Merry Christmas to all my lovely customers - you know who you are.  And to any others reading this - may Father Christmas be kind to you, and may next year be your best yet.  Love, Louise xxx

Well, kind of.  We had SO much snow yesterday!  Luckily, as it was the weekend, we stayed in the warm and watched it come down.  We ventured up the shop (on foot) today, and hubby went and dug the car out this afternoon, in preparation for an undoubtedly hairy journey to work tomorrow.  As we all know, it's an absolute nightmare trying to get about in all this white stuff, but just think of all those lucky schoolkids who've finished for Christmas and have all this to play in! :)

Anyway, the weather's pretty much drawn a line under my Christmas present list - if I haven't got it now, it's too blinkin' late!  Naturally, I had to discover yesterday that I'd wrapped the wrong present (again!  How do I manage it?)  and passed it on, so that will have to be retrieved and swapped at some point!  Still can't show any piccies of pressies made, so you are welcome to look at the things I've made myself instead - a black and silver necklace, and a sparkling clear set of pendant, earrings and bracelet, both with fabulous lampwork by Isabelle Anderson and Laney from Izzybeads respectively.

I had a nice surprise this week - series 1 and 2 of Life On Mars arrived in the post from my dad and stepmum, so I had me a little Sam Tyler and Gene Hunt fix last night.  Love that series - how is it that John Simm manages to look SO cool in those seventies clothes, even against a backdrop of the worst wallpaper ever?! ;D

I'm not panicking.  Really.  The fact that I've failed to organise most of my pressies and have still only made half of my Christmas cards is NOT worrying me AT ALL.  (*gibber*)  My defense is that the cold has frozen my brain.  I was making a 90th birthday card this morning for my Nan's birthday (today!) and wondering if I will ever manage to do anything before the 11th hour - even at the 10th hour would be something ...

I have made a couple of birthday and Christmas pressies this week (photos under wraps until the occasions are over!), a commission which inspired some barbed wire earrings for yours truly, and a couple of Christmas-inspired things.  And it's time I started getting some of the ingredients for our seasonal grub - I always make a Panettone, and I must not let myself leave the purchasing of the mixed peel until the last minute!  So much to do and so little time - remind me again why I love Christmas? ;D

Anyway, I hope everyone else's preparations are going much more swimmingly than mine - for me,  it's looking like a wing and a prayer situation, but I keep trying to convince myself that's half of the fun!