Christmassy Snippets

:: I am absolutely loving my Poinsettia plant just now ~ these beautiful red and green leaves are just so Christmassy::

:: This jolly looking snowman came to live with us a few years ago. Each of the small people were given one by their Granny filled with Christmas goodies. He now gets to sit at either side of the fire place at Christmas time with his friend to add a bit of Christmas cheer::

::  I went into Edinburgh on the train by myself one day last week for some final Christmas bits and pieces, and I took the opportunity to have a leisurely wander around the German Christmas market ~ I just couldn't resist buying this beautiful tea light holder which lights up the Edinburgh sky line.::

:: "Christmas stockings are hung by the chimney with care" ~ this image reminds me of my favourite Christmas poem ~ The Night before Christmas by Clement Clarke Moore. We always read it to the small people at bedtime on Christmas Eve ::

:: Our little town is looking exceptionally lovely just now with lots of sparkly and colourful Christmas lights strung about everywhere ~ my favourite is this old Horse Chestnut tree which is at the entrance of the park ::

Hoping that you all have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and that all your Christmas wishes come true :O)xx

Christmas Popcorn Box

My two smallish people love nothing better than a trip to the cinema ~ however, they don't get the chance to go and see a film that often these days, as a family trip to the cinema very nearly requires us to take out a bank loan.

A little while back when I was thinking about what to buy them for Christmas, I thought that it would be a lovely idea to get each of them a cinema voucher as part of their Christmas present. My daughter is just old enough to be allowed to go into Edinburgh by herself on the train and can use her voucher to go and see a couple of films with her friends. My son is not quite old enough to go by himself  yet..........  so he will have to go with his Mum and Dad ~ which means that everyone is a winner!

Instead of just handing them over a boring old white envelope with the cinema voucher inside, I thought it would be a nice idea to get a little bit more inventive with the wrapping. I googled some printable popcorn box templates and managed to print them out onto some white card. A little bit of snipping and sticking and ten minutes later I had something that resembled a popcorn box. So far so good!

Next I gathered a selection of yummy goodies that could go into the box ~ mini bags of popcorn (obviously!) and some portable bags of sweeties that could easily be taken to the cinema. Although there is a pretty good chance that the goodies will probably be eaten well before the trip to the cinema actually happens.

Here's hoping that they like their Christmas Popcorn Box ~ I think I'd maybe quite like one for myself too! :O)xx

Easy does it!

We have had some unwanted visitors here this week in the form of coughs and colds and sneezes and it has been necessary to slow the pace right down and take things a little bit easier. I've had a small boy home from school for the last couple of days. He has been fighting a temperature and has been wrapped up in a cosy blankety nest on the settee ~ and although my Little Boy Blue Granny Stripe is not quite finished yet it has already been put to good use as part of that blankety nest. There has been some cuddly doggies making use of it too!  I know that he must really be feeling under the weather as he has been happy to sit still and has been a bit too quiet ~ which is really not like him at all!

There has not been much opportunity to get out and about either as the weather here has been rather a mixed bag. There has been rain, sleet, snow, lots of wind and the odd glimpse of some sunshine. And it's been bitterly COLD too ~ It really can't seem to make up it's mind!

I took the opportunity on one of the nicer weather moments to have a walk along the sea front ~ and on the way home I passed this wonderful statue. He's called The Watcher ~ he is dressed in outdoor gear, with his camera slung over his shoulder and he gazes out towards the sea looking through his binoculars in the direction of the Bass Rock. He stands there in all weathers and I think he is just crying out for a bit of a woolly makeover ~ maybe a hat and a scarf would keep him a bit cosier!

I've been trying to get myself into the Christmas spirit too ~ I managed to rescue this little Poinsettia plant from the reduced shelf in the supermarket for a bargain price of just less than two pounds. It was all dried up and in need of a little bit of TLC ~ all it really needed was a long drink of water and a nice spot at the window and it soon perked up. It's looking very healthy now and I am enjoying seeing it's beautiful red and green foliage every time I come into the room. These lovely plants are just so Christmassy!

Hope that you all have a very lovely and cosy weekend :O)xx

Merry Christmas

Just popping by to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I hope you all have a wonderful time and that all your Christmas wishes come true :O)xx

The Polar Express ~ All Aboard!

Last weekend we headed off to Weardale as we had booked ourselves tickets on The Polar Express!

We all love the film of The Polar Express ~ we watch it faithfully every Christmas Eve ~ so the chance to have an actual trip on it was too much for us to resist.

We boarded the train at Stanhope station and set off on our journey through the dales towards the North Pole. The small people were dressed in their pyjamas and dressing gowns which made it seem even more magical for them.

Each carriage was decorated with Christmassy wreaths and baubles and had it's own conductor and fleet of singing and dancing chefs who served everyone with cups of hot chocolate and delicious chocolate chip cookies. During the trip the story of The Polar Express was read over a sound system whilst the chefs carried a beautifully illustrated book up and down the aisle for all the children to see.

For those of you that are not familiar with the story ~ it is a lovely story about a little boy who is just starting to doubt the reality of Father Christmas. He embarks on a magical train trip to the North Pole ~ along the way there is a ghostly hobo who preys on the boys doubts, but he is looked after by the kind conductor and all the other children who are on the train dressed in their pyjamas and dressing gowns. At the end of the journey he has his beliefs reaffirmed when he meets Father Christmas at the North Pole.

Our journey towards the North Pole was really enjoyable ~ the chefs went up and down the aisles singing and dancing and the ghostly hobo made the occasional appearance trying to steal the children's golden train tickets. As the train got nearer to the North Pole all the children on the train got very excited ~ pressing their little faces to the windows trying to get the first glimpse of Father Christmas. Once we reached the North Pole, Father Christmas and his elves boarded The Polar Express and all the children got a chance to tell him what they would like for Christmas and he gave out silver bells from his sleigh to all those who believe!

It really was a most enjoyable trip and I am now starting to really get into the Christmas spirit ~ not many sleeps to go now!! :0)xx

A Thank You and A Giveaway!

Firstly, I would like to say a huge Thank You to everyone for all the good wishes and bloggy hugs that were sent our way when my daughter went in to hospital for her operation.

I am pleased to report that the operation went very well, and although there were some hysterics before the pre-med, she managed to cope very well with the procedure. They decided to use "sleepy" gas to put her to sleep and then did what they had to do with needles whilst she was out for the count! Everything is healing up very nicely and she returned to school yesterday complete with a set of crutches. It will still be a few weeks until she is running about again but I am just so glad that everything is done now and we will just have to keep our fingers crossed that the legs grow at the desired pace and sort out their differences!

Last week ~ on 21st of November to be precise ~ I noticed that I been blogging for four years. I can't quite believe that it has been that long ~ but it has! I love being part of this lovely bloggy world ~ it truly is a wonderful place to be ~ packed full of inspiration and ideas and lovely like minded crafty souls like you!

To say a big Thank You to all of you that take time out of your day to read my ramblings, I am having a little Christmassy giveaway. Up for grabs is a copy of the new Mollie Makes Christmas book and I will also add a few other Christmassy bits and pieces to the parcel ~ although I haven't quite decided what they will be yet!  All you have to do to enter this giveaway is to leave me a comment on this post ~ it would also be lovely if you were a follower of my blog too.

I will leave the giveaway open for a week ~ until Thursday 6th December ~ so that the lucky winner can enjoy the book and hopefully have enough time to make a few things from it before Christmas arrives.

Good Luck and I look forward to reading your comments :O)xxxx

A New Year ~ 2012

Well, here we are, already four days in to a brand New Year. I hope that you all had a very lovely time at Christmas ~ although, I must say that Christmas seems like it was absolutely ages ago! We took all our decorations down yesterday before my lovely husband went back to work and now the house looks very bare indeed.

It was our very first Christmas in our new house and we all had a really wonderful time, despite being loudly awakened at half past two in the morning by a very bouncy and excited small boy, shouting "He's been!". Once he had opened his stocking he was more than happy enough to go back to sleep until a more reasonable hour! Thank Goodness! As usual my two Small People were well and truly spoilt! The day itself was fairly quiet ~ we had some family over for Christmas lunch and I'm pleased to report that I all my panicking over cooking Christmas lunch was a bit silly as everyone said nice things about the food and it all got eaten ~ so it can't have been that bad!!


I've enjoyed lots of very lazy days during these holidays ~ days sitting around in my pyjamas with my feet up, drinking lots of tea and consuming vast amounts of chocolate. I have also been lucky enough to have been able to spend quite a bit of time indulging in some Hooky Stuff and there has also been the sound of clicking knitting needles too.


Due to numerous factors, (but mainly because we were in the middle of moving house and everything was packed away) last year was a very unproductive year for me crochet wise so I am planning to make amends for it this year. I'd love to be able to find the time to finish all my WIP's, and maybe even produce twelve finished woolly things by the end of the year! I'd also love to have a go at knitting myself a pair of socks ~ surely it can't be that hard, can it?


I'm off now to hook a couple more rows of my blue Granny Stripe ~ there may even be a cup of tea to be had too ~ but this time there's definitely no chocolate allowed! :O)xx

Wishing you all ..........................

A very Merry Christmas!

Not long to go now ~ only 3 sleeps and I think I'm getting quite excited!

I am about as prepared as I'll ever be for the BIG day ~ the tree is up and decorated, the presents have been bought and wrapped (and have also been hidden well away from little people who have been doing an awful lot of looking this year!)

The only things that I have left to do is some (a lot!) cleaning and tidying and the dreaded food shopping. It's also our first Christmas in our new home so I want it to be extra special for everyone. I'm actually cooking the Christmas dinner for the first time in ages and I think I'm starting to have a little bit of a panic about it. But I'm quite sure that it will all go well on the day ~ here's hoping!

I'm really looking forward to getting cozy and snuggling up on the sofa with the children on Christmas eve to watch some Christmassy films. We always watch the same films on Christmas eve ~ The Polar Express and A Christmas Carol ~ and it has now become a little bit of a tradition in our house. There may also be a couple of glasses of mulled wine and some Christmas chocolatey goodies thrown in for good measure too!

Then it will be time for the stockings to be hung at the bottom of the beds and a glass of milk and some mince pies will be left for Santa, along with a nice juicy carrot for Rudolph.

I hope that Santa leaves you lots of lovely presents too and that you all have a very Happy Christmas and have all your Christmas wishes come true ~ whatever they may be! :O)xx

The night before Christmas

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house

Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,

In hopes that St Nicholas soon would be there.


The children were nestled all snug in their beds,

While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads...................

by Clement Clarke Moore.


Don't you just love this poem? It is one of my absolute favorites and I have very fond childhood memories of it being read to me and my sisters every Christmas Eve when we were small. It was a tradition that I really wanted to carry on with my own little family too.

We always settle down to watch The Polar Express with the children on Christmas Eve and then after the stockings have been hung up and the glass of milk and mince pies have been left out for Santa. Oh....... and not forgetting the carrot for Rudolph! It is time for that magical part of the evening to begin. Once we eventually get the children tucked up in their bed my husband reads it to them.......... I love watching their little faces ~ all the excitement and anticipation of going to bed knowing that when they wake up in the morning Santa will have hopefully left them lots of presents.

I hope that Santa leaves you lots of lovely presents too and that you all have a very Happy Christmas and have all your Christmas wishes come true ~ whatever they may be!:O) xx

Hello 2010

And a very big HELLO to all you very lovely bloggy people ~ I hope that you all had a fantastic time at Christmas and although I am a little bit later than most people I would like to wish you all a wonderfully happy and healthy 2010.

We had a very quiet Christmas at home ~ just the four of us ~ and it was really lovely to be able to spend some time together. We did go out a couple of times to visit family but other than that most of the time has been spent at home. We have had a few lazy days when we have spent all day in our pyjamas. We have snuggled up on the settee with blankets watching Christmas dvds. There has also been lots of tea drinking and an HUGE amount of chocolate eating too!

The weather here has been very snowy and the children have had an absolutely fantastic time playing in the snow ~ sledging, throwing snowballs, building snowmen and snowcanos ~ which my little boy tells me is a volcano made out of snow! You live and learn!! We have been ready to wrap freezing cold little feet in warm blankets and cozy socks when they have finished playing and supplying hot chocolate to warm them up again.

Like many of you I have been taking a little look back over my blog for 2009 and thought that you might like to take a little look with me too.

There has been.............

::Woolly bits::
::Woolly birds::
::Flowery favourites::
::Holidays and Adventures::
::and of course some crochet too::

I'd just like to say Thank you to all you lovely people who take the time to visit my little bloggy space. I have really enjoyed being part of the lovely bloggy world in 2009 and am looking forward to lots of colourful creativity in 2010:O)

Wishing you all.........

A Very Merry Christmas!

Not long to go now ~ only 2 sleeps until Christmas and I am so excited.........

I'm hoping that this lovely snowy weather continues so that the children can enjoy their very first white Christmas ~ how wonderful would that be?

I'm looking forward to sitting with my feet up on Christmas eve with a nice glass of Champagne and knowing that everything is ready for Christmas day.

I hope that you all have a very lovely time and that your Christmas is everything that you wish for :O) xx

Ready for Christmas

Blimey! Where did last week disappear to? I must have blinked a little bit too hard and missed it! I know that I said that I had almost finished my Christmas shopping but there still seems to be a hundred and one other things to do to get organised for the BIG day.

I have been Busy,Busy,Busy! There has been a lot more running around like a mad woman doing lots more Christmassy preparations. I have been.............


BUSY ~ counting down the sleeps until Christmas by opening advent calendars. Not long to go now! Although I don't think that Joseph should really be dressed as a dentist or that there was a dentist chair in the stable all those years ago, but the children were responsible for the additions which were very kindly lent by the Sylvanian families!


BUSY ~ writing Christmas cards AND managing to get them posted before I miss the last posting date.


BUSY ~ wrapping my little Giveaway presents.


BUSY ~ buying a few more little Christmas presents ~ this time for ME! I'm not quite sure just how these little things managed to find their way into my shopping bags either!


BUSY ~ rippling away and trying to get this scarf finished in time for Christmas and making a few more felty decorations for the Christmas tree.

I hope that you are all having as much fun as me and enjoying this rather hectic time of year in the week before Christmas. I'm really looking forward to the BIG day and think that I am getting more excited than the children are! :O)

Merry Christmas

It's my last day at work today before the library shuts for a two week holiday - Yippee! The kids have finished school now and Daddy is on holiday for two weeks as well. I don't think that there will be much time for the computer during the holidays, so I am going to take a little blogging break and spend some time with my family. I would just like to wish anyone who happens to read this blog a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!! See you in 2009 :)

Christmas Trees........

I have finished making another Christmas tree decoration. It’s my first little Button Tree – I quite like the contrast between the green felt and the red buttons, although I’m not really very happy with the ribbon that I have used for hanging it with. I think that it would have been better with some thinner ribbon. I'll maybe do that the next time!

We put the Christmas Tree up last weekend and the children did a wonderful job of decorating it! It looks lovely, although it is now minus all of it's chocolate decorations ( they must have been taken by some small chocolate monsters and their parents!) We also went to visit Santa, so we are all getting more and more excited by the day - only 9 more sleeps until Santa!!

Christmas Pudding!

This yummy looking Christmas pudding is another one of my growing collection of felt Christmas tree decorations. I designed this one myself and I don't think it's too bad for what is only my second attempt at sewing with felt. I love the way the buttons and felt work together! I can't wait for the weekend to arrive now as we are putting up our Christmas tree and it will be nice to have some handmade decorations on it.

Shopping and Wrapping.....

I spent yesterday morning running around the shops like a mad woman and managed to finish my Christmas shopping! I am now going to spend the best part of this morning wrapping everything up and getting it hidden before my children come home from school at lunch time. I intend to have everything done on time this year so that on Christmas Eve I can sit and relax with a nice glass of wine and know that all we have to do is wait for Santa!!

Little Robin Redbreast......

I did it!! I managed to make a little robin Christmas tree decoration from a Make your Own Kit, which came from paper-and-string, and I am really pleased at how he came out.... considering that I have never made anything with felt before. I loved working with the felt, it was so easy to work with. I am now going to have a play about and see what else I can come up with. I think he looks lovely hanging on our Holly tree!!

Christmas Felt Goodies!

I received my felt parcel today from paper-and-string and am planning to get into the Christmas spirit by attempting to make some little felt tree decorations. I thought that I would try one of the make your own kits from paper and string first, and then using some inspiration from my new book - Christmas Things to Stitch and Sew - will try and make a few of my own. I'm maybe being a little bit ambitious, but time will tell!!