afternoon tea...

the book (page204, in case you were wondering)...


the bowl...


the biscuits...


the teabags & boxes with buttons...


little parcels for the afternoon tea swap are on their way...

amazing...

i'm sure i'm the last person in the country to find out about this...
i can't even claim to have found it myself...my love arrived home with it last night as a surprise, he knew i would love it, and he was so right...
and speaking of wonderful...

things that make me happy...

making buttons...


and biscotti for afternoon tea from di at clementines shoes...delicious and so sweetly timed, i somehow managed to accidently delete the photo i took but you can rest assured it was lovely...thanks di!
and...


sweet stationery from kikki k, a gift from my sister...spots and stripes in pink and red, mmmmm my favourite!
and...


this fabulous book by jo england, published by hardie grant books isbn1740663624...its pages are filled with wonderful activites and recipes to share with children, 12 chapters, 12 different themes, lots of gorgeous photos, quite simply inspiring...

snapshots...

lisa recently posed a question about why we blog...

the sticky-beak in me has always loved those photos that you sometimes see in magazines, the ones that reveal the things people carry around in their handbags...

i love the notion that the things we carry with us create a snapshot of who we are at a particular moment in time...

i love that sometimes it's the things we leave out that say even more...

i love that our blogs are a snapshot of our lives and i do so admire those who eloquently share the daily details...

i love that though i am not so brave, just to be here is enough...

i love this community that so generously provides such wonderful inspiration and an opportunity to reflect on and engage in the creative process...

i love that this blog is a place i can call my very own, one that exists regardless of what might be happening in my daily existence...


i love that i have this snapshot of myself, here and now...

(even if it is a little blurry around the edges)

delightful...

i've spent a fair bit of time in the few last weeks drooling over this book that arrived just after christmas...


so many wonderful creations fill it's pages, it's all very inspiring and also led me here...

good food...

as boo boo would say...

from nichola, the best fruit cake i have ever had in my life...


and this is all that remains of the lavender & mint shortbread and lemon curd that alison sent a few weeks ago, quite simply sublime...


thank-you for your delightful parcels, they have so brightened our days...

finally finished...

well almost, i just have to stitch the bottoms...these little birds are made from another of lyn's lovely tutorials, the girls are gearing up for a big night out on the town...happy new year!

ornament #25

and finally, the angel for the top of our tree, wishing you all a beautiful and blessed christmas with those you hold dear...

song of childhood...

which must be sung upon sighting a christmas tree anywhere, anytime, still...

dumpty-diddley
dumpty-dee
i can see a christmas tree
i'm as happy as i can be
dumpty-diddley dee

the tree is nearly finished, see it over here...

ornament #24

this one arrived a couple of days ago, i forgot to mention when i started this whole ornament thing that it was all an elaborate ruse to get my mum to give me one of these delightful snowman ornaments...we had a box set when i was a little girl and my sister and i just loved them...as i had hoped, mum couldn't resist giving him his five minutes of world wide fame...thanks mum, i'll take very good care of him!

ornament #23

glass and white, such a great combination, a modern take on the classic glass bauble...

ornament #22

angel with heart, a treasured gift from my mum and dad...xxx

ornament #21

another favourite, dear friends sent this decoration from "the conran shop" in london...

ornament #20

beaded angel that i got the same year as my disco ball decoration, which i would have shown in this selection only i seem to have misplaced it...i'll have to put the real one up instead, it's one of my most prized possessions...it even spins!

thankful...

for a quiet afternoon at home...
for my love who sits beside me watching cricket...
for our beautiful baby girl who plays at my feet...
for a nice new flippy haircut that makes me feel snazzy...
for yummy treats...
and for a little bit of time to sew these...

ornaments #14, 15, 16, 17, 18 and 19...

# 14, more from the gorgeous auntie darling, this is one of what we like to call the "moulin rouge" collection...


#15, beautiful buttons...


#16, little red ceramic bird...mum do you remember the time we saw a real robin red breast?


#17, indian angel...


#18, ceramic star with words, one of my favourites made by miss j...


and #19, more 80's ikea goodness...

ornament #13

ha! i wish...we do however always listen to harry connick jnr "when my heart finds christmas" as we decorate the tree and pretend that it just might...

ornament #12

delicate and sweet, one of those times when i had to break the rule and buy two...

ornament #11

scandanavian chic...eighties ikea wooden decoration...

ornament #10

the princess leah angel...