SALs , Snow Globes, and Santa

 Happy Saturday or should I say Happy Poinsettia Day ! 

A perfect day for me to start a sweet freebie from Lizzie Kate called "Snow Bird" . Are those not poinsettias ? I had planned to stitch this piece last year, but let it slip by me . My chart is  printed, fabric is dyed now to start pulling the floss.  You can find this chart on Lizzie Kate's website or on her blog. Click here for a link. 

Have you been joining in all of the festive fun this week on social media? So many amazing designers have offered free charts and have Stitch Alongs ongoing. I have been trying to keep up. 

The first SAL I have been working on is the Pine Needles  "Christmas Blocks" Stitch Along. If you have not seen it, you should  check out Pine Needles website where Sharon Workman has designed 25 teeny stitches. You can stitch them individually or all together which is what I am doing. Each block is so cute, and boy do they stitch up quick. 

The second SAL I am working on is Brenda Gervais's of With Thy Needle and Thread called "Merry and Minty". As with the Christmas Blocks" SAL I am using floss that I have in my stash. This is so much fun, and Brenda has also been posting yummy recipes each day too. The SAL ends on Sunday with a special project. Information on this SAL can be found on With Thy Needle and Thread's Facebook or Instagram. 

I have enjoyed seeing so many stitcher's working on both pieces. Other pieces that are on my agenda are Cathy Habermann's of Hands on Designs freebie called "Berries in Bloom" I hope to start it next week . Fingers crossed.  I also hope to begin Kelly's of That's So Kelly's exclusive subscriber chart called "Holly House"- another amazing design by Kelly. So much fun and so little time. 

      

 What else is on the agenda today? Well first is a basketball game. The oldest grandbaby will be playing bright and early. It is always fun to watch the little ones play. Then later today the grandkids and nephews will be making snow globes. All the supplies have come from the Dollar Tree. We did similar ones last year, and they loved it . This is a new tradition. We may even bake some cookies to munch on-chocolate chip of course.

 It would be nice to go see more Christmas lights tonight as well. We have gone out twice this week to 2 small nearby towns to see  lights. 

Does your town have special displays or are there certain communities or neighborhoods that really go all out in your area?  I enjoy the ride and seeing all of the lights whether they are simple lights in the windows or big displays with music and all. I have done this every year since my girls were born years and years ago. 

I posted my little Santa on Instagram today. He is a small stitch and is called "Santa Stamp" . I actually stitched him because I needed something to go onto this little stand which I had purchased from Dollar General earlier this year . It looked quite bare when I took the Autumn piece off so a new stitch was definitely needed.  He was a quick stitch since it measures just 35 W x 35 H. Santa is surrounded by some of his reindeer. I wonder which reindeer they are? 

If you would like to stitch this little design, just click on the links below . They may print up light. I believe that my printer is on it's last leg so I have asked Santa for a new one. Lol.

For the instruction page, click  here .

For the colored chart, click here .

For the black and white  chart, click here. 

Well I hope you join in all of the stitching fun and the Christmas festivities in your area.  I am so grateful to all of the wonderful designers who share their creativity, and to all of the stitchers who provide endless inspiration through their stitching, finishing and wonderful posts.  I always enjoy seeing  or hearing what you are up to. Have a fantastic day and go do something awesome and as always...

Happy Stitching, ya'll

Melisa

Prim Winter Faith-A Christmas Freebie

Good morning. I hope you are doing well. Come on in and visit for awhile. The trees are lit ,and it is nice and toasty inside. 

                                

                                                    The Farm Tree looking a little crooked here. Lol. 

                                          

I have a small little tree in the big dough bowl filled with a small village. The tree has vintage wooden ornaments on it. 

Here is my stitchy spot. It is a nice comfy chair that I can sink into and stitch the day away. 

Do you have a particular candle scent that you like to burn during this time of the year? Normally I have a pumpkin pie candle burning. This year I have a new scent that I am burning in my wax burner- Orange Buttercream . It is not a Christmas smell, but it smells so so yummy!  I purchased this at Walmart. I usually just put it in my Walmart pickup order which is so convenient.  I picked up a little Orange and Pine scent too, but haven't tried that yet.   I put my wax in an old candle jar and place on the warmer. 

                            

17 More Days till Christmas. I am so excited ! Do you have all of your Christmas shopping done? No not me -just a few more things to pick up for the grandkids. 

 I am still stitching Christmas; I stitch it year round. There are so many wonderful free designs available during this time of the year to go along with those amazing charts to purchase l. Isn't it so exciting to have  such a variety?  I am so giddy hip hopping between Christmas stitching projects.  

As  I have been stitching, I have been  enjoying some wonderful Christmas movies as well. Every year I have to start the season off by watching " A Child's Christmas in Wales" and " A Pioneer Christmas" . My dear IG friend, Tracey, recommended  A House Without  A Christmas Tree" . It was a wonderful family movie as well and will now be added to my yearly watch list.  Of course, I have also been watching the National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation and all of the classics like Rudolph and Frosty. - Yeah I am a kid at heart.

 Here are my last 3 ornament in the Prim Winter ornaments; there will be 5. If you missed,      Prim Winter Home, Prim Winter Peace   or Prim Winter Joy  , click on the names, and you will be directed back to the posts and the pdfs. 

Three ornaments down and now for the fourth. The fourth ornament is called Prim Winter Faith. It is a simple little design with Baby Jesus . I did take liberties and add snow and snowflakes , but those could be left off. 

Prim Winter Faith is a small measuring at 33 W x 45 H, and on 14 count aida, it would measure 2 3/8" x 3 1/4". 

 I used DMC floss but use whatever floss and colors would make you happy. The colors I chose were 310, 221, 895, B5200, 898, 353 and 782.

If you would like to stitch this little piece, just click on the pdfs below. Each page is on a separate download (I'm not tech savvy). They may print out light too; I apologize for that. 

For the instruction page , click here. 

For the color chart,  click here .

For the black and white chart, click here .

Well thank you so much for visiting me today and hope you are getting in a lot of stitching. Have a blessed day and as always...

Happy Stitching, ya'll,

Melisa

Thank you so much for stitching, sharing and shouting me out on Instagram. I feel very blessed by your kindness. If you stitch one of my designs I would love to see it ; please tag me and use #pinkernpunkinquilting . You can always direct message me too. Happy stitching. 

A Fall Freebie in December? Fall 1869 Crock

  Well hello and good morning.  A fall freebie in December? Why not.  I recently posted a tour of my Thanksgiving hutch and received some lovely comments about my decor and a number of inquiries about my cross stitch called  "Fall 1869 Crock" . I had stitched this piece months ago, but never posted it on IG nor on my blog until I did my Thanksgiving hutch tour. 

I love to collect crocks and one day I would love to have a big 5 gallon crock. I have a few small ones that I put quilts in. I particularly love to collect cheese crocks. 

Well this little crock is filled with a big ole' pumpkin, and some bittersweet vines trail from the sides of the crock.  I used the floss colors that I had on hand at the time, but you could choose your favorites. I used 3345, 3866, 839, 783, 920, 3857, 922, and 918.

It is a small that measures 52 W x 49 H. Of course, I always stitch on 14 count tea/coffee dyed aida. With that count ,the stitch ended up measuring 3 3/4" x 3 1/4"  

If you would like to stitch this little piece, just check out the pdfs below. Each page is on a separate page.  They may print out a little light.

That big ole' pumpkin is a little off beat ,and squared off but I love it. 

For the instruction page, click here . 

For the colored chart, click here. 

For the black ad white chart, click here.

 

Thank you so much for popping in to visit and for checking out my Fall 1869 Crock . And as always...

Happy Stitching, ya'll. 

Melisa

Farm Christmas Tree

Good morning. Woo Hoo! My farm tree is up! I have been working on ornaments for this tree since July.  My tree  is a little wonky and already leaning probably from the weight of all of the ornaments Lol. But it is up. Do you know what?  I have never had a new tree; I have always been the lucky recipient of family hand me downs which is fine with me. I received this tree from my brother a couple of years ago. 

I live in a small house so this  tree is lovingly placed in front of the window between the queen Anne chair which is from my great grandmother and a little wooden desk from about the 1950's . You get   a slight glimpse of my couch . Can you guess how old it is?  59 years old. Lol It is a hand me down from Mr. Pinker n Punkin's family. I have it slip covered with colors that I am attracted too. 

This is how my tree looked last year. It was in  the gingerbread theme. 
This year you can find all kinds of ornaments and decor in the gingerbread theme, but two years ago it was harder to find in my area so I made my own decorations. All of those gingerbread men and peppermints are made from Coca Cola cardboard boxes cut up and painted. It was thrifty  way to get a lot of cute ornaments. I decorated my tree in gingerbread in 2018 & 2019 so it was time for a change. 

 Now this year I used a variety of filler ornaments to go in with my Barnyard Christmas cross stitch series. I used a barn plaque from Walmart as the tree topper with a big red bow from the Dollar General.

I have a variety or ornaments all pilled on the tree.  The ornaments may not be hung perfectly straight , but that is ok.   I have to admit there is a lot to take in: I really love it to be crammed full. That is just my style. The Holestein cow ornaments were finds from Walmart this year. 

The cross stitch ornament is my Christmas Barn . 

At the Dollar General , I found buffalo checked ornaments and silver bells for $1.00. 

The barn ornaments were also from the Dollar General. They came in a white and a red .Dollar General also had the cute mason jar ornaments.  My daughter bought me the Farm Fresh Christmas Tree pillow on Black Friday. She is such a sweetie. 

I had a couple of Santas in my Barnyard Christmas series including "Santa's Visit" and "Santa on the Farm" . 

The Christmas Goat was one of my last ornaments of the Barnyard Christmas series. Isn't that the cutest Buffalo checked barn? 

The sweet little sheep ornament was called "Special Delivery". I enjoyed stitching this little piece.  I got the little milk can ornament at Dollar General.  Can you see a pattern here? I did a lot of Dollar General shopping- Lol. 

"Hanging the Star ' is a sweet little ornament . I love the slight tilt of the sheep's head. 

The first ornament in the series was called 'Chicken Sled" . It started the whole series and tree. 

Throughout the tree, are little paper chickens with handwritten words on them like "Bless the Farm", "Christmas Farm" and "Cluck , Cluck" etc. 

I have some little tobacco basket ornaments which I treasure. I found those at Walmart and how appropriate since I grew up on a tobacco farm. If you look carefully, you may see a Barnyard Christmas ornament that I did not post- it just did not make the cut. Lol. 

.

I stitched the little sheep pillow last year. I believe it was a freebie. I made it in a little pillow and added a little buffalo checked ribbon and pine cone.  

 I used white spray paint to lightly coat pine cones from the farm to add to the tree. 

Below the tree is a little village including a farm scene.  Hanging above the barn is "Santa' Ride" . 

I was tickled to death to get this little barn this year. I have the village on an old lace tablecloth. 

This scene inside the barn  brings back fond childhood memories of milking old Blackie on our farm.

The Santa on the tractor was a Christmas ornament that I snipped the string hanger off. 

So that is my Farmhouse Christmas tree. I have to admit I did not decorate the back or the sides too heavily if those areas were not going to be seen.  The grandbabies have already started moving the ornaments around and playing with the village. It warms my heart to see their eyes sparkle with excitement when they look at the tree. 

If you missed any of the Barnyard Christmas charts, you can click on the names below and you will be directed to those charts.  

Previous charts include: 

Chicken Sled ,   Santa's Ride ,  Special Delivery , Christmas Barn, Christmas Bucket, Christmas Tractor , Santa on the Farm,  Mrs. Claus on the Farm , The Stockings Were Hung ,   Santa's Visit  ,  Hanging the Star .   , Skiing on the Farm ,  Farm Truck  , Baking on the Farm , and Christmas Goat .

Thank you so much for visiting and for checking out my Farm Christmas tree.  I hope to add more cross stitch ornaments to it next year. 

Happy Stitching, ya'll

Melisa