oh christmas tree

today the tree came down, the decorations are all neatly packed up ready for christmas 2012.


i just love my tree, it's magical. christmas would be nothing without it. the tree goes up on christmas eve and comes down today, as family tradition has, and always has dictated. who knows who starts these traditions but carrying them on is important, as well as starting new ones that is.



happy new year to all you lovely people

ambika x

my little chimney sweep

our towns christmas light switch on was celebrated by a dickensian themed day and evening lantern parade and carols. franc and i knocked up a very quick chimney sweep outfit for the occasion, complete with black net chimney brush.


To our great surprise and pleasure he won the kids fancy dress competition and was awarded with this beautiful engraved bauble. Francisco is the cheeky chap in the middle with the brown scarf.


the lantern parade was magical, it has been such a long time since something in my town has sent such a warm feeling through me. the streets where packed and the mood was so happy. it really was a beautiful way to get into the christmas spirit. after the parade carols were sung in the street, accompanied by the town band. we finished off the evening with a drink and a bite to eat in the local pub with crazy kids hiding under the table demanding ice cream.



ambika x

3 things

i was in town with my 4 year old the other day and he noticed the christmas lights. i think they went up at the end of october, can that be true? after seeing them he asked me why we hadn't got our decorations up. hmm, well to keep him happy we got working on something as soon as we got home. some simple decorations made out of cardboard, inspired by these found via pinterest. i think the point is to let some of the card show at the end but we got rather carried away with the painting. we found the twig in the woods on the way to the allotment and i hung them up with odd bits of ribbon that i had in my stash. finishing off with some bright cards and handmade christmas cards on the wall behind. oh and our lovely stacking christmas dolls, thanks katy - we still have them.

i also made these neck warmers for my boys. well, i say made but really i just snipped off the polo necks from a couple of those cosy woollen jumpers i have been collecting lately. the orange one is cashmere and the green one is felted wool. even though it's still beautiful outside these days, there is a slight chill in the air. so these are perfect for keeping my little ones a tiny bit warmer.

and last but not least, i am really excited to say that my sister ambika will be returning to join me in this space once again. i'm really pleased as that's the reason we started this blog in the first place, as another way of connecting with each others lives. i can't wait, it will be so nice.

hope you are having a good week so far,

sarada xx