Feeling Festive

I am beginning to feel a lot more Christmassy since the decorations came out and the Christmas lights were put on. I usually go for white lights on the mantelpiece but as most of the bulbs had blown I got out the trusty colourful lanterns instead. My 10 year old said they look 'very retro'.

I think every mantelpiece has to have candles!

This is a blurred shot of one of my blown glass ornaments. I bought plastic baubles years ago but I can't use them.

The tree looks almost black in this photo! There are plenty of chocolates hanging on the branches and peppermint candy canes too. When I was small we didn't have candy canes. My nan used to sew little crepe paper bags and fill them with dolly mixtures to hang on the tree.

The lights look like luminous moths in this photo..............

..................and more like glow worms in this one!

The Nativity scene. My son gets lots of pleasure in re-arranging the figures and buildings. I do too! Well, I have presents to wrap and things to make so without further ado, I sincerely hope that you all have the kind of Christmas that you wish for. x

And the Winner is................

When I decided to do a giveaway in the previous post I hadn't planned how I would pick a winner. Should I choose the random number generator? Shall I pick a name out of a hat as I did previously? After some procrastination I decided to go with gut instinct and pick the winner from their comment. As this person really wanted to win the goodies I granted her wish. The picture above may give you a clue to the identity of the winner, so congratulations to Funkymonkey! Would you please email me your details and I will get the goods sent off to you ASAP.

I am beginning to feel the festive spirit coming on and found this chirpy little vintage rendition of Frosty the Snowman. Click on the You Tube link below to view and don't forget to sing along!

YouTube - Frosty the Snowman

Giveaway, Garden and Gizmo

November was a good month for me. I managed to get quite a bit of crafting done and the month just flew by. The photo above shows some of the things that I made including a wool felt heart brooch, snowmen tags, cross-stitched angel card and an embroidered heart filled with whole cloves and crushed cinnamon sticks. If you would like to receive the goods shown above then leave a comment on this post and I will pick a winner the first weekend in December. Good luck!

Today is a glorious winter's day. The sun is low in the sky and the air is crisp.

The garden is overgrown and green and full of berries. I particularly like the look of these translucent red berries but have no idea what they are!

Would you believe the picture above was taken today the 1st December 2008 in my back garden in the UK? I wonder where the plane is jetting off to?

The Camellia is in bud. This is smothered in red flowers when in bloom.

I don't know what this plant is but I like its structure.

What is that moving in the undergrowth? I thought as much. It's Gizmo.

What's he up to now?

Look at that face.

My naughty, gorgeous, ginger boy.