SweetMyrtle

and to new things...

hello....

well this really is the last day of the decade and of 2009! time really does start to fly as one ages!... i wanted to pop in and say thank you to everyone who i have got to know this year through our amazing blogging community... thank you for your friendship, encouragement, kind words and support.

i have met  5  wonderful bloggers in real life too this year, taken lots of photos, joined in a few swaps, made a few bits and bobs and thoroughly had a good time in my little piece of cyberspace.

i am looking forward to what 2010 may bring...so very exciting..

so until next year..

ginny xx

wishing you all a very...

another snowy day...

today is the winter solstice...the shortest day of the year ... from now on the days will slowly lengthen and become a little lighter and brighter. we have had more snow today which sadly if it freezes may scupper our plans to celebrate with friends tomorrow... it does  look really pretty and i do love the muffled sound of walking in thick snow... i am lucky i have some new boots... i decided on some warm aigle ones which came just in time for the snow... and which i hope will (which must!)  last me forever.

i hope you are all keeping warm ...

x

final decorations...

today we have had fun adding a few final festive decorations to the house...

the wind up toys are from a cracker set at my parents last year...we raced them... though i cannot remember who won ... they make me giggle all lined up on the window sill... i like their rosy cheeks!

 

the snowflake my eldest girl made... her math teacher taught the class how to make one and now she has taught us... the instructions are also here.

some sewing of gifts has also happened today , some baking and a walk out in the now icy snow.

hope your weekends have been good.

x

seasonal frosting...

today we had snow! sadly it didn't last for long but it did settle for a while and looked so pretty on the plants in the garden...

 

my sweetmyrtle...

yes the very one that i am intending to use for my door wreath... i obviously couldn't make it today so it is still on my 'to do' list or as i have renamed it thanks to mousy brown my 'might do 'list.  please read this refreshing post to see what i mean.

 

 ...my olive tree

 

my cupcake fits in with the frosty scenes too... this is one of my first cupcakes... up till now i have either made whole cakes or fairy cakes but when my youngest requested some cakes for her school party she stated that two of her friends didn't like fairy cake style icing so please could it be cupcakes?... late last night after a google search for cupcakes with buttercream icing, i made some... they tasted great and were very quick and easy to make. i have actually bought my eldest this book for christmas after reading about it here and knowing that she loves cooking and has the sweetest tooth.  so now i am looking forward to more cupcake baking with her.  my husband also brought me back  these  from america earlier  in the year  ... so i feel some cupcake gifts coming on ...

lucky morning...

every year i let the girls choose a new decoration for our Christmas tree. last year my eldest chose this one pictured above. when we  took the  decorations from our Christmas box this year we discovered that this pretty bauble had broken in to tiny pieces....my daughter was a little  sad...

this morning i popped into our local garden centre to see if they had any in this year. sadly no but then i saw it .. one the same, unpriced at the back of the shelf, obviously left over from last year... it was waiting for me and so i  bought it and have put it on the tree already ... i wonder how long it will take her to notice it?

it was a good start to the day ... i love little moments like this when the universe smiles and reveals  it's magic.

wishing you all a magical day

x

o christmas tree, o christmas tree...

on saturday i met a blog friend.... she came to our book event and it was lovely to meet her and her husband and smallest girl... hopefully we can meet up for  longer next time. the book event went well and is was fun to be in our lovely local waterstones. we also made the local paper this week  which is both embarrassing but good ... i was pulling some funny face (as usual) whilst pretending to pour tea from the teapot which is on the cover of Home Sweet Sewn... i might add that i was asked to do it but with everyone watching (the picture was taken at our launch) then i couldn't help playing the fool... serves me right as the picture is now in the paper for all to see!

 
on sunday we finally got our Christmas tree and it is rather lovely... a great shape with enough space between the branches to hang our long vintage glass baubles.

my eldest has been sick so she supervised from the sofa whilst my small girl and i added all the  decorations yesterday afternoon.

  

today is monday and my sick girl is off school and has started a Christmas tree and cat cross stitch which my mother gave her... she is getting on really well and whilst helping her i realize that i  cannot put off wearing my glasses any longer... the holes are so tiny that i am straining to see them...

she has almost finished the green of the tree and is moving onto the baubles and the tinsel.. so it has been Christmas trees all round these past two days... next on my list is to make the wreath to go on the front door...for this i am going to use the sweetmyrtle plant  in my garden which is covered with the most glorious dark berries... but as you can see i have found a  vignetting tool on my photo program and have been playing ... so the wreath may have to wait till tomorrow.

 hope your weekends were filled with fun.

happy monday!

gx

uk handmade gift guide...

last minute gift ideas.....

i am am member of uk handmade ...it is an amazing community which connects uk based designer craftspeople and makers. they write an online quarterly magazine, which i have mentioned before here... but i am mentioning it again as it is so so very good... and our own gorgeous pipany is in the winter issue too! please pop and take a look.

... and also while you are there look at their amazing gift guide... this has just popped into my blog lines and as you would expect from the handmade team it is fabulous... lots of great bloggers work too and presented in a really useful way sectioning the Christmas wishlist into gifts for all ages and tastes....once i have finished my housework i too shall return for a browse.

the uk handmade blog is here

x

counting down the days...

another of our holiday traditions is counting down the days till Christmas (14 to go now)... some years ago i made my girls an advent calender with small vented pockets in which to place a small gift for each day of Advent. 

this calendar and a few alternative designs (angel, dove and olive, and three ships) was designed in collaboration with alice as part of a Christmas range of handmade items which we took to our first Spirit of Christmas Fair back in 2002.  we still make one or two each year as special commissions and it was very exciting to have a picture of one of our advents included in Country Living Magazine this month.

my girls take turns to be odd or even numbers  and i place a tiny gift  in each pocket. over the years i have included many things from small tree decorations, pretty hair grips and jewelery to badges and chocolate. it is a fun way to count down the days of advent.

Jo from French Knots has made a fantastic Advent calendar this year and has filled it with notes of activities to do...this is something with a little planning i would love to do next year. i also love lina's advent calendar here.

We also always light an candle each evening of advent and sit quietly watching the flame flicker. i like to read the girls a story too.  for the last few years  i  have read this story... but this year i pulled  this book from our bookshelf...

...it is a copy of Nutcracker which my daughter brought at a car boot a few years back after appearing in her dance school's Nutcraker ballet... it has sat on the shelf unread and whilst looking for a Christmasy story i discovered it. i have since seen it mentioned on other blogs as a great book to read.

So the weekend is nearly here... and on sunday we will put up the tree and decorate our house... i have a tidying day today but as you can see i am blogging instead (oh dear).

finally for any readers who are local, Alice and i will be in Farnham Waterstones tomorrow with a display of projects from our new book , Home Sweet Sewn.

Wishing you all a fun and festive weekend x

commando klaus...

this is a picture from last Christmas.... 

we used to make these Father Christmas dolls for sale ... this is our 'Klaus' which i kept for the girls... he  comes out of his box each year to perch in the branches of the tree or to sit on the mantle piece. last year the girls had other ideas and rigged up this rope for him to climb up (or down... not quite sure) ... they have fixed him in place with a  hair elastic around his wrists... it still makes me laugh to look at this photo.  i think it is good to remember that when we are decorating this Christmas, that we should not forget the children, as their ideas are often the most inventive... so my advice today is to chill out... don't be pressured that it all looks perfect and ask a small person to give you some help with your festive decorating.

x