The Christmas Challenge

I'm joining Polka Dot Daze in her Christmas Challenge.

I think Christmas is a great time for crafting. I love making handmade gifts and decorations.

You should join us here to see what we get up to for Christmas.

Dolls Houses

On that last day of the school holidays, I bought the monkeys very cute dolls houses. They came in a little book like a magazine and you folded them out and stuck them together with little tabs.

Thank goodness I can put together Ikea furniture, read directions, and can work visually. It took almost an hour to get them up and I have to say I was thinking "What did I get myself into!!"

But we persevered and they are lovely. The monkeys were able to put together most of the furniture themselves with only a little help from me.

They are now living on the dining table, I'm not sure where they will live after that.

Don't you love the little clothes hanging up? Very cute.

Liberty

When I was in London in June, I was lucky to get time away from sightseeing to go the Liberty Shop. I have grown up with a love of Liberty and their beautiful fabric. It is always hard to find here and so to be there surrounded by Liberty things was wonderful. I also didn't know that the Liberty shop is four floors and sells all sorts of other things like rugs and cosmetics.

So I was also very lucky for my Mum to give me this wonderful book.

She said she saw it in the book shop and knew that I would love it and I do. It is filled with fabric and lovely projects to use their fabric.

I did buy some Liberty fabric when I was in their shop, I also bought some cards and a tray. I could have stayed in there for hours.

Thanks Mum for the lovely book.

I have also added to my books lately with these ones.

I saw this online and my monkeys made the little knitted owls from here. It has some other lovely projects that they want to make too, like the little doll.

This knitting technique looked so interesting I thought I better give it a try. Luckily it has great instructions!

I'm hoping to make some summer dresses out of this one. Loads of ideas and easy instructions.


I really love books and have quite a library of knitting, sewing, quilting and crafty books and I love them all.

Granny Stripe Blanket Finished

It is finished!!

I really enjoyed this project and love the finished product too. I completed 4 rows of each colour, so 68 rows altogether. I then added two single crochet rows in blue for the border.  It is a great lap blanket and the monkeys have already tried it out.

I ordered the Special double knit by Stylecraft here, all 17 balls of it. It even comes in a special pack with all the colours that Lucy from Attic 24 used.

Love it.



Treat for the Monkeys

On the last day of the long weekend, the monkeys were lucky and went to the local mall with Dad for sushi lunch.

The mall always has little stalls in the holidays to tempt kids. The painted plasterwork is there most holidays and I always say no, but not Dad. He was a sweety and let the monkeys paint one each.

They were over the moon!

I loved these when I was little too.

Granny Stripe cont.

I can't tell you how much I am enjoying making the granny stripe blanket.


We have had an extra day off today, as it is a long weekend and the weather has been less than pleasant! It has rained, blown a gale and we have had lightning and thunder.


Perfect weather for staying inside, keeping warm and working on your Granny Stripe Blanket (or if you are my hubby, watching sport!). The monkeys keep asking how big it is going to be, in other words, when will you be finished. I think that will be when the trouble starts. They both want it, but they will have to share it with me too.