Christmas wishes . . .

Wishing you & yours, 

from me & mine, 

a very merry Christmas . . .

Be blessed,

love Gilly 

xoxo

Christmas in the making . . .

Less than a week to go before the big day, and I'm happy to say that this year I've managed to finish my Christmas makes ahead of schedule.   Can I get a woo-hoo ?

I should confess though that I did rather curtail the List a wee bit - for once realising that with everything else going on right now, I just wasn't going to be able to make it all. 

You know that thing where you pin a whole lot of fab ideas on Pinterest, then time runs out and you think, oh well, maybe next year . . . ?

Anyways . . . meet Ed the Elf . .  he's my favourite Christmas creation.  Isn't he just the sweetest elf you ever did see?

  The (free) pattern is from lovely Julie at Heart & Sew, and he's pretty much made from my yarn stash. He's a chubby little thing (too many mince pies, methinks) and despite that mischief & mayhem seem to follow in his wake, I'll miss him when he flies north to his forever home.  But I'm sure he'll be just as well-loved and treasured there too.

 I hope he writes, or calls occasionally . . .

My other favourite make was a whole tribe of little snowmen . . .

I just loved this idea from the Tilda Christmas book and had so much fun making each of them unique in their own little way.

Most of them have been gifted to lovely friends, but these two have stayed behind to cheer up the diningroom for our Christmas dinner  : - )

 

So that's all my handmade gifts and makes ticked off, and I'm looking forward to a relaxing, crafty time now.

How's everyone else's Christmas making coming along ? Are you all done too ?

'til next time,

xoxo

a happy day at Hidcote . . .

It's a bit of an early start, and I'm not really one for early mornings - especially in the winter - but it has become a bit of a tradition and it is a pretty drive through a myriad of little quintessentially English villages that dot the beautiful Cotswold countryside. So first thing yesterday, off we went to spend a day at Hidcote Manor  making our Christmas wreaths.

Hidcote Manor & Gardens are just lovely, even on a blustery, rainy day - but a friendly bunch of volunteers and a mug of steamy hot chocolate greeted us, and all thoughts of it being early and chilly were banished.

Punctuated only by a yummy lunch and a little pootle around the gift shop, we spent a most enjoyable time picking & choosing the fresh foliage and turning them into pretty wreaths.

 

And then we popped a CD on in the car and sang Christmas carols in a range of harmonies, at top volume all the way back home. 

All in all, just a lovely way to spend a day . . .

 

it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas . . .

Happy weekend lovelies,

'til next time,

xoxo