A mixed bag....

Its a mixed bag today and what could be nicer than starting off the day with a little thank you gift,  a wonderful bag of beautiful chunky yarn, how lucky am I?  Mmmmmm just lovely 100% wool and a gorgeous shade of baby blue...I am thinking a nice cosy throw knitted on great big needles to cuddle up with over the Christmas holidays.Now that is my plan of what to knit and I actually promised you completed projects, so on with some silly knitting... cute little felted hearts... a free pattern from the talented Mochimochiland, yes free! You just print it off and knit, I made them over breakfast with my little ones chatting away about their day to come... The eyes are optional, but kind of make me smile!
Talking of hearts a little knitted mobile for a new baby... I had no heart pattern at this stage and I was trying my hand at designing my own pattern, it needs a little work, but the end result is rustic and that's the look I wanted...
So on to sewing... I am being inspired by this new party skirt, just far to pretty to hang in the darkness of a wardrobe, it is in my sewing room, it is just the most beautiful fabric, it makes a wonderful swishing sound when you move in it and it is guaranteed to make any girl feel like a princess...  
I seem to be making more clothes now than bags, maybe its seasonal? Funny how these patterns of creating  go.  With all the rain we have at present a fabric bag is far from practical. Whilst I am limiting my fabric buying at present (saving up for a blow out at the Harrogate show) I have made a small purchase... I went to IKEA for a new table cloth, I was uninspired by the selection but spotted this fabric, I think it will jolly up breakfast time a treat and with a clear plastic cover over it, I can relax around the children and their creative endeavours.
I have been playing about with some Christmas gift ideas, I am planning on backing a couple of journals for some friends that will appreciate this kind of gift...  this tree idea is appealing, its not perfected yet but its fun playing with the idea... seasonal trees... 
Summer Tree... Autumnal Tree... (click on to picture for greater detail) 
Ideally  a silk painted  landscape for the backing fabric would be stunning, in reality time will not allow this.
A couple more blocks for the quilt have been finished, some applique and a block which involved a protractor... I have not used one of these since my school days and even then I had no idea what to do with it, suddenly it all comes together...
Its also a chance to raid the button stash.  The green Amy Butler fabric is by far one of my favorite designs, the colour is perfect, its my favourite colour!
A mixed bag of things today and no flow at all, I have yet to find my Winter groove and I am so not feeling it yet... I am trying, maybe trying just too hard... the cooking is no longer summer foods, its been replaced with stews, chunky crusty bread, soups and for the children they seem to want warm rich flavours.  
With the onset of the dark evenings, the outdoor play is no more after school, instead we are having to think about what we want to do, some nights we just chill out and others we...well, make a mess!!! 
But with some smile inducing results...
Ah I have always had a secret passion for play dough, the colour, texture and smell... 
SO how to escape this winter funk that I find myself in, looking around the house and my garden I am reminded  that summer is a long time off, how I long to stand on the beach, to listen to the movement and power of the sea, to feel the grains of sand scratching at my skin, the wind making my eyes stream with tears and the smell of fire burning in the evening light... this is what I do when I need inner strength.  BUT, with the sea so far away and prospect of cold wet winter days ahead, whats a girl to do?
Time to move on, and look at the positive.  The rich, lush  shades of red that mark the coming of the  holiday season, its that in between time, Winter is here and the festivities are just around the corner, right now however they all seem so far away. I received my first Christmas card today, the calender already has a few parties dated in  and I am well and truly involved in the Christmas planning at school, but just now the only bit of this promise is a room in my home, a room every spring I want to paint yellow and every winter I am pleased I have not... I love the reflection of the light in the glass of the picture and you can just make out the horizon of hills that can be viewed from the window.  Yes it feels like a transitional period... a time of change, in a short period of time Christmas cheer will be all around us...