It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...there is STUFF everywhere

Time is an amazing construct. It is quantified by the number of times a atom vibrates. Yet, it has a qualitative measure for example when you are bored or doing something awfully mundane it drags and drags. Whereas, when it's December time flies and before you know it it is two weeks before Christmas and there are things that need to be made for the market stall, the car needs to be serviced, start thinking presents for family and friends to about and then there is the Christmas cards. OMG the Christmas Cards! For about 10 years I have been making my own cards by hand. The designs range from various incarnations of Christmas trees, baubles, doves, and stars. This year I thought I would revisit a Christmas stamp of a bare tree. The last time I used this design I sewed onto the card red and green sequins to represent baubles on the tree. This year I went with holly.

Several months ago when Christmas decorations were first coming out, so probably around October, I found these cute little holly die cuts. Snap! these will be great on cards with the tree stamp. So with a bit of fiddling around with stamping and sewing on holly leaves then playing around with paper holly berries, I finally came up with the following design.

Each card had a tree stamped on, then with the additional help of a holly punch, more leaves were made. The additional leaves were glued then stitched in place. The same holes used for sewing on the leaves were then used to sew three glass seed beads on. On the inside a flyleaf of paper was glued along one edge to protect the cotton holding it together on the wrong side.




This stamp is readily available so if you read this and find it a great idea for your next cards, I'd love to see them. Please respect my creations and not copy it directly.

Off to Bungendore we go

As part of the slow plan for crochet and knitting to take over the world,  Oliver and Madge brooches and bibs can now be purchased in Bungendore. Trish Creegan, of the Station Shops at Bungendore fame, has opened one of the rooms as a regional designer maker gallery. The Station Shops have been revamped and now have a lovely collection of french inspired homewares including linen by Linum, furniture, decor pieces, jewellery and scarfs (my favourite) and of course things for the little ones too toys and decor. Women worry no more about your partner's disgruntled 'do I have to go?', there is a men's creche at the Station Shops to occupy them while you wander and observe.



First little launch into Bungendore

 So off I trotted to the Station Shops with 10 brooches and 12 bibs in tow. I wasn't quick enough to get my tea cosies in the gallery.Oh well, you snooze you loose.