#shareadvent

Some crafty folk, more dedicated than myself, have been planning for months, stitching up Christmas delights and planning festive decorations. It’s taken me a little by surprise this year, but I’m sticking to my excuses of new job and long commute. This year, I’ve got as far as considering Christmas cracker kits in Oxfam, and buying various balls of wool, but as I stare down the last week of November, all this Christmas craftiness feels a little ambitious.

The things I love about Christmas are the simple gestures, baking with spices, and bringing in forest greens on dark days, for decking the halls (or mantelpiece if you live in a tiny terrace like me). So Anna‘s #shareadvent ideas feel just the right side of doable, and full of all the best things about the build up to Christmas (especially Elf.) Roll on December 1st!

Sunday Stitching – A New Coffee Cosy

This past weekend was filled with some of my favourite autumn things: leafy walks, coffee stops, dinner with family, and books by the fire. And what better way to finish off a weekend of lovely things than with a spot of sewing. You may recall I’m a stitching procrastinator and this project was no exception. Looking back over past projects, I’ve noticed this colour combo a lot. I have shelves of brightly-coloured fabrics, but seem to gravitate to the greys instead. Maybe it’s because I’m a proper grown-up? Doubt it..

So, after some hasty cutting (there’s nothing like breaking your rotary cutter to develop a love of the imprecise) and dodgy drafting (see sketches above) I stitched together a tube of fabric strips, with some batting in between, stitched some buttons on the end, and wrapped it round my coffee pot ready for my Monday morning brew.

Autumn Paper & Pens

It is less than a week until I start my new job, so you can imagine the scenario: excited, nervous and wired, with lots of goodbyes and frantic to do lists. So, obviously, the best response is to get stationery sorted.

I’m pretty keen on paper and pens, and there’s nothing like some good kit to sort out a case of new job nerves. So, with this in mind, I’ve been busy getting the essentials.

New diary. I caved in to Moleskine with this 18 month one. A good slimline size, with tons of lovely smooth paper and pages of essential useless information. Now I know that it takes 13 hours to fly from Johannesburg to Stockholm, and that 261 is the dialling code for Madagascar.)
Pencil. I bought this in a little shop in Saint-Germain-des-Prés this summer. (Yes, this phrase is what makes this pencil great.)
Tiny notebook. It doesn’t matter how many ‘notes’ apps I put on my phone, nothing beats a proper notebook. And it is essential for contributions to #tinynotebookclub.
Zip case. I don’t seem to get tired of sewing these (again and again.) I’m always pleased with myself when I manage to sew a zipper without breaking my machine.
Ok, yes, I may also have bought myself a new bag. Absolutely essential, of course!

So, this time next week I’ll be commuting by boat and organising plenty of meetings, with the right stationery for the job. It’s the small things that matter!

Autumn to do list

Basket full of skeins of different coloured yarn, with more yarn in the background — All produced by the Isle of Wight Guild of Weavers, Spinners, and Dyers

There is change in the air: chilly mornings, wood fires, and woolly jumpers. And a change in my habits: what I eat, read and do. I know I’m not the only one who changes mood at this time of year, and starts looking forward to autumnal activities. Inspired by Michelle, I’ve put down a few of my own autumn ‘to dos’.

Read some classics – old stories of big rattling houses, mysterious attic residents, and strangers in a storm. Perfect fireside reading.
Bake something new – I have my baking favourites that I stick too, perhaps for lack of time, or inspiration. But, I am going to try out some of the recipes on those clean, unrumpled pages in my cookbooks.
Do muddy walks & pub lunches – the food is all the tastier, and the warmth all the cosier, having been out in the wet and wind.
Sew something to wear – I’ll happily sew stuff, but am daunted by proper seamstressing. So, this is my challenge to myself.
Take a city trip – stripped back trees showing more architecture, new exhibitions, and extra excuses for coffee stops.
Pick up sticks – I haven’t knitted anything since this project went a little awry. ‘nough said.
Take naps – my new job involves commuting daily by ferry. I have big plans to read lots while I travel, but I suspect that won’t happen..
Correspond – sitting down with pen and paper for some proper snail mail catch up is the perfect pace for this time of year.
Embrace the wind – strolling on the beach, getting buffeted about and watching the whipped up waves.
Wrap up in wool – plenty more excuses now to wear my favourite fibre.

What’s on your to do list?

Pictures in an instant

I like a good picture; I’m amazed by the power of visual information and am an incessant doodler. So it’s no surprise that I’m a bit of an Instagram addict. I love the possibility of seeing so many perspectives on the world in an instant, and the opportunity to share my own.

So, in the interests of sharing, here are some of my favourite IGers:

@5ftinf – beautiful photos of everyday. I’ve never seen so many perfect photos of one table.