A bit of wildlife..

I had a wonderful Christmas break with my family and that included a walk (albeit a freezing walk!!) in the park with the kids.  I was very lucky to get this great picture of a squirrel.  I know not everyone likes squirrels...but I was just so thrilled with this picture I had to share it.

I was also lucky to catch this picture of our little robin that lives in the hedge...I really liked the way he posed so nicely for me :o)

As this is likely to be the last post for 2008...let me wish you all a Very Happy New Year!! 
I also want to take this opportunity to say a big thank you to you...2008 was a challenging year and the support and the comments over the last 12 months have meant a lot to me...:o)

Jingle Bells

It was only going to be a couple of pillowcases...

Early this week I saw Jackie's post about the lovely pillowcases she received for her guild which in turn will be passed on the charity Hole in the Wall Gang.  I thought I could help too and asked Jackie for the pattern so that I could make some.  With a little research I realized that there are a few variations for pillowcases but the end construction is pretty much the same.  I ended up making three for Jackie which I will post to her after the holidays. 

They were so much fun to make and a great stash buster that I decided to make pillowcases for the whole family.  2 sets each!

They might not be Egyptian cotton...but they are quilters cotton which in my books is better.  I can't wait to see how they look.

They say Santa is larger than life....

Hmm have a look at this picture I took...That's my DD2 standing there and they say she is tall for her age :o) 

This fab Santa was outside our local garden center...after we took this picture, the DD2 got to have tea with Santa and hand deliver her letter to him.  She had such a wonderful time.

Libby makes one too...

Libby over at - A Simple Girl - has made a strippy quilt based on the one I did in my last post.  I love her version...she has used lots and lots 1 1/2" strips..and together they make a really stunning quilt. 

A hive of productivity...

Busy busy around here... 

This week I finished another stitchery that is perfect for this time of year.  Many thanks again to Cathi who sent me the kit...it is now part of the Christmas collection and it will be on display along with the other bloggy decorations.

There has also been some baking in the kitchen...These gingerbread cookies went to the school bake sale...I did the cookies and the DD1 did the decorating.

And lastly...I had to get some sewing in there..this quilt top which measure 56ish" square was made in a couple of hours......yes a couple of hours!  I remember seeing some instructions for this ages ago and for some reason I just had to give it a go.  (It was one of those "make me, make me" moments.)  Basically I started with my box of 3 1/2" strips and sewed one continuous strip measuring roughly 850"  I put them together on the diagonal, but you could sew them end to end.  Once I had my mega long strip I then took one end back to the beginning and sewed the two strips together along the long edge...pedal to the metal!  Once I had 2 strips together, I then folded that in 1/2 and sewed them together now creating a 4 strip unit.  Repeat to make a 8 strip unit and then lastly to a 16 strip unit.  I wanted it a bit wider as the original size was 46" x 56ish" so I added another 3 rows to make it square(ish)  I can't believe how quickly this came together ...or how it didn't make a dent in the 3 1/2" strip box!  But it is colourful and will make a great Project Linus quilt.

A couple of finishes...

Amongst all the hustle and bustle for Christmas, I have managed to finish a couple of things . One is the arm chair caddy (thanks Helen for the great pattern)

And the other was a little mouse made from a kit that I bought at the last Rocheberie Quilters meeting. He doesn't look anything like the one she made so I reckon I've sewed it together wrong...but he turned out cute just the same. He's a little favorite of my DD2 and she has claimed it as her pocket buddy...

Holiday Greetings...

Not satisfied with one elf-yourself movie I have created two...

The Disco one

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

The Country one

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

To you and your family, hope you have a lovely holiday season!

Frosty the ...

Garden....Bet you thought I'd say snowman... :o)

Like many of you that are in the northern hemisphere it has been rather chilly around here.  This morning there was snow on the ground and quite surprisingly for the UK it is still there tonight!  (Normally it melts during the day)

This past weekend while I was visiting my in-laws I ventured into the garden with camera in hand to capture the frost...and here are a few of my best shots...I'm rather pleased with them.