settings so that they stay to temperature when done but other foods are still on the burners. She used to cook for about 40 sit down diners and this helped keep the chaos minimized.
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