Nick's 2010 Ornament

And for the grand finale of this Parade of Ornament, perhaps the most shameful of all.

I finished stitching this piece in 2010, got the buttons for it in early 2011, and still couldn't manage to put the whole thing together until last week. Mind you, I've finished several ornaments for other people, but when it comes to getting it done for my own son? Bad mommy!! (We won't discuss why Nick doesn't have a 2011 ornament yet...)

The Stars are Brightly Shining by SamSarah Design Studio

JCS Ornament issue 2005
2 over 2 32 ct. Crystal Loch Belfast
Swarovski crystals, seed beads and JABC buttons

I fell in love with this cutie the second that I saw him, even though he was another snowman. I told you, it's a vicious cycle. And it doesn't help that I tend to *really* like the SamSarah Designs from the JCS ornament issues (this maybe be the 2nd or 3rd one I've stitched and finished, and at least the 4th I've marked for future stitching). The words also happen to be a line from my favorite "traditional" Christmas song - Oh Holy Night. I'm not religious, but there is something about that song that gets to me.

It's another very large ornament, and I had considered doing it over 1 but that would have thrown the proportion of the buttons off, so I went ahead with over 2. It's not the size of a dinner plate, but still.... Even though it's a larger ornament, it's still one of my very favorites that I've ever stitched. My most favorite is this one, Nick's very first ornament. Oh wait. Maybe this one. Or quite possibly this one. I'll stop now.

I did change out some of the colors - I wanted a deeper, variegated red for the scarf, and I subbed in some beads in the bush for some added texture. I also used beads for the eyes, and Swarovski crystals for buttons. I figured with the buttons, it would tie in nicely. And I changed out the gold stars for silver because we are, after all, a Dallas Cowboys family. (which is why "stars" and blue and silver are recurring themes in my stitching)

It's impossible to see in this photo, but the fabric has shiny iridescent threads running through the weave and adds a beautiful sparkle to the finished piece. And now that I've finished his 2010 ornament, perhaps it's time to get cracking on 2011. Maybe even 2012.