It’s two and a half years since I saw my sister. A good deal can happen in that amount of time:

Setting up a temporary new life in Melbourne, Australia.

A pregnancy and a birth.

A chance trip on some stairs causing a blow to the head.

A three week coma and the very bleakest of prognoses.

An astonishing, very gradual but definite daily recovery.

An engagement.

A three month trip to Africa.

A wedding, on a beach in Zanzibar,

and this morning at Manchester airport,

a reunion.

Have a wonderful Christmas with your families

xxxxx

I’m off to post my Christmas cards and I thought you might like to come along.

We start here of course, at our house. The little pebbles didn’t come with me so the tiny wellies are still on the doorstep.

Onto the village green to crunch in the snow. We had a fall of around 7 inches the night before last. Here are the ice crystals sparkling on its surface.

Back home now, to discover icicles on the dining room windowsill.

As a child I used to draw wintry houses with icicles hanging from the sills like this. It gives me a thrill when I see the real thing.

Through our garden gate (stencilled with a spot of snow and  F & B) and into the back garden. The little pebbles’ willow wigwam is looking pretty, although I’m not sure they’ll be playing in it today.

Finally, ever wondered what a beach hut looks like in winter?

Here’s Mr P’s office/our spare room with Suffolk pebble and wire wreath above the door. Notice we hadn’t put the garden tools away.

It was at this point, standing in the snowy flowerbed, that I felt a coldness and a wetness in my boot. My red wellies had finally given up after five years - I discovered a split in the heel. It was a good way to end their loyal welly service.

Well, Saturday was fabulous. The Pick N Mix Maker’s Market was such a great fair - excellent venue, great mix of high quality stalls and ahem, too many lovely things to buy. The less said about that (the vintage floral tunic, the lovely letterpress-printed cards, the artisan beer, the floral crockery, the lemon drizzle cake) the better. In case you were wondering I bought all the things in the brackets. Shame in spending my takings prevents me from posting pictures.

I sold things on the day and there was such a lovely festive buzz to the selling too. Christmas presents were bought and squirrelled away including the two enamelled pieces I mentioned - never to be seen here! Still, it was great to sell them. The bird will be given to a daughter who works for the RSPB. The enamelled agapanthus pendant to another daughter who was there and tried it on. She promised to ‘forget’ about it as the mother hid it in her handbag.

And so to the surprise. I’m feeling festive. Given how I felt a few weeks ago this is unexpected. I’m feeling so festive, in fact, that I’ve made decorations. This is a thrifty garland for the chimneypiece, made of bits of Mr Christmas tree that had to be cut off and discs cut from last year’s cards. The stars I had already. Cost= next to nothing. I’ve even made a door wreath from bits that fell off trees! I have come over all Christmassy and it feels good.

Tomorrow is an important day - it’s the Pick ‘N Mix Maker’s Market in Holt and I have a stall. This event has been so well publicised by Teena and Lisa. There’s an interview with me in this article in the Norwich Evening News and it was mentioned in Homes and Antiques Magazine too! Apparently gallery owners and members of the press will be there. I didn’t realise that until today. Yikes!

So, I have not bodged my pricing (ie kept all the prices in my head) as I usually do - I have made proper little price tags, bought some flowers and ironed my tablecloths properly.

I have some new designs to show you that I will be taking along but it was so murky, boggy and foggy all day that I couldn’t take any pictures by the time I’d finished them. I made a silver bird with four enamel colours in his wing and a new enamelled agapanthus pendant but I have no photos. It’s the best enamelling I’ve ever done but it’s no good just telling you is it? You want to see.

All I can show you is this:

My to do list for today - mostly done and ticked off. What still remains? - the hair. It is having one of its turns. It is big and honestly quite scary. The fog has not helped - moisture breeds frizz. I have broken out the enormous kirby grips and will pile it on top of the noggin as best I can tomorrow. I cannot iron it like the tablecloths. It had better behave itself. Right, I’m off to bed. Perhaps I will put the hair in MissP1’s flower press for the night. What do you think?

The eldest little P turned four yesterday. I cannot believe it’s four years since I had my first baby.

MissP1’s feet, 20 weeks gestation

She’s a fan of primates, as many of you know, but her other passions include sausages, crafting and anything, but anything pink.

Watering the seedlings with monkey, aged 17 months

We recently bought her her very first proper party dress.

Before C’s party, November 2009

She requested something quite, quite marvellous for her present. A Cella sticker and magnet maker. Here is one of her hand-drawn flower magnets.

…and here’s my first attempt at full-sized cake decorating for tomorrow butterfly-themed party in the village hall (the sun had gone down when I snapped this I’m afraid). Have you noticed that there’s a spot of pink on there? Oh yes, there’s pink alright.

Happy Birthday little lass x

P.S.  I can’t tell you how fabulous this Cella Sticker maker is. Oh my word. All you need is an old magazine or some little childrens’ drawings. I can see a fridge magnet Advent Calendar coming up next year. I broke out the scissors and the Toast catalogue and in a few minutes I had several utterly gorgeous magnets. I did ask MissP if I could us it first of course!

I have been making a few commissions for bloggers in recent months which is lovely. There was this bracelet for Alice, and recently this fingerprint necklace for Ali. In a way it’s a little nerve wracking - you lot have great taste, but it’s seriously flattering to have someone ask me to make something special.

There’s several things that a great many bloggers have in common - astonishing textile skills, an eye for colour, a button addiction… Then there’s the more down to earth things - a love of baking, preserving, growing things, and what else?

Oh yes, chickens- this is a clucky commission. I had to visit a few chickeny blogs for inspiration though - there’s no one scratching around in the pebble garden (except hairy P when she has a naughty hole-digging moment).

Celia’s garden assistants pose beautifully (this is Ginger), and the commissioner (?) has a few clucking friends of her own:

Anyway, cutting to the chicken-y chase here are some cufflinks for Gina’s other half, Stewart.

These silver ladies will be glad to know they’re not destined for the dinnertable in the coming weeks.

On the other hand they wont be laying many eggs.

Or will they??