In anticipation of summer, we are bottling ginger beer. 

The bug has been growing on the window sill for a week now. Each morning we feed the yeasty mud with some more sugar and ginger. 

Despite the sound of it, it is downright fascinating watching it bubble away.

The first batch is bottled.  Tasting should be in a week, when summer finally arrives.  However,  it feels like I can guarantee rain by simply hanging out the washing.  Hopefully, I haven't cast a jinx on summer in the same way.

The bug is still growing.  One ready to give away and the other ready for round two.

 
It is all about the little moments.  The calendar has turned, the decorations are coming out and we are counting down to Christmas.  We have a nightly tradition of advent calendar and Christmas stories before bed.  The candle is new for us.  We pop up between stories to check how far it has burnt, with a little line for each day. We take it in turns to blow it out.

Oh, we have so many Christmas stories, that I really must share them at some point.  Stories that warm the heart, talk of a certain Saint Nicholas (anyone remember him in all the rush?) and some that have me so misty eyed I find them hard to finish.  We sit on the couch, huddled, necks craning to see pictures and we read.

It is nice to be spending the time together.  As we hear of family members battling with illnesses and odds, the lists of perfectly co-ordinated decorations fall away, and we remember it really is a privilege to spend these moments together.

This little pair of foxes was group effort. Mother stitching the big fox and daughter stitching the little one.

It was the kind of project that had me pulling fabrics, aching over choices and generally remembering why making softies can be simultaneously a frustration and pleasure.

In one of those moments of frustration, I suggested that E make the presents for her friend.  She took up the challenge. I have to admit I was impressed. So was her friend.


The large fox is adapted from We Make Dolls and you can find a pattern for the smaller one at  Little White School House.

There has been stitching, crafting and oh so many adventures.  I couldn't possibly leave them in the depths of a forgotten camera memory card.

This little mermaid is the result of a girl who believes her mother can make miracles.  The night before the party, she asked for a mermaid, for her friend.  Of course miracles are abound here, especially when one sets one's mind to it.  A little stitching, stuffing and velvet hair meant for a brief moment the goldfish had a friend.  It looks like he's just waiting for her to jump in.

pattern from - Wee Wonderfuls by Hilary Lang.

Winter means winter coats.  I have been stitching away, with these coats just waiting for it to get cold enough to wear.  Of course, this doesn't mean that everything else the children wear is seasonally appropriate.  Check out those bare knees!!
The girls promptly told me that they are elf coats, not pixie coats.  Apparently, elves are cooler.  I think we can blame the Polar Express movie for that.  The girls are pretty excited about their coats either way.
 About the Pattern:
The pattern is Thadee by Citronille.  It has been shortened to allow for tree climbing and bike riding adventures.  I didn't realise you could get the patterns in english  and fumbled my way through the french (looking at the pictures really). I chose to line it with flannel to the hoods and body and vintage acetate to the sleeves.   I've also added some pockets into the side seams.  The buttons are vintage self covered dome buttons which found in an opshop.  I still haven't been able to find anyone who is currently making them as they are great for little fingers.

The fabric was bought at an auction in January.  The coral appears to have been a wool blanket once upon a time.  It was just an off cut when it came to me.  The blue is a thick woven coat wool.  You may see a little more of it over time as I ended up with a half bolt of it.

The pattern is simple to make and I would recommend it.  While it would be a whole lot faster to make without pockets or lining, the little details make it all the nicer for my little pixies elves.

Thrifting has been following a theme lately. There are some things that I already have and treasure, and then - I find more.  The second Mr Weeble is case and point.

Sometimes there is a fine line between treasuring and hoarding.  For now, I'd like to think I'm still on the treasured side.

This little quilt started well before the winter olympics.  As we watched, the more we saw of the costumes and wonderful patterns below. The more we saw, the more this little quilt had to be finished. 

Sochi Olympic pattern from - http://www.graphicart-news.com

There is a growing collection of mismatched cups on my windowsill.  I love the colours, just a little murky and so cheerful.  They are waiting for me to get started on giving them new life. 

You see, each one is a little broken.  Some chips are obvious, some cracks only show up when the cup is full of hot water.  I could call it perfectionism, but really it's a matter of safety.  Once when catching my mother throwing out a china cup, she explained that chipped wine glasses are fine, decadent even, but anything broken, holding a hot drink, is just dangerous.

Rather than waiting to fill these teacups with wine, ever the engineer, I'm on the look out for a ceramic drill bit.  I believe these will make a great collection of bulb planters.  I can gaze again at the cheerful colours while sitting around a pot of tea with good company.

My apologies for the lack of recent posts.  My work hours have unexpectedly increased and as a family we are still finding our feet in the shifting sands of new routines.  The crafting adventures continue.  They are as essential as breathing, yet the writing is taking a back seat.

Every spring I start looking at my vegetable garden.  The needles get put down in favour for spades, hoses and time outdoors. Sometimes it hold my attention, other times things get a little despondent by the end of January - lack of water (or watering), white fly and plants bolting to seed.  This is not one of those years. 



So far we have had :

• Peas and potatoes ready for Christmas, if only we had been at home to enjoy them.  
•  Avoided the tomato glut by just planting cherry tomatoes for myself, admitting that I am the only one who eat them
• My first success with climbing beans  - it's true you really do get more than with dwarf beans
• A successful strawberry bed - the answer to millipedes is to plant flowers instead.  Probably doesn't taste any good, but they looked fantastic.

This painting just had to come home with me.  The muted colors have me wanting to paint the walls to match.  I love the distant peaks and water front houses.  It feels so very sound of music.  I almost want to rip down the curtains and make playsuits for the children - so much easier when you have 2 rather than a Von Trapp-ish 7.  I am a sucker for musicals and dance movies.  I would love to believe in a world where every low point, challenge and high moment is met with a song.  Kind of like this:


The painting is from my first foray into live auctions.  This painting came with another of an english village and a "back to the op shop" framed cat poster.  Oh, and there was just a little fabric. Enough to clothe a whole Von Trapp family escaping through the mountains.

January is great time to embark on epic projects.  My friend Christine is one for epic projects and last year was no different.  Christine has just finished showcasing her 2013 project - 365 3x3 inch squares of embellished goodness.  Then at the end of the year she packaged them up and gave them away to a friend - one to open for every day of the year.  Here is just a taster..

You can see more of her wonderful work at What Goes on in the Sheila Shed.

Our garden was taken over by the Great Mystery Hunt yesterday.  5 little works of art were hidden around the place.  Each one had a clue or activity to keep little minds thinking. Adults were on hand to help with the reading and some of the clues did not have right or wrong answers.




 Little birds at the bird feeder, wondering what they might be made of.

My favorite - finding strange flowers and drawing them. 

It was a lovely afternoon prompted by the kids wanting to have an art exhibition outside.  Each child bought along some pictures to hang in the garden.  We spent the rest of the time reading* painting, both pictures and toe nails, exploring and making ice blocks.

*Thanks to Miss Fancy Nancy for exhibition ideas,

Sometimes creativity is a force to be reckoned with.  H helped her self to a buch of flowers from the garden and told me we were about to hammer some flowers like they did on Sticky TV.  I can only be thankful that the hammers are kept well out of reach or she wouldn't have waited for help.

To make you own flower stamps, you will need:
Coloured, flatish flowers (pansies worked well)
Baking paper
White fabric
Chopping board
Hammer

To celebrate the end of the end of the festive season, we made galette des rois.  While the galette baked, we broke down the Christmas tree and boxed up decorations.  We celebrated a few days early this year to avoid a clash with first day back to work blues.  Great food and company made a fantastic end to our Christmas celebrations.

Unlike last year, we had a tiny ceramic charm to bake into the pie.  If you look carefully, you can see her standing on a dollar coin for scale. 

For a brief moment there was a fantail on my couch. I meet up with friends every Monday to sew.  They keep me sane.  Every year we have a Christmas swap and this year it was cushions.  This little chap only just made it to the party.  I was stitching until the minute I left the house.


He's now sitting on the couch at this lovely friend's place.