Colliwood

Last Sunday Em and I went to the premiere of Charlotte's Web. I adored the book when I was little but wasn't a fan of the animated movie...but the new film version was great. Julia Roberts did a great job as the voice of Charlotte, too.

Little Dakota Fanning turned up...with a tiny pig on a leash...the "after party" was at the Collingwood Children's Farm, which they'd done up to look like a New England Country Fair complete with rides, pumpkins, lemonade stands etc. I'll admit it...I took my camera and couldn't help but snap a few shots of Dakota. Mr and Mrs Fanning looked very Hollywood and it was all slightly surreal but there were hundreds of kids who looked like they were having the time of their lives...and yes, we had fun, too!

They look like little hats but they're actually paper cones. On Saturday 16 December Em and I are having my family over for a Christmas BBQ ... that means 22 for a sit down lunch! I should be busy collecting chairs because the way we're going - people will be pulling up a nice, sturdy crate to sit on. Instead, I've been folding and sticking these - a little departing gift we'll fill up with goodies.

12 down, 10 to go.

I've just finished reading The Lost Happy Ending, a beautiful picture book by UK poet, Carol Ann Duffy with illustrations by Jane Ray. It's about a little girl who collects Endings and releases them every night into the "violet evening air". When a (very) nasty witch steals a sack of happy endings, every bedtime story ends on a bad note: Hansel and Gretel are trapped in the ginger-bread house and Snow White dies. I won't spoil the ending...
The illustrations are rich, colourful and vibrant...but, like original fairytales (before Disney got hold of them) it's on the darker side of happy.

I've also started re-reading Holidays On Ice by David Sedaris. I rarely re-read books but this guy's experience as a Macy's elf is priceless.

I crafted like a crazy woman this weekend. Yes, felt did fly. Finished my ornaments for the swap, made some rubber stamps, typed up some little cards, baked an apple cake, made an elephant, kitty, duck.. - NOTHING got in my way. My sewing machine was on fire! Fun.

I seemed to have caught the Christmas bug a little earlier than usual. Maybe it's because I signed up for the Holiday Ornament Swap over at Freshly Blended. I'm in the midst of a crafting blitz - came out of the blue but there I was late last night, cutting tiny bits of felt and flinging cotton about and jabbing my finger repeatedly with a needle...a sure sign it's time to down tools.

Anyway. Looking around for inspiration about what to make. Found some good ideas here - like the buttons but might try something different. Some sweet things here, too. These antique cotton decorations are pretty amazing, too.

Trying to find order in all this colour, shape and texture and coming up with more rings.