December!

Hello All.

December seems to have crept up on me, this morning we woke to a frost.   Not that I'm complaining, anything is better than rain.

I have a few things to show you today.  The first is a cross stitch sampler that I made whilst I was away, for my lovely little granddaughter Willow.  She delights me every time I see her, and is growing fast.  She now has two, very sharp, teeth.


I looked on Pinterest for samplers with Willow trees in and came across this pattern which was on sale on Etsy from AnnieBeezFolkArt.   Bizarrely, she lives about five miles from our apartment.   It is from a set of four; Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter, called Sheltering Tree, with the tree in various colours and different animals underneath.  I took the season name out added Willow's, and took the whole thing down to add the birth date.  

I found a box frame in The Range and used a piece of Foamboard also from The Range to stretch it over.  It went in and out of the frame several times because I managed to trap some glitter in with it from something else I bought.  It is now in Willow's nursery.

I took it into my head about a week ago to make an Advent Calendar for my (grown up) children.  I had a peruse of Pinterest and thought that paper stars looked good.  This was an easy job.  Cut out stars from brown paper and sew round the outside whilst popping a sweet or chocolate inside.  Easy but time consuming.  Cutting out 100 stars took quite some time even with several layers at once.   I found some red metallic thread in my sewing box which I bought years ago because Shiny Thing! but had never used because I thought it would be difficult to sew.  

Actually it was a doddle, no different from ordinary thread.  Sewing the stars ~ with a needle I keep for paper sewing ~ was again easy, but time consuming.  It is actually my sort of sewing, no need for accuracy and fun to whizz along.  You'll notice I am using my modern 'plastic' machine.  Master Clicky is currently working on a motor of a vintage machine I may have acquired, more on that another time.

Anyhoo, the end result.  The Advent Calendar that is for Master Clicky tied up in our kitchen between the lighting conduit.  I didn't put any sweets in for me, I have cut down a lot in my chocolate consumption since returning from my travels and I don't seem to crave it anymore.

For Miss Clicky and her husband (husband, that still sounds weird!) I cut a piece of contorted willow from the garden and they assembled theirs hanging from a door.  I love how this one looks.

I have been sorting things at home, going through old paper work and shelves, the vast majority of which need chucking out.  Not a nice job but so worth doing.  I also need to reclaim the spare bedroom from Master Clicky's 'stuff' which he lobbed in there whilst, 'Sorting out my room.'  I am trying to persuade him to part with electronic Battleships, numerous old cricket bats and a selection of toy guns, 'Do you really need them?'  

Right, that's me for now, I have a not very nice dental appointment this afternoon, so wish me luck.  

See you soon.........Clicky Needles.