Homemade Christmas

With all my family finally gathered together for new year, last night we had a chance to exchange our (mostly) handmade Christmas gifts. As Christmas drew closer there had been a lot of talking down of people's efforts and a lot of "don't expect too much" being said.

In the end the presents we exchanged were surprising and delighting. My niece and nephew were unexpectedly pleased with the quilts I made them (see top photo) despite the fact they were extremely low-tech gifts for an 8 and 9 year-old. My sister fired up a previously dormant sewing machine and made some brilliant zipped pouches (apparently she sewed 15 in the end when she got the hang of it!) lots of Blurb books were exchanged, I produced some great family calendars through photobox, my mum made aprons for my sister and I, and I framed some Moo mini cards. Despite the stresses of deadlines, temperamental sewing machines and shortages of supplies, everyone seemed to have enjoyed the experience and I personally couldn't be more delighted with what I received.

I have been in the UK for the past week, where it has been mainly damp and dreary. I had forgotten how short the days can be at this time of year and how dark the mornings are. Apparently the sun is due to shine tomorrow, so maybe there will a chance to capture some photos of the English countryside before I head back to Cyprus on Wednesday for our final four months...