I want to learn this skill!! Seriously. I am an only electric building, I have no means of cooking in a power cut (OK, I have a small camping stove, but having options is also good)
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Well, for actual cooking a camping stove is much better. We didn’t use a camping stove as we weren’t really familiar with them (our parents owned them when we were kids but we never used them ourselves) and we didn’t feel like we had a safe area to use it in.
But do you have a teapot warmer? If you put a metal or enamel bowl or a small saucepan, or even literally just a can (remove the label) on it, it will heat the food. Several tealights will make it warm up faster. I was surprised how much heat was generated by a few tealights.
If you have something like a roasting tin / oven dish, you can put the tealights in there, put a grill rack over it, and you’ve got a bigger surface for heating things. Now, the internet says, that you could build that into a little heater using flower pots and bricks and such but I’ve not tried that. I imagine that would work though - the candles warm up the stone and those retain their heat for a while, like a fireplace, as long as you’re aware of the safety risks.
I AM OFFICIALLY ON MY CHRISTMAS BREAK! I will now do ALL THE CRAFTS and hopefully finish about a dozen things this week. I already took off our ordinary tablecloth from the dinner table and replaced it with a festive red one.
I surived our office drinks party. My coworker got embarrassingly drunk. All day long she was telling us that she’d planned to put on a festive dress but changed her mind that morning because she didn’t want to draw attention to herself, because people would talk, then she got so drunk people will certainly talk.
She kept talking about my dress and asked a shy, sober, male coworker if he didn’t think I looked so sexy in my dress and he actually blushed, poor guy. She kept telling off another female coworker, saying her dress was way too short. Both of our outfits were absolutely office-appropriate. I wore a black velvet 1950s style dress that I’ve worn to about a million parties because it’s so versatile and comfortable, and while I think I look nice in it, it’s more Grace Kelly than Kardashian. The drunk coworker is a lady in her 60s, and she’s ok when she’s sober, but if she was a man this kind of comments would have gotten her in trouble.
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Yay for Christmas break!! And, I’ve received a gorgeous handstitched card from you in time for Christmas, thank you so much, my friend! 
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Woot woot! Yay for Christmas break. I have two more days and then I’m free!
I just started my last gift. It is for my brother-in-law and sister-in-law. The sign is inspired by these:
I am embroidering Indiana and Missouri
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I’ve been lurking and reading and admiring the lovely stuff that you guys have been making. The knitted socks, the cross stitch, 
.
And it’s clear that I’ve fallen woefully short this year in handmade gifts. Two friends got some home made chocolates (I melted chocolate, roasted some cashews and added cranberries) and nothing else I’m giving will be handmade.
It’s almost 3am, insomnia has me in its teeth and I’m wondering why I’ve done so little crafty work in ages. I’m trying to give myself grace and remind myself that in the last 10 weeks, I’ve had a major health scare, lung biopsy, been to A&E, been off work for two weeks, took a good 6 weeks to recover fully, had my first art exhibition, not to mention catching up with friends, going away for two full weekends, working on some personal issues, reorganising a good chunk of my studio for glass work, end of semester assessment work, my own and my students.
Maybe that’s why. And I’m still standing, so that’s good.
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I didn’t know you were going through so much, I’m so glad to hear that it sounds like you’re ok!!
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Thanks sweetie, I’m all good now-out the other side of things. And looking forward to a quiet few weeks. It’s been busy. I’m also looking forward to seeing photos of your new art studio when you’re finished getting it together. 
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Oh @Edel, I’m sorry your life has been turned upside down. I hope your health bounces back quickly.
I claimed @AudiobookLover in the ornament swap for a house. I thought the package was lost, so I started on this house. The first little house ended up arriving safely. I had A LOT done on this house before I realized it is too big for an ornament. I finally decided to make it into a reusable gift bag for my Secret Santa at work.
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This is so nice! The recipient is so lucky to get it.
@Edel I’m sorry you’ve gone through so much but I’m glad you’re doing better now. I can’t believe how many things you’ve still managed to do in those months 
I hope you’ll have a few nice quiet weeks ahead.
We finally fully decorated the tree today, and we did some necessary decluttering. In between I baked bread and nice festive rolls for tomorrow’s breakfast and lunch. Tomorrow is finish all the things - day!
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@edel…seems like many people have had a rough go this year! You have managed to do so much in spite of any of the bad things! Hoping things are improved and that your nicely organized craft room will be ready for new projects in 2025!
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Right? Let’s hope the universe has gotten it out of it’s system and we can all have a better 2025!
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What a cute sweater!
Is the bottom one a crossstitch? It looks almost like a watercolor!
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That’s partially because it’s midnight here and I had to use the flash on my phone, I’m afraid… . It was a free kit that came with the Christmas issue of Cross Stitcher. The sky background is many different colours of blue, white and purple, and at some point I lost track and just filled the rest in randomly.
The sweater is for my friend’s toddler and I just couldn’t resist that cute pattern! It’s this free pattern from Drops: Frosty's Christmas Kids / DROPS Children 30-28 - Free knitting patterns by DROPS Design I love that the carrot, the scarf, the buttons and the snowdrops are all 3D. It was a quick knit too, since toddlers are so tiny - I knitted the plain back in one evening, the front took a bit longer.
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I love the sky the best!
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@Immaculata every one of your creations is fantastic! I just framed and wrapped your “Come Back With a Warrant” cross stitch. I can hardly wait until my sister opens it! 
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I managed to finish a pillow for my parents, the day before they arrived for the week.
And a scrappy crochet basket for my dad, literally as I was watching them drive up my street on the Find My ap. It’s all stash, mostly Darn Good Yarn silks, and a bit of solid Caron Simply Soft to help blend colors.
Meanwhile, my mom brought me a rectangular pillow form she had laying around, so yesterday I grabbed the scraps from my Rose Garden Quilt, to turn into a pillow for the SIL who won the quilt in a raffle.
(We just happened to get them in the family gift exchange.) It was a super fast project. About 2-3 hours, while visiting with my parents in my studio. Both pillows have a simple envelope closure, and were “zig-zag serged” on the inside to prevent fraying. (And so I wouldn’t have to pull out and rethread my serger in white.)
This morning I’m attempting to wrangle the gifts I’ve been making in the last few weeks, into gift bags so I can drop them off with friends and neighbors today. There are Friendship Soup In a Jar mixes, with Ranch Oyster Crackers, and a side of ?Australian-style Rocky Road. Then a pack of Paperless Towels and some of what I’m calling “Friendship Bells”, based off Prosperity Bells.
I really have to do separate posts for all these things soon…
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Look at you go!
I like the bells idea very much, I might just stow that one away for stealing for next year.
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You are the master of last minute! I love that scrappy pillow that you “just whipped up”…it is gorgeous, back and front!
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