Christmas came early

Hello everyone.  I received two gifts of stitchery today and am absolutely thrilled.  As soon as I got them, the mantel decoration became perfectly clear....

Margaret surprised me with this Prairie Schooler ornament that I recently saw featured on her Sampler of Stitches blog.   This wonderful design fits perfectly in my collection, and I am thrilled with him!  Beautiful backing, a little jingle bell, and perfect finishing.  Thank you Margaret! 

This Christmas cushion was also a surprise from another friend and I am speechless at the generosity of stitchers.   The weight and feel is new to me and I'm assuming it's walnut shells (of which I have a large bag that has been hiding for quite some time).

The backing fabric is perfectly matched to the linen and thread and stitched all the way around with those X's that we all love.  I don't know what I did to deserve such fabulous treasures from you girls.  I'm really touched and can't tell you how much I appreciate your gifts.   Thank you thank you thank you.

My mantel is now a showing of Santas and stitcheries.  I had small pieces here and there and decided to group them after opening my mail today.  I love the way it looks!

And believe it or not, I bought another tree.  I happened to spot this at my local craft store in a 4' but didn't want to spend $50 so I passed.  And there, way up on the top shelf, was a 3' version for $25!  The branches are so stiff, perfect for heavier ornaments, and the needles are pretty stiff too.  There are several branches on each limb so you can pull them out for a little fullness, or not.  I'm drawn to these because I like the look of the tree itself, even without adornments.  Not sure if I am keeping it - I have several this size.                                                                                                                                My other simple tree now has lights round the trunk only and all tin and pewter ornaments.  Not sure about the lights, but I am wiring each ornament securely, putting it in a large bag, and next year I only have to open the bag and plug it in.   The siliconed light strings are on the little fat trees.  I've tired of my traditional and shiny ornaments and tried different themes this year.

  I have a sampler chart from the Woodlawn Collection I want to start and would like to show that and the problems I will have right from the beginning.   Next time.  I  need to post the date for the drawing so I will be posting again in a day or two. 
Thanks for reading - talk to you soon!