Twelve Days of Christmas

Let me tell you, these will be the crown jewel of my collection.  I was on Pinterest one day when I saw a picture of the drummer ornament and I LOST .. MY .. MIND!  I followed the link to Etsy where I found mmmcrafts, the designer who created the patterns.  This was in 2017 and at that time, the completed set wasn't even for sale yet, so I bought what was and got to work.  As she finished new patterns, I kept buying them and kept stitching.  It's easy now because you can buy the complete pattern set in one bundle.  

I cannot say enough positive things about these patterns.  I don't know when I've ever worked with a pattern that had clearer, more thorough instructions.  It was like putting together a puzzle.  If you're on Pinterest and start searching for things like "maids a milking ornament," you'll find TONS of pictures because all the avid ornament stitchers out there are making them.  That will show you lots of different color options.  Some people chose one palette and did their whole set that way.  There are even felt shops on Etsy selling coordinated sets of felt specifically designed for making these patterns.  Mariah quickly claimed this set as hers when I die, so she helped design each ornament and since her favorite color is blue, we made sure each ornament had some shade of blue in it.

I won't hold you up any longer.  Here are my pics:

A Partridge in a Pear Tree (There's an additional fancy pear pattern.)  

2 Turtle Doves 

3 French Hens

4 Calling Birds

5 Golden Rings

6 Geese A-Laying (There's an additional fancy egg pattern.)

7 Swans A-Swimming

8 Maids A-Milking

9 Ladies Dancing -- more about her in a minute

10 Lords A-Leaping -- seems to be everyone's favorite

(There's an additional fancy heart pattern.)  

11 Pipers Piping -- his hat is my single favorite thing in the entire collection

12 Drummers Drumming -- the one who got my attention

Stitching this collection was just pure joy.  And the icing on the cake came when I entered the 9 Ladies Dancing ornament in our county fair and it took Best In Show:

I honestly felt a little sad as I was completing the last one and right about that time, the designer announced she was starting a new series based on 'Twas the Night Before Christmas.  She launched the first ornament and I nearly wept: 

Tell the truth:  Have you ever seen a more gorgeous Santa???  I can hardly wait until January to start him!  

Please DO NOT let the embroidery or complexity of these patterns scare you.  Her directions are so good that I feel any of you can make these!!

DISCLAIMER:  You know the drill.  Despite my excessive gushing about these patterns, I have received nothing in exchange for this post.  I'm just a huge fan of great patterns and I want all of you to run out and make them so your Christmas tree will be pretty!!  

Hager Show Goat

In my previous life, I was the "VBS lady."  I ran our church's bible school for 10 years and had an entire generation of kids in our small town.  I met Macin when he was three.  This is the very first time I met him and he was super ticked that his mom left him at church.

Over the years, he grew to like me -- LOL.  He was always one of my favorites.  He's a year behind my daughter in school.  When we adopted Mariah in the 7th grade, I was at the school for the first time picking her up in the afternoon and I saw Macin's mom.  She asked me why I was there and I told her and she was so excited for us.  The next day, Macin walked up to Mariah and said, "Are you getting adopting by Mrs. Loveday?"  Mariah said she was and he said, "Well . . . you're lucky, because she's AMAZING!"

I'm sure he probably doesn't remember saying that, but I do.  On my worst parenting days when I thought I couldn't possibly get any lower, I'd hear Macin's voice say that in my head and remind myself that SOMEONE thought I was amazing.  And I think he's pretty amazing, too.  He's just one of those human beings who radiates joy.  It's impossible to be in this guy's presence and not smile.  Here we are at a Christmas wedding last year where I was singing and he was asked to dress as Santa:

We live in a small, rural community where lots of the kids are involved in 4H.  Macin raises and shows goats and and plans to be an auctioneer when he graduates in the spring.  Here he is doing what he is most passionate about:

He unveiled a logo for his goat business on Facebook and something made me immediately think I could work that into an ornament.  I didn't love the Carolyn DeAngelis goat pattern, so I did a little Googling and had Macin's mom send me a picture of his current show goat so I could get the color and markings correct.  I largely do ornaments for me, my kids, and close family friends, but every now and then I make one randomly for someone special.  This is the one I made for Macin this year and I hope he likes it.  

And in case you need to make a goat, here's the pattern:  

  

Wicked Collection

One thing Caleb and I love to do together is go to musicals.  Sometimes we convince Scott and/or Mariah to come along, but it's just as often the two of us.  I have something special like that with each of the kids.  Mariah and I like to order room service or go to the dine-in movie theater and Caleb and I see musicals.  One that we really loved was Wicked.

The set of Wizard of Oz ornaments I did several years ago is a set my kids battle over in the game of "Who Gets What When She Dies?"  I'd like my kids to remain close when I'm gone, so I'm trying my best to alleviate unnecessary competition.  I couldn't bear the thought of another set of the Oz ornaments because they were SOOOO labor intensive and I already made a second set for my sister.  Once we saw Wicked, I knew what I'd do.  I actually started these in 2017, but I wanted to wait to post them until I could share the entire set with you.  I made Glinda, Elphaba, Chistery, and an Ozian.  Caleb is about to die trying to figure out what the final one is.  He keeps guessing the Emerald City.  WRONG!!!  His set will now be complete and these will be on his tree this year.

Because the Oz ornaments were beaded and sequined, I did that for these two.  Again -- trying to avoid future family fractures.  These are ones I designed from scratch by adapting DeAngelis patterns and looking at lots of pictures online for inspiration.  I feel okay about sharing the patterns with you because I don't think I'm violating any copyrights.

Spa Girl Mariah

Mariah is planning to go to beauty school to become a nail tech and is into all things makeup and girly.  I happened upon this cute spa day clipart  that I thought would be an adorable ornament.  I've actually had it for a couple years and finally got around to making a pattern and ornament. 

I think the face mask is HIGH-LARIOUS!  And I just did little dots of paint for the nail polish.  Yes -- those individual polka dots are stitched down because I'm a martyr, but that's exactly what Mariah's little furry bathrobe looks like.  I even took my felt up and matched the color.  She's gonna love her!  



DISCLAIMERS:

In case anyone happens by and thinks I've stolen someone else's work or thinks I'm profiting from it:

• I purchased the clip-art.  I did not do a "right click/save as."
• I am not selling a pattern made from this clip-art.  I'm not even giving away a pattern made from this clip-art.  
• I am not selling ornaments made from this clip-art.  

Mama Sloth

Last year, I made these cute llamas for Caleb and Mariah because they have a llama thing.  I don't know why.  I bought the pattern on Etsy from a great shop called Maisie Moo Pattern Shop.  At the time, she was running some sort of BOGO sale, so I picked up another couple patterns that I thought were cute, but if I'm honest, didn't really have a plan for.  Earlier this fall, Mariah bought a pair of socks with sloths on them that she thought were the cutest things in the world.  That reminded me that one of the Maisie Moo patterns I bought was a mama sloth with her baby.  How convenient!

Her patterns are well priced, simple, and have great instructions.  This mama sloth turned out adorable and I know Mariah will love her.  

PLEASE NOTE:  I have never personally communicated with the pattern designer other than to order the pattern.  I didn't receive a free pattern for this post and I'm sure she doesn't even know this blog exists.  

Petunia

Millie was a skunk this year for Halloween.  I already made her the birthday party cake ornament for her first birthday, but there's no rule saying I can't make her more than one ornament a year -- right?  I knew the Carolyn Deangelis Petunia pattern would be perfect and it was.  Easy, too.  I did separate the tail and make it a separate piece, but it was smooth sailing other than that.   

Millie with her mom and dad

Petunia 

Village People

My kids LOVE the felt ornaments and with each passing year, they grow increasingly competitive and concerned about who will get what when I die.  I make specific ones just for them that they can take for their own trees, but the unspecified ones go on MY tree.  Lately, Caleb thinks if he comes up with an idea, that means the ornaments are his.  WRONG!  Those circus ornaments and me are in a "'til death do us part" relationship.

We were in a deep ornament discussion one day when Caleb said, "I like when you make sets.  It makes me feel like they're collectible."  (Did I mention my kids are weird?)  Then he said, "You should make the YMCA guys."  Or, The Village People, as us old folks like to call them.  I thought, "You know what?  I SHOULD!"  Challenge accepted.  I mean, let's face it  -- Carolyn DeAngelis already did part of the work with the cowboy and the sailor.  How hard could this be?  And I knew I wanted to use beads and sequins because, hello -- who's more flamboyant than The Village People?  I did Google an image for inspiration and when I found this, they practically made themselves:

I have the first three done and he'll get the remaining three next year.  I'm not gonna lie . . . it's gonna be hard for me to hand these over on Thanksgiving because they make me smile every time I look at them.  They're just hilarious.  I reworked the pattern for the cowboy and the sailor, so I'll include all three patterns with this post.  I'll warn you . . . as soon as you scroll down, you're gonna have "YMCA" stuck in your head for the rest of the day.  Sorry in advance.  

Al Ahoy

My youngest nephew, Zach, graduated high school and joined the Navy this year.  No problem picking an ornament for him!  Straight to Carolyn DeAngelis' pattern for Al Ahoy.  I added some stripes and changed the shape of the sleeve a little to mirror Zach's actual uniform.  I think he turned out great and I know Zach will love him!  

Zach and his mom/my sister, Jenny 

Rich Uncle Pennybags

My oldest nephew, Alex, is now 21 and it gets a little tricky thinking of what ornament to make for him at this stage of life.  He'll graduate college in the spring and I've already made an ornament of his school's mascot.  And he's quirky.  This is the child who requested a raccoon in a trash can one year.  I asked him for suggestions for this year's ornament and he said, "make me a guy with a big bag of money."  He's a business major with big plans for the future.

I pondered for a second and the first image that came to mind was the Monopoly man.  Then I remembered the time Alex came up for a couple of days over his Christmas break when he was about ten and the two of us played a game of Monopoly so long and so intense that we forgot to eat lunch.  True story.  So off to Google I went to search for images of the Monopoly man that I could work into an ornament.  And it had to incorporate a money bag, which narrowed the field considerably.

Did you know the Monopoly man has an actual name?  Yeah -- me, neither.  His name is actually Rich Uncle Pennybags.  In case you need that for your appearance on Jeopardy, you're welcome.  He turned out great and I can't wait for Alex to get him.

Since there are a billion images of Rich Uncle Pennybags on the web and since I AM NOT SELLING THIS PATTERN OR PROFITING IN ANY WAY FROM IT, I feel like I can share it with you. 

(Yes . . . I know the dollar sign is backward on the pattern.  That comes from me tracing from the backside and not paying attention.  I'm trusting you'll forgive me this once.)    

Hiccups -- And the Start of the Circus Set

At the beginning of the year, I make a list of the ornaments I want to make that year for the people who receive one annually.   Then I vary my strategy from year-to-year.  Sometimes I give myself the months of January and February to make whatever ornaments I want for myself and then move on to everyone else's.  Sometimes I take a one-for-them/one-for-me approach.  This year, I decided to do the ones for everyone else as fast as I could and then make whatever I wanted for the rest of the year.  That proved to be a valuable incentive because I was done with everyone else's by the end of March.  

I really like designing new ornaments and I have some of those to do this year.  But I also love the Carolyn DeAngelis patterns and there are lots of hers I still want to do.  Sometimes the timing works out so that I finish an ornament and don't have the time to design a new one before I have more stitching time.  That's when I reach for one of Carolyn's existing patterns.  That's what happened with this guy.  I finished an ornament in the middle of a movie and wanted to start cutting out another one right away.  I loved Clif's version of Hiccups and loved him when I did him for my nephew back in 2009 and always thought I'd like to make him for myself.  Here are mine and Clif's:

As I sat cutting out the little pieces, I thought of Carolyn's other clown patterns and thought maybe I'd make a set.  Caleb said, "You know what you should do?  Make a whole circus set!  And use beads and sequins like you did on the Wizard of Oz and Wicked ones."  He's nothing if not particular.  But a circus set . . . . indeed.  Yes.  This could work.  I'm not gonna lie, for several days I obsessed over the idea of this.  RING MASTER!  ELEPHANTS!  SEAL WITH A BALL!  I spent an embarrassing amount of time looking at clipart on Etsy for inspiration.  And in looking through my DeAngelis patterns, I realized I already had a lot to work with. 

Caleb and I brainstormed and we came up with a twelve-piece set.  Yikes.  That's ambitious!  And with sequins and beads, no less.  Whew -- I'm tired already!  But I really do love the sequins and beads and the sparkle they add to the tree.  I wouldn't want to do them on every ornament, but the circus seems like the right place for them.  I get my glass seed beads at JoAnn Fabrics and I order my sequins from Cartwright's Sequins.  I use mostly metallic sequins in 4mm or 5mm.  Try not to spend all your inheritance on that site.

I'm through with the first half of the set and wanted to share them with you right away.  Here's the guy who started it all!

Popcorn

Once I finished Hiccups, I knew I wanted to do one of the other clown patterns.  My kids were displeased.  Apparently, they're not fans of clowns.  When did clowns get such a bad rap, anyway?  I had never seen the Popcorn pattern made up before, so I decided to give it a go.  I labored hard over color choice so he wouldn't clash with Hiccups because these are the things I lose sleep over.

I decided to use multi-colored sequins with clear beads on the body and white sequins and multi-colored beads on the sleeves.  I love how it turned out!  I also decided not to do a white face on this one.  I went with the flesh felt and then cut a piece from white for that area around the mouth like some clowns have.  I think he turned out great!

Ringmaster/Lion Tamer

Okay . . . I'm not the only one in my house who gets a little excited about felt ornaments.  (We don't get out much.)  Once I said I was making a circus set, everyone started giving me helpful suggestions.  Mostly along this line:

You're making a lion tamer, right? 

You've GOT to make a lion tamer!

You can't have a circus without a lion tamer!

I had already designed a ringmaster because I figure he's the star of the show!  I went through the Deangelis patterns to see what I had that I could adapt and stumbled upon Lucky Larry, the groom.  His jacket was perfect with that lapel situation.  Just needed to add a bowtie.  And different pants.  And boots instead of shoes.  And a top hat.  And a cane in his hand.  No big deal -- right?  

But my crew was still squawking about a lion tamer.  So I did some Googling and ran into a little dilemma.  The ringmaster and the lion tamer apparently shop at the same store.  

See what I mean?  I don't know . . . maybe it really is the same guy doing both jobs in some circuses but my felt ornament people were not meant to multi-task.  I was all ready to just go ahead with the ringmaster as planned and tell the fam to get over themselves.  But I know these people.  Every Christmas for the rest of my life, I'd hear, " You never did make a lion tamer."  So at the last second, I cut a different jacket with one arm going up, cut the cane in half and stuck a piece of black wire in it for a whip, and just used a pipe cleaner for a hoop.  He turned out pretty darn good!  

His body is the standard size I make my ornaments, but the whip and hoop make this ornament look huge!  And guess what I noticed when I got him done?  Foxy also shops at that store -- LOL!!!  

Here are the adaptations I made to Larry to create the new pattern for the Ringmaster/Lion Tamer:

And I figured out how to deal with that top hat so the sides of the head don't pull in like they did on my Good Cheer ornament.  I'll share that in an upcoming post.  And now you can all camp out and wait for the lion!