Sunday 14 December 2014

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!





Hello again lovely readers! It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas here (at last!)
I have finished Little Sparkle's blanket and Big Sparkle helped to finish hers. I will have to get a picture for next time, they were so pleased with them that they are going to be travel blankets and are already in the car! There are lots of little creatures and things to look at so it might stave off the boredom a bit on long journeys.

We visited a lovely Christmas craft fair at Hoburne, there were lots of lovely stalls including...


...these hand crocheted sweeties...
Big Sparkle bought one for her sister, can you guess which one?

...these stunning hand crafted stables and horses
 (whose owner shared her first and second names with Big Sparkle) ...

...this sweet honey stand...
We bought some New Forest Heather honey
...and many other things!



And when we started heading for home we saw a really gorgeous orange moon. These pictures don't do it justice at all but it was very pretty!
The next morning we had a beautiful wintery sunrise and it was a bit frosty so I took a quick walk over to the meadow at the Manor to have a look.
On a cold and frosty morning.


I have been desperately trying to get a Christmas blanket together using these festive fabrics and this tutorial although they wont be staying as semi circle fans. Hopefully I will have more to show you soon!



Finally we managed to get our tree and other decorations up, huzzah! We do seem to be cursed when it comes to coloured fairy lights though. Last year we visited about ten shops on the hunt for them when ours stopped working but they were completely sold out everywhere. This year we had some lovely ones that slowly faded into different colours - except that they developed a rather annoying flashing mid colour change and so I had to pull them out of the fully decorated tree.
Birds, bells and chandelier crystals.

Hubby is not so keen but I am in love with my authentic 1950's chenille birds. We had some on our tree as kids but my mum's naughty siamese cats ate them all so I had to go find some of my own.



Yes, that is tinsel. If it's good enough for Kirstie Allsop, it's good enough for me!
Little Sparkle 'helping'.
Oh Christmas tree!


 So that is it for another week, I will be working on that blanket and other bits that I will be able to show after Christmas because they are gifts. I hope you are enjoying the run up to Christmas, let me know what lovely festive crafts you have been up to!

Amber xxx






Saturday 6 December 2014

Christmas bunting, blankets and some cards...

Hello lovely readers, sorry I have not been around for a bit, Christmas shopping and lurgy bugs seem to have gotten in the way a bit lately! I have managed a little bit of crafting though. 

30th birthday card with 1930's Flapper Girls.
2nd birthday card with vintage ballerinas.

We had this lovely double rainbow to look at from our garden...

... complete with a flock of birds!

We have had a couple more evening wanders down at Lepe Beach and Country Park


I can't take the credit for these pictures, Hubby had the camera, that's me with the pushchair.

And we visited a Christmas street market in Southampton.



Big Sparkle has been learning to sew with me. We have been practicing straight lines with these pre cut squares and if we don't run out of time, we are going to try a Christmas blanket too!



And I made this Christmas bunting for a lovely lady.
 It features gorgeous Victorian Christmas card images. (Excuse the poor lighting!)


All wrapped up!
I will try not to leave it so long in between posting again and hope to be back with Big Sparkles finished blanket and maybe some festive fun next time! Off to do some more Christmas shopping now, see you soon!
Amber xxx