Embroidered Christmas Cards

Time for something a little more lighthearted today compared to my last two posts, I think. It's Christmas Eve, I've just finished my last shift of seven days straight at work and I've got a few more presents to wrap before the big day tomorrow so now's the perfect time to share some of the Christmas cards I've made this year.

Saying Goodbye

As hard as it is, we all know that one day death will come knocking. We know that as our beloved grandparents get older and weaker, their day will come. But, for me at least, we don't expect it to happen to us. I know I am incredibly lucky to have known and loved all four of my grandparents into my twenties, and it is with enormous sadness that we have very recently had to say our last goodbyes to my dear Grandad Ted.

Grandad Ted in the early 1930s, aged around 4

We Must Stand United

I never know what to say when people cry, when people are grieving, or when people are broken hearted. I don't know what to say now when I think about the state of the world in the last few days and weeks and months, but I feel that I've got to say something. At times like these, words are all we have, so I'm going to use them the best I can.

When I first read on Twitter last night about the attacks in Paris I was stunned. No, I thought, not again. At that point the news stations were reporting 18 deaths, and I just felt more and more despair as that number rose. This wasn't something I could just turn off the television and forget about. I felt, and still do feel, so useless. By keeping the news on and following the story, I felt like I was doing something: standing with the people. Solidarity is something that's been spoken about a lot in the last 24 hours and I think that's what is was.

Haiku

Five five five five five
Seven seven seven wait
That's wrong isn't it


Should it be this hard
To make something meaningful
Out of so little


And it's so funny
Stopping's the last thing you want
Once you get started

Thoughts from a Third Year

I am a third year university student now and I don't quite know how that happened. I try to avoid cliches when and where I can but they're all true: time does fly, it does only feel like yesterday that I enrolled as a fresher and if you blink for too long you probably will miss it. I've been back at uni for nearly two weeks now so I thought I'd take this opportunity to gather my thoughts and consider what I've learnt thus far as I go into my final year. 

Knitting Tiny Clanger

Is it possible to be nostalgic for a time you never knew? I think it must be, because I'm a child of the 1990s but I have a very real longing and affection for the 1960s and 70s. The music, the fashion, the culture- I just want to be there and eat it all up! It's not all the cool, stylish stuff though I'm into, though- I also have a soft-spot for early 1970s children's television.

Tomato and Garlic Mushrooms

As I mentioned in my last post, I've recently become a vegetarian and I've been scouring the web to find some delicious veggie recipes. As well as being a great place to spend hours browsing all sorts of beautiful craft ideas, I've found that Pinterest is also fab for finding and sharing recipes. I had a whole heap of vegetables in the fridge that needed using up, including some portobello mushrooms, so I did a quick Pinterest search and, inspired by some goodies I spotted on there, decided to make stuffed mushrooms for my tea. They turned out really well so I thought I'd share my recipe here! 

Ingredients

• Portobello Mushrooms
• Tomatoes
• Garlic (granules and fresh)
• Onion
• Basil
• Cheese