Satsuma Street Deck The Halls Christmas Cross Stitch

A couple of Christmases ago, I began stitching Satsuma Street's colourful Deck The Halls cross stitch wall hanging, and a few weeks ago, I finally finished it! 

I'm so pleased to finally have it completed after all this time, and I'm really happy with the end result- especially as I had to make a couple of colour changes, and struggled to figure out what to do with it near the end.

It should have been a fairly quick project, and I was close to completing it last Christmas, but I stopped and started it, couldn't decide which colour thread to use for the snowflakes, and took ten months to make it down to Hobbycraft to choose. So something that could've taken me a month to stitch, ended up taking two years. 

I was drawn to the Deck the Halls pattern because of how unique and colourful it was. It's so different to all the other Christmas designs you see at this time of year, and while it has a Scandinavian feel, it's nothing like the typical red and white patterns that are everywhere at Christmas time. (Which I'm sooo bored of these days). It's bright, colourful, and cheerful, and I love that about it.

It's made up of five main sections, including a star, reindeer, Christmas tree, dove, and bell as the centrepieces, with smaller flowers, snowflakes, and arrows making up the rest of the design in lots of reds, greens, yellows, and pinks. It's been designed so that you can stitch it as one long wall-hanging picture, or as five separate pieces, which is really clever. I obviously chose to make it as one picture, but I think it would look just as beautiful broken up in to five. If you're new to cross stitching, you'll probably find it less intimidating that way, but it's an easy project with no complicated stitches or patterns, and anybody should be able to make it once they've mastered the basics.

The pattern comes as a full-colour downloadable PDF, with an easy-to-follow chart, and a list of recommended materials to help you get started. Satsuma Street suggest using a natural-coloured Evenweave, but that didn't appeal to me aesthetically, and I chose to make it on 16-count white aida to make the colours pop, and so that the end result would be a little larger. I'm so glad I did, as I personally think the colourful threads look so much better against the white background.

The only issue with using white aida is that there are white threads in the pattern, which obviously blend in to the fabric. I tried lots of different colours in place of white- cream, lemon, lilac, blue, silver, and more- but I didn't like any of them, and became chronically uninspired. I ended up putting the cross stitch aside last Christmas for ten months, until I finally made it down to Hobbycraft in October to shop for some new threads to try. In the end, after trying more colours, I went back to white for the lines through the arrows, and blended a strand of white and a strand of turquoise for the snowflakes. I'm not 100% happy with the colour choice for the snowflakes, but it's the best I could do, and I like to think it works with the other colours in the picture. Either way, I refuse to change them again. I actually got the picture framed last weekend, so there's no going back now!

Despite the colour-matching issues at the end, overall it was so much fun to sew, and has to be one of my favourite makes ever. The colourful projects are always the most fun to stitch. If you're looking for a modern, colourful cross stitch picture to make this Christmas, I couldn't recommend it to you more.

I now want to try more of Satsuma Street's patterns, and have bought their set of Christmas baubles patterns, which I'm going to begin as soon as I get a spare second. I don't expect to get very far this Christmas, as there's always a million other things to do, but I'm sure I'll keep you updated on my progress on Instagram.

Have you cross stitched or crafted anything so far this Christmas?         

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The Make Arcade Gingerbread Man Christmas Cross Stitch Kit

I stitched the cutest little gingerbread man cross stitch ornament last December, but never found the time to post a photo of the end result anywhere, so it's time for it's debut. Better late than never, right?

This little gingerbread man kit came from an English brand called The Make Arcade who are known for their fun, colourful little craft kits, which are suitable for beginners and advanced crafters alike. I've made a few of their Christmas cross stitch ornaments in the past, and enjoyed them so much, I couldn't resist going back for this one two Christmases ago. It's cutesier than my usual style and much smaller and simpler than what I usually stitch, but his little face won me over, and I knew it would be a fun, quick project to sew while watching Christmas movies with the family.

I stitched it over a couple of evenings in front of the TV, and think it took about seven or eight hours of sewing to complete. It may only be a three inch design, but they take longer than they look! Once the sewing was done, I finished the back by cinching in the aida with a running stitch, and gluing on a circle of hot pink felt, which was provided in the kit. I also glued a yellow pom pom trim to the outside of the hoop. This wasn't part of the set- unlike the other three Make Arcade ornaments I made which came with pom pom trims- but something I purchased from Paperchase so it would match the others. Oddly, it also didn't come with some ribbon to hang it with, which is annoying, and I still haven't got around to buying something suitable. I must get myself down to Hobbycraft before Christmas so I can hang it. I don't understand why The Make Arcade have stopped supplying ribbons in their kits. It's such an inconvenience.

The kit comes with everything else you need to make it, including the aida (fabric), a three inch wooden embroidery hoop, threads, a needle, felt, step-by-step instructions to help beginners get started, and of course, the pattern. You'll just need some sewing scissors and something to cross the chart off with as you sew, and you're good to go. (A glue gun and glue would be helpful for attaching the felt, but you can sew it on instead. I just glued it on as I was being lazy). It all comes presented in a little cardboard box with a hot pink sleeve, so it would make a lovely present for any crafter this Christmas.

The Make Arcade seem to have updated their gingerbread man cross stitch kit design for Christmas 2021 (and I personally don't think it's as cute), but this design is still available to purchase from John Lewis here. I'd recommend it to anyone who wants a fun, quick cross stitch project to enjoy this Christmas.

Have you cross stitched anything lately?

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DIY Pastel Pom Pom Easter Crackers

Last Easter, I made some pastel-coloured Easter crackers to make our family Easter meal that little bit lovelier. I never did find the time to blog about them last year, but I saved the photos and thought I'd show you them today in case you fancy making some of your own this Easter weekend. (Of course, it's a little too late to purchase cracker kits in time for Easter now, but you could download a cracker template from the Internet and print your own on some colourful card).

My family and I always have an Easter roast on Easter Sunday and I like to make our table look as colourful as possible, so I decided to make crackers in a variety of pastel colours to compliment our colourful, mismatched Easter table linens and crockery.

I bought a selection of single cracker kits in lavender, pastel yellow, pale blue, and flamingo pink from the craft and party supply website, Little Crafty Bugs, who stock a wide variety of inexpensive cracker kits in different colours and sizes for every event imaginable. Their cracker kits are so good I've repurchased several times over the last few years whenever I've made crackers for Easter or Christmas, and even put in another order last week to make another batch for tomorrow's Easter meal, which I'm hoping to make later today. I then picked up some small pom poms from Hobbycraft, and chose satin ribbons in contrasting pastel colours from my stash to decorate them with. For the filling, I decided to treat everyone to some caramel chocolate bunnies from Hotel Chocolat (which are just amazing), and also bought a scratch card to pop in each one. (Sadly nobody won the gold). Then I got to work.

The crackers were so easy to make, and as I kept the designs simple, they didn't take long to make at all. I think I made all six in under half an hour. The process is really simple, and here's how to make them if you'd like to give cracker making a try. 

How To Make These Crackers

What You'll Need

♥ 1 cracker kit per person.

♥ 2 lengths of ribbon per cracker. (I used satin ribbons from Hobbycraft).

♥ 2 pom poms per cracker.

♥ Scissors.

♥ Hot glue gun and glue.

♥ Mini chocolate Easter bunnies, eggs, or whatever contents you desire. (I used caramel chocolate bunnies from Hotel Chocolat).

♥ Confetti (optional).

What To Do

1. First, take your flat-packed cracker, and stick a cracker snap in place with Selotape length-ways down the centre of the cracker.

2. Push out all of the diamond card pieces from the diamond cut-outs.

3. Roll the card in to a cylinder shape, and slot the three tabs in to the three slots.

4. Take a length of ribbon, and positioning it under the diamond cut outs, cinch it in and tightly tie it in place. This will pull in the end of the cracker and create the traditional cracker shape. Cut the ends of the ribbon diagonally to prevent them from fraying.

5. Place a paper crown and a joke in to the cracker, and drop in your confetti and contents. I popped caramel chocolate bunnies from Hotel Chocolat and a scratch card in mine, but you could add in whatever small treats you like.

6. Tie up the other end of the cracker by repeating step 3.

7. Heat up your glue gun, and glue a couple of pom poms along the centre of the cracker. Leave to dry for a couple of minutes. And voila, you're done!

Simple as that.

As well, as making pastel Easter crackers for our meal, I also made a couple more in rose pink and yellow, which I sent to my sister and brother-in-law in their Easter parcel last Easter.

The crackers seemed to go down really well with my family, and they were just so fun to make. I think they added a little something extra to our Easter dinner table, and definitely brightened up the table. And let's face it, who doesn't love snapping open a cracker full of chocolate?

I liked these pastel pom pom crackers so much, I think I'm going to do something similar with this year's Easter crackers. I obviously couldn't get scratch cards to put in them this year, but I have managed to pick up some more Hotel Chocolat Easter chocolates online to give my family a treat. I'll be sure to post a photo of them on my Instagram, so keep an eye on my grid and stories this weekend if you'd like to see what I come up with.

Have you ever made Easter crackers for an Easter meal or party?

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My Christmas Cross Stitch Makes

It's been a while since I last shared photos of my cross stitch makes- mostly as I haven't done a lot this year thanks to worsening arthritis in my hands. I am currently working on a colourful Christmas cross stitch from Satsuma Street (this one, but on white aida), but as I have a long way to go until that one's finished, I thought I'd show you some of the pieces I stitched during the previous two Christmases. I don't think I ever got around to sharing photos of them online.

Last Christmas, I made three modern little cross stitch ornaments from a British brand called The Make Arcade- a Christmas tree, a gingerbread house, and a reindeer. I bought these little kits to stitch while I was relaxing in front of the TV with my family over Christmas, and they were perfect for keeping me busy while we watched Christmas movies from Christmas Eve through to Boxing Day. They were really fun to make, and as they're only little three inch hoops, they didn't take too long to complete- I think they took about five or six hours worth of stitching, each, completed over a couple of evenings. Once each one was done, I then used a hot glue gun to attach felt circles to the backs, and pom pom trims around the hoops. All the materials you need to make them are included in the kits- aida, embroidery hoop, DMC threads, ribbon, pom pom trim, felt, and I think even a needle. You just need a pair of scissors, a hot glue gun and glue so you can attach the pom poms.

They're great little kits for getting your craft on over the festive season, and would make ideal stocking fillers or Secret Santa gifts for any cross stitcher this Christmas. I particularly love the gingerbread house design, but the Christmas tree is a close second. I've picked up the gingerbread man kit to make this year, and am tempted to go back for the penguin and the snowflake. I'd love to make the entire collection so I can hang them all up on my Christmas trees for future Christmases. With several cross stitchers in the family, we've always had cross stitch ornaments on the tree- albeit, more traditional ones- so it's satisfying to add some of my own work to the ornament collection, and in a different, more modern style.

Two years ago, during Christmas 2017, I made two cross stitch Christmas cards from two different card kits from a Cornish brand called Riverdrift House. The Fa La La card is from the Jolly Holly Card Kit and the Silent Night card was part of the Christmas Carols Kit, which doesn't appear to be available anymore- although, there is a similar Christmas Carol Card Kit with colourful threads. I still haven't got around to making any of the others from either kit, but these two were fun to make and only took about half a day of work each.  Each kit has everything you need to make six cards, including the cards and envelopes, but when I eventually get around to making the rest, I'm planning to either turn them in to tree ornaments or frame the sets together because I'd rather keep them.

Back in 2017, I also stitched a Scandi-style red and grey Christmas sampler from Riverdrift House with a Glad Tidings We Bring design. This was another easy project with lots of simple little motifs to stitch like snowflakes, snowmen, robins, and Christmas trees, plus a cute little house, some hearts, and borders using just two shades of red and two shades of grey threads. It took me about two months to sew, putting in just an hour or two a night, and I'm really pleased with the end result... even if I still haven't got it framed! This is another kit that doesn't appear to be available anymore, but they do still stock a similar Happy Christmas design.

I also stitched this Riverdrift House Christmas Alphabet sampler in 2017, y'know, just in case I need to remember my ABC's at Christmas time or something. It could happen! Especially with my brain fog! Haha! This sampler is much bigger than it looks- I think the fabric is at least A3 size- so it involved a lot of cross stitching and took several months to complete. Even though it was big and time-consuming, it was pretty simple to sew, with no complicated patterns or stitches; just simple shapes and cross stitches in Riverdrift's signature Scandi style and seven shades of threads. Despite the simplicity, I think it came out pretty well. I think this may be another discontinued cross stitch kit as I can't find it online anymore, but if you like the style and can't track it down on eBay, Riverdrift House has lots of other Christmas cross stitch kits which you can find here.

So, those are some of my Christmas cross stitch makes from the last two years. If you'd like to see more of my cross stitching, you can find all of my cross stitch posts here.

Have you cross stitched anything this Christmas?

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Currently | July 2019

It's been ages since I last sat down and wrote a 'Currently' post about some of the things I've been doing and enjoying lately (more than four months, apparently- oops!), so I think it's about time for a long-over-due catch-up.

Here's where I chat about what I've been reading, watching, crafting, buying, loving, and enjoying lately- and so much more.

As usual, let's start with what I've been reading...

Reading

I'm really enjoying reading again at the moment, and have been reading so much lately. I've been making an effort to read every day for at least an hour, and I've only failed on days when the arthritis in my hands has been too bad to hold a book open, or my eyelids have been too heavy from fatigue for me to read. Even then, I've given it my best shot.

Since my last 'Currently' post in March, I've finished seventeen books- eleven of which I read in the last month alone! I know it's not a lot by some people's standards, but it's been a while since I've read so much in such a short space of time, and I'm really pleased with my effort. I've finished twenty-three books so far this year, which is already more than I read during the whole of last year and we're only half way through this one. I'm now only two books away from completing my Goodreads reading goal for 2019! I guess I underestimated myself by setting it at only twenty five... I may have to increase it to keep myself on my toes!

I've read some brilliant books over the last few months, including (in order read):

♥ The Extinction Trials Rebel by S. M. Wilson.

♥ Five Feet Apart by Rachael Lippincott.

♥ An Ocean of Minutes by Thea Lim.

♥ The Time Keeper by Mitch Albom.

♥ The Librarian of Auschwitz by Antonio Iturbe.

♥ The Amateurs by Liz Harmer.

♥ The Giver by Lois Lowry.

♥ The Passengers by John Marrs.

♥ The Next Together by Lauren James.

♥ The One by John Marrs.

♥ The Last Beginning by Lauren James.

♥ The Good Samaritan by John Marrs.

♥ When You Disappeared by John Marrs.

♥ Welcome to Wherever You Are by John Marrs.

♥ Don't Wake Up by Liz Lawler.
♥ Her Last Move by John Marrs,
♥ I'll Find You by Liz Lawler.

Lots of 'thes' and quite a few John Marrs novels- I've fallen in love with his writing style and disturbing storylines after reading The Passengers and The One a few weeks ago and now I can't stop reading his books. His novels are amazing.

From all of the books I've read lately and listed above, I'd say my favourites were An Ocean of Minutes, The One, The Passengers and Don't Wake Up- they're all brilliant, five star reads that I'd highly recommend. Would anybody like me to write some mini reviews of the books I've read so far this year, or are book reviews not your thing?

Watching

I've watched several new-to-me films over the last few months including The Zoo Keeper's Wife, The Light Between Oceans, Adrift, Sully, Brain on Fire, and Flowers in the Attic, all of which I enjoyed. I've also been rewatching some old favourites like Me Before You, Phantom of the Opera, Arrival, Australia, What Women Want, The Longest Ride, and Little Women. There are probably lots more I've forgotten about, but my brain does not want to work right now. 

On TV, I've been loving Chernobyl, The Big Bang Theory, The Handmaid's Tale, and Stranger Things. Chernobyl was fantastic, but I definitely expected it to be more fast-paced and explosive, so the style came as a surprise. I really enjoyed the final series of The Big Bang Theory, and loved the finale- although, I'm disappointed that Raj didn't get his happy ever after and find true love. I felt like he was overlooked in the final episode while all the other characters got their happy endings. Does anybody else agree? I've since moved on to The Handmaid's Tale and Stranger Things, which have both been epic so far. I fucking love Hopper, and drugged Steve and Robin! I finally watched the finale this weekend, which was amazing, but turned me in to an emotional wreck. The only problem is, I now can't get the theme tune to The Never Ending Story out of my head and I want to scream! My sister used to drive me mad watching that movie on repeat when we were growing up, and I can't stand it! I thought I'd finally escaped that film forever years ago. *Cries internally.* That scene in Stranger Things was epic, though!

Listening

I haven't listened to a lot of new music lately, but I really like Gloria by The Lumineers, and I'm looking forward to checking out their new album when it comes out later in the year. Other than that, I've just been listening to my usual favourites, and enjoying lots of cheesy eighties tracks.

Playing

I'm still addicted to Animal Crossing New Leaf, and have been playing it virtually every day so far this year. I probably shouldn't admit that I've lost over 500 hours to this game since Christmas, huh? Yeah, I was shocked to learn that, too. *Facepalm.* It's so addictive! I'm currently busy landscaping my town with paths and hedges, and trying to make it look super pretty and colourful by colour-coordinating my flowers and trees. It's a work in progress, but I think it looks pretty cute so far. Here's a few screencaps of what I've been working on lately:

I've also been sporadically playing another Animal Crossing game called Happy Home Designer, which you might like if you enjoy the home decorating element of the Animal Crossing games. You basically decorate and landscape homes for villagers of the town following a set theme, like polka dots, minimalist, modern, fruit, a specific colour etc. As a home designer, you also get put in charge of building the town's amenities like a school, hospital, and café. I enjoy using my creativity, so I find it really fun, and can easily lose a couple of hours to it at a time,

If you don't have a Nintendo DS, try Pocket Camp on your iPhone. I haven't played on it much yet, but it's similar to New Leaf, and it's free from the App Store, too!

Stitching

I haven't actually been able to do much cross stitching so far this year as my arthritis has been so bad it's been too painful to sew. I've only managed to do a little more of the mandala cross stitch I showed you back in March, so I'm feeling pretty unaccomplished right now. Fingers crossed (or not because that's also too painful) the arthritis in my hands lets up soon so I can get it finished, and get back in to stitching regularly again. 

Crafting

I haven't managed to do much crafting, either, which is really bumming me out. I miss using my creativity! I think the last things I crafted were some pastel-coloured Easter crackers in April. I used cracker kits from Little Crafty Bugs, tied them with satin ribbons, and glued little pom poms on to them in contrasting colours. I then filled them with mini Easter chocolates and scratch cards. They were so much fun to make and looked so cute on our Easter table. I was hoping to blog about them at Easter but I wasn't able to, so I'm saving them up to blog about next year. I did make similar crackers last year, though, and you can find a tutorial for those here.

Wanting

more concert tickets, some new books, all the new Lyra dresses from Lady Vintage, everything from the new Erstwilder Endangered Animals collection (I've collected six of the brooches so far), and a Nintendo Switch Lite so I can play the new Animal Crossing Game, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, when it's released next March. It looks awesome!

Needing

a hair cut and a holiday. I've only left the house a handful of times for non-medical appointments so far this year, and I haven't been on holiday in a couple of years, so I could definitely do with a break, and some new adventures. It's not going to happen this year, but my sister and I are hoping to spend a week in Cornwall together next year once my brother-in-law finishes his posting in Germany and they get transferred back to England. I'm excited at the thought of getting back to one of my favourite places again- even if it's not for over a year, and not even set in stone yet. I need to believe my feet will make contact with the Cornish sand again soon.

Buying

Since March, I've bought several Erstwilder brooches and pairs of earrings (which I'll be blogging about soon), the Cath Kidston positivity journal and patchwork duvet set (on sale), some Body Shop Satsuma bath and body products (essentials I'd used up), tickets to see Boyzone live again in October, and quite a few books. I can never say 'no' to new books. I also recently treated myself to the red Russian Doll convertible backpack / cross body bag from Vendula London. It reappeared in the sale online at half price, after selling out months ago, and when I went to checkout, another 10 percent was taken off the price, so I snagged this beautiful £77.50 bag for under £35!! Bargain! I think it's going to be perfect for my next lot of concert adventures! (Please note, I have previously worked with Vendula London, but both of the bags in the above photo were purchased with my own money).

Winning

I entered a rainbow mandala cross stitch I made in to Hobbycraft's sewing-themed June Make of the Month competition last month, and forgot all about it, until last week when I found out I came in as a runner up! I'm absolutely thrilled- even if I can't understand how anybody would deem my cross stitching worthy of a prize. I won a £20 Hobbycraft gift card, which will definitely come in handy. I just can't decide whether to spend it on some fabric for making hoop art, or to save it to put towards my annual Christmas craft haul this autumn. (It's scary how quickly it's coming around!)

Celebrating

Last month, we celebrated my older sister's 40th birthday. She and her husband came over from Germany for the weekend to spend it with us, and although she couldn't do anything big as she was waiting on surgery on her knee and could barely walk, we had a lovely day popping in to Oxford for a spot of shopping, going out for lunch, and then spending the rest of it at home with some good food and a Patisserie Valerie birthday cake. I filled the house with so many decorations- confetti balloons, word balloons, giant number balloons, bunting, paper flowers... I just couldn't stop myself. Thankfully, my Mum and brother-in-law helped me put them up because I was so shattered from leaving the house I would never have managed it all by myself! I was so worn out by the time I'd finished, I didn't actually have the strength to take any photos of them (the horror!), but one room was decorated colourfully, the other mostly gold. The sister seemed to like them, so job well done.

I also celebrated my own birthday on the 2nd, but I'm going to write a separate post about that soon. 

Loving

the sunshine we've had lately. The blue skies and sunshine have been gorgeous, and have put me in such a good mood... even if the heat and humidity have been a bit unbearable at times, too.

Enjoying

a slice or two of chocolate Patisserie Valerie birthday cake, on both mine and my sister's birthdays. The parents got me a chocolate Patisserie Valerie cake with layers of chocolate and Chantilly cream, strawberries, raspberries, and chocolate curls. It was amazing! I've only ever had homemade or supermarket birthday cakes, so it was such a treat.

Day Tripping

On my birthday, I also ended up taking an impromptu day trip to The Cotswold Wildlife Park with my Mum. Even though i've been there dozens of times before (I've lived locally all my life), we had another lovely visit taking in all the animals and plants, and it was a good opportunity to play with my Instax camera, too. I've only left the house a handful of times all year, so I was particularly happy to get out and about for a while, and just spend some time in the fresh air and sunshine. It's the little things in life...

I'm not going to dedicate a whole post to my visit this time, as you're probably sick to death of my wildlife park posts, but I will share a few photos when I blog about my birthday really soon.

And that's what's been happening in my life lately, minus all the boring health stuff, which I'll go in to separately another day...

What about you? What have you been enjoying lately?

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Currently | March 2019
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Currently | July 2018
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Currently | March 2019

It's been more than three months since I last wrote a currently post about the little things I've been doing and enjoying lately, so I think it's a good time for a catch up. If you want to know what I've been reading, watching, listening to, and more lately, keep reading to find out!

Let's start with what I've been reading...

Reading

One of my New Year's resolutions is to read more this year, and in January I set myself the goal of finishing twenty-five books before the year is through. I thought I'd be realistic instead of setting the number too high, but I may have underestimated myself because I'm already on my seventh book of the year! I finished five books (and began a sixth) in January alone! I didn't do so well in February, only managing two books, as I had a busier month and spent half of it with a cold.

In January, I read Bird Box by Josh Malerman (which has to be one of the best books I've ever read), VOX by Christina Dalcher, The Next Person You Meet In Heaven by Mitch Albom, A House at the Bottom of a Lake by Josh Malerman, and The First Phone Call From Heaven by Mitch Albom. I also read a few chapters of The Martian by Andy Weir, but I wasn't in the right mood for it so I put it aside to read The Dreamers by Karen Thompson Walker. I've now moved on to the third book in The Extinction Trials trilogy- The Extinction Trials: Rebel by S.M. Wilson, which I've been looking forward to since I finished the second book in the series last year.  It's like the Hunger Games meets Jurassic Park, and even though it's a young adult series, I'm really enjoying it so far- but, then, I've always been a sucker for dystopian fiction.

Before Christmas, I also read Desert Flowers by Paul Pen, and some of the stories and poems from A Literary Christmas. I didn't have much time or energy for reading in December so I never finished it, but it's one of those books you can pull out every Christmas and read again and again, so I'll definitely return to it in December.

Overall, I've read some amazing books over the last few months, so I'll do my best to write some mini reviews of them all soon... That is, if anyone would be interested?

Watching

With all the reading I've been doing, I haven't watched a lot of new shows or movies so far this year, but I did make time to watch Bird Box on Netflix after I finished the book in January. I enjoyed it, but nowhere near as much as I loved the book. I didn't like how much they'd changed the storyline, and kept comparing the two in my head. Don't get me wrong, it was a brilliant film, but I think I would have appreciated it a lot more if I hadn't read the book first. It's a thousand times better than the film, and you guys need to read it! I loved it so much it's become one of my all time favourite reads!

Concert Going

During the first week of February, I managed to have some fun away from home for the first time since last Easter, and went to see Boyzone live again in Cardiff and Brighton with my sister. It didn't exactly go to plan after the first show, but both shows were amazing, and I had so much fun. I'm always happiest at concerts and it was exactly what I needed to put a smile back on my face again after a rough few months. For a couple of days, I was almost able to feel like the old me again, pre chronic pain and chronic illness, and that feeling alone was priceless. I'll be writing a separate post about our trip soon.

Listening

Since I went to see Boyzone live, I've mostly just been listening to their last three albums on repeat like a total fangirl, with a little bit of Linkin Park thrown in for good measure. In my last currently post, I said I wasn't loving their new album or their new sound, but I gave it another listen a month or so ago, and now I can't stop playing it. It turns out I love it, and there are actually some really great songs on it.  I don't know how I didn't hear it the first time.

Stitching

I've gone back to cross stitching my colourful mandala cross stitch from The World in Stitches. after setting it aside for a couple of months to work on Christmas craft projects at the end of last year. I've just finished stitching all the colourful bits, and now I just have a shed load of black edging to do to complete it. There's still a lot of stitching to do, but I'm really pleased with how well it's turned out so far.

Playing

I began playing Animal Crossing New Leaf the day after Boxing Day after my younger sister gave me a copy for my 2DS for Christmas, and I haven't been able to stop playing it since. I mean, I do put it down every once in a while so I can do other stuff like sleep and eat, but I've been playing it almost every day since I started. It's so addictive! I don't even want to know how many hours I've lost to this game so far this year! It's a social simulation game where you create and maintain your own town and interact with other characters. You plant trees and flowers, install amenities, build a house and collect furniture to decorate it with, dig for fossils, fish and dive for sea creatures, catch bugs, collect fruit and art, donate things you find to a museum, buy outfits, go island hopping, play time trials... the list goes on. I used to tease my sister for being addicted to it, but now it's got me, too. I'd definitely recommend it to you guys... but only if you don't mind losing five or six hours a day to it, because once you start playing, you won't be able to stop!

Loving

my new Instax mini camera, which one of my sisters gave me for Christmas. It's been years since I last owned an instant camera or even printed off any photos, so I've been enjoying the novelty of having a printed photo in my hands after taking each one. The quality of the photos doesn't compete with today's digital photos, but I actually like the simple, primitive look the Instax gives; it reminds me of the quality of photos we took in the nineties. It was a simpler time, but those days were the best. I'm still getting to grips with it, but I'm loving this camera, and how pretty it is. I've just bought some pastel-bordered film, so I'm looking forward to snapping lots of colourful photos with it this spring.

Enjoying

The sunshine we've been treated to here in Oxfordshire this week. We've had flawless blue skies and sunshine over the last few days, and it's actually been warm. From Monday to Wednesday, it actually got up to 21'C!! In February! You wouldn't think there was snow on the ground three weeks ago. Apparently it was the hottest February on record. It's crazy but I'm definitely not complaining after months of dreary grey skies, dark evenings, and freezing cold temperatures. I wasn't able to go out in it, but it was gorgeous and great to have some decent daylight for taking blog photos, too. It feels like spring is finally on the way.

Looking

forward to spring, sunny days, light mornings and evenings, warm weather, blossom and magnolias on the trees, spring flowers, pastel colours, Easter, more light for blog photos... all of it. I couldn't be happier that it's the first day of spring today; I'm so over winter!

Wanting

All the books, all the gig tickets, more concert adventures, some new dresses, approximately 8232019 new brooches, some rainbow-coloured film for my Instax camera... lotsa stuff.

Needing

A hair cut, a holiday, some new clothes, a life, a new pair of ballet pumps, some more concert adventures, more hours in the day, a solution for my tachycardia, and to learn photo editing so I can blog more efficiently and stop wanting to pull my hair out on a daily basis.

Wishing

I'm feeling really sentimental at the moment, so I wish had a time machine so I could go back and relive my trip to New York, and a whole bunch of concert adventures I enjoyed with friends in the months before I developed chronic pain in 2011. Those were the best times, and some of the last happy memories I have from before I got sick. It was probably the best year ever, until it also became the worst year of my life that September. I miss those days.

Buying

I haven't had many spare pennies to spend lately, but I was finally able to do a little book haul a couple of weeks ago, and treated myself to six new books to read. (Missing from the photo is An Ocean of Minutes by Thea Lim). I may have also acquired two more Erstwilder brooches, and picked up a full size purple OPI nail polish called 'Berry Fairy Fun' to replace the mini bottle I got in my Advent calendar and have almost used up. The nail colour is amazing.

And that, in a nut shell, is what I've been up to lately (minus all the boring chronic illness parts I'll go in to another time).

What about you? What have you been enjoying lately?

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DIY Easy Christmas Hoop Art

Merry Christmas Eve, everyone!

I can't believe it's Christmas Eve already; where has this month gone?? December has just flown by this year, and I've been so busy preparing for Christmas, I've barely had a chance to stop and enjoy it. I wish time would slow down a little! I haven't even managed to get in to the Christmas spirit yet. For some reason, I'm just not feeling it this year.

I'm sure all that will change today, as Christmas Eve has always been one of my favourite days of the year. My sister and brother-in-law are arriving home from Germany this morning with their dog, Mia, and I'm planning to spend the next few days enjoying Christmas at home with my family, and having a well deserved rest after a hectic month. After I finish the last few errands today, I'm fully intending to watch lots of Christmas movies, eat my body weight in delicious food, spend some quality time with the family, and maybe even push the boat out and play a board game or two. I can't wait!

I'm sure most of us will be busy wrapping presents, prepping food, and travelling to spend Christmas with our families and friends today, but I wanted to squeeze in one more Christmas craft before Christmas Day. You probably won't have time for any last minute crafting, but if you're looking for a fun festive project to make over the next few days, or need some unique last minute Christmas gifts or decorations you can easily make by hand, I have one last Christmas craft I think you're going to love. And that's my easy DIY Christmas fabric hoop art.

I recently realised that while I've featured photos of my hoop art on my blog and social media pages before,  I've never shared a tutorial on how to make them, so I thought it was about time I did.

I started making my own hoop art a few Christmas ago by framing patterned fabric in simple wooden embroidery hoops, sometimes adding embroidery but often leaving the fabric plain, and finishing the backs with some felt, I find the process and end result so satisfying, I haven't been able to stop making them since! It's such a fun and simple craft to make, but they look so effective and make a great statement on any wall- especially when multiple hoops are displayed together in a big group. A hoop art wall will certainly add a unique and personal touch to your Christmas decor, and is sure to be a conversation starter with your guests this Christmas.

Hoop art doesn't just make great Christmas decor, but can also make lovely presents for friends and family, too- especially those who appreciate crafts, and handmade presents. You can even personalise them for the recipient by using fabric and colours relating to their likes and interests, and embroidering their name, a quote they love, their favourite things, or even their pet(s) on to the fabric. A piece of hoop art would make a lovely stand-alone gift, or you could also add one to stockings, hampers, or even Christmas Eve boxes. It's up to you to decide how to gift them. Hoop art doesn't even have to follow a festive design if you don't want it to- you can use non-festive fabric and create them for any occasion throughout the year! To date, I've made lots of Christmas and Easter hoop art, and even some colourful designs for every day, too. The hoops in the photos are a selection I've made over the years using fat quarters from Hobbycraft. (You can find the polka dot fabric here).

If you'd like to learn how to make your own hoop art, follow my super easy DIY below. (Step-by-step photos coming soon).

How To Make Christmas Hoop Art

You Will Need

♥ Embroidery hoops in various sizes. (The hoops I used range from 3 to 10 inches).

♥ Christmas print fat quarters / fabric.

♥ Felt.

♥ Scissors.

♥ Fabric pen / pencil. (If you don't have one a pen or a pencil will do).

♥ Sewing needle.

♥ Thread.

♥ Glue gun and glue stick. (Optional).

How To Make a Piece of Hoop Art

1. Gather your supplies.

2. Iron your fabric until it's completely crease-free.

3. Take a piece of fabric and an embroidery hoop. Place the inner hoop underneath the fabric and the outer hoop on top, move them around until you find a layout you're happy with, and frame the fabric in the hoop.

4. Pull on the edges of the fabric and tighten the screw on the hoop until the fabric sits tightly in the hoop like the hide on a drum.

5. Trim the edges of the fabric at the back, leaving them about an inch long.

6. Thread your needle with two strands of thread, and use a running stitch to cinch in and secure the fabric at the back of the hoop. You could alternatively trim the fabric down further, and glue it tightly to the back of the hoop with hot glue.

7. Take a sheet of felt, a fabric pen, your hoop, and scissors.

8. Lay your hoop on to the felt, and draw around it.

9. Take your scissors and cut the circle out of the felt.

10. Now attach the felt to the back of your hoop. You can either sew it to the back of the fabric using a blanket stitch OR glue it to the hoop using a hot glue gun. You just want to ensure the felt is nice and taut once you're finished.

And voila, your first piece of hoop art is complete!

Yes, it really is that simple! There really isn't a lot to this style of hoop art, so even the most inexperienced crafter will have no trouble with this DIY.

If you're in a rush, or want to create some temporary hoop art just for the holidays, you can get away with not adding felt to the back of the hoops, as you aren't going to see the backs once they're on the wall. Leaving them unfinished will make it easier to switch up the hoops with new fabrics if you want to change them for different seasons, trends, or occasions. However, if your walls are a dark colour, the colour will likely show through the fabric as fat quarters are generally made of thin fabric, so finishing them with felt is always recommended. It will also keep your hoops looking their best for longer.

I've kept the majority of my hoop art plain and simple because I think the fabrics make a great statement as they are, but you could do so much more with them than I have. You could use any fabric you like, and add embroidery, sequins, buttons, beads, pom poms, present toppers, ribbons, and even applique other fabrics on top. As for the hoops, you could paint them in different colours, or wrap them in colourful threads, yarn, or even washi tape. You'll find so many amazing examples on Pinterest and Instagram that put mine to shame!

I wish I had painted or wrapped all of my hoops- adding some colour to the wood definitely gives them a little something extra. Lately, I've also thought about turning them in to baubles for the festive season by adding some light grey felt in the shape of a bauble hanger to the top of the hoops, but I haven't found the time to customise them this Christmas. I'm definitely going to give it a go next Christmas, though, and I'm already planning on making more elaborate designs in 2019 by adding embroidery and designs in other fabrics, so keep your eyes peeled for those!

To display your hoop art on the wall, play around with different layouts on a flat surface until you find one you like, and then you can start hanging them. Start from the centre point, and work your way out. I find command strips are perfect for hanging hoop art on concrete / brick walls, but you may need to trim them down for the smaller hoops. Of course, you could also hang them with nails or picture hooks etc., the choice is yours.

And that is how to make your own Christmas hoop art.

I hope you've found my tutorial helpful! If you decide to make your own hoop art, make sure you leave me a link to your photos in the comments below so I can check them out! I'd love to see any hoops you make.

Have a wonderful Christmas, and a very Happy New Year!

Have you ever made your own hoop art and will you be giving my tutorial a go?

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