M&S Store Snaps

I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas!

Mine was great! One highlight being the family Nerf gun fight we had with my brother's Christmas present to my other brother (who is 34!!). If you're not sure what they are see here.

I went sale shopping with my mum today and we went to Marks and Spencer, while we were there I couldn't resist a few store shots in the children's section...

girlswear

boyswear

I wish Grizzly Bear Burt came in Adult sizes!

Happy Gingerbread Christmas!

At the start of this month in a rare moment of feeling domesticated I decided I would try and make a gingerbread house for my boyfriend's mum and dad for Christmas. Then because I was going to have to make it at my own mum and dad's house (bit too difficult to transport a fully made gingerbread house 2 hours down the M5 and country lanes!) 

I felt it would only be fair to make one for them too...

 I started 3 days ago (honestly haven't really left the kitchen since) 

and following this recipe from the lovely Kirsty Allsopp,

I've managed to knock up some half decent ginger lodgings if I do say so myself.

They aren't quite the perfect Swiss chalets I had imagined and that you see on Pinterest, but considering I often struggle not to burn pasta I am blinkin proud!

Here are the end creations:

House Number One

 

House Number Two

 

There were a few hairy 'moments' attaching the roof where I had to use jam jars as props, and I had a bit of a disaster when I tried to lightly dust some snow over the roof tops after a couple of glasses of gin and ended up with more of an avalanche of icing sugar, 

(you will notice the penguins have an extreme case of dandruff) but all in it went pretty well!

Happy Christmas to all, see you on the other side!!

December fun

Here is some of what I have been up to this month...

Designing characters to go on my Christmas cards:

Making some Christmas decorations to go on our little tree:

And making some marsh mallow snowmen for our Christmas buffet at work:

(plus the usual last minute prezzie buying, fighting my way through the xmas shoppers, 

eating mince pies and whole tins of Cadbury Heros etc etc!)

Hope you're all having a fun December too!

Made By Hand

This weekend I visited  Made By Hand, a craft fair based in Tredegar House which is a beautiful old National Trust house near Cardiff.

It was a very busy fair with lots to see, full of designer makers from all sorts of trades, from blacksmithing, to ceramics, to jewellery and there was even a lady selling GIANT knitting needles so big that apparently you could knit an actual rug in 4 hours!

Some of my favourite exhibitors:

Elaine Hughes who creates whimsical collaged scenes using 

stitch and collected vintage papers and textiles.

Anya Keeley makes, amongst other things, beautiful paper sculpted creatures.

Each one has a name and a story to tell.

Laura Pearcey from Boop Design had a delicate range of ceramics on offer including delicate bottles with hand drawn decoration and tiny ceramic charms.

Yvette Brown uses pewter to make funny little characters 'who just happen to be birds'.

They each have a name or a funny explanation of what they are up to, so sweet.

All very inspiring! 

I've been doing a spot of crafting myself making a few Christmas decorations and 

visiting the fair on Sunday has made me want to make all sorts of things.

If I start now I might actually have something to sell at a craft fair by next Christmas!