Christmas Craziness & OPAM Winner!

PHEW!! Are you like me at the moment & feeling a wee bit frazzled as the year winds down & the Christmas craziness gets into full swing?? The days seem to whiz by so darn quickly & we struggle & juggle to fit everything into the calendar & somehow, no matter how many things we cross off our "To Do" lists, that list just keeps growing. I'm pretty sure I'm NOT the only one struggling to keep all of the balls in the air ... I just hope I don't drop any & have them bean me on their way down! Tee! Hee! Hee!

Even though I feel like my list of stuff to get done before the jolly, fat man in the red suit shows up is never ending, I HAVE had a pretty productive weekend. The washing is all done, there are fresh sheets on the beds & clean towels in the clean bathrooms. I've spring cleaned one section of our main living area in preparation for hosting a Christmas gathering next weekend. (I'm not confessing how much more spring cleaning has yet to be done!!) I've even found some time to add a finish to me OPAM tally & an item into my giftie stash. 

I scuffled through my stash until theses fabrics caught my fancy ...

When you're starting a new project do you pick the fabric first or the project? I think I do a bit of both, but in this case, I knew what I wanted to make & just rifled through the stash until I could picture the finished project. And that project was ...

... A pretty Paris-inspired mug bag. I think the person I've made it for will like it. :0) And it's nice to add a finish to my list during this busy few weeks. How's your Christmas giftie making going??

And speaking of finishes ... You lovely, clever clogs OPAMers have obviously been busy little bees. There were ...

137 FINISHES 

... For November. Well done everyone! And a pat on the back for those of you who may not have added finishes, but made some good progress on some longer-term projects. Persevering on big projects is sometimes tough, so hang in there & channel Dory from "Finding Nemo" ... Just keep swimming ... Er ... STITCHING! :0) And this month's random draw winner is ...

MARILYN

Congrats Marilyn! Email me your snail mail address & I'll pop a little something in the post for you.

Before I go back to my spring cleaning (SIGH!! GROAN!!) I thought I'd show you the rather special Christmas cake that was gifted to the residents of the retirement village where I work. It was made by a lovely local cake decorator who runs classes in the area ...

Isn't it fabulous! It was displayed, cut & enjoyed at our annual Christmas brekkie last week. I didn't get to try it but was told it was as delicious as it was fantastic to look at.

OK ...back to the cleaning for me. I hope your weekend has been productive too & that you're surviving the silliness of the silly season. Just remember, if it all starts to feel too much, give yourself permission to stop & put your feet up with a cuppa for a little rest before you keep going. There's no point in "doing" so much for Christmas that you don't enjoy this special time of the year. Be kind to yourself. :0) Til next time ...

BEAR HUGS!

CHEERS!

KRIS