Red & Green - Some Christmas Favour & Gift Inspiration

Time to kick off a series of Christmas Favour and Gift Inspiration ideas.   
I am starting with something traditional - Red and Green -  the options to choose from are endless with this colour combination so here is what I have come up with.

Little jars filled with chocolate beans or bon bons. Tie some twine around the top or a ribbon around the middle and you have the cutest little gift.
These perfect little clip jars are great for teachers presents - I have added some choc dipped marshmallows inside, tied it with bright ribbon and added a tag.  These jars are now available in the sweet style store.
Some pretty paper bags filled with Christmas cookies - delicious!
A box of treats for the kids.
Little biscuits in scalloped boxes - so cute!  These biscuits are from the local supermarket making it simple and easy.
Mini Chevron bags also look perfect with Christmas biscuits.
Giant jaffas or gum balls look great in these little boxes.
The ribbed jars look lovely with the marshmallows in them also.
Cupcake cases look so delicious filled with jelly beans.
Pine plates lined with more marshmallows - add a ribbon, wrap with some twine and a merry christmas tag and you are set to head off to Christmas drinks with the neighbours.

I hope you have enjoyed a little bit of Christmas inspiration - a new colour way next week, something not as traditional.  Do you do traditional christmas colours or something a little different?

All of the jars, bottles, stamps, ribbon, twine, candy and bags are available in the Sweet Style store

Leanne

How the heck do you recover a lamp?

You know what happens.... you spy an amazing image somewhere about, like this one:

love everything about this shot. Not sure where I saw it, but Im thinking it might have been from Absolutely Beautiful Things... it screams Anna Spiro, don't you think?

... and in a moment of gloriously carefree optimism you decide 'hey. I can do that' and find yourself digitally scanning your Visa to buy a piece of designer fabric like - oh - this one:



... and decide to recover yourself a lamp. In my head I saw a gorgeously glossy white organic shaped base with this Heather Bailey fabric wrapped around the shade. My upcycled and altogether inspiring lamp would jauntily perch on my new studio desk, lighting up my work until the wee hours and I would glance at it every so often, patting myself with pride.

But now I have the fabric (which really is lovely) and a lamp, which is actually one from Ikea and is jet black. I mean, how do I intend to get a black lamp.... white? Can I get away with spray painting it, and even if I can, what did I intend to do with the black cord!!?

And so now I am in a quandry. I havn't quite given up on my dreams of a recovered lamp, but for now its in my too-hard pile. I quite simply dont know where to start. Im intimidated, folks!

Have you ever recovered an old lamp? How did you do it?!? Do I need special glue? Will any ole spray paint do the job? Your feedback appreciated!

Answers

 I finally got my results back from my tests that I had a few weeks ago and I was shocked at the outcome! I went in to the appointment confident that nothing was wrong yet totally prepared for him to say the words "you have bowel cancer" I don't know why but this was my mental state! 2 extremes. Absolutely nothing wrong or the worst possible outcome. But he just said 2 little words. 2 words that are not bad at all. 2 words that are very common these days. 2 words that I had heard before but did not completely understand. 2 words that absolutly bowled me over and put a knot in my stomach. 

 The minute he said it, I lost everything. My eyes filled with tears and I was fighting back the urge to sob and run out the door. He was explaining it all to me and I was trying so hard to put the tears and shock aside and listen to what he had to tell me. I smiled and agreed with him when he said that this was a positive outcome but inside I was falling apart. Coeliac - how on earth could I be coeliac. a friend from uni was coeliac and every time she had gluten she would throw up. I don't do that. I guess it affects people in different ways. This isn't a bad thing. But its not a good thing. Its not cancer and I should be eternally grateful but right now I'm just angry. I should be happy that I finally have answers. Now I know the answer, all of my symptoms make sense and yes I know how fantastic I am goign to feel when it is all out of my system and my body can start healing itself but right now I'm angry. Ive been putting off writing this post as I'm not used to feeling like this. As you all know Im a very positive person and I can promise you all that I have tried and will continue to be positive about this but sometimes I can't. I know it will get easier but right now I'm angry. Why me? I love my food so so so so much! Yes there are so many alternatives out there and I am very lucky to know now then 10 years ago but alternatives aren't the real thing. gluten free pasta is NOT pasta. gluten free bread is NOT bread. I love these foods and right now I am missing it.

I really really really do not want to sound selfish and ungrateful as I know there are so many people out there completely worse off then me but right now, here on my own blog, I need to write and I need you to read and understand. My tears are falling as I write because I know how silly I am being but I guess the shock hasn't really warn off yet. I'm still getting my head around it all...what I can and cant eat. Most of the time I am positive about it. But in these early stages food is boring! Im sorting and sifting through labels and ingredients trying to find what I can and cant eat. Ive never read a food labels in my life. I was never a dieter, I was never a calorie counter. I ate whatever I wanted and was happy. This is a huge change and I know its going to be amazing! I cant wait to see how I feel once I start to heal. But gosh I could eat a quarter pounder right now!

To throw a spanner into it all I am also completely lactose intolerant. Our tolerance levels should be between 40 and 120 with the average being 60...mines 1...ONE....seriously why me??? No more cheese, no more chocolate, no more milk, no more smoothies, no more ice-cream. Yes yes yes I know there are 'lactose free' items but they are NOT the same!

So right now its been 2 weeks and its been going ok...the food isn't bad but I just miss a lot of foods right now and the thought that I will never be able to eat them again upsets me. But this is it now. This is the answer that I wanted and now Ive got it. Its going to be a big journey and I know it will be for the best but I'll leave being positive about it until tomorrow. Just this little minute I want to cry and get upset and be angry. I think that's ok. I hope that's ok. I just need to deal with all the different ups and downs. 'You cant enjoy the highs if you don't experience the lows" It might seem a petty little thing to everyone else but in my world, it's HUGE!

x S.K.K x

Gift Guide 2011 - She sews...

Gift Guide 2011 - She sews...

Holiday help is here! Over the next few days I will be sharing with you my favourite gift ideas of the season. The best part is that you don't have to leave the comfort of your home as they are all available online. From stocking fillers to finding that elusive gift you know you have seen on a blog but can't remember where!

She sews...

1. The Crochet kit in a book tin is a wonderful printed tin gift set that is a perfect introduction to the traditional art of crocheting, full of all the supplies you need to make a colourful patch cushion. 2. We have all seen the beautiful ribbons wrapped around bobbins this year in blogland, and this white ribbon holder from Tilda is a pretty yet practical way to store them. 3. Every seamstress needs a tape measure and this tea roses tape measure from Cath Kidston is pretty neat.

4. I love my polka dot, duck egg embroidery scissors for crafts on the move; they came in pretty handy as I was stitching my felt birds on my train journey to work! 5. The mini book pink pin tin is so super cute you would want to keep it on display in your craft corner. 6. This ever so pretty Summer blues tin set is on my Christmas wish list as I think they would be perfect to store my craft bits and bobs in and will add print and colour to my open shelves.

7. Wooden bobbins are the perfect way to store ribbons, so why not buy some gorgeous ribbon and wrap them around the bobbins to give as gifts! 8. & 10. The sewing needles and embroidery needles that come in candy coloured pebble holders mean you always have the right needle for the right job. 9. The pink Flamingo pin cushion is a fun, quirky addition to any sewing basket.

11. For those who love an enamel tin there's the House Doctor sewing kit tin at only £6! 12. Who doesn't love some kitsch pom pom trim in their lives and this blue pom pom ribbon from Sass & Belle comes wound on cute card. 13. The pretty Rose tape from Japan is perfect for the washi tape lover!

Happy shopping!
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