Thursday, December 24, 2009



Isn't this a beautiful Christmas photo? It's from the creative commons section of Flickr.com. The title link takes you to this particular photographer's work.

I finished up the other earring last night. I've used a needle to sew in the ends of these and it seemed to work well. It's usually easier for me to use my fine crochet hook but I was able to take the thread farther and less conspicuously with a needle this time.

I really hate to use stiffener, especially where beads are concerned. It tends to dull the beads and no matter how careful I am, I manage to get stiffener on them. This design appears to hold it's shape well and I suspect that is because of the beads which give it weight and make it less bendable. There is a matching necklace pattern but I'm thinking the gold would be too scratchy around tender neck skin. The other threads would be fine.

My family's Christmas will be Saturday instead of Friday. The bigger your family, the more schedules there are to work around. I have a son who works nights and has many mandatory weekends. Plus, one DIL works nights at a hospital and the days differ from week to week so she works some weekends AND they live about 45 minutes away. Then there's my sister's family and their schedules. Add to that, most of our kids are married and we're sensitive to them wanting to go to spousal family gatherings too. I well remember trying to go 6 places in the space of two days, with little kids and food and gifts, the throbbing headaches and the not being able to enjoy any of it because of the stress. I refuse to do that to my kids. That's not what Christmas should be. Back then I went to midnight mass too. When did I sleep???? LOL! Some things I miss, most I don't. This will be the first year in many years that my kids will all be at MY house. Because of all the scheduling, we just all meet up at wherever we are having Christmas and I try to get to each of their houses individually with their gifts. This year the gathering is at my sister's house but it's late enough in the day that the kids can come to my house for a few hours and we'll have our exchange then. I'm looking forward to it.

Well...except for the stress of cleaning! That's what I'm doing today, if I can ever get OFF of this computer!

Happy Holidays Everyone!

6 comments:

  1. Enjoy every minute of it. HAPPY CRIMBO my goddess friend.

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  2. Your earrings are beautiful Gina! Wishing you the merriest and least stressfull Christmas ever!

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  3. Hi Gina!

    Merry Christmas!

    Possibly you won't see this comment for awhile because you have way too much to do and youre trying to to get away from the computer! You say you're not doing 'as much', and yet I get worn out just reading what you ARE doing!

    We are also getting together with the family (my husband's two brothers, wives, children) on Saturday for the same reasons. Fortunately, I'm not the one doing the cooking! If I were in charge of the food, it would be catered! Not fond of cooking AT ALL!, let alone for a crowd! We're also going to a 90th Birthday party on Sunday for one of the uncles, and the ENTIRE 'family tree' will be there - big family reunion (my husband's side).

    LOVE all the earrings, and the gold ones are gorgeous! I MUST check out that thread! I always sew my ends in. I use a wide-eyed needle (cross stitch) and a flat metal needle threader (not the wired ones), which makes it very easy to pull the thread through the eye.

    I always enjoy reading your posts. My life is so much calmer than yours (no children) and we're now retired - but I still feel as if I'm chasing my tail! Still working on the 'decluttering' thing (just from the two of us!) and finding it tiresome!

    Try to remain stress-free and enjoy all those special moments!

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  4. Wow! Those earrings are very pretty, Gina! I think that is the most crisp, what is the word I am looking for? The most polished piece of tatting I have seen on your blog! You do some nice work. I'm just saying those earrings are very nice.

    I hear you on the stiffener. I've often considered taking a q-tip to get the stiffener off the beads while it's drying on the thread! LOL That's is just too OCD for me! LOL! What to do!

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  5. These are BEAUTIFUL earrings! So are the pair you made yesterday - I like the color of the beads you used.

    Here is my housecleaning tip - when time runs low, I start shutting doors. Sometimes I carry a pile or two of my lovely belongings behind one of these shut doors and LOCK it! Got that one from Heloise! lol

    Have a very Merry Christmas!

    :) Ann

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  6. Loving those earrings, especially the brown and turquoise pair. Have a great Christmas, Gina!

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