I think it's a Christmas year.

So when I did my stitchy planning for 2014--I always do stitchy planning for the coming year in the week between Christmas and New Year's Day--I decided to tackle my little pile of Christmas designs. I don't think of myself as particularly drawn to Christmas designs, but over the years I've accumulated a tidy little collection of them, almost all of which are ornament-size. My plan is to spend this year whittling down my pile of Christmas smalls. We'll see if I'm still feeling Christmas-y by April. 

Here's my 2013 Christmas ornament, Brooke Nolan's Ho Ho Santa from the 2013 Just Cross Stitch Christmas Ornament issue. Yes, I'm a month late. But my neighbors still have their Christmas lights up, so there's that.

I liked this little Santa because he looks like an elf... "a right jolly old elf" (The Night Before Christmas) and most Santas don't. I hadn't worked with the DMC Memory Thread before and was a little skeptical I could reproduce the look of the model, but I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out. It's easier to work with than I thought it would be. Also, if you're on pins and needles about the glue I used, it was Aleene's Fast Grab Tacky Glue (purple label). It's great stuff. Instant stick.

Happy Stitching!