2016

 Remember all the fuss over the year 2000 and all the dire predictions ..... and here we are at 2016!! 

I wish all of you a Happy New Year filled with good health and good luck.

angels ....

 We've had warm weather for most of November and December and much less precipitation than in the last 4 years - quite a treat!  It's been so nice to be out and about without being bundled up.    I still haven't had to wear snow boots for my daily walk.  ^^ However,  this is apparently about to change with some cold weather moving in.  Nonetheless winter has been shortened.

Angels were under construction this month .....

This was a new pattern and I was trying out different yarns and hook sizes.  3D ones would have been nice but I can no longer work with crochet cotton.  Since these are for a friend I'll let her choose which size(s) and colour(s)  she wants .... perhaps she'll like to have an assortment or perhaps she'll prefer 3D ones.  The big ones (4") are made from cotton yarn and the smaller ones (3") from a #3 yarn.

This angel is one I used to make years ago and lost misplaced the pattern.  One Christmas I tucked one of these into most of the Christmas cards that we sent out .... postage was cheaper in those days.  ^^  So I was excited to see one of these in a linky party and even more excited when I discovered the instructions were included.  They can be made with paper piecing but I'm hopeless at that. 

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

Winter ....

image found on Pinterest

We used to live in the bush in British Columbia.  A friend whose birthday was on December 21 always hosted a Winter Solstice celebration for the occasion.  She was a 'child of the earth' and knew how to celebrate the solstice.  She was also quite artsy so the décor was heavenly.  Mind you, living there one only had to step out the door to have a wealth of decorative material at hand.  We gals wore long skirts - nothing fancy or elaborate - perhaps reminiscent of our hippie days.  The food, the drink, and the camaraderie left us with lingering memories of the good times we had.  It was there that I had my first toke .... 

new Christmas ornies ...

Here are a few new Christmas ornies to

show off .....

 A crocheted snowflake.

 A  gift from Claire ... thank you, Claire. 
 I   like hearts. 

There's a mouse in the house.

Christmas cushion wrap ....

Having seen cushion covers like this and this and this I was thinking about making one but since I do not need any more cushion covers I decided to try a cushion wrap instead .... and am glad I did!  It was a lot less work, used less fabric, and I love how it looks.  ^^    In case you're wondering, I used 2½" squares; did not use any batting, backed it with  off white fabric and added 'ribbon' for tying it on.  I chose to use a 'tie  on' so that it would be adjustable and could fit different sizes of cushions.  And actually the ties at the back look very pretty tied in bows. 

Whilst sorting through my Christmas bins (all 4 of them) I pulled everything out, unwrapped all the goodies, and wandered down memory lane for a while before being ruthless and deciding what could not/should not be kept.  You see, the decluttering is part of downsizing which will be coming in the near future.  These snowmen, looking somewhat bedraggled and worse for wear, were made by my late daughter when she was in high school ... and that's a very long time ago.  They're made from quilt batting and an empty soup can.

Ravenwood Whimzies has been hosting a Christmas Blog Hop and this wee toque was one of the patterns offered .... these are so cute - I had to make one right away!   

Blogger gave me a bit of a scare recently when it wouldn't let me post any photos - thank goodness that only lasted a day or so.

another Christmas project .....

I finally got a wiggle on and finished another Christmas project.  Checking the mail deadline for overseas packages helped spur me on. ^^

 This is my other favourite  candle mat  to make -

 it's in colours appropriate for the recipient.

I made a few of these little ornaments

to give the girls at the salon (not saloon ^^).  This cute design works up quickly and is a nice way to
 use up those little bits of floss and fabric; could also
be used for a tag.   It's photographed on Rae's 'Emma's Tree'.  

too cute ....

This wee robin is too cute for words!!  I really enjoyed stitching him and I know it's a design that I'll stitch over and over.  He became a door hanger.