Dear readers, I wish for a very happy Christmas and calendar-year's end to you all. Thank you for reading my ramblings and craft obsessions this year. I appreciate you all very much.  Have a great holiday season, and I'll see you again in the New Year. Melissa XXXX

Here are a few last-minute gifts I've finished off this week, and now they're all wrapped and nestled under the Christmas tree. Phew. But just in case you're still looking for ideas for things to make for little ones, I thought I'd share these. I have a tiny and sweet baby newphew named Leo, and…

We're getting all Christmassy around here with baking and wrapping gifts and friends visiting. I made a couple of Christmas cakes- using the recipe I seem to mix up every year- it's a variation on this one. I always think I should try something adventurous, but we all love eating this one so it's no…

We had a quiet kind of adventure, staying with friends in an old and rustic bach a few hours' away. It was so nice to escape town just before Christmas. There was a storm and it rained almost the entire time we were there. So that was a shame but it didn't really matter, because…

It rains, then it rains some more. Actually, it's very welcome, because we were all beginning to worry about drought. And it means that we can spend a cosy day inside with the radio playing and steam on the windows.  I wanted the children to help me with some holiday baking. They were enthusiastic at…

I've been thinking about small gifts this week- things to make for the neighbours and teachers and others we know for Christmas. I'm thinking about making chocolatey things like fudge and truffles because, well, I don't think you can ever have enough chocolate. The children have had such great teachers at school this year. They…

My project this week was to make some clothes for Arlo to wear this summer. So far I've made a few pairs of these long shorts/short longs (which are they?) which he seems to like wearing. To sew these, I used my own simple pattern that I've been adapting a little every year since he…

Thank you for your kind support over the weekend with regards to my table at the Auckland Art and Craft Fair. It was an amazing event, and I loved getting to meet blog readers and fellow crafters in person. So, thank you for coming and visiting me, if you did. It was very nice to…

Did you know that the collective noun for jackrabbits is 'husk'? A husk of jackrabbits. You could also say a wrack of rabbits (I'm sure some farmers would agree) or a down of rabbits or a trace. They all sound quite fitting to me.  Here are some long-eared rabbits that I have made for my…

We have a climbing rose bush in our back garden, I think it's a Cecile Brunner. It's growing quickly and had completely covered the garden shed, so I cut it back this morning, and now there's a jug filled with roses on my desk. Very nice. I've made these little pins as a last-minute project…