A Finish and a Milestone!

My milestone? This is post number 3,000 on my blog! Who knew, 10+  years ago, that I would still be blogging in 2018? I do love this format. It's a daily scrapbook of my creative life that I choose to share. It's enjoyable to browse back through the years and watch as my skills progress and my interests expand.

The finish?

Today I finished and framed Ho! Ho! Ho! by Kam Snyder and Barbara Stark. I really enjoy the mats that came with the calendar / charts. They add a nice punch to the finished piece.

This cart called for three buttons - two stars and a square - to add to the brim of Santa's hat. In my stash I found three teeny tiny buttons to use instead. These buttons are less than half the size of the fingernail on my pinky finger. It took a bit to find a needle that was small enough to go through the buttonholes!

The specialty stitches used in this chart are the Smyrna cross and satin stitches. Smyrna cross is used as the red thread in Santa's hat, his eyes, and his mouth. A larger version of that stitch is used in the tan thread in the corners of the border. The brim of Santa's hat is done in satin stitch.

I used a simple black plastic frame from the Dollar Tree. Since this is a seasonal piece that will be stored for most of the year, I didn't want to put much expense into the frame.