Eek...a teenager!

Yes..we have a teenager in the house! Here he is opening some pressies with us this morning already a teenager as he was born at 7.20am. He's currently at the pictures with his friend watching harry potter while I make this cake ready for him coming home. Hubby and I did actually manage to get some housework done before any guests started arriving yesterday. We've had a busy morning with them too, but now it's all quiet. Aaron doesn't really like much fuss so it's been perfect.

I went out to put some scraps in the compost pot outside the back door and look what greeted me. My camera doesn't capture the beauty of it at all but it looked so huge in the growing dusk, and with the hoar frost still on the trees from the day (-9 here). Solstice tomorrow, and 5 years since my wonderful Mum died. 5 years to come to terms with her death. 5 years to appreciate that she lived rather than that she died and left me. 5 years to realise that she is not in the things that were hers but that she lives in me. 5 years is a long time.

Solstice blessings to everyone for tomorrow - and if you're lucky enough to see the lunar eclipse then enjoy :o).

No housework to be done until next week?

See, those snowflakes up there? I made those....with a pattern....ALL by myself.....I read a crochet pattern!!!!!!!!!!! :o). They're from Attic24, such a wonderful blog, very easy to follow instructions, with pictures too. I'd seen some stars somewhere else so I thought I'd have a go at those too - no pattern, just looking at the pictures. Once all the yule crafting is finished there may be a minor snowflake flurry in the house.

These, along with a crochet snowflake (think I may have mentioned those all ready ;o) ) are my season swap. Don't know if the person I've sent them to reads this blog but I couldn't wait to show you.

On with the yule crafting then. Here we have the finished bath bags. So easy to make as they take minutes to put together. I made lavender ones and chamomile ones, so I just put a handful of oats and a handful of dried flowers into the middle of a square of muslin, then pick it up by the corners so you can make the bunch then fasten with ribbon. Easy peasy. The sugar scrub was even easier. 2 cups of soft brown sugar, 1/2 cup sunflower oil, 1/4 cup of jojoba oil and 1/4 cup of sweet almond oil, then 40 drops of essential oil of your choice. For this one (as my sister loves sweet smelling things) I've used cinnamon. Mix together in a bowl then put into your chosen container. When my shopping arrives I'm going to tie a couple of cinnamon sticks onto the jar as well. This smelt soooo good I nearly licked my fingers once I'd scrapped the last bits off the spoon!!!

On and off throughout the day I managed to make 12 more gift bags. These ones were super easy as I just cut a rectangle out of fabric, folded it over to make the bag the stitched all the way round. These will be fastened with ribbon tied on them or around them depending on what's in them. The two bundles at the front are the cocoa butter hearts wrapped in muslin.

I must tackle some of the washing today as I can't find the corner of my bathroom and the kids keep asking me for clean pants. I probably should clean the bathroom too, and maybe hoover the house at some point, as we also have a birthday in the house on Monday, which means guests will be in and out all day. Erm.....

Two more done

Our chrismas puds plus a dinky one for my Nan instead of a cake.

The general cards all done - just Hubby and the kids to do now but they shall be made with felty things I think. Not much left, right?!

I should be in bed but I'm soooo excited

I managed to get some needles for the machine last week but today has been the first time I've managed to use them as I had a couple of felt food bags to make. Anyway, after making a few gifts bags (see below ;o) ), and once the kids were in bed and hubby had gone to work I got his man bag out again. The first seem just didn't want to go, and I managed to break another needle!!! I persevered, slowly, and look!!.........it's finished!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! There is a pocket on the inside for his phone which I hadn't had chance to measure so I just guessed - well the phone fits perfectly!!!! You'll have to excuse all the exclamation marks but I'm just so happy and relieved that I've got a few more things off the list.

(Note the quality control inspector)

(gift bags which need the ribbon threading in)

This is the pyjama case which I've made for JJ. I have a feeling it's going to be too small, but I'm sure he'll find another use for it if it is :o).

I'm not panicking....really I'm not!

JJ and I mixing the christmas pud - we now leave it overnight then pack it into basins and steam it tomorrow.

One very rushed, hap-hazard greenery basket.

Another pile of felt food cut ready for sewing later today. Eek, eek and eek again :o).

Hope everyone else is busy/excited/not too stressed today.

Distracted ;o)

We went to get our small!!! tree yesterday so we all got slightly distracted with the decorating. And as I seem to have my sorting out stuff head on, I bagged up a few of our old christmas decorations ready to take to the charity shop tomorrow.

Not as many piccies to show you because of previously mentioned distraction but heres another new card for the shop and then 2 more tubs made out of the felted blanket that I got on the bootsale. Not sure what the deeper one is for but the other is for our remotes.

The snow has brought an amazing amount of birds to the garden, from the starlings to the wren, but last week we had 12 (yes 12!!) yellow hammers eating the chickens grain in the back garden and then yesterday we had 8 wax wings in our front garden eating some berries. Unfortunately there are no piccies as the yellow hammers were too far away for my old camera to get a descent picture and then I was too busy excitedly squealing and looking through our bird book to get one of the wax wings before they flew off. If I'd have thought about it at the time I should have taken a picture first, and then had a look through the book...nevermind :o).

Look what must have got disturbed while pinching nuts from our nut basket - the faeries left they wares by the door. We now have to make a door mat and a shopping bag for them as they can only carry 2 nuts in their basket ;o).

Just a couple of small things to add to my scarily unfinished list then :o).

Just a quickie...

....as I'll be back later hopefully. First is a prototype birthday card for my shop - this one is for my nephew. I think I like it - maybe needs some flames. Second picture is our newly decorated pegs on our art/christmas card string in the living room. Glitter glue is great stuff - so easy for a 4 year old (and 36 year old!!!).

~~~

I also wanted to thank you for you comments on my last post. I know that we all read things differently but to me it just didn't feel appropriate to single out one particular blog. Anyway, enough said :o). Back later with some more makes.

My responsibility

(Thought it was about time I showed myself)

~0~

When I have my breakfast in a morning I sit at the computer for half and hour, catching up with the green parent forum, checking emails and reading blogs. These blogs are so inspiring for me, the crafty things these ladies make, the things they do with their day, the places they live, the observations they make on life - their life. This morning I was sadden by one, and then a few more who seemed to follow suit, who was obviously having a bad day/week/month/year but seemed to pinpoint one particular blog for making her feel she was not good enough. It's been on my mind all day, firstly because I've never seen this on a blog before and I was quite shocked, and secondly because surely the only person we can be is ourselves. We answer to ourselves and no-one else. If we give ourselves goals to reach, lists to achieve, standards to adhere to, then we are our own judge as to whether we have reached them or not and should not compare ourselves to anyone else. I apologise if I have overstepped the mark but I just needed to get this off my chest as it was bothering me. I know that I have my handmade yule list, but if I don't manage to make everything on it it won't be the end of the world, but it won't be anyone else's fault either.

How to clear the roads of snow....

The 18 inches of snow had compacted itself down so there's only one way to shift it! Good job we have a good farming community round us.

Geranium rose and plain lavender ready and in the shop :o).

JJ and I sat and made some of the bath bags the other night. And I've finished one of the puppets which will go in the kids stockings. Got half of the next one done as well. I'm still without a needle but I'm trying to concentrate on other things until I can get into town.

Hope everyone else is having a good weekend :o).

Grrrr

Well, I wanted to show you the man bag I'm making for hubby for yule but since the needle broke on the sewing machine and I haven't got any spare ones, I'll just have to show you my cake I managed to get made yesterday. Apologies for the blurry picture but I was just wrapping it when I realised I needed a piccie.

Grrr again to the bag/needle thing :o(. I was just putting it all together when the needle went. I can't even get to the main town where I can get a new one. The snow is gorgeous but we can't get out of the village in the van because the roads are impassable, which means we have no mail coming in either, no veg box, the shops in the next town are all out of milk, no public transport (buses or trains). This has turned into a huge moan which I didn't intend, and the thing that is pissing me off the most is the bloody needle!!!!