Advent ideas..

Have you started counting down to Christmas?  Kate from www.kaetoo.blogspot.com has featured some Advent calender ideas on her blog including one from Gozi & Pop.  Thanks Kate!

Am I Santa?

As my kids are getting older they are not so sure if Santa is real.  Maybe it's Mum and Dad who deliver the presents??

They have asked me if Santa is real and my answer has always been the same.  "I believe in Santa".

I read on someone's blog a couple of years ago (cannot remember where now) how they would answer that question to their children and I liked their explanation so I wrote it in my notebook.

The answer is no.  I am not Santa.  There is no one Santa.
I am the person who fills your Santa sack with presents though.   I also choose and wrap the presents under the tree, the same way my Mum and Dad did for me and the same way their Mum and Dad did for them.
I imagine you will someday do this for your children and you will love seeing their faces light up on Christmas morning.  This won't make you Santa though.  Santa is bigger than any person, and his work has gone on longer than any of us has lived.  What he does is simple, but it is powerful.  He teaches children how to have belief in something they can't see or touch.  It's a big job, and it's an important one.
Throughout your life, you will need this capacity to believe:  in yourself, in your friends, in your talents and in your family.  You'll also need to believe in things you can't measure or even hold in your hand.  Here, I am talking about love, that great power that will light your life from the inside out, even during its darkest, coldest moments.
Santa is a teacher and he has help from all the people whose hearts he's filled with joy.
With full hearts, Mummy and Daddy take turns helping Santa do a job that would otherwise be impossible.

So no, I am not Santa.  Santa is love and magic and hope and happiness and believing.

Yippee...1st of December and time to start counting down!

I love this time of the year.  I love to look at all the beautiful Christmas decorations in the shops, hear the Christmas songs and see the kids starting to get excited.  There's only three more weeks left to go at school which means not much time left for making things.  And I have so many things to make which keeps me very happy.
So to get into the spirit of the season I am going to post a picture everyday to help countdown the days.

1st December - time to put up the Christmas tree.

I love Peanuts.  I still have my Snoopy that Santa left for me one Christmas Eve many moons ago.

Christmas window display

Here are some pictures of things I've made which are now hanging in the shop window of my stockist at Davies & son.

Green and red Christmas Advent bunting with hand stitched numbers to countdown the days to Christmas.  A red Owl doorstop.

Advent Calender hanging on the wall, and a string of red & white Advent Bunting hanging on the left.
At bottom: framed word art  "let your little light shine"

New word art  "you make the sun shine brighter than doris day" in floral fabrics.  Lyrics taken from the song "wake me up before you go go" by Wham!

A Christmas birdy wreath

Pretty pink birdy wreath

All above available here

and lucky last this Advent calender is available here.

Christmas Advent Calender - by GoziandPop on madeit

I've been very productive these last couple of weeks. Will post some pictures in the next few days of some of the things I've been making.

My online shop has been sadly neglected for quite awhile, so I'm working hard to get some nice things listed for sale.  Here's one so far....

Christmas Advent Calender - by GoziandPop on madeit

a Berenstain moment...

Have you ever read the Berenstain Bears in the Dr Suess beginner book series?  I read them when I was little and now my kids love them too.

 Papa Bear is always telling his son how to do things and keep out of danger, but always ends up hurting himself along the way.

I had a 'Papa Bear' moment today.  I'm always telling my kids "watch what you're doing", "pay attention" and "look where you are going".  All the time like a stuck record.  And then....

I sewed through my finger!!

And ouch, it really hurt!!

I was sewing, and looking at my magazine, and looking at my phone and them BAM!

One sore finger and a broken sewing needle.

Always practice what you preach!

Love Me Do

50 years ago this modest little song with it's unmistakable harmonica hook was released by a little-known band from Liverpool.

Who would have imagined way back then how successful The Beatles would become?  My Dad is a huge Beatles fan and I grew up listening to all of their music.  We had The Beatles box set collection of vinyl records and I loved nothing more than playing records on our big Panasonic Technics record player with surround sound.  I don't think I'll ever tire of their music. Do you like The Beatles?  Do you have a favourite song?  If you like you can listen here to Love Me Do.