Sewing, stitching, baking, cooking, gardening, shopping and general homemaking.

Thursday 24 December 2009

Some Pictures


Yesterday I had two lovely surprises through the post!!!  First this brilliant tea cosy from Peggy, isn't it great - I've always wanted one of this type of cosy and it fits my bigger teapots perfectly.  Thanks very much Peggy, it will be well used.  I prefer tea made with loose tea so always use a tea pot.  When I'm making tea just for myself I use a two cup pot and have made myself a cloth cosy for that size of pot, it's looking a bit worse for wear and I must make another one.  I like the teapots that have the lift out strainer, my favourites are this type, because the strainer lifts out I can put all the tea leaves in my compost bin and not down the sink.  I only use tea bags when we go to our caravan, for the convenience.

These also arrived yesterday, can you guess what they are?  They are beautifully knitted by a Norwegian friend.  Don't you just love the flowers with the button centre, the buttons have a reindeer motif on them.  Whoever guesses what they are will be put on my RAK list for next year and I will tell you the answer in the new year.

This bunch of stuff is a gift for my friend Janice.  We were chatting over a cup of tea a week or so ago and both agreed that Christmas gifts for us oldies get harder to buy.  We've got all the ornaments we could ever need, bottles of booze accumulate on the shelf and toiletries pile up in the bathroom.  So lately I make any gifts for Janice as I know she appreciates home made stuff, she says these gifts are from the heart (she's a very kind person).  The things with the loops are for her wardrobe and have lavender in them.  The box is a nice, sturdy one, that I recycled by covering the lid with fabric and adding the lavender scented tea-lights.  Another bit of recycling is the handbag charm, made from recycled jewellery I'd acquired, that you can just see by the six-sided-box (I couldn't remember the name of this shape, I used to know stuff like that!!!).  I also made her some wine glass charms and attached them to a home made gift tag.  It all fits into one of the humbug shaped bags I made with Christmas fabric.

This is a picture of the Christmas figures I've got on my stairs.  I didn't make them.  They were bought a few years ago from a garden centre just up the road from where I live.  I bought a couple, then when I went back for a last minute purchase they were all on sale at half price, typical!!!.  So of course I had to buy a few more, can't miss a good bargain.

5 comments:

Berit said...

I also prefer loose tea, though I wish the steeping basket on my pots had that convenient lift-out tab!

Most of my teapots (there are only 3, so I dont' think "most" really applies :P) are the small 2 cup style as the most available styles here are from asian markets.

I'm afraid I haven't a guess as to what the knitted gift from your Norwegian friend is, but will take this opportunity to mention that my family is Norwegian, and so that's why I'm named Berit.

The 6-sided shape is a hexagon. (8 would be an octagon.) I just love hexagons; I like how you can tile them out to make a honey-comb-esque shape with them. They also frequently represent the internet and technology. :P But, at any rate, don't you hate it when some word that you definitely know just eludes you!?

Your stairs are so festively populous! That whole discounting the rest of the set'll get you every time, and they know it! :D

Peggy said...

Hi Ann,I know the tea cosy will have a good home!I love all of your Christmas gifts and the yuletide family on the stairs is adorable. I don't have a clue what your Norwegian gifts are either ,maybe muffs?
A very Happy Christmas to you and Graham

Stitchety Grub said...

Love your Xmas figures on teh stairs hehe! Sending you warm wishes from Sunny Perth Western Australia
Britt :-)

Shaheen said...

Hi Ann,
I came over to wish you a Happy Happy New Year, but now you got me guessing...I think they are some kind of glamorous wrist bands. So pretty.

I haven't done much knitting, but early this year I made a similar style of tea cosy that Peggy sent you, really lovely aren't they. I like the way you got those characters on your stairway, when I get a house (as opposed to flat) I intend on adorning the stairs in a similar fashion - one day.

PS Just before Christmas, I went over to Dunelms and picked up a sleepy cat doorstop, just like yours; and that lovely handmade Christmas decoration you sent me for the 'swap' is hanging happily in my tree too. Thank you so much.

@__EY__ said...

Hello.

I am happy you got them before christmas ! They are easy to make, but for me it take a litle long time to finish : D

I wish you a Happy New Year,
and looking forward to see more on your blogg.

(( I do not think you got my e-mail))

RAK list ?

PS: If somebody whant to guess,
DONT look at my blogg !!! : )