Woke up it was a misty morning!

Well the freezing fog forecast has certainly arrived here this morning, but it is very beautiful!

I have finally got back into my teeny indoor craft space to make some much needed cards. The temptation of sitting with my knitting and crochet by the cosy wood stove in my freezing house has been too much, but I needed a kick to get back to my papercrafts! I was given a couple of unexpected Christmas cards by some ladies in my exercise dance class. I decided I would give them new year cards, but felt that I wanted something with a message that might be able to be displayed a bit longer. A good job as for various reasons tonight will be my first class since Christmas!

 

 

I went for my favourite style of ink shaded background, stamped a background stamp lightly using a couple of shades of ink across the stamp for variety and then overstamped with the sentiment and main image. I have to say I do love the ability to restamp over black images the Misti gives me. I know it is an expensive tool, but it has allowed me to do something I have never managed before with other stamp positioners. I was very interested to see the new Tim Holtz stamp platform to be released later this year. It has some interesting design features, like the reversible lid to allow for stamping rubber or clear stamps.

 

Stamps: Kaisercraft sentiment, Impression Obsession background swirl, I think the dancing lady may be Lost Coast

 

Inks: Distress Inks: Tumbled Glass, Peacock Feathers, Wilted Violet,  Chipped Sapphire, Wild Honey, Spiced Marmalade, Picked Raspberry, Barn Door and Aged Mahogany. Versafine: Onyx Black.

Several knitting and crochet projects are keeping me busy. I have vowed to finish some things off and not just start new ones, but I have not done well so far. I have started the Moorland blanket designed by Lucy at Attic 24 and made a reasonable start on that. It is a gorgeous colour palette, although I have struggled a bit to master the pattern, it is the lining up of stitches that bamboozles me sometimes! I now have 4 blankets on the go, so I really must rein myself in! Still I should be cosy next winter!!!

I have also made time to organise my book jar for this year. I started this idea at the beginning of 2016 when I realised I had 130 books waiting to be read! I kept a book diary to keep track of my random selection of titles from the jar and by the end of the year I had read 59! Needless to say more new books have been added, but I am already on book 3 of this year, with 101 in the selection for this year so far!

Whatever you are up to, I hope you are keeping as warm and cosy as possible. Some books about the Danish concept of hygge have slipped into my reading. It makes so much sense to me, I naturally enjoy cosiness, and this time of year and with the sorry state of things in our world, there is a real need for comfort, companionship and simple pleasures.

Elaine x