Green Rabbit Designs

I’m afraid it’s the only way to describe this time between Christmas and New Year in our house as that’s what we mostly seem to do – eat chocolate!!! The photo doesn’t even show it all, there’s the lot that’s already been eaten and my son’s and daughter’s stash isn’t there either! I know we should save some of it because some wet Wednesday around the end of January we will wish we had but it’s very hard when you love chocolate as much as we do!

I wasn’t going to post again until the New Year but Tina’s comment on my last post suggesting that I’d had enough time off (LOL) got me motivated. Thanks Tina! 🙂

Well I hope you all had a great Christmas, we certainly did, it was a lovely quiet, slow, family Christmas. It was nice just spending time with loved ones. I also got lots of lovely gifts from my family and friends, thank you all so much. I thought today I would show you the rabbit gifts, I’m sure many of my other pressies will make an appearance in future posts from time to time.

Aren’t these little bunnies very cute!! They’re actually a draught excluder but I couldn’t possibly put these gorgeous little creatures in front of a cold door, absolutely not! At present they have taken up residence on my bed and they seem to be quite happy there too. 🙂

This was another gift, a sweet little rabbit brooch with a very pretty face!

This last little bunny arrived today and a lovely little surprise it was too. It came all the way from Finland from my very kind blogging friend Mia as a thank you for taking part in her Christmas blog. I didn’t need to be thanked as it was a pleasure to be a part of it all but I’m ever so grateful for this pretty little sleepy bunny corsage! Thanks again Mia, it is so appreciated ! 🙂

So more bunnies for my collection, I really must do a post on my rabbits some time but I think it would take a few posts to cover them all.

Well we have eventually got rid of all the snow, thankfully, and our temperature has risen from -15 deg C to +10 deg C in a week. Twenty-five degrees is quite a jump in the space of seven days. Somehow it doesn’t seem natural but I’m really not complaining as I quite like how it is at the moment! Although many people here are having problems with their water supply since the thaw and are relying on bottled water, we’re very grateful not to be in that position.

This will be my last post for 2010 and I have to say I have really enjoyed my blogging year, lots of new friends have been made and being a part of blogland has been fun. Here’s to another year of blogging fun in 2011 with all you lovely people!
I’ll leave you with my year in pictures!

Happy New Year to you all! 🙂

Well it’s almost here, only two more sleeps and Father Christmas will have all his presents delivered!

I again braved the elements to take these photos in the garden. The poinsettia are my own design but the pattern for the snowflakes can be found here.
The snow on my little fir tree actually looks like artificial snow! We still live in a frozen world with temperatures well below freezing, day and night! They say we may get up to zero deg C by the weekend, that actually sounds warm now!!!

As this will be my last post before Christmas I would like to thank all you lovely people for taking the time to visit my little blog and for leaving all your comments which are so much appreciated. I have found a lovely little world here and have made so many new friends.

I hope you all have the most wonderful Christmas and have the happiest of times with those you love!
Enjoy this festive time and I’ll see you all back here very soon!!!!

HAPPY CHRISTMAS !!! 🙂 xxx

Today is the Winter Solstice or the Shortest Day! The day with the least hours of daylight in the whole year and as I type this at just after 4.00 pm it is dusk although as we have had freezing fog for a couple of days now it is hard to know when it is daylight!!
Today, during the day the temperatures here have been about -10 deg C and tonight they’re now predicting some places in N.Ireland may drop to -20 deg C. We make Narnia seem warm!!!

I thought of where I would like to take some photos to mark the Shortest Day but where else would I do it other than in one of my favourite places, ‘my park’!
Now even though it’s absolutely freezing there is no doubt that everywhere is stunningly beautiful.

These fellows are very glad to see the human visitors at the moment!

Some people arrived at the same time as us carrying a big bag of bread and the geese arrived from everywhere.

They’re such attractive birds, very intelligent and extremely funny. 🙂

The photos above were taken in the garden this morning, it’s amazing how the frost makes the ordinary totally beautiful!

Below are the patterns the frost has made on the glass in my greenhouse, so pretty.

I find the Shortest Day a very hopeful day, a day when things begin to change for the better. We’ve climbed to the top of the hill (a slippery hill at that) and now it’s all downhill to longer days and warmer weather. Second by second, minute by minute, hour by hour the days will lengthen and I can’t tell you how much I look forward to that. To garden days and greenhouse days, to flowers, bees and sunshine. Happy days! 🙂

While I’m on the subject of greenhouses, just look at this little lot, thriving away in my greenhouse with the help of a paraffin heater.
My sweetpea for next summer, now if that’s not hopeful, I don’t know what is!

Stay warm folks, only 4 more sleeps!! 🙂

I have a lovely sweet treat for you today! I got a leaflet through the post from Tesco the other day and after removing my money off vouchers (every little helps or so they say) I was just about to recycle it when I noticed this recipe on it and thought ‘yum’!

So after gathering together my ingredients and lining a 10×8 inch baking tray with baking parchment I began melting the sugar, butter and evaporated milk in a heavy pan.

Heat the mixture gently until the sugar has dissolved, then bring to the boil, stirring all the time with a wooden spoon, then reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. The recipe states that it is a good idea to set a timer for this!

Immediately remove from the heat and add the cranberries and chocolate. Allow the chocolate to melt, then quickly stir the mixture and pour straight into the tin as it begins to thicken immediately.

Spread it in the tin and allow to chill for an hour or so ( I put mine in the fridge when it cooled) until it is firm, then cut into squares.

And what does it taste like I hear you ask, it’s absolutely delicious and I suspect won’t last too long in this house!!

Before I go I just want to say a big thank you to my lovely friend Amanda of Itchin’ Stitchin’ for featuring my blog on her Handmade Crafts Blog Tour. It was such a lovely thing to do and a complete surprise. So thanks again Amanda for being so kind! 🙂

Can you believe tomorrow is Friday again, where do the weeks disappear too? Hope you’re all organised for Christmas and can take some time to relax and perhaps make some fudge!

Enjoy your weekend ! 🙂

Hi everyone, hope this finds you all well and not frantic in all the Christmas rush!
I suppose I should be doing other more essential things but over the last couple of days I decided I would like to make a poinsettia corsage, so after the usual knitting and re-knitting and tweaking I have what I think resembles a poinsettia!

I have been doing some Christmas shopping though and after the car illness (it’s all better now) we managed to do last night what we had intended to do on Saturday! However amid the buying of Christmas gifts I did manage to sneak in a little something for myself and these gorgeous white bunnies just had to come home with me!

I found them in Urban Outfitters, I just love all the quirkiness in this shop!
Anyhow when I saw this little pair I just knew I had to have them, a girl can never have too many bunnies. 🙂

Well this photo shows exactly what I need to do today, they really should be on their way by now!! Actually it’s just one of the many things I need to do today! I also have a meal out tonight with friends which I’m looking forward to as well so I had better love you and leave you and get on with it all.

Thank you all so much for continuing to call in to see me here, I really do appreciate all your comments and the fact that you take the time to make them!
Have a great day and enjoy your Christmas preparations! 🙂

Just dropping in to wish you all a wonderful weekend!

Hope you all manage to get more done than we will as we have a sick car and although it still goes we have been advised not to drive it until it gets sorted or there’s the chance of causing more damage!! Brilliant, just what you need 2 weeks before Christmas!!
So anything we do, we’ll have to do it on foot!

And the title of the post?? I was asked by a lady if I could make her a black corsage and so the Black Rose came about.

Once again have a great weekend and I’ll see you next week!!! 🙂

A little while ago I told you all that I was taking part in the Dutch Sisters Pillow Swap. Well my cushion arrived at the end of last week and lovely it is too! It came all the way from Canada from Lee. We had to say what our favourite colours were in the initial email and I have to say that Lee definitely included all my favourite colours! Green, duck egg blue and brown are all there! 🙂

Lee also included these lovely fabric cards that she makes!
I would just like to thank her very much for the gorgeous cushion and also for the pretty cards.

Now that Lee has received the cushion I sent her I can show you my effort and I have to say I’m quite pleased with myself on this one!! In Lee’s email she said that she would prefer a fabric cushion to one knitted or crocheted. I have to say I panicked a bit at this as knitting and crochet are what I do but I had a go at what is a very simple patchwork and applique cushion. Lee also said she liked traditional colours and that a Christmas cushion would be quite nice. I think and I hope it turned out ok, probably to the eye of a professional it will have many faults but I did my best!

You’re maybe wondering now will I be taking up sewing, patchwork and applique! Well the answer to that is absolutely not, sewing bag linings are as far as I’m going with the sewing! Give me my needles, hooks and yarn any day!! 🙂

Hope you’re all having a great week and are managing to stay warm. It was -12 deg C here last night and it’s supposed to get colder tonight! Brrrrr! Although the forecast said it should be up to 8 deg by Saturday, that’s practically tropical!!! 🙂

Well it’s month two of the Splash of Colour posts organised by Emma of Silverpebble, where we all try to cheer ourselves up while we wait for Spring!
As we’re doing four monthly posts and this is the second one, that means we’re halfway to Spring, woo hoo!!
A nice thought as I look out the window at the heavy snow. We had what I had referred to as ‘designer snow’ (pretty to look at but not enough to cause any hassle) but it’s quickly becoming annoying snow!!

I thought this month, with it being December I would show some festive photos.
The above photo is of some pretty little gift tags which are far to nice to give away, so I’m not going to!!

This was taken in my front garden while I still had ‘designer snow’ I can’t even see the berries now!

One of my many bunny Christmas tree ornaments!

What would Christmas be without Father Christmas, at least he’s used to snow.

This little Father Christmas ornament was bought for me when I was a little girl by my dad, it has been on display every year since. It still has it’s original cardboard backing which came with it in the package. My dad mounted it on some wood so that it could stand and Father Christmas could still have his sky backdrop.

Well that’s my contribution to this month’s Splash of Colour, don’t forget to check out the Splash of Colour Flickr group for more colourful inspiration!

Have a lovely, warm and cosy week! 🙂

Yesterday I mentioned Mia’s Christmas posts and how everyday in the lead up to Christmas she would be bringing you something Christmassy either from herself or from a guest blogger.

Well today is my turn and I’m offering this little holly corsage as a giveaway over on Mia’s blog!

If you would like to have a chance of winning the corsage all you have to do is hop over to HandmadebyMia and leave a comment and let Mia know what your favourite Christmas colour is.
By all means leave me a comment and I would be delighted if you did so but to be in the draw you must leave a comment with Mia.

The giveaway ends on Sunday 5th December when the winner will be announced.

Good luck! 🙂

Well here we are at the 1st December, wasn’t that quick and we’re now into the season of Advent. In my mind this now is the beginning of Christmas, even though the shops have been telling us it’s been here since the end of September!! As I type this there is a little gentle snow shower and everywhere is looking very festive!

As I’m sure you’ve noticed by now I’ve been crocheting again. I’ve called them Jewel Corsages due to the colours of the yarn and the big jewel-like beads in the centre of them.
I’ve also frozen myself photographing them in the flower bed in the garden, believe me it’s very cold out there!!

They will be listed in my Etsy shop today.

Before I go I just want to mention two fellow bloggers.

Firstly you’ll see from the photo below I have been buying again, this time from Pam from Hortensia. Pam makes lovely bags and purses and I couldn’t resist this pretty little coin purse in two of my favourite colours.

I also want to mention my lovely friend Mia of HandmadeByMia. Mia is posting everyday in December with lots of makes, giveaways and Christmas thoughts from herself and from some guest bloggers. Today she is sharing how she made her Advent Calendar, make sure you drop in every day for lots of Christmas ideas and fun!

Finally can I just say a big thank you to all you lovely people who stop by this blog and leave your kind comments, I really do appreciate you taking time to do that and I enjoy reading every one of them! 🙂

Have a lovely Wednesday and enjoy the beginning of Christmas! 🙂