Some Christmas Pics

Hello, here are a few Christmas pics, taken in our new family room, which is yet to be painted and have floor down etc, etc! I hope that your christmas was wonderful. I'm off to catch up on some of my favourite blogs. Thanks for dropping in! Leah

Weird Cat Behaviour #3


WEIRD CAT BEHAVIOUR #3

Making a bed out of anything you shouldn't be sleeping on. This is the tablecloth, which is quite a bit larger than our table. Lui never normally sleeps on these chairs, but as soon as they were draped with a clean white cloth he had to get up there and sit on it. Then he burrowed in, all the while pulling the cloth a little bit further off the table. See that stain on the carpet there? That's where the vase of flowers landed. Thanks Lui!

Days 12 and 13

Day 12 was my gift. I was busy over the winter months crocheting these starry snowflake ornaments. I used a vintage pattern, vintage thread from my stash and a 1.75 mm hook! The pattern is really easy (if a little fiddly) so I made tons for Christmas presents and for myself. I made them in four colours:

white

pink

fawn

blue

While everyone was opening my gift, I got to open the special #13 gift. It was from Penelope Harris, and just look at what she has created: a sweet little needle book.

It's made of the most beautiful soft woolly felt and has space for all the essential needles and pins.

And even room for a hank of threads (I'm always making little piles of offcut thread, so perhaps if I have a place to store them I'll actually use them up now?)

Thanks so much Penelope!

And that's it for the 12 Days of Christmas swap this year. Thanks to all who were involved, it was a wonderful event once again.

Days 10 and 11

On Day 10, Jeanette Janson made this beautiful necklace from an antique clock key. Another gorgeous piece of arty jewellery - I've been so lucky this year! Thanks Jeanette!

On Day 11 I received this whimsical little collaged canvas from Lisa Ryder. It's tiny - not much bigger than a matchbox! I love the gorgeous deep red and the quirky expression on the woman's face. Thanks Lisa!

Christmas Eve

We've just had a lovely dinner with family and there is more to come over the next few days! I've been busy in the kitchen baking, cooking and preparing and the time has finally come to enjoy it.

I still have some gorgeous gifts to show you from the 12 Days exchange - don't worry, I haven't forgotten. But now it's time for me to hang my stocking and head off to bed, a tired and happy girl (and I have pav for breakfast!)

Merry Christmas

Have a Very Merry Christmas!

Thank you so much for stopping by my blog throughout the year. I appreciate every lovely comment and email too! Have a Wonderful Christmas! Leah

More Christmas Craft

Hello, I think that we are ready for christmas now. I would love to make one of these, I have all of the bits and pieces here, I think that I would add cut out stars. We have our kiwi cousins here for a christmas holiday, very exciting! I have 4 boys in the pool at the moment, luckily I can watch them from my new sewing room, which is now all finished, it will be painted and have a new floor early next year! Leah

dear Santa...

my name is little olive, you may have heard of me. i live at mossy shed with used dog and Tif.

Tif has told me all about you and the glee you bring on Christmas Eve. she also told me how you sometimes need a little extra help. so dear Santa i thought perhaps it might be nice for you to know i have been in training at mossy shed for some time now.
Tif told me there was no harm in sending you a note to let you know i have my antlers already by my bed just in case.


you will know it is me in my bed as i have a little garland just above with my name on, to guide you. the other thing i wished to mention, just quickly as i imagine you are super duper busy this week. i have a friend called used dog, who i mentioned earlier. she is my best friend despite her gray goatie beard, which i haven't actually pointed out as Tif told me this isn't a good thing to do. she said that aging females do not wish to be told of such tragic things and wish to live in the dark about hairy issues of the worst kind.

but Santa, i have digressed just like my owner, for what i was trying to say was, my friend used dog has been terribly good this year. she has been very nice to me, allowing me to play with her toys upon arrival at the shed. sometimes i get carried away with loving her toys a little too much, so dear Santa if it's not too much trouble could used dog have a new sock monkey, one with ears and arms.

please forgive my iffy typing, my little paws keep getting trapped between the keys.
so that's it i think...
i will see you in a few days, don't forget i will be the little pesky doggie sleeping with her antlers on


and you will be the one in a red suit and beard.

one last thing i just thought about, if again it's not too much trouble, could you possibly put some 'extra patience' in Tif's stocking this year. she is doing rather well but some days i am so pesky even she struggles. oh and a ball of yarn wouldn't go a miss either...

love little olive x

she is wishing you and your clans a fabby gleeful time, thanking you most kindly for being so generous with your comments this year and will be back on Jan 4th ~ Tif
footynote: if you wish to have some reading material with the run up to the christmas, then a visit to Stephanie's place might be in order. she has done a lovely advent blog with artists from all over the globe... start back on 1st of December and work your way through the days. lovely to see how we put 'glee' into our festivities in our own special ways... she kindly invited me to participate, and you can find me and my melancholy ways here

Day 9

Today is Day 9, and I received this beautiful art doll from Jennifer Conway. The top half of the doll is paper, and the skirt is a lovely linen fabric which has been stuffed and weighted so she stands on her own. Look at the lovely crochet lace her skirt is adorned with, and the beautiful jewel at her waist! I took her out this afternoon for a stroll among the marigolds.

If you go to Jennifer's blog, you can see the rest of her army of lacy women. They are all stunning, it must have been hard sending them all away. Thanks so much Jennifer!

Days 7 and 8

Day 7's gift is this gorgeous tile set from Maria Lamb. On one side is this beautiful painting, but if you flip the tiles, it is a noughts and crosses game. I love things that are pretty and practical as well - thanks so much Maria!

On Day 8 I received this neat knitted banner from Liz Smith. I'm happy because I wanted to make a festive triangle banner myself, but ran out of time, so this is just what I needed... I've put it on the mantelpiece for now, but will probably shift it to the kitchen/dining area for Christmas dinner.

Here's the rest of the mantelpiece. I did make the snowflake garland. You can never have too many garlands! The green Christmas tree in the centre is by the talented Cushla at Pilgram.

Days 4, 5 and 6

I've gotten behind in showing you the 12 Days of Christmas gifts! I'll have to make it up to you with a few bumper posts. (If you are impatient with me, go check out the 12 Days blog - it's always updated on time!)

Here is Day 4 from Tara Finlay. It's a sweet tiny art charm made of snippets of fabric and a piece of book text. Thank you Tara - it will be perfect to hang in my studio!

This is Day 5 from Lelainia Lloyd. A gorgeous fabric pouch and a cellphone charm - Lelainia pointed out that you could use it as a zipper pull too. I love how the pouch has a clip on it - it will be great for holding the small things that always get lost at the bottom of your handbag. Thanks Lelainia!

Day 6 from Misti Ko is this gorgeous set of prayer flags. You hang them up outside, and as they disintegrate in the weather they release the good thoughts they have been imbued with: hope, love, peace, joy and freedom. I think this is such a unique gift, also they look great fluttering in my cherry tree! Thanks Misti!

tucked in...

the yarn balls are safely tucked in for the night,
my folks are safely tucked in for the night,
little olive and used dog are safely tucked in for the night,
and the chickens are safely tucked in for the night.
and me?
well i too, will be safely tucked in for the night,
but not before i look upon my yarn as it sleeps,


twinkling in the night thanks to my friend lola, who quite simply is the bestest of the best. for she sent mossy shed a little care package this week containing some fairy lights, along with other such lovelies as homemade jam.
for one wicked moment, i thought i might try to pass the jam off as my own when my folks arrived but two things stopped me...
first it really is very wrong to lie, especially where one's folks are concerned,
and secondly, they wouldn't have believed me anyway...

so tonight the shed is feeling most gleeful, for surely it's near on impossible to achieve a level of suitable gleeness without fairy lights and homemade jam.
obviously lola is quite wise...
i took some of lola's wisdom and wisely strung my new secondhand lights over kathleen's cupboard, safely away from little olive and her pesky 'moments'.
their little twinkling ways nicely illuminate my 'i love you more than life itself' yarn stash which so far has been untouched by moi and Mr Hook.
but dearest readers, we all know it's just a matter of time before i cave in, running for a yarn ball to save me... for when tomorrow comes so does the end of school for two whole weeks and a little bit.

she will see you on monday for a 'gleeful adieu' before the stockings are hung ~ Tif

Last minute gifts


Hello, I quickly made these with the boys last night, they are blocks of chocolate, Jack was very happy with them. We bought their main teacher a lovely diary from chickenink. Toby chose a very cute packet of flavoured lip gloss for his carer at daycare. I think that I have my shopping completed now! Have a wonderful weekend! Leah

yarn lust...

dearest readers, i am pleased to report that mossy shed now has yarn.
one cream yarn ball was found upon my doorstep courtesy of my lovely neighbor Trish and twenty seven yarn balls courtesy of my man


as i was lovingly putting them to bed last night, in our glass credenza so any passing strangers and my folks would be able to admire them, my man walked in
"what are you doing, you can't do that, the yarn is for christmas, i need to have that so i can wrap it" he announced, then continuing with
"how much yarn did you get Tif? seriously do you really need all of that, i had no idea you meant that much yarn, i think you've gone a little overboard."

i turned to face my benefactor and now it would appear my disputant.
(did you like those words, me too! i found them with the help of darren dictionary, he truly is quite the helpful little fellow at times such as these)
"listen carefully" i said, slowly and calmly, whilst stroking the mustard colored sweetie in my hand
"i have nine months to get through, nine WHOLE months, do you comprendre me? this is my one and only opportunity to go forth and buy acrylic yarn from the shelves of a new store. i think bearing that in mind, you may note, twenty seven balls is not, i repeat NOT very much to last a girl with a 'hook' addiction"

he started backing away from me and my ball of mustard delight...
"and as for putting away until Christmas" i carried on, with a 'protective mother' look in my eyes, "i refuse to give them up... i cannot possibly wait until the 25th to get my hands on these lovelies. so don't touch the yarn, do you hear me... DON'T touch it"
by this time he was somewhere else in the shed, knowing his deranged other half was slightly 'touched' with yarn lust and things could get ugly...

as i look upon my little yarn treasures this morning, admiring them, talking to them, trying to photograph them in all their glory, but failing miserably due to poor lighting and a limited amount of battery life found in a clock upstairs.
it occurred to me that i am none the better off.
for now i have a cabinet full of beautiful yarn in 'lusty' colors, so beautiful in fact that i don't want to use them, i want them to stay like this forever and ever.


she is thinking that perhaps she may be back to square one ~ Tif
footynote: due to my folks eminent arrival at the shed, i will see you on thursday... and did you notice little olive is still in training, quickity quick.
all she needs now is to practice with antlers on her head, i fear however the weight may slow her down

Mixed Media Art Exhibition

I have some artwork in a show on this week. The show is called Mixed Media and features the work of several local artists. Here are a few shots from opening night:

It rained, and was very cold. Thank you Christchurch summer.

There are gift cards and garments at this show too.

Jon's stuff

My stuff

More of my stuff

I have some more photos, but probably won't get round to uploading them before the weekend, because... the woods are lovely, dark and deep, and I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep... you know how it goes.

In the meantime Christchurchians, please pop into the Cloisters Gallery at the Arts Centre, and view the show in person! It's only on till Friday.

Day 3

Look at this sweet ornament by Barbara Atwell! He is perched on a vintage wooden block. I just love him - he is the perfect companion to these guys from last year. Santa is always watching, you know...

Thanks so much for the whimsy Barbara!


for the sake of his sanity...

i fear it is worse than i initially thought.

1. i cooked hard boiled eggs for tea yesterday, only to discover there were no eggs in the pan when i served them up.
2. i have no working batteries for my camera, none charged up and none in the shed lurking, thus i have dug into my flickr album... this does not appear to be the kind of thing an addicted blogger trying to appear quite professional, would allow to happen
3. i have produced grilled cheese sandwiches without any cheese (again)
4. instead of moving people out of bedrooms to accommodate my lovely folks, i have spent the morning painting the legs of a rocking chair. not just any rocking chair but an eames rocker.
(i've paused so you may recover dearest readers)
surely that right there is the sign of insanity,
that i am off my rocker (ha!)
who in their tiny right mind would take a paint brush to an eames rocking chair.
i am thinking that could quite honestly get me 'taken away'
i can see it now, in court, the gasps and the shock on the jury's face when they bring out the evidence.
"surely your honour. this is a case of, lock her up and throw away the key"
5. instead of washing all the bed linens for nice fresh beds to be laid in, i have commandeered Mrs W. Machine for dye-ing duties. why i need to suddenly dye a load of linens is beyond me at this moment in time

it would appear, i am a lost cause.


as my man left for work today having i might add, scrubbed our little en suite sink to within an inch of it's life... thus causing the large area of rust to finally cave in, giving our sink the appearance of a sieve. this i feel will be most 'novel' for my folks, i plan to advise them upon their arrival, not to worry, the bucket underneath will catch the worst of it...
but i digress,
after my man had finished up cleaning and scrubbing so that i may continue to go around the shed 'batty as a fruitcake', useless as can be... not achieving anything that is of great importance and only things that are irrelevant.

he left with parting words
"for the sake of my sanity and those around us, please, please get yourself some cream yarn"
and then he continued to tell me how with only a few days to go, chances were running high that he may end up in Costco the night before, lurking amongst the kitchen appliances thinking i may indeed like a whisk or something similar.

at the mention of the word Costco, my 'deranged trance like' self, saw a little glimmer of hope at the end of a tunnel...
quick as a 'quickity quick' thing.
perhaps a mouse or a moth, both of which can be pretty quick.
and of course there's little olive, flashing through the shed these days.
her speeds are getting pretty 'quickity quick'.
i replied with
"i'm not just needing cream, i think i need quite a few other colors to make what i have in mind"
for here was a man, a desperate man, with a countdown to Christmas weighing heavily upon his shoulders.
and here was i, knowing i still had nearly nine months left of yarn lusting weighing on mine...

"whatever Tif, just get what you want and it can be your Christmas gift" he replied
right there i knew i had chosen well all those years ago...

so dearest readers, it would seem only right at a time of glee towards all pesky gnomes and forsaken souls, that i extend my kindness and reach out to save my man's sanity,
and quite possibly in doing so, will unearth my own.

as i sit before you with yarn dollars by my side, the fog beginning to clear.
i see now that a rather lovely desperate man, my man... with a pleading look in his eyes, knew the aisles of Costco would only bring misery.
and my 'yarn lusting' gave him a way out and the hope of a bright and gleeful Christmas.

she is thinking perhaps she will be out tonight, weeping with joy and hugging balls of yarn ~ Tif

Day 2

On Day 2 I received this gorgeous metal pendant from Kathy Strittmater. Kathy makes the most amazing jewellery, I am lucky enough to own several of her fabulous pieces now. I love the textured copper background on this piece. Thank you so much Kathy - I certainly am inspired...

We have a winner!

Thanks so much to everyone who commented, on my christmas Stocking our random number generator (aka Harry) has chose No. 3 ilovestitches!

the case of the 'missing sanity'...

i think i will be fine when i've located my sanity, it's somewhere around here...


it must of happened last tuesday as i did my 'shift around'.
things were looking rather peachy, i was most happy with the way the kitchen nook looked and of course, the lounging area in my studio.


and then things started to go 'iffy'...
Mary and Joe arrived and quite frankly after that i'm not sure what's going on around here.
in the 'shifting around', i shoved piles into cupboards and drawers, out of sight, out of mind.
perhaps my sanity went along with the piles...
i have achieved nothing but going around in circles, mumbling to myself "dear lordy, how many days to go" all the time knowing i need to get a grip, find a handle, do something or the miracle of Christmas isn't coming to the Shed this year.

in the space of four days the only acheivement i can note, is finding my secret santa gift. one lucky clan member will have something rather lovely to look forward to... ha! you should hear my lovely lot all exclaim the one person they hope not to be their secret santa is me.
knowing where i shop these days has caused them concerns of the worst kind this coming christmas...
but they don't know what i know,
("oh Tif, and what do you know, considering you are two shillings short of a pound this week?" i hear you enquire)
well i know, and actually a lot of you thrifty ones will know this too, just how far a dollar can be stretched when buying secondhand and handcrafted...

on Tuesday my folks arrive, my mum assured me on the phone this morning that she would help unearth my sanity if i haven't found it between now and their arrival.

i may take them to our local yarn shop on the first day. oh yes, i know how to show my folks a good time... i hoping they will be overcome by 'yarn lust' and insist on buying me a ball of cream yarn...
i will protest saying
"no, no you really shouldn't"
and then my mother will say
"i'm thinking we should, indeed i know we should, for a ball of cream yarn is perhaps where you may find your sanity this Christmas, my dearest child"

she is thinking... actually she knows, mothers are always right ~ Tif

Day 1

The first gift to be opened in the 12 Days of Christmas exchange comes from Amy Huff. Amy made this gorgeous soldered pendant featuring a lovely vintage photo- the buttons of her dress are embellished with glitter. In the background you can see the box it came in, which was also embellished with a moo card of the same image - nice touch! Thanks Amy for this sparkling beauty!

Craft room progress



Hello, these images belong to
RubyRed06 aren't they gorgeous? My craft room is moving along very quickly, the bricks will begin on Monday! I'm off to work to earn some money to pay for them! Please don't forget to enter my giveaway. Have a very happy Saturday! Leah

Christmas ornaments

Align CenterAs well as the 12 Days of Christmas swap, this year I participated again in the Kiwi Christmas Ornament swap organised by Louise at Twenty Cent Mixture. These are some of the ornaments I made.

Do you want to guess what they're made from?

Would you believe me if I said toothpicks and paper clay?

It's true. I still have one more to make for myself - I want to use it as a tree topper. So I might take photos for a tutorial. In the meantime, take a look at this:

Cute, no? I received this from Cushla at Pilgram. She's posted a pattern here so you can make one too.