Chrismas tree up at last. My DDIL and DGS put it up today for me.
Yesterday I went up to the attic and pulled out the Xmas boxes finally and put up some of the Xmas decorations. These are mostly for the grandchildren as they love to come in and see what Nanna has????? I have added some extra baubles to my 12 Days of Xmas wall Hanging this was designed by Esther Aliu and you can buy it from her online shop.
This little manger is VERY old past its use by date but I can not bring my self to let it go. To many lovely Xmas past wrapped around it.
Close up inside the manger.
Some memories from our Xmas days spent over seas.
I have been working on my Quilty365 circles, making lots of orange and red circles as that is the pile of fabric I have reached now.
Orange and red Kimono fabrics
Today I’m working on sewing some of the squares together, first I sew them in to two then those in to 4, then these 4 units in to one unit. I will stay with this size of 16 squares then finally join all these units up to make the quilt.
My first two units of 4. sewn together. I had to cut every square to a 4 1/2 ‘ square as I had aloud an extra 1/4″ all round for shrinkage when appliquéing on the circles.
4 units of 4 sewn ready to become one unit of 16?????
4 units of 4 to become 16, I need to trim these 4 units first then sew them together. This is how I will make up my squares and when I have enough of these units turn them in to a quilt top. I’m sewing these squares together by hand it is quicker for me than by sewing machine as I don’t like the seams sewn down, by sewing them by hand and NOT sewing down the seams the sit so nice and flat where 4 seams join.
Spent some time in the kitchen yesterday making Brandy Sauce, I make mine by beaten butter and icing sugar together till the butter turns white add the brandy beat and then pour in to dishes for Christmas day, I think they eat the xmas pudding just to have lots of brandy sauce. Also made up masses of short pastry for the mince pies, I like to make them in the mornings before Xmas day and have them hot and fresh each day. Tomorrow I will make up the fruit mince for the pies. I have cherries and dried fruit soaking in brandy for the Icecream-Pudding and the mince.
Christmas cake waiting to be eaten????
In the garden this morning
Hubby put up the flyscreen around the pool shelter this morning the wet is coming and so are the mossies?????
A new stem of spider orchids just opening
An amazing flower
After 2 months this brom flower is still looking incredible !!!!
Off to the hairdressers. May add some more when I come back if I get to the beach. Now going to link up with Esther on her WOW or WIP’s today.
http://www.estheraliu.blogspot.com/
If you have time join us. Thanks for dropping in only one more week till Christmas so if you don’t drop in next week I wish you all the very best for Christmas.
Cheers Glenda
thanks for sharing your Christmas decorations so nice! we all love to hang on to things that mean something to us. Love all your circles – I am not sure how I will be putting mine together – I think I will decide later – should they be a rainbow type of layout of just all mixed up – mixed up would certainly be easier.
A tent around the swimming pool – makes sense to me!
Hi Karen, I was so happy looking at your Xmas decorations and reading that you had kept yours because they were full of memories too. I’m going to put some empty boxes under mine too LOL. I do love the new Xmas decorations but like you mine are full of memories of my parents and children, my DDIL and DGS of 6 put up my Xmas tree for me yesterday and on it are decorations that belonged to my mum???? so they are over 70 years old, nothing flash but lots of lovely memories of my Xmases as a child.
We put the flyscreen tent up around the sitting area as the mosses are so bad plus sandflies in the monsoon season. It’s a lovely area to sit and have coffee when the kiddies are in the pool and not get eaten alive by mossies LOL. Hugs Glenda
beautiful decor, circles and oh my! That cake is amazing…beautiful and delicious looking 🙂 I am enjoying your garden as well.
Hi Deb lovely to hear from you. Hubby brought the cake home last week in a beautifully packed white box???? One of his co-workers wives makes them and he asked if she would make one for me as I was not well enough to make mine this year, I usually make 6 or more!!!! This is what her hubby brought to work and gave Rod but would not take any payment for it!!!!, so I sent back the box with one of my log cabin shoulder bags inside it, I know she will appreciate the time that went in to it as she is a crafter also. It was such a lovely surprise and was enough to get me motivated to make my short pastry and make up a boil-up of my fruit mix for my Xmas pies. Cheers Glenda
We bought a mirrored shelf unit recently so I am loving a place to display. I like your shelves too. With some place to actually put up Christmas decorations, I found out just how little I have.
Are the circles appliqued on?
Merry Christmas!
Hello Marsha, thanks for dropping in, My shelves were made by my DH we were at a closing down shop sale in the city years ago and they had the shop glass shelving up for sale, I knew straight away that they would look great in our lounge so I could put out our memory bits and pieces we had acquired after living in different countries with Hubbys work for 40 years, I gave the seller a deposit and went to the bank to draw out the cash, when we arrived back some one was packing them in to his car??????? I said I just bought those and he just kept packing them away, I went over to the seller and said whats going on, he just said he offered me more and gave me back my deposit, I was upset that he had done this, I did not think any one would do it. Hubby said listen I can make you the shelves to fit and you just need to buy the glass shelving it won’t cost any more than these. So I have ended up with the end of our living area wall completely covered in glass shelving on steel frames we painted black and I can see all my memories when ever I want to. I must admit they do take a lot of cleaning constantly wight he dust here!!!!!
My circles are hand appliquéd to the backing, which is made up of little square only 4 1/2″ so the circles are from a 1/2 ” across to 3″ across, I just randomly cut out 6 different size circles from freezer paper and make up my circles with these and then have fun putting them on to the tiny squares. They are so much fun to make. Merry Christmas Marsha. Cheers Glenda
Glenda, Christmas at your place is going to be a wonderful mix of memories of old and the new memories you will create this year, Enjoy every moment!!!
Love how your circles are progressing, background fabric looks wonderful turned different ways. Hugs for Christmas, Jenny
Hi Jenny, it sure will be a mixture of old and new, some of my mums area, ours, our children’s and our grand-children !!!!!! One of our new traditions is champagne breakfast at 10am eaten with Pandoro and chocolates with all the family coming here while the grandchildren open presents???? LOL. Hugs Glenda
Your circles are coming along quite nicely. I really like how you have interpreted this project.
Hi Shasta, With the hectic season on us I’m finding these Quilty365 circles very relaxing and they really slow me down, they are so much fun, I love colour and fabric so what a lovely way to sue up all those tiny pieces of lovely fabric. On the other hand you are having to think about what you are going to make each day LOL. Cheers Glenda