Three mini Christmas embroidery kits

 A couple of years ago I bought these mini Christmas embroidery kits from Hobbycraft. They were really good value, I'm pretty sure that they were 3 for 2 in the basket deals that they often have by the till. I've just had a quick look on the website and they currently have similar mini Christmas cross stitch kits for £2.50 each or three for £6 (you can see the whole range here) which again I think is very reasonable.

I love doing little cross stitch kits like this, especially when they have a seasonal theme. These particular kits were quite complicated for such small designs - as well as cross stitches there were plenty of French knots and lazy daisy stitches along with some intricate back stitch work.

My problem is that I never know what to do with them when they are finished! I think they are designed to be used in a card, but I wanted to have them out on display as part of my Christmas décor. My original plan was to come up with some kind of fabric hanger using some of my Christmas fabric, but I couldn't work out exactly what I wanted. I also looked at some panoramic frames but again I didn't think that was quite what I was after.

So I went with my tried and tested framing method of embroidery hoops. I was reluctant to spend any more money so I repurposed three small 4" hoops that I already had. I painted the frames with my favourite Christmas colours - red, green and gold - and found that each one matched one of the cross stitch designs perfectly. I couldn't resist finishing them with a coat of glitter glue for some sparkle!

I'm really pleased with them! When it comes to displaying them at Christmas I will either prop them along the mantlepiece or else I'll add some Christmas ribbon for hanging. Another one of my ten craft projects to complete by the end of the year ticked off!