Thursday, December 30, 2021

A December Recap

Greetings lovely friends & readers

Well another Christmas is behind us & tomorrow evening we roll on in to a shiny New Year.

I thought I would do a bit of a recap on some projects I completed in December but did not get to post about prior to Christmas. In no particular order here either  😉 . . . . .


While searching the internet for a Primitive Santa pattern I stumbled across these beautiful patterns from                    Kentucky Primitives & fell in love with this one -  "Mousie's Christmas Letter to Santa"

The pattern comes as an instant download & included is the Letter that Mousie wrote to Santa, which you then have to coffee stain & generally "muddy up".

Click on the photo so you can enlarge & read the Letter
The letter is so sweet - you can read it top right.


Unfortunately my Mousie Brown turned out to be more of a "Ratty Rat" as I added too much black to my light brown paint.  Once dry, you sandpaper him & then rub with cinnamon so, as you can imagine - he smells great!!

I gave him a jute string tail & a woollen checked scarf.  His pencil is made from a twig & the end sharpened, with a dab of black paint added.

I got these large books for free from my local 2nd hand Bookstore in Kihikihi, so I painted & distressed them for Mousie to stand on ... a little primitive vignette.


I packaged up & posted off a large order of my Citrus & Rose petal potpourri to the bottom of the South Island.



I made two Lavender & Lace covered coat hangers for my friend Bev.


I made a Lavender sleep pillow to gift to one of my daughter in laws, along with a jar of Sleep Balm purchased from The Herb Farm

You may recall the swap I mentioned in * this post * where I made the 8 felt mice to send to my swap partners.  A gorgeous array of Christmas Ornaments & gifts began to trickle through my mailbox.  We were allowed to create, thrift or purchase a Christmas related ornament & the girls came up with such a wide variety of goodies. 



From the far north to the deep south, lovely packages came in & brightened my days. The girls each agreed that we all got far more out of this swap than we ever anticipated & it was so special to open each of the swap gifts & think about the giver, most (6) of whom I have never even met.

This year I made Gingernut Bites, Fudge Cake & Mars Bar Slice

I made my usual Christmas baked treats & packaged them up in cellophane & brown paper bags ready for gifting to friends.

In early December I invited 3 girlfriends for a Christmas Morning Tea. I polished my Oak dining table & set it nicely with my vintage crochet table cloth & my finest bone china.  I went to answer the phone & when I returned I had
     "an extra guest" sitting at (on !!) the table (!!!) 😑


( Stitched using Cottage Garden Thread "Mistletoe" )
I finished these two Stitcheries during Lockdown & finally made them up into small plump cushions using some Liberty fabrics.  The patterns are a Natalie Bird Design from this Christmas book * here *
...... I can show them now that they have been gifted.



I came across this Stitchery on calico that I had started many years ago.  I used to make these Oval Christmas Santa bags & sell in my Craft Cottage, but had never made one for myself.  This is a very old pattern by Wendy Briggs of Country Friends Designs whom I am sure is no longer creating.

I finished stitching the Santa & then made him up into this cute Christmas bag ... I had planned to fill it with greenery & berries but this might have to wait until next Christmas now. 😉

Well dear friends - this is my wish for you all as we wave Goodbye to another Year & we welcome with anticipation a New One.

Thank You all so much for taking the time to visit with me here ... I appreciate each & every one of you. 💕
Wishing you a wonderful celebratory weekend ... mine will be spent with a good book, a glass of vino & a couple of furry friends,
With VeRy Much Love & Friendship To You All,
Julie & the furry ones x0x0x




20 comments:

  1. Oh i do love your mouse & his letter, so very cute. Lots of loveliness in your wonderful post Julie. Love your unexpected guest even is she has bad manners to sit on your table. :) lol. Happy New Year. Hugs, xx

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  2. Have enjoyed seeing all your makes and gifts this year, here and on Instagram Julie, thank you for sharing it all, Happy New Year to you, your family, and all your lovely followers, see you next year❤️ Chris xoxo

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  3. So many beautiful finishes Julie and I loved your festive morning tea table....how lovely! I wish you all Blessings for the upcoming year and look forward to once again losing myself in reading and enjoying your beautiful blog...big hugs from across " the ditch" xxx

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  4. You make such wonderful things - I think that little mouse is delightful and such an unusual idea for a gift too, I would certainly give him a loving home! The idea to scent him with cinnamon is just so much delicious detail. The swap you took part in looked fun, I miss doing blog swaps, it's so much fun to connect with people in far flung places and to share creative skills. Wishing you happiness and good health in the coming year, Betty x

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  5. I think l prefer 'Ratty Rat' as 'Ratty Rat' than
    'Mousey Mouse'..he looks far more aggressive....
    and quite cute! :)

    And everything else looks lovely to Julie...
    Especially the potpourri...Nice that..!
    And is Miss Pippi waiting for breakfast...
    Bless her lovely furry, furry paws..! :)x

    It's 7.30 in the morning over here, enjoying
    my lemon tea with my daughter and hubby, who
    will be setting off back home later in the day,
    Christmas day was yesterday for us, we sat down
    at one o'clock and finished up at about seven..!
    Great Christmas lunch..even if l say so myself! :)

    A very Happy New Year to one and ALL..And..to you and
    your lovely family Julie especially Mum..wish her ALL
    the very best please.....God Bless! :O).
    💛 🌱 🌸 🌱 💜 🙏 🐾 😽 💞 💛 🌱 🌸 🌱 💜 🙏 🐾

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  6. Happy happy New Year,Julie. How you had your hands full, lol, with all the crafting.
    All you made and received are so fun and cheerful for gifting. Nice to see Miss Pip
    was "invited" to Christmas tea. Can't forget the furry ones. Hope you had a lovely
    visit with your mum. Lynn and Precious xx

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    1. Thanks so much dear Lynn & Precious. Yes Miss Pip always manages to "invite herself" to things & makes sure she is part of the action 😉😊 Happy New Year to you both too. xx

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  7. You made such a lot of gorgeous goodies for Christmas.... making it quite magical at your place.... All the best for next year...xx
    Hugz

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  8. Lovely table, and guest! lol
    The Santa bag, is a versatile primitive design. He has such rustic character, very nice.

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  9. What lovely projects. The mouse is quite the cutie, and his letter is very sweet.

    God bless.

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  10. Happy New Year Julie to you and your family. Your blog gives us all so much pleasure. You make so many beautiful items.

    Julie and poppyq
    Xxx

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  11. I still like to look at your blog but have not taken the time to comment much. I love those lace hangers. Have a great New Year! Nancy

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  12. Your projects are just lovely Julie (as always!). Thank you for another year of friendship. Wishing you and your family a very Happy New Year. Hugs, Christine xx

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  13. Happy New Year to you and yours Julie. Looking forward to seeing all your FAB projects of 2022!xxx

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  14. Greetings from Southern California! Your posts always make me happy and feel creative. Thank you for being there and sharing your photos...especially of the kitties!
    Mary

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    1. Thank You so much for your sweet kind comment Mary. Happy New Year to you!! xx

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  15. Beautiful post Julie, you have made so many beautiful things. Miss Pippi does not like to miss out does she!!
    Very happy New Year Julie to you and yours. I would enjoy very much a cool evening about now, our nights have been too warm!

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  16. Happy New Year Julie, you make some beautiful things, love the rat he reminds me of a wizard! The potpourri looks gorgeous too, you are so clever and creative with your hands. Glad to see that the furry ones are thriving and ruling the roost.
    Sharon

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  17. I love your cute projects you've made and the Santa bag is just amazing!!! I hope 2022 is an amazing year for you and everyone in blogland. xx

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