Monday happy things

Lots of things have made me smile this week. Most importantly my daughter turned 3 and her birthday treat was a family outing to see the new Paddington Bear film.

Remember those fun Playmobil hats I told you about? Well there’s now a free downloadable knitting pattern for them, so crafters can create their own as a quirky Christmas gift for relatives big and small. The knitting pattern can be downloaded for free from www.playmobil.co.uk/playmohair.

I received two lovely swap parcels – the #PerfectStrangers swap parcel organised by Oh Comely magazine and a handmade ornament swap organised by  Tutus and Tea Parties. I sent another swap off today and have one left to make and send.

Christmas madness has begun with the opening of our Advent box. Somehow the children have ended up with 3 Advent calendars each which made for an interesting morning. I think I might have to lose a couple of them…. Advent calendars, not children.

I’m surrounded by gingerbread at the moment. We’ve made gingerbread men garlands, biscuits, gingerbread cloud dough and gingerbread sun catchers. What are your gingerbread making skills like ? Can you create an edible gingerbread masterpiece? If so I have found the perfect competition for you. Choose one of the gingerbread templates (or even design your own) and then bake and put together your gingerbread pièce de résistance. There are some great prizes up for grabs, with five lucky winners receiving a £100 Tesco gift card. Don’t forget to share your creation with the hashtag #GingerbreadAllTheWay. I know what I’ll be doing this weekend!