Well, I've had a good long think about the stuff I want to post here, and the order to post it in, and I'm none the wiser nor more prepared! You'll just have to take things as they're posted! All very exciting... (I have no life - shush!)
FIRSTLY - I had a LOVELY Christmas staying with my mum. It's the first time I've had Christmas eve night there since I left home and I felt like a little kid again! Not LEAST of all because 'Santa' brought me the very same Christmas stocking that I've had since I was a teeny weeny little girl ! It was filled with all the lovely, silly traditional gifts that make me remember earlier Christmases with a happy smile -
Groovy li'l wooden toys - including a bendable zombie?! And a duckie-shaped compass - like I'm TOTALLY sure Bear Grylls has (*ahem*). Note the awesome reindeer socks. Oh yeah. They go perfectly with the knitted Santa leggings! Yes....knitted Santa leggings. I thank you. Yes. I also got VERY warm woolly fluffy socks which are perfect for chilly evenings - see?
A new spiral bound sketch book and some fabulous ephemera packs from mum - including those sweet little fabric patches...
Not sure what I'll use them for, but it'll be fun hoarding them 'til I figure it out! My friend also sent me THE most GORGEOUS paper - a DCWV Garden Tea Party 12"x12" stack, and a Bo Bunny 'The Avenues' 12"x12" paper pack which.....are......SO pretty! I'm itchin' to get my scissors to them, but I'll be good and have a plan in mind before I begin! He also sent me the most wonderful craft tape. It's from Paperchase and is more like a proper smooth paper than washi paper. The vintage designs are VERY me and there's a LOT of it on the rolls so I'll be able to add it to a helluva lot of projects - I am crazy excited about that!
See? Isn't this just THE most awesome tape collection? The box it comes in even has a tube that keeps them all in place AND a metal cutting edge - so cool!
I'm still in the process of clearing up my house after the decimation caused by all the pre-Christmas/Yule crafting projects (art stuff EVERYWHERE!) so my presents are mostly still boxed up but here's a pretty, PRETTY Little Mermaid statue my friend sent me (MERMAID!!!!! OOOO!!!) and a wonderful treasure box my mum gave me (more on that in the next post) , out on display with my big massive 2013 journal, a 'Fables' book from my friend and a lovely teacup my mum gave me for my birthday this year -
We had a lovely Christmas dinner surrounded by Christmas lights -
That was my Christmas day - warm and snug at home with mum and my little kitty cat all snuggled up in front of the fire with the wind HOWLING outside (I returned home to fallen garden fences!). A really lovely day which I wanted to share with you.
I'll be back tomorrow with some lovely pictures of the treasure box that my mum painted for me. You've seen her artwork so you KNOW it'll be lovely! I'm ridiculously excited to be able to share this with you - honestly!
Sending love and hugs to you - hope you're warm and happy! See you soon - Shroo :) xxx
Thank you for sharing your special Christmas experiences! My mom passed away eight years ago and since then I've felt less "Christmassy" each year. Southern California hardly has Christmas weather. It was always so fun to fly up to the Pacific NW and see fog, frost, and evergreen trees. Once in awhile we even had snow. I enjoyed creating a Christmas stocking for my mom and she enjoyed filling mine. I miss her and I miss the traditions, but I cherish the memories. Our Christmas was not at all sad, just not like it used to be. You are so blessed to share this time with your mum and I feel blessed to know you and to share it with you via your lovely blog post. You have a gift for telling the story and inviting us in through your words and your photos. I can't wait to see the things you create with your gifts. Thank you for inviting me into your special Christmas celebration!
ReplyDeleteLou Anne - you ARE lovely, you know! Thank you so much for your lovely comments. I am SO happy to share my Christmas with you. It's tough to feel festive when there are spaces at the table, as it were... I think that's why I gravitate to Yule so much - it's so much gentler and from the heart with no pressure or commercialism. Yule is such a personal day for me - something that's missing from 'Christmas' so much of the time, with all the frantic organisation. I'm lucky to be able to celebrate both days with mum - especially when she dresses like a big Christmas pudding! Sending you a great big massive hug for 2014 - hope this is a good year for all of us xxxx
DeleteI bought some of those Fabric Patches this year! I mounted them on to Board and then made Greeting Cards with them! I made quite a few, so for Christmas I made up Packs of 5, tied them together with Ribbon and gave a Pack each to my Mum and Sister. I didn't put any Sentiments on the Cards, so they can use them for any occasion, Thank You Cards probably :) Looks like you had a fab Xmas! Lots of lovely pressies and useful ones at that! I do love useful Xmas Presents - especially Crafty ones !!!
ReplyDeleteMichelle x
you are so full of wonderful ideas - you're completely FABULOUS! We did have a lovely Christmas - it was awesome to be with mum as well! I hope you're looking after yourself and that you're feeling ok? Sending you massive hugs and bestest wishes for the best of everything in 2014! - Shroo:)xxx
DeleteSuch a lovely post. Like Lou Anne, I lost my Mum 6 years ago now, when I was pregnant with Ruby - so she and also The Bear never met her - which is strange as they share so many of her mannerisms. Christmas has never been the same since I left home - nothing like waking up to the smell of Mum's baking wafting through the house. It's so lovely to read about your Christmas with your Mum - she sounds like as much fun as you are! Well, a bendable zombie and a duckie compass? Doesn't get much better... well maybe apart from the zombie clawed hand tealight holder I got from my sister :D:D
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing Rachael, really enjoyed this post :)
There's nothing like Christmas with mum, that's true - and the best part for you is that now YOU'RE the mum, you can set these traditions and warm feelings for your kids....adding some zombie claws and such just for fun! Love my duckie compass - the car broke down in the middle of nowhere (well - a pub car park but the PUB was in the middle of nowhere!!) and we had to wait in the car for two hours till the rescue van came. Should have had my duckie compass with me to navigate home through wild terrain filled with creatures of doom (well - the locals...). We had to channel Bear Grylls and Ray Mears and survive as best we could with only radio 4 and a tin of shortbread! NIGHTmare! hahaha....
DeleteGlad you enjoyed the post! Sending hugs - Shroo:)xxx