Tree Fall

Break out the doilies

As we speak my entire family is re-enacting any scene (take your pick) from Outbreak.
Seriously. We are sick puppies over here. And apparently we're not intending to get better any time soon. Or ever, for that matter.

But, should we manage to make it to Christmas (it's doubtful) this is how I want to decorate this year.

I particularly like this look for the kitchen (the doilies at the window, not the sofa - although I like that too) and intend to combine it with our standard paper snowflake storm. Assuming of course that I can find cheap doilies (they've combined paper and crocheted, and that seems like a good idea to me).
The image is from MSL, and I have to say that I really like all the images from this feature.

What's not to like? Blue, green, doilies, cake?

Beautiful.

Sundays have become my day for working at the kitchen table. An empty house. My laptop. And various bits and pieces to write about, or create with or just enjoy.

Unfortunately this photo is from last Sunday. Because today was spent with all three of us suffering from flu. Apparently we're in competition to see who can suffer the most. The winner is still to be announced.

It's not all bad though. If for no other reason than this bag of scraps arrived last week.

It's one of Anna Maria Horner's Home Studio Scrap bags, that I snapped up last week. And I'm so glad that I did because Anna's ideas of scraps includes A4 piece's of fabric. I was torn between the home studio bag (home decor weight fabrics)  and the studio bag (quilting cotton), but I'm glad that I chose this one because it's got snippets of the most gorgeous fabrics. I may have to treat myself to the other bag as well now though!
Ok that would appear to be the end of my alloted time for being able to hold my head up (and Bella's trying to steal my thunder by waking herself up coughing), so back to lying here, repeating ughh, ughh, ughh over and over again.
Ughhh...

B useful

I'm keeping it simple with the crafting around here at the moment. For reasons that I would never go in to here, it's just me and the girls now, so there's not a lot of time for sewing, which makes me sad. So, as I said, I'm keeping it simple. Which means crafts like making these hankies for Bella.

Unfortunately Bella has the excruciatingly annoying habit of wiping her face on her hand, her sleeve, my hand or anything else that stands still for too long. So I thought I'd try and tempt her away from the ease of a sleeve, with a brand new hankie, made just for her. And I even upped the ante by embroidering a letter B in a corner of each one. Bella is huge on recognising letters at the moment, and gets super excited in particular when she spots the letter B, so I figured I'd be on to a winner here.

I'd be embarrassed to suggest that these were designed. After all they're just 11" squares that I've hemmed and then edged with a decorative stitch. But they are great to make for that special snotty someone in your life, and they're super quick and easy. Which is what we like around here at the moment.
And has it worked? Well, I can't report an major changes in Bella's sleeve habit so far, but you never know, maybe tomorrow will be the day.