On choosing a bottle of wine.

This year Grandad chose alot of books to give as gifts, on the principle that the best books have the nicest covers. If it doesn't have a good cover, he doesn't pick it up. He did very well.



Lately I've been taking the same approach with wine- choosing a bottle by it's label.

All the better if it's embroiderable I say. (Embroiderable IS a word!)

Zippered purse for my cousin Sophie

And the wine wasn't bad either!

The Duck, and some Domestic Confessions.

Just in case I left you with the impression I'm a domestic goddess after yesterday's post I thought I should clear a few things up. I burnt the cake, loaf and biscuits.

The cake's also kinda falling apart.



Yes, they are big holes in the top where I picked out all the burnt pieces of fruit. At this point I don't think brandy icing will be enough to salvage this cake so I can give it as a gift.

I guess it depends on the amount of brandy.

The loaf was salvagable. And very moist.

The biscuits on the other hand, like rocks. Luckily I only burnt the first tray.



I'll have you know I blame the oven. No really- a new oven which appears to have a thermostat defeciency. Seriously. I baked the loaf for 30 mins, not an hour. And the (successful) biscuits? 13 mins at 100oC, where the recipe calls for 25mins at 180oC.

Yeah, it's the oven.

Anyway the neighbourhood birds have been doing well at our place.



Guess who turned up? A duck. She came by a few days ago and I fed her bread. Apparently burnt chocolate chippie biscuits make a nice change from pond scum.

Isn't she beautiful?

So I took some photos. And I thought, I might try drawing her. So I did.



And I thought, I've got those colours in my stash.



So I embroidered her.

Christmas Crafting

I've been crafting up a storm lately. I love this fabric *cough* sheet *cough*, and copied a motif off it to embroider on an apron for Michael's Mum.

I've also been making stacks of cards with my photos on the front. Any excuse to use my 'spinning a yarn' stamp which has been sadly languishing lately!