Daily Advent Photo

Julie from KC's Court and Josie are going to be posting a photo a day during advent. The photo could be Christmas related or a wintery scene or one you have found on the internet. If you pop over to either Julie's or Josie's blogsyou can see what they did last year.
It sounds such a lovely idea and as we put up our tree on the first of December it should kick things off nicely for me.


Fancy joining in? Leave a comment on Julie's blog post and then she will post a list the following week so we can see who is taking part.
It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas!! (is coming)


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Autumn Scrumminess Swap

Karen over at Tilly Rose organised an Autumn Scrumminess Swap back in September

 and I was partnered with a lovely lady called Yvonne. 

Yvonne and I emailed and found out a little more about each other before posting off our swap goodies.

Yvonne was a little nervous as this was her first swap but she needn't have worried as I love swaps and am always grateful when scrummy parcels arrive in the post.

The idea of the swap was to send 3 recipes, along with something edible, something for your stash, something floral and a little surprise.

Here was what Yvonne sent me

A pretty quilled card,

3 delicious recipes which I'm looking forward to trying,

a bar of chocolate which I am going to enjoy with a cup of tea in a moment.

more prettily wrapped gifts

I love this crafter's brooch

and this super cute gingerbread man

and hanging owl, which has been added to my autumn window display

Yvonne really spoilt me with the haberdashery gifts, I already have a piece of this fabric which I am using to make a grab bag and now I have some more I can make a pin cushion and a tailors ham for dressmaking group.

I think that Rachel is too old for me to make her one of these knitted fairy dolls so I am going to make them for myself!

And finally a tea towel with a wonderful friendship quote "Hold on to a true friend with both hands". 

I told you Yvonne had spoilt me didn't I, here is a photo of all my goodies together. 

Thank you Yvonne for being such a fabulous swap partner and I hope you enjoyed putting together you first swap as much as I enjoyed receiving it. And thank you Karen for organising the swap.

Here's a little peek of what I sent to Yvonne

three autumnal recipes, some autumn leave doilies, floral lace ribbon and a cone full of buttons, a bar of chocolate, a sunflower needle case and one of my grab bags in an autumnal cat fabric for Yvonne's knitting projects.

Dressmaking Wednesday

No photos I'm afraid to day as I rushed out the door without my camera!

I put my skirt to one side this week as I have quite a few orders on the go. 

As my cutting table is currently full of fabric and "stuff" I thought I would make use of a clear table to cut out a Luke Skywalker costume I've been asked to make.

So quite a productive morning,  one pair of trousers cut out and a re jig of a tunic pattern to make a mock cross over tunic as well as some time spent chatting.

Just before the school run I took a quick trip to Hobbycraft to buy some felt for the alphabet bunting I'm making and some more hessian for Christmas sacks and stockings.

Tonight I will be cutting out more letter templates whilst I wait for Rachel to come home from a school theatre trip.

Tomorrow I will share with you the wonderful goodies I received in an Autumn swap.

Buntings and Rockets

We had a very relaxing weekend, on Saturday the two bigger "boys" were watching Wales play Argentina at rugby, Rachel was kept busy with her revision so that left me and Tomas with a pyjama day of creating and crafting.

Tomas wanted to make some "buntings"

 (I love the fact he calls them buntings instead of bunting.)

So we set about discussing what our buntings would be. 

They were to be Christmas buntings so we made Father Christmas and his elves, reindeer, snowmen, Christmas trees, presents, stockings, cakes, holly and wreaths.

 I did the folding and the cutting and Tomas did a fantastic job of colouring in. 

Although you can see that the colouring in novelty wore off after a little while.

 With our buntings complete it was time to create a rocket spaceship.

The masking tape came in very handy holding all the tubes and bottles together.

Tomas was very pleased with the result,

but it needed pine cone bombs and flames.

Much better!!!

Hope you all had a fun filled weekend too, I even managed a trip to the fabric shop but will save that for another post.

Cracker Swap Partners

Sorry for the delay in getting the swap partner list out but with two teenagers hogging the main computer for homework and revision all evening I wasn't able to add the links until this morning/afternoon!

So here are the swap partners for the Christmas Cracker Swap, thanks to everyone that decided to take part.

Suzanne (email) & Blueberry Heart

Melanie & Sue

Ellie & Jille

Betty & Pam

Leonie & Gilly

Tracy & Belinda

Leanne & Sue Vaughan

Ali & Joy

Kimberley & Patricia

Amanda & Louise (email)

I think that's everyone if I have missed anyone please let me know!
Everyone should either have a link or an email with which to contact their partner if you have any problems please let me know and I will see if I can help.

Pop over to this blog post if you need a reminder of what you need to send and by when.

Louise and Suzanne don't have blog but I'm quite happy to share your swaps on my blog post so we can see what you sent and received.

Here is a link to the Flickr group too

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Dressmaking Wednesday.....

I know I am late with this post but seeing as I actually made some progress with my skirt on Wednesday I thought I would share it with you.....

stitching the pleats

I put my pins in the wrong way round and had to change them before I could start sewing!

I have also been learning pressing - not ironing

tailor baste stitches hold the pleats in place

ready for me to topstitch

Progress indeed I just need to do the same to the back now!

Danbury Christmas Craft Fayre

Today I popped up to Danbury for their annual Christmas Craft Fayre. I haven't been for the past couple of years so thought it would be nice to see what crafts were on offer. It was a bit of a flying visit as I took Tomas and Rachel with me, and there was too much temptation for the small boy's fingers!

So would you like to see so of the lovely craft's on offer?

You'll have to excuse the photos as they were taken in a rush and on my phone - it was kind of a last minute decision to do a blog post!

The fayre is held at the Danbury Sports and Social Centre in their main sports hall with refreshments in the small hall upstairs.

The stall are nicely spaced out with lots of space to walk around

It did indeed feel very christmassy

I met some lovely stall holders and there were a few familiar faces too.

Look at the gorgeous hand knitted baby shoes by Pixie Dust Shoes

There were lots of different styles and designs and no pairs of shoes are ever the same.

for more information you can contact Cherryl on 07407615424 or pixiedustshoes@aol.co.uk

There were a few stalls selling wooden gifts but this stall belongs to my friend Laura and we bought some lovely gifts from her today, thanks Laura

Laura also makes greeting cards and you can found out more at www.craftedcottage.co.uk

What was nice today was that there lots of different stalls which was nice as these events can be a little samey.

The magpie in me spied these shiny goodies by Charmed Again

Lisa also makes wonderful dollhouse miniatures so pop over to her Etsy shop and take a look.

Next to Lisa was her mum Sue of Denim Bears

I really enjoyed chatting to Sue as we talked about fabric addiction and crafting.

Sue not only make these wonderful bears she also quilts, crochets and makes bags (can you see some similarities here)

Sue doesn't have a website but she will be at Hylands House Christmas Shopping Fair on the 1st December but if you can't wait that long then you can contact her 01245 603614 or email suekerly@hotmail.com

Tomas loved the idea of this special Santa key made by the talented Jane & Kerry from 

The Little Lilac Beach Hut Company

They also made these rather cute tree decorations 

Local Danbury company Blossom Hill Florist also had a stall and although they weren't selling any flowers they were showing of their gift range and had these lovely tea cup snow globes (I may just have to pop into the shop and grab a couple for myself)

as well as these Santa signs. (aren't they cute!)

Another local company is Stephen Holland who can revive your old photos and scan your slides and negatives. Stephen can be contacted on 01245 222523

It's amazing what he can do with old torn and marked photos.

Now if it's food you are after then look no further than Amos Bank Country Kitchen who were selling a variety of jams, pickles and chutneys. 

Richenda can be contacted on 07940069266

Now I know lots of you love old books, especially the Ladybird and Enid Blyton ones, well the lovely Erin from Sawyer & Scout makes these adorable notebooks amongst other things. Jewellery is her speciality so pop over and have a look at her website.

Now this isn't the best photo of this stall as by now Tomas wanted to go home so I took this quick shot, but Marilyn makes the most beautiful knitted and sewn gifts from baby slings to coat hangers

You can contact Marilyn on 01621741734 or mbullivant06@hotmail.com

Tomas loved this stall as it was full of lots of lovely Christmas decorations and cards made by Liz.

Liz can be contacted on liz&alan45@yahoo.co.uk

Finally don't these yarns look fun, they are hand spun and dyed by 

The Woolly Workshop UK who are based in Witham. 

Pop over to their website as the colours look a hundred times better than in my photo.

I hope you enjoyed your little jaunt around the Danbury Christmas Craft Fayre these weren't all the stalls but just a few of my favourites and don't forget there is still time to join in my 

Christmas Cracker Swap

It's Cracker Swap time.......

Last year I organised a Christmas cracker swap where you had to fill a kitchen roll with goodies and then wrap it in Christmas fabric, tie the ends with ribbon and then send if off to your swap partner.

I borrowed this image from Bea (hope you don't mind Bea?) who was one of my swap partners from last year and this was her cracker to me, I still can't figure out how she managed to squeeze all that lot into one kitchen roll.

And this is what it looked like when it arrived. 

You can read all about it here and see the photos from the Flickr group here. 

  SO, would any of you be interested in doing it all again this year?

If you would then leave a comment below letting me know if you would like to post to the UK only or if you would be prepared to post worldwide. 

Please feel free to share the cracker swap on your blog and add the cracker swap picture to your sidebar. 

If you are new to this swap or just need a gentle reminder here are the rules -

This will be a nice simple swap because I know that lots of you will be busy making gifts for family and friends or getting your makes ready for all those wonderful craft events that take place before Christmas.

How it works

*****

Each of us will be making a fabric Christmas Cracker filled with goodies 

1) Take a kitchen roll tube (much roomier and nicer than a toilet roll!)

2) Fill your tube with goodies (you're be surprised how much you can fit in!) I think it would be great to include your favourite Christmas joke or recipe!

3) Wrap you filled tube in some lovely Christmassy fabric and tie the ends with ribbon

4) Send your completed fabric Christmas cracker on it's merry way to your swap partner

5) Receive a gorgeous fabric Christmas cracker stuffed with goodies and a lovely piece of fabric too!

*****

Suggestions to fill your kitchen roll

sewing and crafting goodies in the way of buttons, ribbons and threads, needles and pins, stickers, beads, charms and lots more

Christmas chocolates, sweets etc

pampering goodies like nail varnishes, bath bombs, soaps etc

something handmade (as long as it fits in the tube! Although it could also be wrapped around the tube underneath the fabric too!)

key rings, brooches, earrings etc

A favourite Christmas joke

A favourite Christmas recipe

*****

SWAP RULES

This swap is open to UK and overseas bloggers - please state whether you prefer UK or overseas

You don't have to have a blog to sign up but if you don't then I do need a contact email from you

Sign up before the 10th of November - I will then partner every one up and post partner detail with links/emails on the 11th November.

Last posting date for your Christmas cracker will be 16th December (before if you are posting overseas) - if for any reason you can't make that deadline please let your partner know. 

Blog about what you receive and what you have sent so we can all see your wonderful goodies.

I will set up a flicker group and post the link when I have partnered everyone up.

Right, I think that's everything, if you have any problems during the swap then please let me know, but bear in mind that I am only the organiser of this swap it is up to you and your partner to swap details, likes and dislikes etc and to arrange a time to swap (by the deadline hopefully). I do understand that sometimes things happen and if for whatever reason you can't take part in the swap and need to pull out then please let me and your partner know, it's so disappointing not to receive anything!

So if after reading the rules you would like to take part then leave a comment below,  if you don't have a blog you can still take part but I will need your email address and contact details. You have until the 10th November to join and I will then pair everyone up and post details of the swap partners on the 11th November with a posting date of the 16th of December for your crackers! 

Lets go Crackers!!!

A Question Time update

Thank you to those of you that left a comment regarding my last post, it seems that we all do similar things

1) reply by email if there is an email address (this is my favourite way)

2) reply under the comment and hope that the reader will pop back ( this is my downfall as I follow quite a few blogs and use bloglovin to read my blogs on my phone and once they are read they disappear off my list so I can't always find the post again to check the reply)

3) leave a reply in the form of a comment of the other persons blog (which I think is what I am going to do from now on)

Betty the Wood Fairy also mentioned that when she clicked on the contact email on my profile it asked her to open a microsoft account,  if anyone knows anything about that I would be grateful to know if I need to change anything my end???

Finally are any of you lovely crafters ready for a swap?

Last year I held my cracker swap and was thinking of doing it again this year...

keep an eye out for my next post and I will tell you all about it then....