The year in view...

I was thinking about this past year. It has been a very different one to the one I think I expected. We have been needed a lot by others, and whilst completely happy to be there, it has been tiring. I think just because, our bears have needed us a lot too...and rightly so.........but sometimes it's draining enough just trying to sort out your own little bubble of a brood. In truth, I think Mr H and I will be glad to see the back of 2010 and hope that 2011 will be somewhat calmer.

I have been thinking about what I have achieved in this past year. My little Blog reached a year old. I have faffed for over a year now....but thoroughly enjoyed it. What started out as a little blog diary of my makes, seems to become so much more than that. I have been inspired by others and met some truly wonderful people. I have enjoyed taking pics, actually taking time out to learn how to work my camera(!) and documenting my life over the past year. I have made a few makes....which pleases me immensely. I have indulged in a fair bit of crochet since learning at the end of last year... my new found friend. I Love colour......can you tell from my blog?! I need it...I have REALLY needed it this past year and I think it has helped me get through the greyest of days. So....here are a few pics of colour from the past year of my blog.......

My new found love

Colourful yarn

Bits and bobs

Colourful makes

Pastel pretties

Makes and buys

Christmas time

So, as I sign off for this year, let me take the opportunity to say a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS to all and I hope that your NEW YEARS will each be great ones!

Cheerio all

Much love

Vanessa 

xxx

Slow down?

I fear I may have taken this whole chill out approach to Christmas a bit too far!

I am now realising just how close it is, and there are still a few makes to go. But a few more bits have been done....

Christmas chutney....made...labels done...ribbon attatched.

Chilli Jam....made...labels to be done.

All thanks to Nigella! I'm sure they will be enjoyed!

A sprinkling of snow dusted our way again. I cannot imagine what it must be like up North at the moment. Even the Bears are annoyed it is here again. They think it might hinder us seeing family this Christmas. We shall see.

It is cold. I have been wearing my granny squares scarf a lot. It is my Dr Who scarf. 

I made it long.........v-e-r-y long! I like to be able to wrap it round twice if it is really cold. It is snug and warm, and has become a very good friend to me.

I did make another one....stripy of course...and this has become quite a companion also.

Some wrist warmers and a hat to be made over christmas I think!

As usual, whilst Christmas shopping, I found Christmas presents for me instead of others! These did sneak in the basket. When I wake and walk around the house in the morning, it will be the pink striped scarf around my neck and these oh so pretty snuggle angora striped socks on my feet to keep the chill off! Mr H has it very easy!

Another find this week was a little bit of thrifted china, right up my street and a bargain. I just have to mix it in with the rest!

So, more to be done today, no slowing down yet. Are you organised yet?

Happy Friday and weekend to you all!

xxx

A bit closer....

...to getting there.....The tree is up.......

The lights are on and sparkly. For me, it has to be a twinkly tree. Twinkle equals magical, and that's the way it has to be in our house! I adore sitting cosied up in the evenings, watching the tree sparkle and shine.

I was so pleased with how the fimo snowflake decorations turned out, I shall plan to make some Snowflake garlands for my peg rails for next year. Meanwhile, the ones made this year grace the tree.

Happy Monday eveyone

xxx

Feeling Festive....

My love of Stripes. So, anyone who reads this blog regularly, knows, well, I really can't get enough!

I saw these.....

From The White Company and fell in love with them. Very me....but the price wasn't. £10 for a set of 3 mini striped stockings. Although I see now they have been reduced to £7.50 and have sold out.

Imagine my delight when in Sainsburys I see almost the exact same thing. £1 each and filled with snowmen chocolates! I love a bargain!

Also available in light green stripes. They will go nicely with my big stockings...

I also paid a visit to a Garden centre to check out their decorations this year, and came back with a few....

I don't know about you, but even if you have enough Christmas decorations to completely fill your house, somehow, it's not 'Christmas' if you don't get a few new ones each year. My tastes have always been quite plain when it comes to christmas decorations, but this year, I have found myself very drawn to the sprayed glass ornaments. I saw some beautiful ones in Heals with london Taxis etc but the price was way too much.....so I settled with these little ones...

Hats and mittens and all little wonderful delights...

Some glass candle clip decorations for the tree...

Can you believe the size of this glass heart? It is HUGE! Mr H will roll his eyes when he sees it, giving me that look of 'why? why? why?' But it just had to be. They had HUGE glass acorns which were also rather beautiful, but I thought I could probably just about get away with the heart, but that would be it! The little glass Santas stole my heart, such cheery, jolly little fellas.

I just have to get a tree now, so these little beauties are hanging around, waiting to be put up and shown in all their glory. So, I sit, and look at them....and smile...and feel really rather festive...sipping a nice hot latte from my cups which eventually arrived after a very long wait. so I smile and feel rosy today.

Perhaps a potter or two. A few more makes to be made and a poorly Baby Bear to snuggle up with.

xxx

Home made decorations...

Okay...so seriously surprising myself with my home makes. Once I have started, there seems to be no stopping me, although, I will probably completely have run out of steam by Christmas eve and spend Christmas day in a haze.

Baby Bear and I had fun making clay decorations. I usually use bog standard air dry clay, but I hate that I have to paint them afterwards. So, this time I thought I would try working with fimo. I got white and a salmon colour. Boy, they were hard work! Tough stuff to work with but not having to paint at the end was definitely a bonus!

xxxx

More Christmas makes...

This was what I was doing in between waiting for glue to dry from the Dahlia brooch makes.

Another present. Hope it will be liked. A bright burst of colour to wash away the grey days. Baby bear loves it and has put in a request for a blanket and cushion just like it for his bed! Something else to add to the list!.....and thinking about it, it sat perfectly in the spot where I took the piccie.....ah now look what i've done....yeap just put another one down on the list to make for me!

xxx

❀ Mega excited, little ta-dah and apologies...... ❀

I am so totally excited.....over the moon excited....havn't felt so giddy happy for a bit.....very very silly really.....little things please me......when I make things and they turn out okay, I get very, very happy! Apologies? Well, apologies for the picture influx in this post. You see, I am soooooooooooo excited, I took a fair few pics. I was only going to put up one or two, but they are sort of for my reference and I know that the original files will get buried deeply so it's my way of remembering. Do you fancy a nice little colour burst, to clear away all the white and grey from your daily lives at the moment? My little ta-dah!!!!!!

Okay, well I said I had been making for some homemade Christmas pressies. Some of you may remember a few months ago I got a mega bunch of Dahlias that made me go really rather silly......

Their colours were totally amazing. Dahlias are strong, proud flowers, and for days I simply gazed at their beauty.

Now, I have to totally thank the very lovely Victoria from yarn round hook . It was Victoria that sent me the link to a tutorial she thought I might like. Might like? Well, that was an understatement! You see, it came at just the right time. I had all my felt out the night before itching to do something with it, but not really sure what, as nothing took my fancy. But when I saw the tutorial I REALLY REALLY wanted to give it a go. And these are the results.......

My very own Dahlias!

Lots and lots of brooches.....

Big and proud just like the real ones!

Victoria are you laughing?!!!!! I aimed to make just one...have a go.....but one simply wasn't enough! I had all this felt (also have to thank the very lovely Annie from The Felt Fairy whose felt stash I won in her monthly giveaway!), and so had all kinds of colour combinations in my head just bursting to be made.  I knew after I finished the first one and was happy with it, they would make the most fab presents for my family. I hope they will like them. What do you think? They are quite big and bold. I am a massive brooch wearer and big and bold doesn't phase me at all, and I know that the other females they are destined for will not shy away from them either. I just have the difficulty now in deciding who gets what colour and whether the 'one for them, two for me' rule applies....that's okay..... right?! 

I really was multi-tasking on this one. Popping back to a bit of crochet (with gluey fingers) whilst waiting for the glue to dry in each stage. I was really surprised with how well they turned out...that's probably why I am so excited. Sometimes you see a tutorial or pattern for something to make and however hard you try, they just look rubbish and nothing like how they should. These were not difficult to make, just fiddly....but the end results were worth it. Tags and wrapping now

So thank you lovely Victoria, for making me a happy, messy bunny for the past week! If you don't already know Victoria, pop on over and say hi! She is lovely and super talented. She is currently making crochet snowflakes and they really are the coolest things ever! Her posts and her projects completely inspire!

So, apologies again for the picture fest! Had to get that off my chest...ahhhhhhhh that feels better!

Have the most super weekend all and I hope that you get to stay all snuggly and warm if you are experiencing the snow and freezing temperatures.

xxx

P.S Here is the link to the tutorial if any of you are interested in having a go at making one......or two! I hope Victoria you don't mind. It gave me sooooo much pleasure to make these beauties and if it can put a big smile on anyone else's face then it is really worth it!