To One and All

 Every Christmas, since my wee girl was very wee indeed, we have made a cardboard tree. 

 

This year, as we were about join the two tree pieces in the traditional cross-intersection to make it a stand-up 3D tree-like shape, the girleen came up with a brilliant new structural idea.

 

The stash of glitter and glue - hidden away since the great "Oooooh....It looks like MAGIC...!" glitter-throwing disaster of 2009 - was brought out and used with great control and design sensibility.

..and even so, two weeks later, I'm still finding glitter all over the backyard and house.

 

And so, let me present This Year's Tree! 

The space between the two sides of the tree was the "perfect" place to stash our hand-made, Lindt-Ball-filled crackers. 

We also finally made the "Gorgeous Gingerbread" recipe from the Mary Poppins book that the girleen read (and copied the recipe from) mid-year. 

I'm thinking it was more miraculous than gorgeous... We had named it "Gingerslop" as it went into the oven.  The mixture was so runny that we didn't believe that it would ever bake into anything other than thick custard.  But it was ok!

 

The first few days of school holidays passed with preparations for my family Christmas lunch, which we celebrated at my house on Saturday.  And since then, the girleen and I have been on a go-slow.  We have goofed about the house, baking and sewing and doing nothing in particular.

 

We decided to play with the paper dollies she was given as a birthday present a few weeks ago.  She wasn't interested in the outfits that the dolls came with - she wanted to design her own (*proud mama's heart skips a beat*).  

 

She then suggested that we make a real doll's dress, based on the paper design.  (*cue simplified, Barbie-doll-size design analysis and patternmaking lesson*)

It was a collaborative effort, involving both Elna-Mini and Fancy-Schmantzy-Bernina, the box in the fabric stash labelled "Shiny, Drapey & Sparkly", and a paring-back of design details (by the youngest collaborator...when it was all taking too long). 

 

Barbie will indeed go to the ball!

Wishing all a very safe and happy Christmas and New Year, and happy holidays with the people you love.