Christmas 2010

Just some images of Christmas 2010 to share. My camera skills are still not brilliant with this camera, but I'm getting there and hope to improve greatly in 2011 (if I can ever find a course to help me!)

This was a Christmas where I made all my gifts (except for those for my brothers and a few things for Flâneur).

My mum got a doorstop (as requested):

Dad got an apron in brown and white linen, with his initials appliqued on the front and very long straps (so he can tie it round his middle at the front), but I forgot to take a picture of it. Oops!

For my sister I made a case for her portable DVD player. Going to great lengths of deception to get the dimensions from her (I asked what sort she had so I could recommend it to a friend, heh heh heh...):

I got the fabric in Purl Soho in New York when we were there in April and thought it would be better than the boring black case she had for it. More cheerful!

I have three nieces who are 1, 4 and 7 who enjoy helping out in the kitchen, especially with baking, so (after consultation with mum and their mum) they got little matching aprons, made out of fabric I bought yonks ago to make them something with! At last it came in handy... They're double sided (because I find that easier than hemming), and each had their initials embroidered on them so they know whose is whose:

I also made a wee gift for Flâneur's mum, who happens to quite like Tablet...

Hmmm... sugary. And so much of it!! But I was reliably informed that it went down rather well.

Other gifts that I made that I managed not to photograph included a book cover and i-pad case for Flâneur himself. Although seeing as they reside in our flat I will take pictures of them at some point. Particularly the i-pad case which I was particularly pleased with. It might warrant a whole post all to itself.... ;o)

As well as presents I also made a Christmas garland of little birdies, based on a pattern I had found in Scandinavian Needlecraft by Clare Youngs. Rather than the white felt she makes it with, I decided to go with what I had, a rich burgundy and dark grey:

Each birdie is embroidered, and it was a great way to spend my snow days from work in December!!

Flâneur also did some making this Christmas, mostly of the food variety, including some yummy scrummy gingerbread men. We don't have a traditional cutter for gingerbread men, however we do have cutters for German stop / go men (you know, from pedestrian traffic lights!), which he brought me back from trip to Germany a few years ago. They made very cute and a bit different gingerbread men...

(Not sure he's going to be so happy with that second picture...)

We had a lovely time at Christmas itself, eating too much, drinking too much and generally enjoying the time off. There was still a little snow near my parents' which made for a lovely walk on Boxing Day...

And so that is it for another year and 2011 is already upon us. I hope anyone who still reads this had a lovely Christmas and is looking forward to a fabulous New Year.

Snow? What snow?

Winter has well and truly set in. Which for us in Manchester seems to mean freezing cold temperatures rather than anything else. So much so the canal next to our flat has frozen over (which is pretty cool). Across the country, however, I keep hearing tales of snow, snow, and more snow, but to look out our windows, you'd never know.

I've been quite jealous, to be honest. I love the snow. All cold and pretty (and not as wet as rain!) I know most of our friends are pretty fed up with it now, but it sounds like there has been epic snow up in Edinburgh / Glasgow. Typical! The year I move away, Edinburgh gets the best snow in over 10 years (roughly how long I lived there). Booo! Reason number three hundred and five to move back (if more reasons were needed). Although, knowing my luck, the year we move back will be the year of crazy snow in Manchester!!

Ok, so we have had the odd flurry and I was filled with hope on trudging to the dentist on Wednesday in a snow shower, but it just hasn't really been anything worth mentioning at all. I was unable to get to work (in Sheffield) last Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and I just kept wondering why... Well, until I got in yesterday that is and saw that there were still several inches everywhere. Very greedy of them to have hogged it all... ;o)

Not that Manchester is anymore attractive in the snow...

Maybe more will come, the country again become gridlocked, my trains cancelled so I have to 'work from home', (which was great!). No signs at present, so for now I can only keep my fingers crossed.


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