Christmas Tree Lights...

 

 

 The Old Fashioned Way....

For Many many years, Dear Readers, I decorated my Christmas Trees with real candles, and on at least one Night we would light the candles and admire the indescribable beauty of real candlelight on the Tree shining brightly in the darkness. And of course, I had to include this in my Christmas Card drawings from time to time. Above is a detail from one of the earliest cards. The first seventeen years of cards were all drawn in black and white, just pen and ink, because there was no inexpensive color duplication in those days. So you would need an imagination to sense the candles lighting the tree! But after color copying became inexpensive I included the Tree lit with candles in a couple of the cards.

It is difficult to get good pictures of the details on these cards.

This was only the second or third year

 that I had painted the card in color.

But you can see the candles in this one!

Here again you can see the candles on the tree lit....

This is taking liberties with real life because

 we didn't leave the candles lit while we did other things!

Usually we had dinner first and then lit the candles

 while we sang carols around the tree.

But this was all long ago...

 the house was big,

 the trees were freshly cut from my own back yard...

Many of us would gather to celebrate.

It is quite safe if you are careful where you place the candles.

I have not put real candles on my trees

 since I moved to my small house.

Everything is too crowded.

But I can remember the light....

and I have always wanted to see if I could make them in mini...

And these mini LED light strings made it so easy!

The "bulb" is just a "blip" in the wire 

and it is easy to bend the wire back on itself.

And then I wrapped the folded wire in paper to make the "candle".

This particular string had eighteen LED's.

I added a "saucer" to catch the wax drips... 

just a card-stock circle punch wrapped around

 and glued at the base of the candle.

 

 

And I painted the candles ocher to look like beeswax.

And when I turned the batteries on....

They were wonderfully realistic!

I could not wait to test them on the Tree!

 

I hastily wrapped the string around the Castle Great Hall Tree

 (I have had this tree forever... waiting to get "candles" on it!)

But the candles did need to be attached so they

 would sit upright so they can burn safely!

Which took a little longer....

and now it is fully dark outside...

But Oh!.... the light is Magnificent and so realistic!!!

It has me completely mesmerized!

 

So I have Finally lit this tree

 the Old Fashioned way

With candles!

Lighting The Darkness...

 

Putting Up The Trees... 

The Minute Thanksgiving was over, Dear Readers, Sally May wanted to put up her Christmas Tree. I was in complete agreement, because I am now working mostly from Home again, and I sit all day in front of her house... only sometimes lapsing into Daydreams of what I will do when I have more time. And it occurred to me that I had a string of mini LED's that needed to be put to use to light her Christmas Tree! It only took a minute or two to get the lights on the tree and the batteries installed... and OH!!!!! Sally May is overjoyed (and me too!) at the results! Their house is still a "fixer-upper" I am afraid, and electricity has yet to be installed, so the battery lights are just the perfect solution. And as soon as I had finished that task... I heard Blue the Blue Fairy Bearey asking for her Tree to be put up as well. And I had a couple of things that needed to be added to that tree too...

The whole gang was there to see it 

when the lights were switched on.

There is a garland of snowflakes.....

And if you look very carefully...

There are three tiny Snowmen ornaments 

that were made by Birgit and sent to me last year!

Here is a close-up of one of them... 

the red "scarf" helps you find him 

if the orange carrot nose isn't bright enough!

I think they are perfect for this tree!

And over at The Lovely Old Dollhouse...

Charles has managed to get the Tree up

 before anyone else had noticed!

Helen finds it very comforting...

It is always the same tree in the same place

 and looks just as beautiful as ever!

And the lights are so lovely...

It brings a great sense of Peace to her heart.

And while we are thinking about Christmas Lights, Dear Readers, 

I want to show you a small update on the

 Christmas Tree Skirt I have been stitching.

I was able to do a great deal of stitching last week

 while I was home on Vacation...

And it had occurred to me that I didn't think All the trees

 in the Village should have the same lights!

Some of the houses might want to have only "White" lights!

And that made me decide that maybe one side of the skirt

 should be only "white" lights (here stitched in yellow thread).

I thought I would test the look first with just one house... 

I had already added the red lights to the rest 

of the trees on this side of the skirt.

I really liked the way it looked!

And here I have also added a couple more "cavorting" deer!

But I really wanted to get started on the other half of the Tree Skirt!

It is easier to stitch it by turning it "upside down" 

from the way I was stitching.

This works as long as you turn it 180 degrees around...

 the stitches will still slant in the same direction

 as the other half of the skirt.

This would not be true if I only turned it 90 degrees!

And while I was stitching the red roofs... I had an idea...

see that red "dot"....?

way off in the empty area at the bottom?

Can you guess what will come next...?

Look! It's Rudolph!!!

He will be a real "standout" 

amongst those all "White" lights!

You can see here that the Trees and the lights have been started!

And that is as far as I got, Dear Readers, on my Vacation week.

I might not have much time for stitching now that

 I am back to work and all my spare Time

 needs to be used to draw the Annual Christmas Card!

Yes, it is once again that Season....

It always takes me longer to make than I think it will....

 and I can tell you that I am "working on it"! 

But I won't show any of it here

 until it is done and mailed.

So you will have to be patient

 if I don't have much to report for a while!

But at least I have put up the Trees

 to Light The Darkness!

Giving Thanks....

 

Anyway.....

I Hope you will Understand, Dear Readers, that Thanksgiving is different this year. The pandemic has made it risky to gather... even with your loved ones, for any length of time indoors. Pollyanna had received a recorded phone message sent out by the Governor of the State saying all groups of more than ten were banned from gathering indoors! She went right to Helen with the news, because with all of them together they were eleven. Six at the Lovely Old Dollhouse, and five at Sally May and Chip's because his parents had pretty much moved in with them last summer. 

"We can't all get together this year" she says to Helen.

"But what will we do..." she asks...

 "What will they do"?

 

"Who will cook the Turkey...?" she adds.

"We will have too much food!"

Victor and Joanna were in the kitchen discussing that very question.

"I am sure we can do a great job..." said Victor cheerfully.

"I'll start on the squash..." he added. 

"You can get the bird in the oven. 

Don't worry, I'll help! " he said happily.

"Good thing we baked the pies here last night....

 that's the important part!"... he joked. 

Pollyanna and Arthur decided the help by "staying out of the way" 

otherwise known as hiding in Pollyanna's craft room in the attic.

I really need to organize things better in here thinks Pollyanna.

I just don't have the right storage spaces.

Meanwhile, Dear Readers, the problem over at Sally May and Chips house

 is that the neighborhood got a little crowded last Spring when the pandemic started.

 

This is the place where I "work from home"....

And I will be mostly working from home again starting next week.

Our school is done for the Fall term and will

 open again in February if all goes well.

I will be going in to the school office two days a week

 since we do have to keep things running anyway.

But you can understand that Sally May feels a little "out of sorts".

Even with the neighboring equipment temporarily moved....

it is dark and empty feeling in the dining room where they usually gather.

She wishes she could celebrate with Her family! 

Chip's family are fine... she loves them too... but it is not the same.

And they have been here all year. 

She is tired and a bit depressed.

She almost doesn't want to cook!

They won't have a turkey since it is being cooked

 over at the Lovely Old Dollhouse.

 

Chip will keep his folks entertained... 

even though the house is dark and a bit cold. 

One of these days he is going to have to fix that window!

Meanwhile, Joanna and Victor have cooked the feast!

"I think it is time to call everybody in" says Joanna.

"It's time to eat..." she tells Helen and Charles.

"This smells wonderful...!" says Charles.

"And it looks delicious too!" he adds.

"Well done, my dear".... he says to Joanna.

"Goodness! What a Huge bird!" says Helen.

"We will be feasting for weeks!"

"Oh, I Wish everybody could be here!" says Helen

 for at least the dozenth time this day.

"But at least we know they are all safe and well..." says Charles.

That is the most important thing!

"And I am sure Sally May has cooked up a feast too..." adds Pollyanna.

"She is so good at that! We know they are not starving!"

"And we will call them when we are done says Victor."

 

"Let's all hold hands for the Grace now" says Charles.

And they bow their heads in silence ....

there is much to be thankful for.

 

And over at Sally May's she is

 putting the finishing touches on their meal. 

She has baked a chicken instead of the turkey

 and also roasted some Venison that Chip's folks

 brought as their "contribution" to the menu.

"I think it is as ready as it is going to be..." she sighs.

"It smells yummy Mummy!" says Annabelle excitedly.

 

"And I helped... didn't I!" she adds.

"You were a Big help" said Sally May.

"I could not have done it without you!"

"I think it is time to call the others in" she added.

 

"Now that looks like the kind of dinner

 that makes the menfolk happy!" declares Blanche.

"Ah... we do have a lot to be thankful for!" agrees Ernie.

 

 

 "Thanks, Babe..." says Chip. "I know it is hard for you not seeing your folks" he adds.

Sally May suddenly is reminded how much she does have to be Thankful for.

"Who will say Grace...?" she asks.

"Grace" shouts  Annabelle excitedly and everybody laughs.

Ernie sings the doxology and they serve the feast.

They do have so much to be thankful for!

 

Meanwhile, Honey and Oreo

 are keeping an eye on things in the kitchen... 

there are no pies.

Sally May had made a beautiful cake that she planned

 to bring to The Lovely Old Dollhouse gathering. 

"Are we 'guarding'...." thinks Oreo.... 

"or just 'watching'?"

Honey doesn't even bother to answer him.

She is trying not to drool at the thought of crumbs on plates.

Well, Dear Readers, it seems that

 Nothing is Normal this year!

But I am Giving Thanks anyway.

I do have so much to be thankful for!

And I hope you all are celebrating safely

Wherever you are!

 

 

 

Stitching Updates....

 

 

Small Progress....

It Could be argued, Dear Readers, that All progress on Minis is Small progress! And so I will leave you to be the Judge of whether the progress I have made is truly "small" or not! I am mostly working on the carpet in my evenings during the week, so it never feels like I am getting much done at all. And I would love to be able to devote myself entirely to the "seasonal" project... the Christmas Tree Skirt...  but it really is too challenging to stitch it by artificial light. I would be making too many mistakes in my counting of stitches and that is no fun! Here you can see the picture of the design on the kit label...

Just so you can see what the finished results are supposed to look like.

But I have to confess, I have already made some changes in the design!

 

I spent much of last weekend stitching on this

 and did make some good progress. 

It really is quite little and I wasn't able to get better pictures.

But perhaps you can see that I decided

 that there needed to be some "Reindeer"

 cavorting in the snowdrifts of this Village.

Well, the ones I made so far don't look like they are cavorting...

but we shall see what I manage to do with the next ones!

 

And that is all I have to show you, Dear Readers!

It might be Small progress, 

But I comfort myself with the thought that

 Any progress is Progress!

 

 

 

More Stitching......

 

 

More Patience....

I Hope you will understand, Dear Readers, that these Dark Times require great Patience. The recent elections here in the USA, like so many things this year, have been extraordinary in so many ways it is impossible to keep track of the "never-befores" as they pile up. I voted for Kamala Harris and Joe Biden, and I am so relieved that they are on the Path to Victory! And yet, there are two months before the current administration will be "out of office". We must continue to have Patience, and Faith in the integrity of our voting system! And so it is hard to feel Jubilant, even though it is a Great milestone to have a Woman as Vice President elect! We still have a long Dark Season to get through. The virus is not getting "under control", people are tired. Nothing is "normal". And now we add Dark and Winter to the mix... we need Patience and Faith. And lots of Stitching to soothe the nerves! Above you can see I have made some progress on the carpet I started. But I have also started another stitching project that has a Seasonal theme...

I bet that most of you will not be able to guess what this is!

(Even though there is a clue visible through the gauze...)

So I will tell you!

It is another Janet Granger kit...

 to make a Christmas Tree Skirt with the starry Village theme

 that matches one of the stockings I have already stitched.

It is stitched on 32 count silk gauze... 

which makes it more detailed than the carpets 

which are on 22 count canvas.

Here you can see more of the details.

This has been surprisingly difficult to stitch!

 For starters, it is round...

 so the houses are all at an angle from the perpendicular!

The directions have you use masking tape

 to affix the gauze to the cardboard frame...

 but the masking tape doesn't hold well enough 

so I have added thread binding to keep the gauze taut.

The size of the tree skirt will be almost five inches in diameter, 

so the frame is wider than six inches,

 which makes it hard to reach the center with your hands

 as you try to place the needle for stitching.

And the finer count requires good light and a magnifier.... 

so I am not really able to stitch on it at night when it is so dark.

And it is Dark morning and evening now.

Hence the other project!

I did a Lot of stitching on the Christmas Village Tree Skirt

 during the sunny days last weekend.

And only a little more on the carpet 

in the Dark evenings this week.

I have a long way to go.

Patience and Perseverance...

and Faith will get us there.

I have Hope!

Stitching....

 

 

Soothing .....

Some of you, Dear Readers, May have noticed that I did finish stitching the Medieval Ladies Tapestry a few weeks ago in time to be able to include it in the All Hallows Eve story, if only in the background. I was wondering where in all my Projects I would be able to place it when it was finished, not having figured that out prior to stitching it. As I was stitching one sunny Sunday morning, I glanced up at Rose Thorne Cottage which sits across the room, and realized the colors were a perfect match. But would it fit? The rooms are quite small and cramped and already rather full. I could not test it in place until I was finished with the stitching, which did not take me long! The above picture shows the finished piece before the hems are turned under.

And here you can see the hems are turned under 

and the edges stitched all around.

The finished size is approximately 4 inches by 5.5 inches.

To my way of thinking, this "Tapestry"

 is just a fragment of the original much larger piece...

Which would have had more figures 

and been larger, to cover a wall at least!

But here, in Rose Thorne Cottage it fits Perfectly!

It is as if it were designed for this space!

I still have to add the tabs that allow you to hang it from the wall... 

but I think it has found its home!

I apologize for the blurry picture...

 it is very difficult to get enough light in there!

 This house is not "electrified"... being a very Old Cottage.

 

And because, Dear Readers, I really am addicted

 to the soothing practice of stitching petit-point kits... 

(Especially helpful these days...)

I could not wait to get started on another project!

But I made myself wait 

until after the Halloween Story frenzy was over....

to start a new project.

And here it is! It is another of Janet Granger's kits... 

the larger version of the carpet I stitched earlier this year.

It should keep me busy for a while....

Soothing my spirit with stitching!