this is not the easy, quick, finished in hour craft post

this is what i've been working on for 2 weeks. 2 weeks. i've done no other crafts. and i've worked on this for at least 2 hours every day skipping one day last week. my mom's christmas present. i'm at the point where i can say i'm almost finished, but that still means several hours of work.

lots and lots of teeny tiny little Xs

counted cross stitch is not hard, but it does require a lot concentration.

this is the first one i've done. the instructions were very easy to follow.  i'm going to frame it and hope my mom loves it. i'm pretty sure she will. 

i have to be finished all my christmas projects by the 21st. here's what's on my list of things i still need to make.  lip balm, felted soap (there are tons of youtube how to videos), magnetic bookmarks, mug rugs, ornaments, freezer paper stenciled tshirts (captain america, spiderman, floral, the hunger games emblem), wreaths, and photo coasters. yay, for creative me monday, where i got several of these ideas from! i have no idea how i'm going to get it all done. lots of late nights in my future, but it'll be fun and the recipients will love them. :)