The Gallery - Something beautiful

...yes, I know, another sunrise - a few years of blogging and I'm getting pretty predictable! Give me a photo prompt like 'something beautiful' and I can't help thinking Sky. Again.

Thing is, if I see one like this I just want to try to catch it. To catch that beautiful, magical, fleeting moment. Always lifts my spirits, unless I've forgotten to bring the blinking camera.

It is another school run photo; another, 'Hurry up mum, we're going to be LATE!' photo. Definitely one of the benefits of being up and on the road so early, though not sure the kids would agree…

Many more beautiful things over at The Gallery

Keeping notes

The 6 year old is going through a bit of a note writing stage. Always furtively scribbling away - and no one's allowed to look - then little letters and cards just appear, by our bed, on the table, or in my knitting bag - all kinds of places.

They are terribly sweet and funny….and numerous. I've kept the best ones, but I'm afraid the rest have been 'filed away'. I've learnt to be careful though, after all hell broke loose when she found a few I'd filed in the recycling pile…

This one's a keeper.

Room with a View 2013

12 months and hundreds of photos later, and here it is: my patchwork landscapes or landscapes patchwork? And it's good seeing all the months side by side - a reflection of the ever changing view from our window over the year.

If I do anything like this again, I'd be more disciplined about how and when I take the photos: I'd stick to the same time of day and the same frame - having said that, the most out of sync one of the horses by the hedge in March is my favourite. Think I got better with the framing as the months went on.

I'm glad I did it - we're blessed with the view, still, you know how it is with things right in front of you every day: you kind of end up looking but not seeing. And I did see last year: how the light catches and lifts the landscape; how the shadows shift; how the rain can make it all fade to grey. Good to stop for a minute and properly take it all in.

Need to do more of that really.

Knitivity

This is my longest ongoing knitting project and probably my favourite. Every year a few more figures arrive at the stable, and I'm almost there - just two shepherds and an ox to go.

A while back I thought I'd lost the donkey, so knitted another one, only to find the original in my daughter's My Little Pony House… and I'd forgotten how many sheep I'd made - a few have wandered out of shot (need another shepherd) - last year I found some fluffy white and brown yarn in a charity shop and got a bit carried away.

I used 'Knitivity' by Fiona Goble. Such a great book. The patterns are easy to follow and the knitting really isn't tricky. Probably the most time-consuming part is the robes, and you do need lots of different colours, which was never going to be a problem for me with my wool hoarding habit..

It's such a lovely thing to have - every year I forget quite how lovely, until we take the figures out of the box and set them on the hall table. Hopefully they'll be making an appearance for years to come.

I've a few old family Christmas decorations that are very dear to me - and who knows, maybe far into the future some small person will be asking his mum why Great Granny knitted so many sheep..

Sparkly Christmas decorations

You can't do kids Christmas craft without a bit of sparkle. 'Tis the season to embrace your glittery side… your glittery table...and your glittery floor…. and frankly I could do with a sprinkle of Christmas twinkle, because even though my three are practically hyperventilating with excitement, all I can think about at the moment is the mountain of stuff I haven't done.

But I made myself sit down with the youngest to have a go at a few decorations, and these were her favourites. Very simple to do - all you need is a yogurt pot (any size), some tinsel, paper, glitter, glue and thread.

Cut the rim off your pot - cut down about a cm or so from the top and then cut all the way around (don't worry if it doesn't look very even as it'll be hidden under the tinsel), then wrap the tinsel around the ring (a piece with shorter, sparkly bits is best)
Tie a knot when you're finished and cut to neaten off.

For the angel, use a cup about the same size as the yogurt pot to draw a circle on some plain paper, cut it out, snip in half and make a cone shape.

Use the other half of the circle for the arms, making them wider at the ends (see pic)

The angel is very similar to the figures I made for our Nativity scene last year.

If you haven't got coloured paper just colour some in. My daughter chose yellow for the hair - put a pink piece on top of whatever colour you like, draw a head shape and cut out the two circles.

Stick these two pieces together and use it as a guide to draw the hair. Cut out the middle so there's a space for the face and glue on.

I had some gold wrapping paper for the wings, but anything shiny will do - metallic pens, glitter, tin foil even. Fold a small piece and draw half a wing, open up and stick in place.

Now your angel is ready to be glued onto the tinsel.
Finally, tie a loop of thread through the circle.

A Christmas tree also looks good - draw half a tree on a folded piece of paper, cut out and add some glitter.

For baubles, scrunch up little bits of coloured tin foil (great excuse to eat Christmas chocolates!) and the star on top of the tree came from a redundant Rewards Chart…

Or you could try a star, and if you don't have a good stencil, then make one of these Easy Stars and add some glitter.

Bells, or snowmen would work well too, or just anything you fancy!

Early Bird

another school run photo, and when it comes to early morning skies, there have been some right stunners this month...obviously some pretty dismal, depressing ones too, but thought I'd focus on the good days, in a cup half full kind of way.

I know it doesn't get the best press, November - the first real icy blast of winter and fading autumn colour, yet for me it's more than just the dull inbetweener because it's my birthday month. Not that I get remotely excited about that anymore, but it's never a month I wish away either.

We pick up a friend's son a few times a week, and this is the sky view just past their house. Well, sometimes it is, when the clouds lift high enough to let the light shine through.When the weather's good there's that moment of anticipation as we turn onto the road heading due east, and get our first proper look at the sun rising behind the hills. Even more spectacular when the clouds catch the colours. For a minute on a chilly November morning it drowns out the racket in the back of the car and never fails to lift my spirits.
Hope ahead.

The Gallery theme this week is November