Advent Day 19: Candy Cane

Today's post

Well, as I didn't do any sewing today (I did manage to buy a computer and put another one in for repair, not to mention have tea and mince pies with friends this morning, so I don't feel too bad about this lack of accomplishment) all I have to show is these two cards. Which are both lovely - a Christmas one from Myra, and one from Anne W for the reused and recycled swap.

Giveaway Oops

Oops - just realised that in the excitement of the holidays, I forgot to draw a winner for the string square blocks - d'oh. However, given the holidays and whatnot, I think what I will do is extend this particular giveaway until next week, and then draw two winners, who will each get a set of string square blocks (I have lots more beyond what were pictured on the blog). Apologies to those of you who were waiting anxiously!

Advent Day 18: Bell

Today's offering is a bell - no particular reason, but we are getting down to fewer choices, so I have to pick from the ones there - and there are several we always save until the end - you'll see when they come along...

Finished snowflakes

Here's the snowflake quiltlet finished except for the label, which I will do later. I actually finished this last night - and was going to show an in progress picture, with some close-ups, but I can't because our computer decided last night was a good time for Internet Explorer to stop working (not the connection, as other stuff worked, just IE). The computer had been running slow for ages and was in desperate need of some more memory and whatnot as well, so I have bit the bullet and taken it in to the shop for a much needed rest-cure. While also in the shop, I had a look around at laptop computers - we have been saying we were going to get one for some time now (about a year, I think) and so this seemed like a good time to do that, too, especially as we had some money from my step-mom for Christmas presents and whatnot as well. So anyway, here I am, on the new laptop (the keyboard is different and it's making me crazy, though I imagine I will get used to it in time). Hoorah.

Back to the snowflakes - I will share some detail photos later, but the ones I already took are on the other computer, and I am too lazy to go take some more right now. But I think the dark binding worked ok, and there's a sleeve on the back - as I said, it still needs a label, but as I think I want to use the computer to print out the label, I will wait until the other computer is home as it's the one which is easy to attach to the printer and all that. The piece isn't due to its new owner until January anyway, so for once I am ahead of the game.

I have always said if my computer died I'd have to go straight out and buy another one as I can't bear to be away for long - guess I was right! The nice thing is that when the old one comes back, between all the cleaning up and adding new memory and new USB ports and a network card, it will actually feel almost like a new computer as well. Sort of. Hopefully, they won't lose any of my data (they are supposed to be backing it all up and then putting it back on once they reinstall the factory specs). The main annoyances will be re-installing all the bits of software and whatnot. Right, enough about computers, let me go post today's advent calendar!

Advent Day 17: Apple

No particular reason for using the apple today other than I thought we could all use a little healthy eating. :) And I don't think we put it up last year (we have more than 25 pictures), so I didn't want it to feel too left out!

Let it snowflake...

Well, I actually got a chance to do some sewing today. First thing I did was finish up the 1950's postcards (1953 - discovery of the structure of DNA) so that they can go out on Monday. Then I decided to work on the winter quiltlet. I picked 9 snowflakes to us, and sewed them together. I was going to use invisible thread to sew the snowflakes down (as they are only bonded on) but I was having tension problems with it on my machine when free-machining, so I decided to just quilt over each of them enough to hold it, instead. The edges are still raw, but as it's a wall-hanging, it should be fine.

At this point, I have quilted 5 of the snowflakes - the centre and the four that aren't the corners. When I finish all the snowflakes themselves, I will put some smaller snowflakes in the four central intersections of the blocks as well and maybe SITD around the blocks - I'll see what I think it needs at that point. Here are two of the blocks in closeup - I am just winging it, based on the design of each snowflake. Not sure how I will bind it yet, I think in a colour, but not sure what. Maybe the red snowflake fabric. I'm very happy with the progress, though I could have done without the 15 minutes fiddling with the tension on my machine before I decided to abandon the FMQ with invisible thread. (I hate wasted time.)

Advent Day 16: Rudolph

Be the blog

Recently, Ramona nominated me for one of those blog awards you see floating about - this was a new one to me (and actually, is a fairly new one in general, created by Mark at Me and my Drum in November) but I liked the idea behind it, which is that a successful blogger is one who "makes [their blog] their own, stay[s] with it, [is]interactive with their readers, and just plain [has] fun." I think that's a great idea of what makes a successful blog and I am pleased that Ramona thinks my blog does that, so finally I'm getting my act together to mention it.

I read a lot of blogs (though I've been trying to thin them down lately - or rather, thin my bloglines - I still tend to follow links on comments or go off blog-hopping quite often) and I couldn't even begin to start nominating people for this award, but if you see a blog regularly listed on my sidebar (which changes now and again, really!) it's a good bet that I enjoy reading it.

Love, peace & joy

Look at this great card I got today from Beate - I love it. It may well stay up when the rest of the Christmas stuff goes down. And that's all I have to show for today - if you ever read my family blog, you'll perhaps know why - gerbils in the morning (following some minor excitement when the car wouldn't start - it ended up needing a new battery, but we worked out the old one was 10 years old, so not complaining too much) and baking in the afternoon. But baking is creative, too, so I don't feel the same sort of frustration I do when my day is taken up with stupid errands or cleaning or annoying phone calls...

Advent Day 15: Gingerbread Man

Today's gingerbread man is in honour of all the baking going on in our house today - admittedly, we didn't bake any gingerbread, but that was the only baked good among the advent quilties.

Journal Quilt Project: Week 4

As usual, my photography has suffered from the bad light in the winter here in combination with a piece of white fabric (even worse - WOW fabric), but I think you can get the general idea. The piece on the left is my journal quilt for week 4 - and is obviously a Christmas tree with a star on top. It was a very quick and simple piece, with the tree stitched down simply with invisible thread and then the garland (which I hasten to add was prestrung and has been hanging out in a drawer for at least a year - it came from the Pier in a post Christmas sale - possibly even in 2005) attached. Not only is the tree representative of my week, but the necessary quickness and simplicity certainly embodies this week, which has been full of many things, most of them not sewing.

After the quick journal quilt, I did this block, again for the birthday block swap (yes, it's yet another version of that star) - this one in chocolate and pink, and I'm quite happy with it. Where there is the solid brown (it's not entirely solid, actually, as it's a colourshott fabric) I originally had a different pink, but I really didn't like it, so as those sections were at the edge and there were only 4 of them, I unpicked them and put the brown in, instead. Much better. The block is for Kathi, or rather, for her daughter Rylee, who has recently redecorated her room in these colours - or is planning to, I forget which.

I also had a stroke of inspiration while googling about the 1950s (which swap I have due soon - tomorrow, in fact, though that's not happening, I'm afraid) - I was reminded of something that happened in 1953, which would make a nice card. Hopefully most of you can guess from this prototype. Particularly appropriate as DH is editor of a major science journal...

Someday, but I don't think it will be in December, I might actually get ahead again on the decades swaps - but as the other ladies who are in the swap with me are also lagging slightly behind each time, I don't feel too guilty, just a little frustrated. Next year, I will rely on all of you to remind me not to sign up for lots of things due in December (the problem is, when you sign up in Sept and Oct, December seems so far away and you forget how busy it's going to be...)

And finally, got these in the post today - the fabric is from the fabric club I belong to (I am thinking of changing it in the new year - the same place I get these from (Antique Angel) has a Japanese club, with lots of yummy taupes, etc) and the patterns were a free Christmas gift from them - wasn't that sweet? Don't know if I will use them or not, but it's a nice thought.

Advent Day 14: Ornament

What can I say? It's a Christmas ornament. I saw a good tutorial for how to make a nice ornament out of old Christmas cards yesterday - it's here. I of course found it originally on someone's blog, can't think whose at the moment - perhaps Jess's (How about Orange), which is a great blog. Nope, it wasn't there, but she does have three different ornaments on her blog, with instructions, so go check it out anyway! (I knew I was associating her blog with ornaments for some or other reason.)

My exciting life!

Today's post! The card on the left is from Anna - some of you will recognise them from her blog. And the ornaments are from my ornament swap - these are from Jo. Didn't do any work today (maybe tomorrow - there's always hope) because we watched the school play in the morning and then in the afternoon went grocery shopping. My exciting life!

Advent Day 13: Cardinal

Today's choice - cardinal. Not an English Christmas bird, but very Christmassy for Americans :) I miss cardinals!

Patterns & Textures

Didn't do any work today because I went with my mother up to town to do another London walk - this time around the Square mile, with an emphasis on Shakespeare and Dickens. Being an odd arty person, I took pictures of pavements and tiles and some leaves which were nearly embedded in the tarmac and other odd stuff like that. And I took pictures of buildings and stuff too, so if you want to see a bit more of what that part of London really looks like, you can check out this set in my flickr album. Though it won't give a perfect idea, as I didn't take photos of all the places where buildings were covered with scaffolding, which seemed to be almost as profligate as Starbucks shops... Really must do some work some time - tomorrow may be out as there's a school production and then I have to grocery shop. Maybe Friday...

Advent Day 12: Present

Alex (age 4) picked this one today - a present. Can't imagine why, LOL.

Birthday star

Another block for the birthday block swap - this one for Diane, who wanted (mainly) purple batiks with a cream batik background - the background is a bit less yellow than in the photo, though it's a fairly yellow crean. You'll no doubt recognise this star by now - amazingly, it seems to look good in any and all colour combinations. Which is handy. And surprisingly, I haven't got tired of doing it yet. I think because it's one of those deceptively simple blocks - it looks complicated, but the component parts are fairly straightforward, so it tends to come out well when paper-pieced. That's all for today, but then I did spend a good chunk of the day at school watching a Christmas performance...

Advent Day 11: Snowman

Well, we don't have snow on the ground (that would be unusual indeed in London in December) but it did drop below freezing last night, and thus there is frost on the ground and benches, and railings and the puddles were mostly frozen over on the way to school. The littles loved it, especially Alex, whose mittens were soaked by the time we got there. But as the mitten was already up on the advent calendar, I decided it was a good day for my wee snowman. Taking photos of things that are white and shiny in this light is so awkward, so I have finally settled for this photo, without flash, which is a little dark, but at least shows the detail - the colour is actually just about right on the photo of the whole calendar - which is beginning to look a bit less empty and bare now!

(Just another) Manic Monday

Actually, it wasn't THAT manic. I had yoga in the morning and met a friend for lunch, but between those two things my mother & I managed an hour browsing in some shops and running errands (I was going to go to the PO, but the queue was so huge, I decided to go to my little PO later instead, which I did - and all the Christmas postcards are now posted! Hoorah!). This even included a little time for a browse in the haberdashery & craft department of my local department store - and the above bits decided to come home to live with me. The letters, little circles and felt shooting stars are just for general use, but the other two things, which are two different sizes of heart-shaped brads, have a specific purpose in mind - I have joined one of Lenna's swaps - for Valentine's ornaments - and I intend to use them in some fashion for those ornaments. Haven't decided how yet, but they will be nice additions to whatever I decide to do, I'm sure. (OK, I admit, technically I have signed up for two of her swaps - the other is for white 6x6 pages, and will be due in April, so I'm not really thinking about it yet).

I also got this card in the post - it's a belated birthday card from Carina. Yippee for birthday cards, belated or otherwise.

I did actually do a little sewing today - I made half a block for my birthday block swap. I'll show you a photo when the other half is finished...