Advent of Christmas

 Christmas will be here in less than a week! Can you believe it? 

I have done almost nothing to decorate for Christmas this year. A few miscellaneous ornaments here and there, my table runner, a center piece, that's it. I keep thinking I'll get more out, but it hasn't happened yet. 

I attended an Advent program in late November hosted by the LWML, the ladies group of our church. We decorated the tables with Nativity scenes. It's amazing the variety of these scenes, from simple to elaborate. 

This one is from the 1960's

Larger, with added fairy lights

All white

Small and elegant

Mine

Each of the members were asked to bring a little something for refreshments. I brought white candy-coated graham crackers.

These came out pretty cute.

The LWML also had their Christmas party a few weeks later. There was singing, refreshments, and a gift exchange of inexpensive tree ornaments. I found a cute, wooden ornament that I added a bit of tatting to.

Gift exchange ornament

I think this came out beautifully! The recipient was quite pleased, which pleased me.

I've tried several different ideas for my Christmas ornament this year. Most are good ideas; they just haven't worked up well. I finally decided on one, which is on the humorous side. Not elegant, not lovely, but kind of cute. My husband is greatly amused by it. Not sure how many I'll get done, but it will be what it is. Which reminds me, I need to get back to it. I'll share next time. 

"The ornament of a house is the friends who frequent it." – Ralph Waldo Emerson.

'Tis the Season

It was snowing little bitty flakes, the ground mostly bare, with snow showing on sidewalks and few other places when I started this post. It was cold and the wind blowing a bit, so I stayed inside to have coffee and tat.

Coffee and tatting

The tatting should be of Christmas things, don't you think? If you haven't already decorated for Christmas, you should start it now. Or at least decorate for Advent if you'd rather. I haven't even started! I've thought about it, but that's as far as I've gotten. I finally decided on a Christmas ornament for this year, but the going is not as smooth as I had hoped it would be. I keep finding problems with it. I made an edging for a Christmas runner as an alternative to working on the ornament.

Edging for a Red Truck runner

I found this runner a few years ago at a Dollar Tree in the more expensive aisle, for five dollars. I've been decorating with red trucks for a couple of years and thought this would be a fun addition to my house. I finally got it out this year. The middle of the edging is my Karmyn Edging then adjusted to be my vision of an edging for this runner. I see I didn't get the ends to lay flat, but I'll fix that. I had wanted the edging to be white-ish (to match the runner) or red, but the only color in size 3 from Lizbeth that I had was 703 River Blue Med.  The runner is made of tapestry material, and I didn't want to take up too much time on it as it's for me. My time should be spent on tatting the Christmas ornaments I plan to give this year, right?  Tatting this did get me more into the Christmas tatting spirit.

There was some non-Christmas tatting done. We had another funeral at our church, so I needed another cross. I made another modified Medallion Cross bookmark.

Modified Medallion Cross Bookmark

It has been so busy lately, and most likely to continue that way, that I have not written out the pattern yet. I don't think it will take long, I just need the time. Or to be more organized.

Are you tatting something special for the Christmas season?

"Yesterday's the past, tomorrow's the future, but today is a gift. That's why it's called the present."

Bil Keane