First week of advent

For their first week of advent box, recipients got a beauty mask and bath mesh for their pampering, a few chocolates to indulge themselves, a supersize amaretto biscuit on day 4, some girly tissues for their handbag and a funny kitchen cloth to liven up their chores.
So far it looks like everyone is enjoying their treats. It's great to hear that people have sent their loved ones one of my advent boxes half-way across the world to remind them of their love and care. Others have chosen to share it with their daughters. All in all I'm really made up with the positive feedback I've had so far.

Pour leur première semaine de calendrier de l'Avent, les destinataires ont reçu un masque de beauté et une fleur de massage pour la détente, quelques chocolats pour satisfaire leur gourmandise, un gros biscuit amaretto le 4, des petits mouchoirs en papier bien rose pour leur sac à main et une chiffonette rigolote pour rendre leurs tâches ménagères plus agréables.
Pour l'instant tout le monde a l'air content de sa boîte. C'est vraiment super d'entendre que certaines one envoyé leur boîte à l'autre bout du monde pour prendre soin d'un proche qui leur manque. D'autres ont décidé de la partager avec leur fille. En tout et pour tout je suis ravie des commentaires que j'ai reçus jusqu'à maintenant.

Big Christmas project # 1

 

This year my countdown to the big C started ages ago when I started packing, and packing, and packing yet more little presents for my advent boxes.
I have done those boxes for family members last year and they proved to be a big success. Early in the Autumn I started taking a good look around the shops, sniffed out some bargains, imported things from my native France, and here it is, finally....my 2014 edition of the Advent Box. Each box is filled, as per tradition, with 24 surprises to help you count your way down to Christmas. Some are a bit wacky, some are handmade, some help you cope with the stresses of the festive countdown and of course, most are just plain indulgence. I'm very pleased with the interest I've received from people close to me since I showed those around last week, and who knows, putting those boxes together may become more than a hobby some day? Throughout December I will let you know what the recipients enjoyed for their daily surprises.
As for me, well, you know how much of a sucker I am for cute advent calendars (check out last year's and the year before). I hope to get mine just in the nick of time when I visit a certain famous place in a few days' time. More on that later.

Cette année le compte à rebours de N a commencé il y a une éternité quand je me suis mise à emballer, emballer, et encore emballer des petits cadeaux pour mes boîtes de l'Avent.
J'en avais déjà fait pour ma famille l'année dernière et elles avaient eu beaucoup de succès. Au début de l'automne j'ai commencé à fouiner dans les magasins, reniflé les bonnes affaires, importé quelques trucs de France, et au bout du compte, la voilà...ma Boîte de l'Avent édition 2014. Chacune contient, comme le veut la tradition, 24 surprises pour aider à compter à rebours jusqu'à Noël. Certaines sont un peu fofolles, ceratines faites main, d'autres sont là pour vous aider à gerer le stress de la période festive, et bien sûr, la plupart sont pure gourmandise. Je suis très contente de l'intérêt qu'elles ont suscité autour de moi depuis que je les ai montrées la semaine dernière, et qui sait, peut-être qu'un jour ça deviendra plus qu'un simple hobby? Pendant le mois de décembre je vous montrerai ce que les destinataires ont reçu chaque jour.
Quant à moi, eh bien, vous savez mon faible pour les jolis calendriers de l'avent (voyez ceux de l'année dernière et de l'année précédente). J'espère me prendre le mien juste à la derniere minute quand je me rendrai dans un certain endroit dans quelques jours. Je vous raconte très vite.

advent with a twist

Before you can say "Christmas is approaching fast again this year" it seems nearly the whole of November has passed me by!

However, if I was to list this month's accomplishments it would look like this:

* finished my next baby quilt ♥♥♥
* finished sewing a batch of lavender cushions I started last summer (the shame of it)
* had the in-laws over for a week-end
* managed to keep sane
* also managed to order our annual beloved advent calendars from Germany (they do them so much nicer!) for a small fortune
* assembled advent boxes for loved ones...my very point today

I decided it would be so nice to show a few family members how much I think about them everyday, even though 1) we are far apart and 2) I don't really have a lot of spare time to get in touch as regularly as when I was off work.

 So I made them advent boxes - a small surprise everyday for 24 days, to let them know they are still in my heart. Some boxes have already arrived with instructions not to open them yet, some are on their way.
I really wish I could have personalised them a little bit more to suit their recipient's tastes, but in the end hope they will be appreciated no matter what.
If you feel inspired to do the same for your loved ones, it's not too late, and needn't cost a fortune - I went to Boots, Woolworth, and the local supermarket to get my goodies. The time-consuming thing is to wrap it all...24 times 4 loved ones, well, that's a lot of wrapping!
 Do you like the idea? I will wait for their feedback, but I am already thinking of ideas for next year...the possibilities seem endless.

our first anniversary

As London celebrates one year gone since the Olympic Games, today is also this blog's Fourth Birthday. It is not always what I would wish it to be, but all in all, I'm pretty happy with it.
I never cease to be amazed by where all my visitors come from, and the comments I get truly mean a lot to me. Thank you so much, and I hope you'll keep on visiting, and maybe even become a follower ; )

Last but not least, yesterday also marked our first anniversary. It seems like a lifetime ago now that our lovely daughter is with us! Still, it is a nice excuse to go through all our pictures and share with you a bit of our wedding in France.   See you soon with -at last- some sewing!

advent and other things

Now that's a moment I've been waiting for for a loooooong time! back in October I visited Berlin and fell in love with this lovely matriochka in the famous KaDeWe department store...isn't she to die for?

This is such a transgression - I honestly can't remember if I've ever even had an advent calender before....but this one was just so pretty, I had to have her! And the chocolates inside are amazing, nothing like the grotty tiny pieces you get in supermarket ones.

I've also been meaning to show you the pouches I made with the much awaited magnetic snaps. Here they are - I just about remembered to sanp them before their own owner came to get them!

As you know at the moment, normal daylight is a bit of a utopic thing, so I have to apologize for the horrible pics! here's another one...I was made up with those pouches, as I made my own pattern. And today before I bid them goodbye, I even had the satisfaction of a colleague asking me for a copy of said pattern so she could try and have  ago at it (yeah!)

Well, I'll leave you on this modest note. I have so many things to say, but life has been really hectic the last 2 weeks, and it doesn't look like it's gonna stop for the next fortnight again. If I have a minute or two, I'll post this week-end to tell you all about it.

Ciao!