What I Won last month...

Yes, I won a price from the “Fashionable Fabrics” which was featured on “My Bit of Earth”. I ordered some more I love fabric and an avid collector. However, I am determine during this year to add some quilts for the family and the TV room. 

I have my eyes on some really cute doll quilts that I would like to make for little Nicolette. That remind me of another project that I need to work on. I am eager to get my hand son these beautiful prints.

These precut fabric could be fin to work with. I am looking forward to work on some really cute projects. The red and white printed fabric is so cute and the big bold floral print is adorable. I cannot wait to start these projects.  

Tiny red riding hood fabric is out of this world. It is so cute. I have bought few things for myself this holiday to embark on projects with fabric. I just have to see how to balance all and keep the sanity!

Holiday Gifts and Canning...

This Holiday I embraced the good life in canning. I purchased the whole nine yards last Summer. But, I did not had much growth in our yard to can. I was not sure that I could take on canning the fruits. 

I was mesmerized by our neighbors canning abilities and continues to help her this past Summer. I was drawn towards the weck canning jars, I guess towards the beauty of the simple mason jar and the fastening mechanism. I felt like I spend a fortune for them. 

This Holiday with my buzzing schedule I decided to make a Sri Lankan pickle to share with my new staff members at school. I embraced the idea and started to make my first batch. It was a success with the help of my neighbor and with few friends. I could not can the entire batch due to liquid requirement. My pickles did not had much liquid but it was delicious. The ones which did not can was consumed entirely by the family members. 

I was able to hide a little bit for myself! I might work on this project this summer for gift giving. 

Holiday Baking...

It was a whirlwind at my house this year baking the holiday goodies. I felt so good to share the bounty with friends and neighbors. I baked a handful of variety of cookies this holiday. One of the special request was to bale oatmeal cookies with no chocolate chip cookies from my oldest. 

Little one will munch anything sweet that she can lay her hands around. However she was was a great help this year from mixing ingredients to baking little tiny cookie balls. She was happy to be around her moma and help around. She was also thrilled to offer the cookies to neighbors around the block. Little Nicolette refused to take afternoon naps during the holiday baking. 

 We made some awesome tarts including key lime, almond, and lemon. Our little plates looks very festive this holiday with all of our busy schedule. At the end it feels so good to SHARE!.

Merry Christmas...

This is really ironic, I did not grew up with christmas trees but we knew friends and families who celebrated the magical holiday. I even went to school with a nun to study about Montessori. I remember in some occasions i would go to the church and study with the nun or complete our work. I did look forward for this, because they had so much order in the church every nun had a responsibility/duty to perform. 

I enjoy having lunch and evening tea at the church because it was always so beautiful. When we move to US I learned about a bunch of holidays that I was not exposed to in Sri Lanka.

Now, I mark this magical holiday with no family ties but for the mere joy of celebrating it with my children. My son, sells the Christmas trees for his troop. We bought our tree from his troop and decided to hang decorations. Little Nicolette had her own almost pink Christmas tree and was elated with JOY! I overheard that she did not want to got to school even though no one is at home. I caught her staring at her tree in her room. I am a Buddhist but we enjoy this Holiday with joy!

We do not have a traditions set forth. This started with a small tree during my first couple of years of teaching and I decorated these two trees every year ever since, perhaps I might have skiped this tradition for couple of years due to moving and so forth. Any ideas for stocking stuffers... for a teenager. 

Enjoy!

Children's Artwork.

I love little Nicolette's creations. Whenever I am working on a craft project she is always eyeing it around. Lately she wanted to paint with me with acrylic paint. I wonder why?

I bought these tiny bird house and it was sitting around. I wanted her to work with this in Spring thinking that a little birdie will make a home. But it was the time, she really wanted to paint with me. She wanted it to be red and black reminds me the post boxes around the streets in Sri Lanka where you can drop mail.

I wanted to get a whole lot and paint them to add to our christmas tree this year. I might take on it.

Enjoy!

Painting...

I always wanted to get my hands around painting. I wanted to take some heavy duty painting classes hopefully this Summer. However, my trips to the craft store has always wanted to me to roam around the paint aisle. I know I am a person who will work with shades of colors. I have done a project with children long time ago at school with shades of colors.

The availability of canvases are mind blowing. The little frames are so beautiful and cute at the same time. I purchased these at the local craft store. This is the end product after painting. I am afraid if this is going to be a newfound love. 

I am not complaining though... I do enjoy it very much... I am working on incorporating this to a very new place.

Enjoy!