yule{tide me over}

we've had a few white cristmasses recently {belgium}, but not this year of two thousand and thirteen. we have had rain, and a stiff wind that blows any which way. i've had to fasten the cap, straigthen the scarf and pull up the mittens to the elbow. here's what i've been doing indoors.

finally adding the pulls to the few kitchen drawers i own. have been enjoying many televised cookery specials, enjoying yuletide from afar, whilest screw driving. 

folding and unfolding napkin papers into voluminous flower heads to adorn the throughway between front room and library.

have been rearranging my very own little corner of nigella, our larder. it is finally up to scratch! 

putting a christmassy-end of year curtain on the front room windows, bar the {promised} angels. one ended up in the tree {definitely not handmade}.

preparing food, glorious {sweet} food for boxing day. 

and finally. the "christmas" blanket! one roll unfolds twenty six squares. i'm doing two rolls a day, if i'm lucky. i did say.... i was going to show off the blanket by yuletide. here's, erm, one quarter? ☻

happy days to you all, and to the darkest ones of the year, in our nordic hemisphere. 
now. wait! is that narnia, calling? 

see yaaaaa >>>>>

corner view ≈ hobbies

as a child i played school alot. usually by myself. i drew in many notebooks, was even making some from scraps of paper. i hung out alot in my auntie's parlour, squawking vintage bits and bobs. sometimes she took me into the attic, scratching for more paper bits. those were high days, actually. sometimes i could not sleep from sheer excitement. 

i learned knitting from mother, and i learned crochet from others. i was never into sports, having held up with swimming on a regular basis just the once, for a good three months, as my son took lessons. 

i've always liked walking. reading has never left me. writing makes me happy. photography is an evolving process from the small childhood throw aways to today's trusted camera. 

i'd like to think hobbies change as we progress in life, purely for appetite's sake, but it seems to me the trusted ones resurface gently. the only newish one i might add to an incomplete contemporary list would be yoga. i've been at it for a few months and the calm and concentration flowing from it really helps. like poetry. jane's corner view, francesca's hosting, kristin's theme.

drawing | garland

i stood in  the thrift shop, groping underneath a christmas layed out table and stumbled upon mini x-mas baubles. like some twenty plastic bags, of which i brought home just three.

straightaway i fancied a garland with baubles, and started one yesterday, discovering fairly quickly time could easily grow into an issue. 

which it did, so for now, i've clumsily hung a green strand over a kitchen shelf, and i started crocheting a string for the orangey baubles. i honestly have no idea whether all of my baubles will find a strung home. ☻

leaving me a tad stranded, i am overly excited to check out your own interpretations of garland. here's looking at you, blog friends and creatives, and thank you all, for being so generous with your time and effort!

♥ patrice ♥ barbara ♥ ariane ♥ dania ♥ sus ♥ tanïa ♥ celine ♥ stefanie ♥ cindi ♥ norma ♥ milady ♥ kristen ♥ joanne ♥ emily ♥
♥ tammie ♥ roberto ♥ mano ♥ lucia ♥ kerstin ♥ leena ♥ kim ♥ renilde ♥

DRAWING CHALLENGE NEW THEME | GARLAND

there was this word popping up in the back of my head, a mixture of resurging music and a symbol to the end of a year tradition {not forgetting dorothy & her glittering red shoes on sunday afternoon}. 

a tiny little word with such an impact : made from paper, textiles, organic matter; folded, strung, festooned, patched up together, wreathed, ...  you name it. 

are you putting up garlands, in the month of december? because if you are, do take up on the drawing challenge and show them off this weekend, dec. 14th-15th. ... we'll string along just fine :  ♥ patrice ♥ barbara ♥ ariane ♥ dania ♥ sus ♥ tanïa ♥ celine ♥ stefanie ♥ cindi ♥ norma ♥ milady ♥ kristen ♥ joanne ♥ emily ♥ tammie ♥ roberto ♥ mano ♥ lucia ♥ kerstin ♥ leena ♥ kim ♥ play ♥ you ♥ too ♥ play ♥ ...

corner view ≈ blankie

beth happens to chose a corner view theme that has had me literally hooked. the "reds and pinks" has turned itself nicely into a fully grown and daily used couch blanket. {UPDATE THOUGH.... this is a blanket post...} ☻

the "green waves" happened after crocheting a baby blanket for tera. i couldn't stop the addictive pattern. 

an oldie, i call it my "mock tudor rose". i hooked this one up as i sat through many seasons of the tudors.

this one i've been talking about recently. slight drawback : i air counted 444 squares, of which just 387 seem to be sitting inside the box. having measured three length rows to the bed, i've discovered i'll need at least double the amount of squares. ☻

and in case you wonder : i crochet to calm myself down. i've been called a compulsive neurotic but i'm pleased to say i feel for this winter nighttime necessity. jane's corner view, francesca's hosting, beth's theme.

drawing | swanlights

.... and not a swan in sight ☻, but listening to them, as i slid through vintage story books, putting my smallest scissors to use. stefanie tickled everyone's fancy i hope, she sure did mine.

corner view ≈ view on my street

for the longest time (all of two years), we had this evening view from our house, at the front side. i'm sad to say some 16 apartments-new-build now sits in front of heavenly beautiful natural theatre. i know it's there, we just can't reach it with the eye no more.... jane's corner view, francesca's hosting, kristin's theme.

drawing | everyday objects

i had my everyday mugs all lined up on the kitchen table, to have a good look at them and then paint them. for some reason, and as i walked sniffing the early december (!) air,

i decided upon a different everyday object, hopefully for the next whole month : my trusted crochet hook. i am finally assembling the 444 squares sitting in a card board box into a winter blanket. with a bit of luck, i'll be showing it off somewhere around christmas.

kristen did paint her kitchen everydays, and i LOVE 'em. go see, do.