Wonderful Christmas Stockings

We received some absolutely fabulous Christmas stockings in this trunk show. Of course, that's not surprising since both Mary Lake Thompson and Melissa herself have great stockings.

What I like about the stockings in the trunk show is that there is virtually one for everyone. I've picked three for you to see.

First, there is this Santa riding on a reindeer. I love Santa's face. And of course, I love the reindeer and how real he looks. As I look at it, I'm thinking of all the stitches and threads you could use as you stitch this stocking.

The next stocking is for someone who loves pink and green. It's fun and different. It might be fun to stitch the floral background with the or'nue technique.
  
The last stocking is for the dog lover. The snowman and the black lab in his Santa hat are just charming.

Wonderful Primitives

Sally and I both fell in love with these charming primitives. Each one features a house with trees in various stages of foliage. Each also has different animals and birds in in. They would be charming as individuals or framed or pillowed as a group.

The colors are just wonderful!

Farm Scenes

Sally loved these canvases of barns. The top one reminds me of a well-cared for horse farm. I can even imagine the horses in the paddocks.

The second barn is much more weathered. It looks like it is still active but the paint has worn away. Of course, what's most important is how the animals are cared for.

The third barn is obviously in better shape. But I'm not sure if it's meant for horses or for tractors. Think of what a fabulous grouping these three canvases would make!

Pears and more Pears

The smaller line of pears are ornaments.  This line is a series of at least  12 pear ornaments that come with two velvet leaves that are then attached to the finished leaves.  There are designs in every color.

Then there are smaller ornament sized pears that are done on #18 mesh.  Some of the designs are also done in a larger size.

Large Pears

Melissa has two wonderful lines of pears. Many of these designs come in both sizes.

The larger sized pears are are 8" x 9" on #13 mesh. These designs can be finished as topiaries. Just imagine an antiqued garden urn that you use to display one of these pears standing up. You could change the pear according to the season.

Helen is thinking of doing two, one foe each side of the mantel.. I've included a simulation of a finished one in a garden pot.

Twelve Days of Christmas

At the store, we have the 12 Days of Christmas hanging on top of each other. But I can't get that many in one photo. So I have included a group shot of four canvases plus the canvas of Three French Hens. These are just so charming. I can see them also decorating the dining room table.

Caroline's Cat

Caroline fell in love with this cat by Melissa Shirley. She stitched it using the tent stitch. It shows how wonderful a great canvas can be when stitched with love. Just look at it. This cat seems to fit right in with Caroline's real cats!

Sophisticated 12 Days of Christmas

When we opened the trunk show last week, we were all struck by these lovely 12 Days of Christmas stand-ups. I've selected four of the twelve for this blog. All of these designs share a checkered background. Then, each day has a completely different pot and different foliage. Of course, given that it's Christmas themed, there are reds and greens.And of course, they also tie in all the designs together.

The individual canvases are 6 x 6.5 inches high. They are painted on 18 mesh.
They make great stand-ups for a mantle or for the buffet table.

These designs are  by Debbie Mumm.  Melissa has just recently gotten the license to use Debbie's designs for needlepoint. We thought these were a great addition to Melissa's line!

John Johannsen Designs

When we opened the trunk show, we loved some of the round ornaments. These two are from a series of Madonnas by John Johannsen. We loved the colors and the whimsey of these designs. You do really need to see these in person.

Suzanne's Favorite

Suzanne just fell in love with this design. It comes as pictured here but also as a Christmas Stocking. Both are quite beautiful. Look at the great details of the animlas and the pine cones. I would probably use a darning pattern for the background to help the tree and the decorations stand-out. I think Hi-COtton may have the prefect red for the planter.

Melissa Shirley's Designs

Gretchen has stitched a number of Melissa Shirley Designs. Because we are having the Melissa Trunk Show from May 14 to May 28, she has loaned us her finished pieces. From this picture, it's obvious that there is a range of designs from Halloween to Juvenile to whimical. Of course, Melissa also has stunning florals and fantastic animals.

A trunk show is a great way to see the range of a line. Melissa Shirley has an incredible range.

Beach House Sign

I just loved this Beach house Sign. I can see it made into a pillow with a canvas back. It's just perfect for a beach house. Once again, the design is by Mary-Lake Thompson.

Melissa's Large Animal Canvases

Melissa Shirley is known for her beautiful animal canvases that feature a stunning animal, bird or sealife. The large canvases have absolutely exquisite borders. We received these two stunning canvases with the trunk show. It would be hard to choose which one to get.

My summer house is on Heron Lane so I'm particularly tempted by the Blue Heron (I think it may actually be a little blue heron or a Louisiana Heron).

The seahorses have a much more graphic look but are also stunning. I can see stitching them using a partial spider web to get the raised ribs of the sea horses. And I love the splash of red from the crabs!

Of course, if we didn't get the canvas that you love,we would be delighted to order it for you at the trunk show price.

Checking in the Trunk Show

Yesterday, the Melissa Shirley Trunk Show arrived. Surprisingly, we can't just hang it. Instead, we have to check the received canvases against the inventory list.

This trunk show takes a lot of time to check in because it is so large. And or course, we have to stop to admire the canvases. It's just a wonderful show. We were all picking out our favorites. Suzanne is showing her favorites to Martine.

Baseball Mini Socks

Sometimes, I'm amazed at how much I don't know about baseball. I ordered these mini socks but that they were just ornaments. So we were fine with the New York Yankee sock but thought there was something wrong with the Mets sock. We thought it had the Mets colors but the Yankee insignia. But it turns out that these mini socks are based on the socks worn by the actual team. So the orange and blue sock is a Mets sock.

Bertha's Snowman

I actually bought this canvas, thinking it was a snowman graduating. In fact, it's a Chinese snowman. But I do love the little figure. And I happen to think that red, white and blue are great colors on the tree! Bertha did a lovely job stitching her snowman.

Whale Watch

Okay, I have to admit that sometimes I help to pick out my gifts. I just love this Cooper Oaks needlepoint canvas. It's hard to see but the binocular lens have whales in them. I am planning to stitch this with an open background stitch. But I'd like to have the whales painted over and substitute birds for the whales. I'd still make them sea oriented - like terns or seagulls or ospreys. It's a great canvas for the nature lover