My family has never celebrated Christmas, which has meant some very lonely and quiet Christmases for me. Not that I should feel that way, because technically it’s a Christian holiday, but how many people really remember the true reason for Christmas? I usually feel a little left out of all the fun. This year I decided I didn’t want to spend Christmas Day alone. So two friends and I had a picnic at a local park. We ate and ate, talked and laughed, played on swings and chased one of the girl’s dog around. I am sitting here feeling so warm, relaxed and tierd. Seriously considering...

Anyone who knows me, knows how much I love hunting down and acquiring pretty and rare things. Not just any pretty rare thing… it usually revolves around a specific hobby or interest of mine… most of the time anime or manga related, books or cross stitch related. Like the time when Amazon was advertising the superbly limited edition Tales of Beedle the Bard Collectors edition. I initially wanted two copies, one to keep in pristine condition, the other to open and drool over. Alas I only bought one copy, and it sits, un-opened, being pristine and untouchable. Or certain anime/manga statues...

This year I took part in my first cross stitch Christmas Exchange, organised by members of a local cross stitch forum. Members were given the name of another to be the “secret santa stitcher” for… we had to stitch a Christmas themed ornament. Took me a long while to decide what to stitch, but I finally settled on a Just Nan design called ‘Holiday In Ice,’ a complimentary design published in 1997. Surprise surprise… can you tell how addicted I am to her work? After some initial froggy moments (where I stitched some stitches in one angle, and others in another) the...

Last month I put my name down to take part in a cross stitch meme style Pay It Forward (henceforth referred to as PIF) with the lovely Heather over at Reflections in the Pond. Received the package yesterday and all I can say is, yay! Heather sent me: Just Cross Stitch magazine featuring Teresa Wentzler’s ‘Nativity’ Topiary Trees by Teresa Wentzler Petites Peacock & Unicorn by Teresa Wentzler Stitchable bookmark DMC, Whisper, beads and a gorgeous card. I’ve been wanting those TW designs for quite some time, so thankyou Heather! Still need to put together your care...