Perfecting...

Strange times these days inbetween Christmas and New Year,  so unproductive yet so appreciated.  We've all been fighting virus's the last few weeks/months and this downtime is just what the Dr ordered. We've been reading, watching films, playing yahtzee, napping and grazing on Christmas left overs and it's been bliss.  My crochet mojo has returned and I'm currently working on a pair of ribbed legwarmers ('cos you need a pair when lounging you know) as well as the perfect G&T....

1. Crushed ice and a big slice of lemon

2. A splash of your favourite Gin (The Botanist - a must try for gin fans)

3. Topped up with a nice quality tonic water.

Ahh.... I ...AM...LIKING these strange limbo days...

last minute gifts

Some Sugared Cinnamon Almonds (recipe here) - you could use any kind of nuts, but I seem to have an almond glut at the moment.

Gift tags printed from here

Icing

Just popping in to say hello amidst the busyness that accompanies the build up to Christmas; not to mention coughs and colds and manic decorating......hoping that a bit of forward planning now will result in a bit of a rest once we break up on the 23rd.

My littlest helper and I finally finished the (Aldi) Gingerbread house last night- quite amazing what a dusting of icing sugar hides, although I can see I will have to shake on a fresh dusting daily to cover the finger trails.!

Robins

Christmas just wouldn't be the same without rustling up a few of these little robins - not quite on the scale of last year, just a few tiny birds made with left over bits of silky cotton yarn.  This one was made using a size 3mm hook and I wasn't 100% happy with it - it was a bit 'holey', showing little bits of stuffing through the gaps - maybe try the next one with a size smaller hook ♥

Hexham Christmas Market

A blatant plug for my sister of Pixie Peg crafts (blog here, Etsy shop here)- if you are in the Hexham area tomorrow pop along and visit Jill's stall of beautiful handmade wreaths and other Christmassy goodies at the annual Hexham Christmas Market:  9am -3pm in the market square. ♥

Scottish Larch

For the last few months we have been having an extension added to our house.  This is the first time we have embarked on any major work on our home and the whole experience has been a bit of a learning curve. However, the end is in sight and the push is on to get everything finished in time for Christmas.

We decided to go for a Scottish Larch cladding on the new building- it's a sustainable material which is locally grown and requires no preservatives - in time the wood will change to an attractive silver colour.  I am pleased with the finished result and happy with the choice of dark grey for the window frames.

The taping/skimming of the walls should be completed by early next week and then the decorating and floor laying can begin, but in the meantime the vacant room is still being put to good use...