From my family to yours - A Happy Christmas Dance!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Before you view the video clip in this next post...

...please scroll right down to the bottom of the right hand sidebar and pause the music. This is better than John Lennon anyway!

Purse tissue covers finished for Christmas!

Last week I gave you a sneak preview of these little silk purse tissue covers I was making as Christmas gifts. Today I hauled out the machine and stitched up the ends. Voila! In no time they were finished!

(Lindi, you were absolutely right!)

Life's Little Mysteries #4 - Somebody's thrown in the towel!

One of the aspects of near-city living I've had to get used to is having the flotsam and jetsum of the neighbourhood abandoned on my stone wall or tossed onto my garden beds. This never happened when we lived in suburbia. You'll have read of other such finds here and here, and today it was this towel from a popular, but rather expensive, gym.

Now why do you think it was tossed onto the top of my 2.5 metre high retaining wall?

Do you think the exercise regime became just too hard for someone? Or perhaps the WEC (World Economic Climate) forced them to cut down on extravagances like aerobics classes or personal training?

'Tis the season - to think of others less fortunate

Another table laden with Chrissy presents, but this time they're toys for some of the 1,700 children who the Salvation Army's Oasis Youth Support Network expects at their giant Christmas gathering at Redfern in Sydney on Christmas Day.

By the way, anyone is welcome at that giant party, so if you are in Sydney and have no-one to spend Sydney with, head on over to Redfern's Carriageworks on the big day.

My exercise class group each year donates a small mountain of toys to this fabulous charity, and this morning we were very excited to hand them over to Robyn Moulds wife of the Director of Oasis, Captain Paul Moulds, at our break-up morning tea .

'Tis the season - for the Kris Kringle!

Today I went to my first break-up of the season, that of my 'bijou' quilt group, Paddington Quilters. Not only are these girls deft with a needle, talented designers, great encouragers, warm carers, generous sharers, and a wonderful way to begin a week, but they are some of the most creative gift-wrappers around.

In the Kris Kringle I chose Charlyn's gorgeously-wrapped gift, but was so excited that I completely forgot to photograph it closely before I opened it.

Hers is that puff of clear cellophane glistening invitingly in the background of the photo above. Charlyn added a tiny bit of opulence - a sprinkling of palest flesh-pink petals from her "Pierre de Ronsard" rose bush, nestling in the folds of the cellophane - delicious!!!

And just look what was inside...

This exquisite little pump-pack not only contains enough delicately scented body lotion to take me through the summer and beyond, but will look fabulous in my 'boudoir'.

Thank you Charlyn, and thank you Paddington Quilters for your friendship!

Scatterday Challenge for December - "Sunrise / Sunset" #2

(Three years ago) as the sun set slowly in the west... we floated down the Nile on a felucca organised by Jenny.

Ahhhh.....