tiny happy

Hello! It's most definitely flowering season here, but there hasn't been much rain to keep everything thriving. I hope this finds you well and keeping warm (or cool, depending on your hemisphere).

Last week I found an old wooden flower press in a second-hand shop and cleaned it up for a friend who has been on the look out for one. It had stickers on it and had seen better days, so I treated the wood with beeswax and painted some sprigs on the top over the sticker marks. It was fun to give it to L and her toddler daughter because they go for a lot of walks and foraging expeditions together.

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In other making news, I've been continuing my mission to use long-hoarded fabric and this week I made some things that had been sitting unfinished on my work table, including needle-books (some from vintage linen and some from my own embroideries) and a few more project bags. The one you see above was a tea-towel and a place-mat in its former life. 

I was inspired to make the needle-books after watching the Netflix mini-series Alias Grace. It's a beautifully told story and includes themes of hand-work – quilting and patchwork in particular. In one scene, Grace and her best friend Mary exchange Christmas gifts of embroidery and a needle case.

Apart from some late-night TV watching and a lot of work, this time of year brings with it many parties and other occasions and treats. I've discovered a love of mojitos and whiskey sours and learned to make rum balls and apricot fudge truffles (using this recipe which is not nutritious but definitely delicious and fun to serve at a Christmas party.)

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There are a few things in my etsy shop but I think I will close it for the year at the beginning of next week. I have lots of ideas and thoughts for what I might make next year, but am looking forward to having a break from my work desk for several weeks.

I hope you are enjoying this part of the year, wherever you are in the world. 

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