Almost ready ....

..... well I like to kid myself that I am!

The tree is up

Are you an angel or star family??

A collection of sparklies gathered over many years .... last year I started to collect the old glass droplets from vintage chandeliers ..... they make wonderful deccies and refract the tree lights beautifully.

Candy canes and some home made hearts

The fireplace is adorned with home made bunting and orange pomanders and my cheesy singing Santa that the children love.  It is not a working fire but with some candles and twinkly lights I get the same effect .... I found the cast iron grate years ago outside a junk shop  ... it was covered in white paint but with a lot of elbow grease, paint stripper and wire wool it came up a treat.

Mr & Mrs Snowman are back again .... I made these for my boys which makes them 25 years old now ... they stand in front of my crochet chains

I'm resorting to Christmas cards with bluetak on the door this year with my hand made NOEL hanger

and just to give that authentic snowy winter feel some spray on snowflakes

it's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas !!

Groggy Monday and finishing odd jobs

Definitely got that Monday morning feeling today .... I had an early night last night because I felt achey and oh so tired then lay there for ages trying to drop off .... why does that happen??  Still a little bit droopy so I'm taking it easy and have my seat booked for today's Bargain Hunt where a couple of bloggy friends are appearing today.

On Saturday we went to a Christmas Fair at a local school for special needs children .... we go every year as they put on a lovely afternoon and Ellie likes to visit Santa .... this year she was able to write out a card for him and had a photo taken with baby Jack.  The children at the school have been busy making cards, tags and gifts to sell ... just look at these

a hand painted pot with seeds to grow mint all wrapped in Santa cellophane and hand made gift tags

They always have a bric a brac stall so of course I was first in the queue !!  I found a Jack Vettriano print and next to it was another framed picture that would be perfect to frame it in

so after a splash of black paint this is what it looks like now .... all for the total outlay of £1

as I was doing this I thought I would re-frame the old print I bought at auction last month  ... it is by Arthur J Elsley originally painted in 1912 and used in Bovril advertisements between then and 1917 ... it was in a lot with another framed print so again with a little paint it now hangs in my hall  ...

There was a lovely surprise too, this old hand painted sign was on the back of it ... as the print itself dates to circa 1912 and it looked as though it had never been out of the original frame this must have been painted around the same time.

A Pause in Advent .... Christmas Present

Another week has flown by .... where does the time go??   I hate waste of any sort (my waistline will testify to that!) especially the wasting of time.  Those old sayings like  "don't put off till tomorrow what can be done today" are worth paying heed to ..... time is the one precious thing that we don't get again so be thankful for every day you have.

I love the old stories from Charles Dickens and A Christmas Carol has to be a favourite .... last week I spoke about Christmas Past so this week thought it appropriate to think about Christmas Present .

There are lots of us feeling the effects of the recession but it does make you think more deeply about the difference between 'wants' and 'needs'.  When I see all the adverts on TV and stories about toys that are sold out I realise now with age and experience that most of it is totally useless and unneccesary .... it will all be piled high on next year's car boots.  Now I love a good old car boot but when you stand back and take a look at just how much unwanted tat is out there it makes you think.

We are having to budget carefully and for the first year ever we have an artificial tree .... I could not justify the prices being asked for them this year and settled for a half price bargain in Argos and to be quite honest it looks just as good with the bonus of no messy pines to clear up.  Everyone will be getting a little less in their stockings this year but what is given will be given with love.  We will all be together for Christmas dinner which will be later in the day this year as two of my offspring have to work during the day.  One is a midwife .... babies don't stop just because it's Christmas and the other is a chef who will be preparing other people's lunch ..... he hates the sight of turkey!!

For years I have been collecting Spode Christmas Tree dinnerware .... one of my few extravagances and I love getting it out of the cupboard and dusting it down for another year.

We will  be having a turkey dinner (number one son excepted for reason stated previously .... he has a juicy steak) and I will be having a little mini Christmas Pudding .... none of my lot like it so they will have a homemade Yule Log.

We will play a few games, watch a bit of TV and no doubt have a nap later in the day and will spare a thought for those who are not as lucky as we are to have family around us.

Santa Baby

Eartha Kitt's old song Santa Baby is one of my favourites at this time of year

Here's my very own ..... he sicked up on his suit today and this was the only thing to hand .... a bit early I know but he looks so cute don't you think?

This is his sister at the same age ..... they are undoubtedly two peas in a pod

Sharing a Pause in Advent

What a lovely idea started by Floss ... an opportunity for us to share our experiences and expectations of another Christmas (and this is my 51st!)

I don't know if it is my memory playing tricks on me but I recall cold crisp Decembers with snow on the ground to give it that extra magic .... visiting relations on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day spent at home.  We were a stockings at the bottom of the bed type of family (pillowcases actually) and I can remember trying to keep awake to get a glimpse of Santa who should have eaten his mince pie and drunk his glass of sherry left downstairs at bedtime (I know he shouldn't drink & drive!).  My most vivid memory is the year I really wanted a bike .... I was 10 years old and still believed and was bitterly disappointed that there wasn't one beside my bed that morning.  Then dad said go downstairs and check that the fire hasn't gone out and there in the middle of the living room floor was a purple bike with saddlebag, basket the works!!!  It wasn't brand new but that didn't matter ... dad had walked it home from his friend's house late on Christmas Eve (his daughter had outgrown it) and I can still see myself bombing round the green in front of the house that morning.

Then I grew up .... the magic disappeared for a while till I had my own brood and it all came back again .... and in turn they grew up and it disappeared again for a while.  Now we have grandchildren and I mind other children I can make the extra effort again.  We are not a religious family but do firmly believe that children should be taught that it is not all about receiving, sweets & chocolates and drinking yourself stupid and I feel we are losing the true meaning with the PC ways of local authorities who remove all mention of Christmas from our schools for fear of offending someone (who ????) .... how I used to look forward to the primary school nativity production.  When I ventured into the loft yesterday to get the deccies out I found the video from 1992 when my girls were 4 and 6 ..... little one was an angel and elder was a narrator .... it brought tears to my eyes to see them again   ...... so sweet and innocent.

So tomorrow we start the countdown ...... I will be sprinkling my magic fairy dust at the weekend and can't wait to see the little one's eyes on Monday morning when they come in.

Extravagance or what

Popped over to my small local supermarket this morning and spotted this ...... I don't live in the country, don't have pots of money and don't know anyone in high places but I just loved this Advent Calendar on the cover.  I will browse the magazine itself tomorrow.

Weddings and Butterflies

Better late than never  .... I have finally finished the wedding gift box for my daughter's friend .... her favourite colours are lilac and purple and the theme of butterflies was everywhere at the wedding including the cake.  We racked our brains to think of a suitable gift .... the happy couple had already set up home so really didn't need any more pots, pans etc etc .... so we thought we would give something more personal for them so out came the sewing machine and crochet hook.

With some lovely butterfly fabric from Globaltex I made a lingerie bag, laundry bag, bunting & cushion cover

I appliqued panels of the same fabric to some soft white hand towels and face cloths and made two hanging initial letters in lilac Suffolk Rose & Paisley fabrics

Crocheted some butterflies and a replica of the wedding bouquet

We found a lovely big storage box in the same colours which was covered in hydrangeas and butterflies.

Do you get that butterfly feeling in your stomach when you give something handmade as a gift and have doubts about your creations and wonder whether the recipient will think they are lovely.  Well I do.  However the recipient in this case loved them thankfully and has even asked me to get some more of the same fabric to make some more things for the home!  I am chuffed to bits.