Easy Festive Wrapping

Potato printing was one of the many homemade crafts I remember doing at the kitchen table as a kid. Twenty years later, I’ve inherited not only the kitchen table, but also the crafty inclinations. Tom and I spent part of our Sunday cutting simple Christmas shapes out of potatoes to stamp some festive wrapping paper.

I discovered that curved shapes are difficult and had a ‘tiny’ childish strop when my snowman didn’t turn out right. But, the great thing about potato printing is cheap materials; and it’s easy to slice off a layer of the potato and start with a once-more-blank-canvas.

I’ve always loved wrapping with brown paper, adding little extras to make it feel festive. There are countless great ideas out there. Tomorrow I intend to forage for forest floor evergreen, to add to my paper-stamped, twine-wrapped, homemade gifts (shh.. I can’t tell you what they are until the 26th!)

Almost there..

I’ve finally almost made it through this term. Just one more week of dashing around the county, hauling training materials and delivering endless workshops. It’s been a bit like the Rusty Roadshow these last few months. I enjoy training, but have recently done so much I feel like I’m auditioning for Groundhog Day 2. No wonder I’ve been trying to take a chilled approach to the festive buildup.

Things should start winding down this week, albeit with a bittersweet tang. On Friday I say goodbye to three members of the team, who I’ll sorely miss. We’ll meet over coffee and mince pies, with an eye to the holidays and the fun to be had.

I’m looking forward to mornings under the duvet with a book, restocking the wood pile, seeing the family, and sampling plenty of homebaked goodies. Just one more week to get through first. I hope your week treats you well.

Have Yourself a Mellow Little Christmas

I’m an incessant list-maker. I can’t even break the habit on a weekend. I’m not far off adding ‘relax’, right next to a neat little tickbox. I know – I have a problem. And even if you’re not in the Listers Anonymous group, lists do sneak up on us round December. After all, you’ve got to keep the fridge stocked with all those extra calories, and make sure you’re ready for the office party/lantern parade/nativity play; not to mention adding to the pile under the tree.

I love all the cliches of Christmas: the roasting chestnuts, the carols, the twinkly lights, and it’s all too easy to miss it in the holiday blur. So this year I’m being careful about what I put on my list…

Sing carols
Make a gift for someone
Shop local
Bake something yummy

That’s enough to get me in the festive mood. Anything more I’ll consider a bonus.

Meet Mabel Mouse

About a month ago I mentioned that we’d inadvertently inherited the class hamster, Cocoa. I discovered that having a pet is awesome. And when you’re out of the house twelve hours a day, allergic to cats, and bored by goldfish, a hamster is pretty perfect. So when Cocoa died a few weeks ago (after a long and illustrious life) I missed having a pet!

Enter Mabel: a little Russian Dwarf hamster found in the rescue section of the pet store. Her full name is actually Mabel McWhiskyson (the product of reading H is for Hawk whilst drinking Laphroaig). She is an adorable ball of fluff to come home to at the end of the day and a seriously good alternative to ranting about work the moment I get in.

So, it turns out I’m a pet person; who’d a thunk it?! I’m still resisting the urge to dress her up in an elf hat for Christmas..

How Instagram Keeps Me Running

Ooh, these days have got dark and stormy. And cold! That duvet is too luscious to leave behind in the morning; and the couch beckons the moment I turn the key at the end of the day.

So, any extra boosts to get me outdoors are welcome. There’s lots out there: keep track of numbers on Strava, or get some awesome gear. But after discovering Joelix’s Instagram feed, I realised that the funnest way is to give yourself a hashtag.

Judith’s #joelixruns series is a fantastically colourful way to track runs. My streets (and shoes) aren’t quite as colourful, but I love the idea so have got snapping my own feet (and tagged many of Tom’s photos. After all, he is my biggest motivation for running.)