Ah, I'm done, everything is ready. All I need to do now is sit back, relax and enjoy the festivities. I hope you have fun, what ever you are doing, and I look forward to catching up in the new year.

For now I'll leave you with a few inside shots of my new favourite shop - mentioned in a previous post - W & M Smith Florist Supplies. It didn't take much to get me back there for another look, just the decision that I absolutely needed a few more cake decorations...


An entire room devoted to ribbons.


The shop is predominately florist supplies but they have a whole host of other things too.


The Christmas room with a great selection of decorations and lots of items to help you make your own, I lost a good half hour in here.


And this is Bella, the shop canine. She greeted me at the door and escorted me around the shop. Can you imagine a more perfect place?

Merry Christmas!

I really enjoyed having goals for Autumn, short term goals seem easier than year long resolutions - and they tend to be fun things as well as 'improvement' orientated - so I'm taking part in Wonderful Winter with Lucy again.

The first two goals are ones from Awesome Autumn that I failed to do.

1. Walk in the woods
Not difficult (or so you'd think), this is about getting out there and enjoying the world around me, I live in such a beautiful area but most days I just don't see it.

2. Go to the beach
The addition to this one, this season is to see the seals. Andy mentioned he'd like to take a drive to Norfolk to see them so on the list it went. This is his quiet time of year so I like to spend as much time with him as possible, doing lovely things (see 5 & 6), before he disappears again in a cloud of dirt and dust.

3. Read three books
I haven't made my piece with that book yet but I have started to read again. I'm being a girly swot and reading the second book for Alex's A Blogging Good Read (I'm taking part in the April, so I'll have this done and dusted super early). The book I'm reading is Notes On A Scandal by Zoë Heller. Next on the list is Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett, which will leave me with just one more to choose.

4. Have friends over for dinner
Andy and I say we're going to do this all the time but never seem to get anything in the diary.

5. Watch Frozen
Although this is the same as on of Lucy's goals, I haven't copied her entirely here. This is actually something Andy suggested to me (I know!). He came home one day and said 'would it be completely ridiculous for us to watch Frozen?' Hell no.

6. Visit Hogwarts in the snow
After seeing a picture on Twitter of Hogwarts in the snow I really wanted to go and see it. I asked Andy thinking that he'd look at me quizzically, but he didn't.

7. Finish my patchwork quilt!!
I started it on March 1st 2014 and want to finish it within the year.

8. Make Jaffa Cakes and this boiled fruit cake.

9. Make home improvements
There are a lot of little jobs to do around the house (as well as some larger ones) but I'd like to do at least one thing a week, even if it's just to hang a picture or buy a plant.

and finally...

10. Sort out my office.
It's become a bit of a dumping ground, so being able to walk from on side to the other without having to step over something would be wonderful. I'd also like to put the finishing touches to it after decorating it back in October 2013!

What are you looking forward to doing this winter?

When joining Lucy for Awesome Autumn, my goals were few and simple.

Forage for sloes and make some gin
I found the sloes, I found the recipe, I found a demijohn (albeit dusty and covered in cobwebs). This happened people, this totally happened. I've since been told that the finished product is much nicer if left for a year, and I can't believe I'm about to say this, but I'm going to be patient and wait...


Go to the beach
This didn't happen. I'm not sure where the time went.

Decorate the side entrance and hallway
Done! Almost. I still have the woodwork to sand and gloss, but as we're so close to Christmas, and I'm hoping for an electric sander, I'm going to wait and see what Santa brings.


Carve a pumpkin or two
Fail. Halloween seemed to completely pass me by, honestly it came and went before I realised the pumpkins were on sale.

Watch a creepy film on Halloween
Fail, see above. However I did watch my favourite Christmas film - The Holiday. Twice.

Bake something
I've got three apple crumbles under my belt (literally!) and this cherry cake. The recipe comes from Bessie's Veggie Kitchen. I've cooked recipes from this blog before - here and here - and it turns out that the blogger behind it is a friend of mine. Someone I've known since I was 14. I'd been following her Pinterest boards for ages without even realising. Small world.



Resist the urge to buy new scarves and wear all the ones I own!
Loved this mini challenge and succeeded in not buying any new ones. Scarves are something I wear all year round but they feature heavily at this time of year. I wore almost all of my collection and selected a few to go to chairty. I received three for my birthday at the end of August, one of which was awesome (and huge), but, I'm told, not as big as one Lenny Kravitz has.


Read 3 books
To help towards my goal of 12 before my next birthday. I read A Cup of Tea by Amy Ephron, which is my chosen book for Alex's A Blogging Good Read. And then I started The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness, which is where it all started to go wrong.

Something happened in the book, something that I didn't want to happen. It was awful, I saw it coming but still hoped that it wouldn't actually happen. It did. And when it did, I threw the book across the room and there it still sits. I sobbed and I haven't picked another book since.

The book was recommended to me by my best friend. When she read the awful thing, she was on a plane and sobbed just like I did. But she read on and tells me I should do the same, but I need to make my peace with it first. Despite this I'm impressed that a book can make me react in such a forceful manner - if nothing else that's pretty spectacular writing.

Walk in the woods
I live a two minute walk away from woods and yet didn't make it there for an autumnal stroll. Shame. On . Me.

Meet friends for coffee
This was really about just seeing more of my favourite people. And I'm pleased to say that I did. Time spent with friends is always a pleasure, even if it's for a quick lunchtime coffee. This is something I'm definitely going to keep up, it's all to easy to let time go by.


I'll be taking part in Lucy's Wonderful Winter too, hopefully I'll do better.

How was your Autumn? What are you looking forward to this winter?

Love

I made my own Christmas wreath this year and it hadn't occurred to me to share it with you all until I saw Janet's (and I call myself a blogger, tsk!). Check out her post for a step-by-step guide. It's super easy and a fraction of the cost of store bought.

 
I used holly and a florists oasis - whereas Janet used and combination of greenery and a wire moss ring - which actually seems a lot nicer. I also used a piece of ribbon I had kicking around (never throw ribbon away), some found pine cones and some berry decorations bought on a trip to a local shop.


Which brings me neatly to the subject of the shop. Now, this shop is no ordinary shop (and I'm not talking about M&S here), it's a fabulous Aladdin's cave of gorgeousness that I was introduced to recently by a friend.

Nestled in Middlewood Green in Suffolk is W&M Smith Florist Supplies. The website does not do it justice, it's packed to the rafters with all sorts of floristry and craft supplies and has the nicest range of Christmas decorations I've ever seen. The outside is very deceptive, it's hard to tell if it's open, or if you're even allowed to go in. Once inside the tiny entrance you go through to a huge main area, chock full of high shelves, this has lots of little rooms leading off it, also full of heaving shelves. I loved it. Children aren't allowed in and once inside this makes perfect sense, not to mention making it a bit of a playground for the fully grown. My friend and I wandered at leisure, marveling at it all and filling our baskets with all sorts of goodies.


I was rather more restrained than I thought I would be, but now I know where it is there is nothing - nothing - to stop me going back. In addition to the decorations for my wreath I purchased a heart wreath for our new mantlepiece - one that I can bring out year after year. Some cake glitter and ribbon for the Christmas cake that I am, ahem, still yet to make. And some little fabric hearts for making Christmas cards next year.


We had a mantlepiece fitted back in September when we changed the fireplace from an open fire to a woodburner, and since then the thing I've been most excited about is being able to decorate the mantlepiece for Christmas! Priorities, right? The heart wreath looks fab sat there with all sorts of other bits and pieces I've been collecting, waiting for the day I'd have somewhere to display them.



To add to my Christmas excitement I recently received my not-so-Secret-Santa gift, I'd completely forgotten about it, so it was a lovely surprise when it arrived. I received two Yankee candles in Frosted Spruce and Holiday Magic. Both of which I love. In my local Wyevale recently I made myself dizzy, and gave myself a sneezing fit, by sniffing them all so much.


I was also sent the cutest button and daisy necklace (two of my very favourite things) and a patchwork pattern case, that I can use for either my glasses or my phone, and some chocolate that didn't last very long at all! Poor Snowman had his head bitten off before he could even get his bearings.

It was lucky that my gifts arrived in good time as, although I'd ordered (and made) my Secret Santa gifts early, I'd put them to one side and then promptly forgot all about them. So I had a mad dash to the post office. Oops.


I sent one 'main' gift and some goodies and a few little bits and pieces.


Now, I'm just waiting for the Christmas tree, a hangover (Andy's) meant that our original plans were scuppered, so I'm patiently waiting...

How is your Christmas shaping up?

Love

OK, so I'm well and truly feeling festive! The wreaths are on the doors and a few decorations have found themselves being dotted about the house. The tree is arriving on Saturday, a prospect that I am ridiculously excited about, it takes me hours to decorate but when I'm done I spend more time gazing at it that I do the telly.

My food delivery has been booked for the 23rd and we've got our Christmas diary sorted. The only thing I haven't done is give any thought to what I'm going to wear but not matter what I'll be shopping my wardrobe and making sure my waistband is forgiving enough for a roast with all the trimmings.

I just need to buy Christmas cards, write, and post them... when's the last posting day?

I first saw this on Pinterest and decided to apply it to my Christmas wish list. I think it's meant for children, but hey what the heck!





Benefit Majorette. I first saw this on Really Ree and even tweeted that I'd keep an eye out and buy it when it hit the shelves. Months later I still haven't got one. But I still want one.



Bosch Sander. OK, so I doubt you'll see this pop up on many bloggers wish lists but I am so sick of sanding by hand. Bring. It. On.




Nike Rosherun Winter Black Trainers. There is just something so, so lovely about these. I'm slowly turning into a flat shoes kinda girl - what's happening to me!




Amy Poulter, Yes Please. I'm dying to read this (love her!) but as I have a huge dislike of hardback books (reading books not beautiful coffee table type books), I'm happy to wait until it comes out in paperback. Just no spoilers 'k?

What's on your Christmas wish list?

I didn't posted much at all last month, what with one thing and another I just didn't find the time. November was a busy one. I'm still forging ahead with my 4-4-4 Challenge. Although daily photos have fallen by the wayside, I'm enjoying it. I'll update you on that in another post.

I've been decorating and it's been hard work! The side hallway is the only area we I hadn't decorated yet and I'd been putting it off, although it's a small area, I knew it would take ages to do. The amount of cleaning, sanding, filling, sanding, filling and prep I've had to do it unreal.

Many years of neglect and bad decorating had to be rectified. I'm happy to say the ceilings are painted, colour (green) is on the walls, the new lights are up and the new flooring chosen but I still have to rub down the woodwork and paint it. I hate gloss painting and I've run out of steam. Total DIY fatigue. I'm giving myself a few days off before going at it again, I don't want to rush it and ruin it at this late stage...

It's all starting to feel very Christmassy. Andy had a rare afternoon off recently, so we hopped on a train to London to see the poppies. I know the interwebs has been awash with images such as these but I can't help but share mine too. And it's my blog, so I can.



Feeling uncharacteristically sociable, we also went to see Noel Fielding at our local theatre in the same week. Whilst walking to the venue, we overheard two young girls in front of us talking. One said 'I think this might be a little bit weird', the other replied "yeah, I think it could be'. We got a fit of giggles, I'm not sure they really had a grasp on who they were about to see. Weird doesn't even really begin to cover it.

I think we've used up our social life quota for now, going out 3 times in one month is unheard of. I feel some hibernation coming on.


I'm loving Autumn. The sloe gin is well underway. I've been baking - mostly apple crumble - and enjoying nights in by the fire under a blanket (that's more like it). My patchwork quilt has taken a back seat, I'm sure I'll get back into it soon, I can hear it calling. I bought some cute fabric at a craft fayre recently (did I mention I'd been to the NEC Birmingham for that? No? oh it's good, great if you like crafts of any kind), so I'm keen to get it cut out and sewn in. I'll be able to point at it and say 'that's from our road trip to the NEC'.


I have an 'Andy one' on the quilt as well. When Andy ruined one of his work shirts (which happens to them all eventually) I nicked it before he could throw it out. I washed it, cut it up and had it sewn in place before he got home from work. I think he's secretly quite pleased to be part of it.

Oh, I also made these festive Cornflake Wreaths (as mentioned in my previous post). I say 'made', I mean I tried to make them. It was a massive fail. Despite following the recipe and instructions to the letter, they didn't turn the gorgeous festive green the picture depicted, nor did they bond together.


What I ended up with was a sticky mess of slightly greenish coloured cornflakes, that tasted more like food colouring than anything else, on account of using a whole bottle to try to get them to even remotely resemble green. Oh well.

Wow, that ended up being a bit of a ramble. What have you been up to?

Love

Hiya! How have you been? I didn't realise it'd been so long since my last post until Kezzie left a comment ending "New blog post please!!!??!?!x" How can I ignore that many exclamation marks and question marks?

I wondered what I could write about for a new post and decided to write about something I'd found myself pondering a few days ago. Which is that I often 'like' posts on Bloglovin, pins on Pinterest, and 'favourite' tweets on Twitter, with every intention of going back to them to find out a little more. And then I never do.

So, I decided to do just that, and here is what I found from my most recent online activity.

From Pinterest

Personalised laser cut bauble from Not On The High Street, which has given me an excellent idea for a Christmas present. I'll keep you posted...


A new way to tie a scarf, you know me and scarves.


Classic cornflake wreaths - sound delicious and will be made before the new week begins. Expect a post soon with all the sticky gooey details.



From Twitter

Excuse my language but I can be heard saying this repeatedly over the winter months and I know more than a few people who will appreciate it, most of whom also love penguins. 


Selfies through a toilet roll (hey, I never said this was going to be a high brow post). This especially made me laugh as it reminded me of seeing Noel Fielding at our local theatre recently. I had to give it a go.


...it's not as easy as it looks but I had fun. As much fun as you can have at home, alone, with a toilet roll, at 3.50 in the afternoon...

I caught up with a few words from Jenny, I started to read the post but didn't get to finish it, so favourited the tweet and thanks to this post got to finish it. I had to chuckle that she calls their spare room her office, as I do exactly that. 

However the post put me to shame by reminding me of how many plans I had for my office that are still yet to be fullfilled. But it did remind me of this awesome print that I NEED for my walls - utterly perfect for any graphic designer.



And this from @finanddandy for making me nostalgic and want to return to Hogwarts...

Hogwarts at Christmas, can you imagine! *sigh*


Love

Here we are at the end of Challenge 4-4-4 and, as I used to say to my Mum, 'I'm fiiinnnnnnnnnished!' I liked and enjoyed this challenge a lot. So-much-so I'm it all over again, so it's not technically finished, but I started afresh on Saturday with a new selection of items.

Whilst some outfits weren't in the least bit interesting I liked and felt comfortable in them all and I've relegated a few more items to the charity bag. I've been making better use of the plethora of accessories I have but rarely use. And, other than a long standing date to go charity shopping I didn't buy anything new during this challenge. So it's been a winner all round really.


Saturday
I hit up the charity shops in Bury St Edmunds with Sophie (she bought ALL the jumpers). I bought myself a few new shirts and a skirt. Or two. One of which I nicked from under Sophie's nose, although she did later say she wouldn't be above fighting me for an item she really wanted (she'd totally kick my ass) so I felt OK about it.

Knowing we'd be stomping around for hours I wore my newest Chelsea boots. Last time I wore these a guy came up to me and stroked them up and down. Bit odd as I don't know him terribly well, but hey, whatever floats your boat I suppose.


Sunday
I made my 4th apple crumble in two weeks and a lovely venison stew. Proper autumn food that. Forgot to take a photo though and had to make do with this.


Monday
A nondescript day.

Tuesday
Bad face day.

Wednesday
I chose a shirt to replace the last of the dresses I discarded at the beginning of the challenge, mainly because I bought it on Saturday and wanted to wear it and because I needed something to layer up with my grey jumper dress. Bored of just wearing it with tights or leggings and a scarf, I popped (first time around I wrote 'pooped' instead and I'm still chuckling about it) a pair of skinny jeans underneath along with this shirt. I normally hate wearing shirts and jumpers together, finding them too clingy but with a jumper this big it was never going to be an issue.


Thursday
The last time I'll wear this jacket. I love it and even though I tried it on when I bought it I've decided it's too tight across my stoopid shoulders. Not to worry, it only cost me £4.50 and I know someone who might like it...

The scarf is from this month's My Little Box. I've decided to cancel my subscription to this as it's just not floating my boat, it's nice and all but not 'Wow!' enough to keep in interested (fickle much?). And I have something better I want to spend the money on but more on that another day.

Friday
The final day of 4-4-4. I spent the day in London at the V&A gazing at wedding dresses 1775 - 2014 and some stunning photography by Horst (both are worth a look IMO). My friends tell me that the V&A is the most boring of the London museums but I love it, I can lose hours in there.

I wore my new shirt again, this time persevering with the shirt / jumper combo and after a bit of arm waving and shoulder shrugging I got myself comfortable enough to go with it. I'm now totally loving it. Expect to see more of this.

What have you been up to?

Love