I know you're out there

I can hear you hyperventilating.

So deep breath everyone, because today we're rolling into The Big Room.

In anyone else's house, it would be the lounge/ dining room, but ... y'know ... my house ... my rules.
So the dining room bit actually has the couches [ sofas ], buffet and display unit, while the space normally designated lounge room [ living room ] is my studio / sewing room / call it what you will.

Going on past years, it'll take us about three days to get through this ... and then on to the kitchen, and finally the rumpus room.

So ... in here the bookcases [ normally ] house quilt books and needlework tools, both the ones I actually use and the vintage stuff. One shelf has been cleared [ and don't y'all faint but I actually DUSTED ] and temporarily reassigned to the Nativity sets.

This Italian set is not very old - maybe 10 years - and has no particular story attached

- unless you count the time I discovered that David had added two plastic toy goats to the more traditional sheep, ox and ass. This year the additions are a knitted sheep [ or goat, I'm not sure ] and an alpaca who is hiding just out of the photo.

The stable for this group is one that Marc made from his mum's old fence when it was replaced.

He made three stables, so I bought three sets of the figurines. We gave one lot to his mum [ who didn't much appreciate the gesture at the time but now treasures it ] and Nadie and I have the others. I know that the figures are inexpensive, but I like their simplicity, and of course, anything my late husband spent the time creating is doubly special.

This next little paper one was bought by my parents on their first married Christmas. It has 1950 written in pencil on the back in my mother's distictive handwriting, as well as the price: 1/3 [ 12c ]


I guess if my folks had been more affluent that it might have been replaced decades before I snaffled it, but instead it's still here, and still loved. Still appreciated both for it's lovely soft graphics and for the link to other times.

This last group was a 'Post-Christmas Sales' gift to myself a couple of years ago.



Do I really need to explain?
It's blue
and 'quilted'
'nuff said really!