Day Twenty Four

To all my blog followers and readers, I would like to wish you a happy, calm, peaceful and creative Christmas... with much love from me to you.

 

 

And to those of you who have stuck with me over the past twenty four days, thank you.

Day Twenty Three

 

A bit of last minute baking today... in between making beds, cleaning etc.

This will be the last batch of mince pies for this year... when they're gone that's it! I'm not making any more.

And they're already disappearing fast!

Day Twenty Two

I was aiming for understated simplicity and elegance...

 

 

In other words... what is the least amount of time and effort I can expend on decorating the Christmas cake.

 

I don't mind which version you believe...I was just happy to have got it done before Christmas Eve. Must go now... wine and dancing beckon... Louis and a show dance... I can't wait!

Day Twenty One

I woke this morning feeling exhausted with all the planning and preparation and wishing it was this time next week. But a few hours sitting knitting with friends over coffee and brunch was just what I needed. Perfect time out.

 

 

At the very last minute we decided to have a Secret Santa and I got lucky. A tea towel edged with some fabulous pompoms and a journal for jotting down my knitting inspirations. It also has pages of tips for knitters including "Yoga poses for knitters". The others were relieved that I decided not to demonstrate "The Downward Dog" over my coffee. Thank you Santa!

 

It was also a chance to add a few more rows to a Christmas present that despite my optimism, will not be finished by Christmas Day. But then why spoil what has become something of a tradition. He only ever gets one sock!

Day Twenty

It was our book group Christmas party yesterday evening, which we hosted. I thought it would be fun to serve cocktails. That was after I gave up on the idea of literary themed food & drink... I only got as far as a "What the Dickens is in this Punch"... but I digress...

 

 

My cocktails were in the form of mini cupcakes... Strawberry Daiquiris and Pina Coladas, both recipes from the Hummingbird Bakery Cake Days again.

In my mind they were going to be very grown up, sophisticated, little bite sized morsels.

 

And although they looked quite beautiful, and I followed the recipes to the letter, the reality was little soggy, overly sweet and sickly, bite sized morsels! Well, the pineapple and coconut ones weren't that bad but there was room for improvement.

 

But I do still like the idea of cocktail inspired cakes... so I'll be working on this to perfect my own recipe... and when I find it, I'll let you know!

Day Nineteen

...setting myself up for disappointment?

 

 

I'm ever the optimist!

Day Eighteen

As there are gradually less days to go until Christmas Day I'm finding I have have less time to think about blogging and less things I can think to blog about... but there also seem to be less people reading judging by diminishing comments so I assume the pressure is on for everyone. Either that or I'm boring the pants off you! But I don't like to stop something once I've started so I'm here for the next week!

 

 

But all is still calm here and I thought I'd make a start on the present wrapping. I actually love wrapping presents and making the parcels look pretty but usually find I run out of time and they are sellotaped together with lack of finesse at the last minute... but not this year. I've even been making my own labels...

 

I knew I'd kept all the cards from last year for a reason... Although I may have made enough to last me for the next ten years.

 

It does remind me of a story about my Nan. When we were children the entire family... aunties, uncles, and numerous cousins all congregated at my Nan and Grandad's each Christmas for tea and exchange of gifts. Nan would have a big pile of wrapped presents, none of them labelled and we would have an annual ritual of her having to feel all the parcels in turn to try and guess what was inside and then remember who she had bought the item for... often with hilarious consequences and a quick swapping of parcels once the contents were revealed. Eventually she solved the problem by buying all the men socks and all the women hankies every year. She was a truely 'one off' my Nan... a wonderful lady. I hadn't thought about telling that story when I started to write this post... but I'm glad I did... Happy Christmas memories.

Day Seventeen

The rest of the decorations have gone up today.

 

 

Every year I think I might do something different but once the boxes come out of the loft and all the old favourite things come out, I decorate the house the same way as I always do.

 

Occasionally there is a new bauble or two... and this year I seem to have lots more lights around the house. Just simple white lights in every room... but you can never have enough fairy lights! Or candles!

 

But mostly it looks the same as always does.

And that feels comfortable and good!

Day Sixteen

I've been out all day so just a quick one today...

 

 

The tree is up and my old fairy has been re-instated.

Beautiful though she is, the new one just didn't make the grade.

Day Fifteen

Joe: Are those sticky toffee cupcakes? My favourite!

Me: Not for you, I'm taking them to stitching with me tomorrow.

Joe: What! You can't take them out of the house... they won't travel well you know.

 

 

Jacob: Are those sticky toffee cupcakes for us?

Me: No, they are for my friends.

Jacob: *sigh*

 

Stewart: Oooh... are they sticky toffee?

Me: They are but they're not for you, I'm making them for tomorrow.

Stewart: Oh...

 

I haven't told them yet but I have made some extra just for them.

 

Sticky Toffee Cupcakes by special request from Iz for our meeting tomorrow. 

Day Fourteen

Yesterday I chopped up lots of dried fruit and left it steeping overnight in copious amounts of alcohol.

 

 

Today I mixed up some other ingredients...

 

Combined the two together and there are now two large and two individual puddings steaming away as I type.

 

I know... I'm a few weeks late with this particular task but I really don't think anyone will notice as they tuck into their pudding on Christmas Day. And it is making the house smell rather lovely and Christmassy today. I could almost be tempted to put on some Christmas music... but no... a step too far I think.

Day Thirteen

You know how it is when you are on holiday... and the waiter brings you a little tipple of something sweet and delicious to try after dinner. And because it is warm and balmy and you are sitting overlooking a Tuscan hillside feeling relaxed and happy, that little tipple tastes like nectar. So of course you pick up a bottle of the said tipple at the Duty Free shop on the way home. But under grey British skies in the middle of winter it tastes... well... nothing like it did on holiday. I always feel like that about Limoncello. So on seeing a recipe for Clemencello you would think I would be wary... but no!

 

 

I had to make it if only for the wonderful pun on the name. A clementine infused liqueur called Clemencello... what's not to like. And it does actually taste quite good... if you shut your eyes and imagine that Tuscan hillside!

 

But then one thing led to another, mostly because having used the zest from 18 clementines I needed to do something with the juice. And so I had a rummage through my recipes having vaguely recalled making something in the past and the result was several jars of clementine curd.

 

Which of course meant I was left with the dilemma of what to do with the clementine curd... aside from giving it away or eating it straight from the jar which does seem perfectly acceptable given how wonderful it tastes.

 

And so I made a Clementine Meringue Pie...

 

A very summery dessert in the middle of winter...no one complained and it vanished pretty quickly.

 

I rather like it when one good thing leads to another... don't you?

Day Twelve

Yesterday's make was not a Christmas present... well it was, but not one that I will be giving, as a friend had commissioned me to make it for her to give to her sister for Christmas.

 

 

 

My inspiration was this wonderful spotty teapot so I went for a bit of a spotty theme.

 

And whilst I was making one I thought I may as well make another, so there is one very similar in my Etsy shop... which could still be ordered in time for Christmas if you are short of a present idea.

 

I could even tell you where you can buy the teapot!

Day Eleven

I finished another Christmas present last night.

Don't be fooled... there are still plenty more to finish off... or even start for that matter. I find the nearer I get to Christmas the more hand made presents and decorations I seem to think I'll have time to make. I'm still at that optimistic stage where I think I can do it all!

 

 

A scarf knitted in Sirdar Big Bamboo which is very soft and snuggly.  The pattern was the one printed on the yarn label but the two balls required were not enough. I used three and it is still fairly short... although long enough. 

 

When it was finished I stitched it together along its length to make a long tube, turned it through to the right side and added some oversized pompoms at each end. I thought they might make it look a bit more contemporary... young and modern. Then I wasn't so sure.

 

But I quite like them so I think they will stay.

Hope the recipient likes them too!

Day Ten

The other piece of furniture that has been given the make-over treatment is the sofa that lives in the conservatory at the end of our kitchen. When Stewart and I combined households we also combined items of furniture and the sofa came from his house. Between you and me I was never very keen on the colour or the fabric but in the interest of fairness it came to live with us... although it wasn't me that ripped it... honest! The combination of sun in the conservatory and apparently boys sitting with their feet up (I'm not even going there) caused the fabric to rot and tear.

 

 

We lived with it as you do, covered with a large throw but it was never ideal and always looked a mess. Stewart was all for getting rid of it but I rather liked the shape and felt the basic sofa was sound. So when someone recommended a good local upholsterer, I had it recovered.

 

It arrived back home last week and look how beautiful it looks now!

 

Complete with two new cushions from Ikea!

Day Nine

We've recently had work done on our kitchen/conservatory roof which was why I was painting walls last week. But I've also been revamping some of the furniture including this old pine dresser. I say old, not in a really 'old' nice way but as in in has been knocking about for years while the boys were growing up. It had been used to house art supplies, there were stickers on the cupbard doors and it was generally used as a place to dump all manner of objects without a better home. As a result it had seen better days. The varnish was yellow...

 

 

and as you can see the surface had been badly mistreated.

 

So armed with a couple of cans of Annie Sloan chalk paints (No sanding or prep... I love them!) I first painted on a coat of Duck Egg Blue, followed by a coat of Old White...

 

Then wax, sand down to distress, wax again... and this is the result.

 

I absolutely love it and wish I'd done it years ago.

 I just need to invest in some more old china now... and a couple more of these beautiful glass knobs. I bought four in different colours a couple of years ago on a visit to Anthropologie, when I first started to think I might like to do a make-over on the dresser and didn't realise I actually needed six

 

I'm okay as long as I don't shut the cupboard doors!

Day Eight

Today I had a list.

48 mini almond paste mince pies... done.

(Recipe here)

 

 

2 platters of egg and cress sandwiches... done.

 

1 gluten free chocolate cake... done.

 

My contribution to our Embroiderer's Guild Christmas Tea this afternoon.

 

We had a very entertaining talk from Kevin of Art Van Go about photographing textiles. Gill and I had to put on Silly Santa hats and act as his assistants (We switched some lights on and off) and then we had our tea... but there were so many sandwiches and so much cake that I seem to have come home with more than I made. Oh well... that's supper sorted for tonight!

Day Seven

I have been so busy painting and decorating  (like you do two and a half weeks before Christmas) that I almost forgot to do a blog post today. But Mum called round at lunchtime and brought a beautiful garland for our front door. She makes me one every year.

 

 

Shame it was so dark that I couldn't manage an in focus photo.

But it does look lovely... thank you Mum!

Day Six

Yesterday was the last meeting of my group 'Spectrum' for this year. For our first exhibition we focused on colour but now a lot of our work has been using just black and white. There was a bit of grumbling in the ranks at first that I was limiting their colour choices but several members are now really enjoying the graphic qualities of working in just black and white... with just a hint of one accent colour.

 

 

For our last meeting we were stitching together a patchwork of black and white fabrics, many of which had been printed by the members earlier this year and making little hanging bags until Sue suggested they would make cute little birds.

 

So I had to really... no bags for me but two quirky birds with bells on...

 

for hanging up in trees or wherever you fancy!