The scent of winter festivities

With the excitement of Christmas 2008 drawing to a close, and the new year just beginning, I've started thinking about packing away the Christmas decorations for their annual rest. I made a festive hanging decoration this year and I'm wondering if I can get away with keeping it out for a little longer. Being superstitious about leaving the Christmassy baubles and pretty things out past twelfth night, I not yet sure if it'll be packed away or not!

I used a length of rustic string to sew a clove infused red and white check heart together with a selection of home dried orange slices, cinnamon and bay leaves. It smells so good whenever I walk into the dining room that I decided to make a few for friends and family as extra little gifts. They bring together all the smells that you associate with winter festivities.


The children have done quite a bit of tie-dyeing this year and asked to tie-dye a couple of t-shirts for their young cousins as gifts this Christmas (they also did one for Paul). As always, when you need to find plain white t-shirts (which are often in the cheaper shops in abundance), we couldn't find any anywhere! Heading off to Woolworths a couple of days before the doors finally closed for good, we spotted a couple of packs of 3 t-shirts for the total bargain price of about £3.50! Inside each pack was one white, and then two coloured t-shirts. The children tie-dyed the white ones with a lovely navy blue producing, as always, very bo-ho effects. As my nephews both adore the Mr. Men characters, I sneekily asked the youngest one, during his recent visit, which Mr. Men he and his brother preferred. I set too carefully sewing, out of felt, the chosen little Men, Mr. Strong and Mr. Tickle. I was really pleased with the end results.