My Heart Wreath - I am so pleased with it - it looks lovely hanging on my cupboard

I love Christmas - and am looking forward to having all my family around sometime over the festive season.

So just a quick post to say Happy Christmas to anyone who reads my blog and Happy New Year see you all in 2011 (as I doubt I shall get time to post between now and then)

I decided to play around with some left over strips and started making a bag so our fashion model is displaying the part finished article!!!!! Poor Barbara she always gets landed with these photos!

Walking to our garage this morning, I just felt the trees looked so beautiful so my phone had to come out and take a few pictures.

Not many sleeps to Christmas - have got most of the parcels packed the tree is up and the rest of the decorations in place and so far Poppy has left well alone yeh!!

Well Christmas is creeping steadily closer and all of a sudden the last couple of days I have started to feel like I should get myself into the Christmas spirit.



So here is the first batch of mince pies, we had a Christmas Bauble workshop and I made them for that to go with Angela's mulled fruit juice - really nice.








Today I thought I would do something different so I have made Mary Berry's mincemeat buns, just to see what they are like!!!












The Christmas cakes are made and have been regularly fed with brandy and now they are dressed and ready - yum I hope they taste okay!!











My youngest son Mark has been going through a bit of a tough time, so he and I went to Milton Keynes to do his Christmas shopping - and I couldn't resist this photo of the cows! Mark thought I was madder than usual - as he is too young to know anything about their origins!








Caroline has bought this dress for her work's Christmas party and for Liz's wedding - but it needed some minor adjustment so Mum's sewing machine was required! I didn't get her feet in the photo but the height of the heels - she adores bright colours.

We are off wedding dress hunting this coming weekend and she is fizzing literally!!




Well I have a quilt to finish for a christmas pressie and some odds and ends to tidy up so must dash.

Well it is absolutely ages since I sat down to blog - several excuses - waffle waffle waffle - but I am back at last!!

Suffice to say the shingles has all gone, the post herpetic neuralga is well and truly on the wane I do not have to take the dog tablets anymore - the tablets I had were the same as Angela's dog was on!!! You can imagine the mirth that has caused us all.

Anyway I am now back with a vengence and have just returned from a wonderful weekend at Debden House with Anne Stacey. We arrived on friday to a beautiful vista of the lovely old house in snowy surroundings. The workshop was waiting for us and we all started with a vengence!

The view of the side of the house

Ane the photo below is from Dawn and my Bedroom window

Here is Dawn modelling the overdoor hanging that she made!!!

I couldn't resist this photo as the snow melted on the block paved path - it is lovely

Anne had bought loads and loads of ideas for us all to make and here is my Christmas tree as work in progress and then as finished.

Now on Thursday before I went I decided I wanted to use the batiks we had and make a pattern in a magazine I had. Anyway this is how it is turning out - looking good - just got to sort borders now.

Right well I will endeavour to keep my blog up to date more regularly and as I am on 84 posts now have to think about a giveaway for the 100th which will be in the New Year now. Yeh Christmas is looming very soon - I love Christmas and love having all my family around.

Right last night I started making my Christmas Cards - Angela still says I am mad - but I think they look pretty okay - just have to do inserts and write them now!!!

So now I have to do some christmas presents and get organised - well try to!!!

Christmas fun - for some unknown reason I always make my own Christmas cards - they have been cross stitched, stamped and numerous other ways over the years I have been doing them and this year Ithought it would be a good way to use up some of those scraps of material that I have in my boxes - now I just have to make them into cards - also if I am to make all my cards as usual (which Angela feels I am absolutely loopy for so doing!) I need to pull my finger out and do some more and quickly!!

But I have enjoyed sitting playing with these and the suffolk puffs are lovely - actually I may just go to M & S and buy cards and keep all of these!!!
















Aston Quilters are in month two of their Mystery Quilt and these are two of the components of the first block - there was quite alot of moaning at the size of the pieces but they are all secretly enjoying the challenge and I am sure that once the quilt is finished they will be well pleased with it.














I have actually put the first block together but I am not going to show that just yet - but it looks lovely!!!

Now I am about to start thinking about Christmas presents - it is getting far too close and I have not made any yet!!! oh well I guess a last minute rush is good for me!!!!!

Well it has been ages since I last sat down and updated my blog - lots of things have been happening - Art & Stitch is now two years old - where has the time gone to.

We had lost the buyer on our house and now resold again so the move is back on at some stage once the Solicitors have done their bit.

We have now got the new Go fabric cutter in the shop and this week I have cut out the pieces on it to put a top together - but in my normal fashion no photo, will do so next week once together.
Angela has done the same quilt in different fabrics so be interesting to see how they look once finished.

















We had a brilliant workshop yesterday at Art & Stitch - and Angela will kill me for taking her photo as she doesn't like to be caught on camera! Angela was not doing the workshop she is quilting her quilt top so I had to snap her in action!!!!

Here are all the other ladies and their blocks they all look so lovely and we had a super day - I couldn't have coped without Barbara's help she was great helping everyone for me.

Don't they all look lovely - it is a time consuming quilt but so well worth while made with two jelly rolls. I am looking forward to seeing them all put together and ready for quilting.