2010 has been one of the worst years of my life ... not that many of the recent years have been that great, but it is one I don't want to repeat. It probably hasn't been the best year to try and write a diary everyday especially when I have not wanted to talk about bad things, but I am looking forward next year and know that things will be different.
I am not going to look at the bad though and go out of 2010 with the positives in my life and things that have changed since last year ...

• I am a stone lighter than last year
• I am not trapped and can now do what I like with my life!
• I have given up coffee

I have never liked New Year as it is just seemed to mark another year of misery, but its going to be different from now on ... 2011 is the start of my new life ... and its just going to get better and better.

My big brother arrived yesterday with his wife and lovely baby for a few days over New Year ... we don't do anything to exciting tonight, but it will be nice to play some games and just spend time together!

I hope you all have a great New Year's Eve and a brilliant 2011!
Bring it on!!

I have been making and writing my thank you letter this week ...
they are quite a simple design this year ... just pretty tags ... but I like them!

So this week Collection from Folksy is THANK YOU!
A ~ Hand Stamped Thank You Card by KONNIE KAPOW!
B ~ Monster Notelet Set by KIM DELLOW CRAFTY MAKES
C ~ A Little Thank You Pack by ARBEE CARDS
D ~ Thank You Keepsake by THE GRIM EXHIBITION
E ~ Thank You Hearts by OH YOU PRETTY THINGS
F ~ Thank You Sew Much by HANNAH MADDEN

Please pop along and visit their shops if you still need to write your thank you cards ... I have one thank you card listed in my shop too!

This nativity set was my nans and she gave it to my mum ... I love it too ... I love that its been in the family so long.

I didn't take any of the ones I wanted to :( ....... too busy having fun!

I know this is very late ... so is really a Folksy-Tuesday ... but I really wanted to do a Folksy-Friday for Christmas... lets not forget the real reason for Christmas ...

So this week Collection from Folksy is NATIVITY!
A ~ Glass Star Coaster by LAZY DAISY
B ~ Christmas Angel in Pearl & Gold by TALKING BEADS
C ~ Nativity Scene by AMY CLAY CRITTERS
D ~ Nativity Scene Necklace by ICH BIN
E ~ Sheep Egg Cosies by CLAIRE SIBLEY
F ~ Flowery Crown by RUBYRU

Please pop along and visit their shops for more beautiful goodies!

We came home today ... so much fog on the way it was like traveling in a weird world ... beautiful though ... had a lovely Christmas seeing my lovely family and apart from half of us having colds it was a really lovely few days, but I am pleased to be home ... and I know that's a lot of lovelies!

Dilly was so sweet when we were packing the car ... kept getting in, determined to no be left behind! Not sure how we managed to get everything in, we seemed to be going home with more than we came with ... how is that possible? We arrived with a large turkey!!

I didn't get to go online much so now I am home am catching up on what I have missed in the blogging, twitter & facebook world .......... oh, and my shops are open again if you have any Christmas money and want to treat yourself!

I got some really lovely gifts ... here are a few of them ...
... the chocolate mushrooms are a joke from my brother 'cos I am on a diet ... they are the yummiest chocolates! ...
... the little purse is perfect for putting jewellery in when I am away ...
... French perfume ... one of my sisters-in-law is French so its lovely getting a little luxury! ...
... some pretty bits! ... have you ever seen such a pretty calculator?

... I have used up all the wool and its perfect for a normal size scarf but I want this to be a wide one for when its very cold so will be getting another ball tomorrow!

... I did some more of my cream crochet, but the new rows that I did seemed more square that the ones from before that I did a few years ago ... (more square is better) so as I had another ball with me, I decided to start again and then compare rather than un-do it all and find that the new crochet ended up looking the same as the old crochet ... so far, so good ... lovely and square!
... can you believe its nearly over all ready ... in a few of days it will be 2011 and the tree will be coming down :(

I hope you have all had a lovely Christmas ... another brother, his wife and baby niece are coming for New Year, so should be another lovely weekend!

Its here ... can you believe it?
Had a lovely day with some lovely gifts and spending time with my lovely family ... just wish I didn't have this stinking cold.

The presents went all round the room ... but most of them were large ones for Samuel ... not bad for his first Christmas!

Christmas Eve ... a very magical day ... decorated some shape biscuits and then set out a party tea while the others went to a Christingle Service (my little tradition every year ... an hour or so on my own every Christmas Eve ... love it :D)


Mum, dad and I walked to Midnight Mass at the York Minster ... it was very icy and cold but lovely ... the Minster was full and I actually began to feel Christmassy.

I do love Christmas lights ... they make the world look like a magical place! My photo was taken at a place called Hampton Court (not the one in London ... this one is in Herefordshire) It is a beautiful place!

These are the pictures I didn't choose ... taking pictures of lights is really hard!!

Set off for York today and made it there too! It was very snowy when we left and the roads were really bad ... managed to make it ok though ... after going through Herefordshire and Worcester it cleared up and by the time we got to York there was no snow at all ... just some frost!

So Christmas you can now come as we are here safely! Tanya's tree is fab ... lovely and bright ...

Hope you all have a very MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR love from Maria & Dilly x

I have just finished my Christmas present to my little nephew (look away now Tanya!) ... its a cute blue dinosaur ...
... I am pleased with him and think he is very cute ... just hope my nephew agrees!
... so now I have to decide on my next project ... I love starting new projects, but in the end decided I really must finish some so have dug out this crochet that I haven't touched for a couple of years ... (didn't get much done did I!) It is a cot blanket (its 5 hearts wide, I have only taken a picture of one heart!) its very pretty and I am excited about doing some more on it over Christmas.
... but I have been getting a very cold head when going out in the snow and ice recently, so have taken to borrowing a wide scarf from my mum and wrapping it round my head ... I feel like I am an old woman Eastern Europe in it (although mum assures me I don't look like one!) but I am very snug in it and so when in the wool shop today I spied this HUGE ball of lovely soft wool and thought I could make myself a wide scarf for my head ...
... so it looks like I will be starting a new item after all!
I hope you are all keeping warm and safe in this crazy weather :)

Yey, I have made the first land mark ... I have lost another pound ... that makes one stone in total .... me = very happy ... just got to do it a few more times!

Lots of snow and ice again today ... we went into Hereford and I got a little chest of draws for the end of my bed ... fits perfectly and I love it ... took dilly out for a walk and by the time we got in it was -7 so we are in for a cold night.

Worked on Luke and Ruth's wedding invite tonight ... I really think my brain has died ... I am finding it so hard to focus and concentrate on it .... managed to get the sample done though and I am quite pleased with it ... I hope they are too!

My brother and sister in law, niece and doggy went to Cornwall today ... the roads were a nightmare ... I was so scared for them. They got stuck on the worst roads and hills with cars sliding all around them ... a journey that can take 6 hours took 11 1/2! But they got there safely in the end!

I was helping dad move his printer (its a huge beast and very heavy) and one part of it fell on my leg .... I now have the most fabulous bruise ever on my knee!


1 week to go and its Christmas!! Where as the year gone?

I treated myself to a couple of stacking rings in town today ... rings are my one weakness! There was a garnet one and a plain one with round bits on ... They go perfectly with a couple of thin rings I made years ago and love to wear ...
(sorry the pictures are a little blurred ... its very hard to take a picture of your hand with the wrong hand!)

So this week Collection from Folksy is RINGS!
A ~ Ruby Reds by IWANTBUTTONS
B ~ Butterfly Ring by AKINO JEWELLERY
C ~ Organic Domed Ring by SILVER SOULS JEWELLERY
D ~ Carnelian Ring by LYNSEY'S LITTLE GEMS
E ~ Beautiful Butterfly Ring by ANNIELOUBUTTONS
F ~ Pink Floral Ring by SPOTS & STRIPES

Please pop along and visit their shops for more beautiful goodies that are perfect for Christmas gifts!

Another exhausted day today ... did manage to pick up my scarf from the cinema though which I am pleased about cos I really love it :D
I finished my cushion cover a couple of days ago ... thought you may like to see it ... I am really pleased, its so soft and makes me think of a cosy cottage in winter ... ... this is the front ... ... and this is the back ...
I ran out of the burgundy wool, as you can see on the back there is only one ring of it.
I hope you are all enjoying wintery projects!
Keep warm :)

Previous blog posts about this cushion are {{here}} and {{here}}

I took so many pictures in the frost that I have made a little slide show ... I hope you enjoy it ... I have never seen frost like it ... it was like being in a truly magical world. Apparently it is called Hoar Frost which is freezing fog.

Had a lovely tea out (toasted bacon sandwich ... love it!!) and then went on to the cinema to see Narnia ... loved it ... Ben Barns is definitely easy on the eye! It was in 3D too ... I haven't managed to watch a proper 3D film before, it was really good.

Nicole makes the most beautiful beaded jewellery, I love it! ... you really must have a look at her Folksy shop that's full of gorgeous jewellery that's perfect for Christmas gifts!

8 words that most describe you?
Ermm....shy, quiet, geeky, creative, messy, laid-back, uncomplicated, patient.

What do you make?
I make jewellery - I am mostly a beadweaver, so my work involves stitching together lots and lots of tiny seed beads with a needle and thread, with a mix of glass and crystals added in for extra sparkle.

What new craft would you like to try?
I have done a few silversmithing classes as I'd like to move on into that side of jewellery making (whilst still incorporating my beadweaving skills) so I'd like to try my hand at proper stone setting and enameling.

What is the best present someone has ever given you?
When I was 10 years old I used the money I had been given for my birthday to buy a budgie. Pip turned out to be quite the character; he learned to talk, his favourite food was toast and he would follow you anywhere around the house. He spent 10 happy years as part of our family and there have been budgies in our house ever since as a result.

Do you have any scars? How did you get it?
I have a teeny one on my wrist which I did a couple of years ago by burning myself whilst taking mince pies out of the oven - ouch! The mince pies were yummy though.

What’s on the walls in your room?
A pin board with photos and postcards pinned on to it and a rainbow striped sock monkey one of my best friend's made for me...her name (the monkey's) is Maisie Rainbow and she even has handmade denim dungarees on.

What was your favourite toy as a child?
I had a hand knitted pink bunny rabbit called, Bunny (how original?!) which I loved...until I left it somewhere and it was lost forever - I remember being very upset about that.

What’s your favourite ice-cream flavour?
It has to be Ben & Jerry's Phish Food ... chocolate heaven!
I hope you have enjoyed some randomness with Nicole. Please check out her lovely site, blog and you can chat to her on twitter @HollybirdBeads and become a fan on facebook!