Not much going on....

...but you have to start somewhere!  The background has been stitched in basketweave with four strands of DMC cotton floss.

Next up....

Besides being a symbol of good luck, the unicorn has a special significance in our family.  It seems you can find a Halloween costume of almost anything for fairly little people!  And subsequently the unicorn provided the theme for Baby Unicorn's first birthday party.  So what better canvas could there be for me to stitch for a Christmas tree?!

This is a design by Rebecca Wood, one of my favorite NP people.  It's four inches wide, so should stitch up fairly quickly.

And we have a finish!

The London travel round was a fun little project.  Other than the Silk Lame Braid for 18 ct. used in the background, the rest of the stitching was done with DMC floss.  Budget-friendly and stash-busting all in one!

I changed out the gold with which Big Ben was painted for more stone-like colors.  I would expect a British company like Kirk & Bradley to be proud of such an icon, but one thing Big Ben isn't is metallic gold!  After googling the telephone booth, I changed it a little, too, but otherwise kept to the original design as painted.

A little bling

What to do when there's not much space between design elements?  Add a little bling instead of a decorative stitch!

On this Kirk & Bradley travel round, I used Silk Lame Braid for 18 ct. in basketweave for the background.  It's a neutral color but with a hint of twinkle.

The cap at the top of the ornament was worked in a woven stitch with Kreinik #12 braid 002.