stitches on stockings

I've been wanting to learn how to embroider for a long time, but I've never taken the time to actually try it, until this last weekend. I started with Dex's stocking first, in case of mistakes... :) Simple chain stitch.

I did the same thing for Raul's name, except that I added whip stitch on top of it. I like the look of this a lot, as messy as my version is!

Now I just need to do Olivia's. I'm envisioning settling down with some hot cocoa and marshmallows and a good old movie for that; we watched It's a Wonderful Life when I worked on these two. 

Speaking of hot cocoa, here's a cute entry from knitting author Susan B. Anderson. I love the idea of spending time after school with your little ones, chatting and enjoying them. I watched a video of hers on you tube to learn the embroidery stitches--very helpful! You can see it here.

In other Christmasy news, I'm kind of dragging on the Christmas cards, but they're getting enveloped and addressed today. Liv has been busy with her own projects, including making some gooey handprints for her grandparents with daddy!