Dear friends, Wishing you a very happy Christmas, if you celebrate it.I hope that 2017 brings you love and peace. See you back here in mid-January. M X X X X X X X X X X X X 

I set aside some time this year to make a few Christmas gifts for family and friends. Here are some of the things I've made for people who (I'm pretty sure) don't read my blog. Both Tom and I come from quite large families and both sets do a kind of 'secret santa' present arrangement…

Here are a few snaps from the last few days. I finally finished work for the year and we've had a few end-of-year gatherings and friend meet-ups which is always good for the heart. I made a new top for summer, using this pattern (the simplest version of it – with a straight hem and…

Hello! Hope your December is going well so far. There's been a lot to do around here (as I'm sure there has been in your neck of the woods also) as school and work and other activities finish up for the year. I've carved out some time to do a bit of Christmas-present-making – and…

I haven't got much to show in the way of finished projects this week – I have been working away on things but most of them are intended as Christmas gifts.  I did however find this glorious old cake platter in the op-shop next door to my workplace, and had to make a chocolate cake…

I drew a winner for the Extra Curricular giveaway – and that person was Cécile – hooray! I'll be in touch with you soon, C. Thanks everyone for entering. We have some brand new poppies in our garden. They've been trying to open for weeks, and then this week they suddenly came out – looking…

The lovely little magazine Extra Curricular is coming to an end after 20 issues. My friend Ellie has been making Extra Curricular since the beginning, and every beautifully-designed issue has featured Antipodean artists and their work, as well as recipes, tutorials and interesting thoughts.  I was thrilled to contribute several times over the years – including…