Me and my big girl went for a really lovely walk today to find green branches and leaves for our wreath because today is the first day of Advent. An Advent wreath traditionally symbolises bringing the light of Christ in to the home in the dark days leading up to christmas. But these days it is used more as a count down to christmas; one candle is let on the first sunday of Advent and then the following three sundays until Christmas. I am not really a religions person, but I find this a really lovely way for the children to count down the weeks leading up to christmas.
On the 6th of December is St, Nichols and in Belgium it is a really big deal. The children get lots and lots of presents and chocolate in their shoes. I have made a little St, Nichols for the girls to go on our seasonal table.
I just have to mention that I didn't make the house, that is still on my 'to do list'.
Wow its been a long time since I have posted anything. That is because I have been a busy mummy and I have been busy making slippers. I have been making them for christmas markets and I have had a couple of orders. Here are some of then ones that didn't sell. I have now put them on my Etsy shop. In the next coming weeks I will be busy making slippers too as a have a few more orders, but I will hopefully have time for posting here as well.
Today is my little Girl's birthday, and yesterday I still didn't have a present for her, so last night I was in a bit of a stress. I try to always make something for the girls for their birthdays but this year I was stuck as what to make. Last night I was looking through all my bits and bobs and found some leftover sheepskin from an old coat that I made in to a gilet for myself. I was going to use it to make slippers but it is too soft. So I had an idea to make a little gilet for her birthday. She was very happy this morning with her new gilet and her new hat and scarf that she got from her auntie.
I was ask to make some big slippers for a friend. They were not easy to make, especially to make them the same size. They ended up being a bit big around the top but I think that it makes them more comfortable.
As the slippers are bigger then the ones I usually make I had more space to put flowers and I could not resist making lots of them.
Making a chestnut cake takes a lot of time and effort, but as I only make it once or twice a year I think it is well worth the effort. Some shops sell ready peeled and cook chestnuts, but they are very expensive, and there are plenty of chestnuts to be found at this time of year in the forests, parks and in friends gardens. We have a few chestnut trees in the garden and there lots and lots in the forest nearby. My favourite way to eat chestnuts is to roast them on the fire, they become warm and soft and have a lovely nutty taste.
Here is a recipes for chestnut cake, the chestnuts are used instead of flour which makes this cake gluten free.
It really is autumn time now, all the leaves are turning and the mushrooms are starting to pot out of the ground. I like to make little things for my girls that represent the season and put them on the table. Every season they have different things to look at and play with. Autumn is my favourite season to make things for, because there are so many possibilities. I also really enjoy going for walks with the girls to find things to put on our table.
I just got an iPhone and I am very scared of braking it. My last phone is completely broken from all the times I have dropped it on the floor. So, I have made a little case for my new phone to live in. I have lined it with felt for a bit more protection, I hope new it will be safe.
Here are some lavender pillows, two of them I made for my girls and the other one(on top) I made for my daughters friends birthday. I have stuffed them with wool and dried lavender.
My girls love them and they sleep with them every night. The lavender has a calming and sleepy effect, just what is needed at bedtime. The smell of lavender can also be a very good method for keeping lice away. In the morning the girls always smell so lovely from their lavender pillows.
