Sunday, October 21, 2012

Christmas is Coming

Hi  everyone, how are you?
http://victorianmottosamplershoppe.blogspot.ie/
Just a quickie to let you know Victorian Mottos Sampler shoppe is having another giveaway.   Let them know I sent you xxxxx

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I've been so busy this week.  Take today for example: lots of passion cake muffins made for packed lunch (and tea), bread rising ready to become bread rolls for the weeks packed lunches, lamb casserole is on, everywhere is hoovered, freezer has been sorted out and I have just five minutes to put a post up before the second stage of bread making and hopefully going for a walk in the unseasonal sunshine here in in Ireland.
 Welcome to my life!

I've been just as busy craft-wise.  No more work on the ledger though because dh took my car apart to make it better (Morris Minor Traveller) and then his car died..so I can't get out to buy tissue paper. There are lots of advantages to living in the middle of nowhere (like having the '80s radio channel on full blast on a Sunday morning and having no neighbours to offend) but when you are without transport there can be problems!  DS couldn't get to the school bus (over a mile away) so he had to stay off school. I' m not sure if he says that as being a good thing or a bad thing!

I've sent off my Christmas exchange to France so I'm up to date with my Cross Stitch Monthly yahoo group (details on the side bar: great group, exchanges every two months), and I have stitched 9 out of the 12 Christmas Tree ornies for Maggee over on Stitching Devotee.  I have had so much fun with these but of course I can't show them just yet...not until Christmas or until my partner in France receives hers.

Thank goodness my JCS arrived (finally).  I have to order it from the USA and boy, have I been stalking the postman.  It arrived Friday morning and first ornie was chosen, kitted up and started, er, Friday morning!

I love this mag: I love looking at the recipes especially.  There are real differences between what is eaten  and how we eat between the UK and the USA...a lot more tinned and packet things used for a start.  I have to be honest, I have tried a few recipes and....they were revolting.  I am fascinated however by yellow cake mix and brown cake mix.  Oh, and Graham Crackers...if you know what they are, please let me know.

I don't mean to cause offence: it is just a cultural thing and I'm pretty sure Ireland's basic bacon and cabbage with parsley sauce can draw as many 'EEEWWWWSSS' as some of the recipes I tried.

I love most of the ornies in this years JCS BUT ( and I suspect I really am going to cause offence here) I question some of the ones chosen for this years edition.  I know the people who provide them are clever, and talented and make lovely charts and of course are commercially popular, and this is where I get to the But: But some of them have absolutely NOTHING to do with Christmas!!!  And this is meant to be a Christmas edition yes?  Also a few patterns seem to me to be a little lazy compared to those submitted in previous years by the same designers...or maybe they are just meant to be quick and easy???
Perhaps I am just over thinking things!
Anyway, mini moan over: each to their own and I will stitch the ones I like, and leave the ones I don't.  Simples!

Sewing wise I bit the bullet and finally put together my Christmas wall hanging.
I am not good at cutting up fabric etc probably because I really do over think things and confuzzle myself, but I went with it and am thrilled with how it looks.

It was a Poinsettia panel and the colours match our very old Victorian marble fire place so I just had to have it.

I added the surrounding fabric and the ribbons for the hanger.



This beastie is over five feet long and the art-deco look matches the period of my home perfectly.
I added some beads to flower heads.



I've ordered a new unit for our sitting room so I can keep all my art/craft materials together.  DH did make me a studio outside in the container next to our barn BUT it seems to have become full of car parts, tools and dust.  Lots and lots of dust.  And I for one refuse to dust his car stuff just so I can get to my easel or pencils.
So, the studio idea has been put to sleep and to be honest, I ususally craft between the real life nitty gritty that makes up an average day: cleaning, cooking, washing, sorting out kids, acting like a UN peace keeper and organising everyone's lives for them...so it makes sense to have everything in the living room so I get to sit down and just reach to my side for whatever I need.

When it gets here it will need a top to match the wall hanging so I played.  Maggee over in Stitching Devotee sent me instructions for a table runner.  Could I get it???? No: not a chance.  My chemo brain just can't follow steps anymore despite for Maggee emailing me a gazzilion times to help me out (Thanks sweetie: I was so blessed to have met you xxxxxx ).  Thankfully however there is a video on Youtube and it really was as simple as Maggee said.

Being a novice with the rotary cutters however and fabric being so expensive here, I decided to experiment with a table top runner for the new unit which isn't even here yet.


It was so simple and I will def. be making more of these....maybe even one  long enough for a table!  I just need to get a bit more confident with cutting fabric to size.

Well, that's it for me.

Better put the bread in and then I think a lovely walk in the sunshine.

I hope you all have a lovely Sunday and a peaceful week xxx

9 comments:

  1. Love the banner. Great job.
    enjoy reading your blog

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  2. beautiful banner..
    happy sunday..
    hugs cucki xxx

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  3. Love your wall hanging, it's really pretty . The cake mixes are I think for vanilla and chocolate and from what I can gather , Graham crackers are similar to our digestive biscuits ,lol. I agree with you about the JCS ornies , some of them are so not Christmas .I guess some folk are getting fed up with the traditional ideas .
    Keep meaning to ask you , did you ever finish Alla Turca ? Can't remember seeing it finished on your blog.
    Hope you've had a good weekend .
    Take care .XXX

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  4. Now I am in the Christmas mood! Love your hanger.

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  5. Love your wall hanging. You did a great job.

    Linda

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  6. graham crackers are indeed similar to digestive biscuits. So if it asks you to make a graham cracker crust for a desert, then just sub crushed up digestives.

    A white cake mix is indeed vanilla or plain as is a yellow cake mix. Never heard of brown but I too assume its chocolate.

    All purpose flour is plain flour. Baking soda is bicarb, confectioners sugar is icing sugar. I can't think of any others that may be confusing? If there are just let me know.

    Gill in Canada

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  7. I have often wondered about Graham crackers.

    The beading on your panel is a lovely finishing touch.

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  8. Love that hanging very christmassy, I have made one cake and more to do.. isn't it a wonderful time of the year. I love it!
    Love and Blessings

    Chris xx

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  9. Love the poinsettia, so festive.
    My JCS is here, lots I like in it, and like you a few that made me frown with wonder at the Christmas theme.

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