oh christmas tree

Supplies - Cardstock: Bazzill; Patterned paper: We R Memory Keepers; Alphabets: Doodlebug and Little Yellow Bicycle; Flourish: Little Yellow Bicycle; Stickers: Crate Paper, 7Gypsies, and Scenic Route

I love making Christmas layouts. I think it's because of a strange addiction to finding different ways I can make and accent paper trees.

For the trees on my "Kindergarten Christmas" layout I cut patterned papers into simple triangles in several different sizes. The fun part was adding the hand stitching to three of them. Instead of trying to come up with my own stitched designs and drawing them out I went the super easy route, using the pattern on the papers as my stitching guide.

On the smallest tree I stitched small swirls. This was probably the hardest one of all. The swirls were quite small and the lines were close together. I had to pierce the holes really small and only use two strands of the embroidery floss to keep the holes from ripping into each other.

The tallest tree was the easiest. I stitched along the garland strings on the patterned paper in red and green.  

Hand stitching tip: When you want your stitching to go all the way to the edge make a little notch at the edge of the paper where you want your stitching to go. When you get to the notch while stitching wrap the embroidery floss around the paper making sure the floss is in that notch and adhere on the back. This is a great way to keep the stitched end straight on a slanted or curved edge.

On the last tree I stitched along the swirl pattern on the paper. Since so much of it is hiding behind the largest tree, I only stitched the part that is showing. It would have take a lot more time to stitch the whole thing only to have most of it covered up.

What to see the sketch this layout is based on? Head on over to Sketch Support to download or print the sketch and be sure to check out all the other layouts from our Creative Team!

Grandpa Arnall update: This was the first night I got to hear him talk. The hardest part right now is his mental state. He has some brain damage and is having a hard time remembering everything (people, events, the wreck, etc.). He also seems to get confused about where he is. While I was there he kept trying to get out of bed because he said he had somewhere to be. He is also having a delay in answering questions. Someone will ask him a question and he can't answer it right away but a day later he'll randomly answer the question. The good news is that the nurses have said that he might return to the normal mental state he was in before the wreck. It might take some time but it is possible. Tonight was a good visit and I felt much more confident in his recovery when I left the hospital.