Merry Christmas

Christmas is almost upon us and another year is drawing to a close.  It is time to send you all my very best wishes for peace and joy this Christmas season.  Have a very Merry Christmas!

The Sewing Bee

I've been as busy as a bee working on an idea for a Christmas gift.  This year, the only Christmas gifts are homemade ones and I'm more than a little behind in Santa's workshop.  

The inspiration for this came from a picture, or more precisely, a vintage railway poster from the 1940s.  I got as far as tracing the design a couple of weeks ago, but then work ground to a halt, so now I'm busy in the sewing room (actually the dining table, but a girl can dream...), trying to get it finished in time.

I spent all day yesterday sticking Bondaweb to fabric and cutting out my design (all of the fabrics used came from my small fabric stash).  I then started to assemble it on the fabric backing.  Little did I realise that this process would take me the better part of eight hours.

Here, I'm trying to work out exactly what that little scrap of funny-shaped fabric is...a bit like doing a jigsaw puzzle.

As the light was fading, I added the final piece.  The next stage is to finish all of the raw edges.

Hygge

I have been reading a lot about Hygge in the British press lately ~ there have been articles and book recommendations, but I could not track down any books on the subject here.  I find it interesting how ideas take a while to filter through and can only assume that it has something to do with a couple of thousand miles of ocean in between (though one would think that would no longer be an issue in these days of social media).

Imagine my delight when a parcel arrived from my friend at Vintage Pretty and when I opened it, I discovered a parcel of hygge!  The Little Book of Hygge had been on my reading list for quite some time and it came with a gorgeously soft hand knitted scarf,  English breakfast tea, Scottie dog shortbreads (very cute!), the most delicious salted caramel biscuits and a beautiful card with a scenic view of her home county.

Hygge may best be described as 'the art of living cosily', so now I can create my own hygge with a lovely cup of tea, a biscuit and my book.  I've added the essential ingredient ~ a candle for that homely glow.

Winter Sunrise

Dawn today and a shot of the beautiful sunrise.  It is not often that I stop to watch the sun rising, but I did this morning...through the window though, as it was cold and snowy outdoors.

December

I turn the page of the calendar to December and realise that Christmas is fast approaching and also the end of 2016.  I completed my personal NaBloPoMo challenge in November ~ posting every day for a month.  I don't think that I have that many readers these days, but I do appreciate the comments and support of my blogging friends. 

I sometimes find myself wondering why I continue with this blog ~ I think that the reason is a desire to write and be published ~ little more than a dream at present, but I hope to one day make it a reality.