on hiatus until futher notice

Documenting Street Art

at WorldChanging

The Beany has landed!

I got my copy through the post today. Been sunk on sofa reading it. Go here to get your own.

My Paper Crane

A blog about sewing, crafting, spinning and dyeing.

Alternative Christmas

Send a Cow
Oxfam Unwrapped
Buy Nothing Christmas - including alternative non commercial and no money presents

Surviving Christmas

I'm overjoyed as I've decided what will be my 'to me from me' present this year (shsh don't tell). Some years ago I found Christmas much more bearable if you take things in hand and give yourself exactly what you want instead of hoping someone will guess. It takes away the deprived feeling of giving giving giving without gettintg something back. I can't remember where I got the idea from but it might have been from an article in a magazine.

I got my idea for my present from Andrea Scher's Holiday Gift Guide. So I'm getting one of these.

Soulful Holidays for Singles is an article I wrote a few years ago.

apprenticeship

following on from a discussion I had recently about optimum

December gloom

The relentless onset of the dark has been pulling me down recently. Its pitch black at 4pm here in Scotland. I just want to curl up on the sofa with my knitted blanket drawn over me and a bar of Green & Black's Dark Cherry Chocolate.

As I looked out of the bus window and saw christmas lights in shop windows I wondered if all the hoopla is just a way of trying to chase away the dark?

In any case chasing away the dark recently has been helped by:

Pink Cashmere Gloves - Hawick Cashmere in Grassmarket
Angels on Bare Skin skin cleanser from Lush - the essential oils perk me up
Hot Chocolate with a centred friend.
Fresias
Going outside at lunchtime to store up light.

If the time of year is getting you down I hope you can gift to yourself something cheering or even better several something cheerings.