It's the Weekend!

Hello friends

I don't think I have ever looked more forward to weekends!

We now have two whole days without visiting the hospital,

time to push all that 'stuff' aside and think about nice things - 

we are baking, decorating THAT tree and making some Christmas cards! 

The baking:

Elliott would like to make chocolate chip cookies.

I have a recipe I always use for these, in a rather old Homepride flour cookbook.

We are also using the 'Last Minute Christmas Cake' recipe featured in this month's 

Charity Kit to experiment with a plan... I will keep you posted! 

The tree: 

My tree has never been naked for this long, it needs some

serious attention!  Also the cat is now 'roosting' in it every evening, she needs shifting!

The cards:

Elliott has decided to make some Christmas cards for the nurses, doctors and consultants at

King's and the Royal Marsden - we are using one of my previous designs, this one...

Definitely photos to follow showing Elliott hard at work!

A quick mention regarding the Twelve Days of Christmas Offers over on 

my website.  To receive the discount codes you need to sign up to the Newsletter, 

each day a new code will be sent through to you.  

Some special deals coming your way, I'm having a Spring clean of my stock in mid Winter!

Finally - I want to mention Anne again, she hasn't missed sending Elliott a gift for every

single day of his radiotherapy treatment, it has made such a difference.

Even the nurses know about it now and are intrigued to see what he has got each time.

A million trillion thanks to you!

Take care friends - enjoy your weekend.

Festive Fun!

Hello friends

End of the week round-up of news - firstly let's get festive...

Today is not unlucky Friday the 13th - it is Christmas Jumper Day!!

Today we need to don our Christmas jumpers and pledge £1 to Save the Children.

Mitchell is game....

Elliott and I met with real reindeer yesterday, our local garden centre is playing host to

a couple, they seemed quite snug in their makeshift shelter. 

Very pleased we have reached the end of week 3 for Elliott's radiotherapy.

Yesterday was a CT scan and he sailed through that thanks to a brilliant nurse and

I was allowed to stay in the room with him as long as I wore a lead coat!  

Believe me it was heavy! 

Here he is waiting at the hospital - I think that face says 'not another photo!'

And squares...

more and more are arriving and they are brilliant.  

Many thanks to you lovely knitters out there and for the cards and treats too!

Incredibly kind and thoughtful.

Also today marks the beginning of my 12 Days of Christmas deals.

If you have signed up to my website newsletter you will have received an email with

all the details.  If not, nip over there and sign up as you need some special codes to get 

the brilliant bargains over the next 12 days. 

Not a great deal of crafting going on due to hospital every day but pleased to share

with you my daily snippets of news.

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend, I'm definitely decorating my Christmas tree!

Take care friends.

Mid-Week Tree Bulletin

Hello friends

This is a Christmas tree dominated blog post!

My tree is up but naked! 

This evening it should finally be decorated.

Actually it's not quite naked...spot the feline decoration....

 This is a yearly battle I have with one of my cats, Darcy.

And a close up of the little minx!

But I am pleased to say there is one decorated tree in the house.

Mitchell wanted a tree in the conservatory and here he is adorning it with 

an amazing amount of tinsel and baubles!  Bella was fascinated with it all.

And how about this for a brilliant tree.. this is at the park where I walk Bella.

Dog-walkers have been adding bits and bobs and even toadstools this year.

Yes, beginning to feel festive now.

The knitted squares have begun to arrive - I am thrilled, thank you so much everyone.

I feel relieved as back on track with Elliott's blanket.  I've decided that it could run into 

two blankets and that is great as I will donate one to the 

Oak Centre for Children at The Royal Marsden.

This is where Elliott attends for his blood tests and clinic appointments and it is such a happy place.

Elliott is doing really well with his radiotherapy, he does get tired but still has a good

appetite (plenty of McDonalds - they will never go out of business with Elliott around!) 

Take care friends - I will be back soon.

Monday - News Round Up

Hello friends

First thing, big thanks to the amazing response to 'The Blanket of Love'.

Many people are clickety clacking their knitting needles creating squares 

I am certain it will be more than 30 so perhaps a couple of blankets can be 

created, wonderful stuff - thank you all so much.

It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas...all the lights are up 

outside the studio/shop. 

Yesterday was my one and only class - despite the water leak, hospital trips and more,

I chose to go ahead.  I wouldn't have been able to do it without my brilliant mum who 

spent the entire day before helping me get organised.

We were making Christmas trees...

not traffic cones!
Here is everything set up ready to go.....

I meant to take photos of everyone crafting but typical me, I got busy chatting.
Valerie very kindly forwarded a picture of her tree once she was home.
Beautiful and I love how she has placed sparkly jewels between the flowers.

We all agreed this project could be adapted to other occasions, imagine it in white
flowers for a wedding table centre, perhaps detailing table numbers.

It felt so good to be back in the swing of things and I cannot wait to get going

again next year with all my plans.

A little reminder - if you haven't already done so, you might like to sign up to receive

my Newsletter - there is going to be a little flurry of them soon...

12 days of Christmas - some very special festive offers.

Click here to visit the website and there is a 'Newsletter' tab under the header.

Take care friends - my Christmas decorations should be out of their boxes tonight!

Blanket of Love

Hello friends

Quick addition to yesterday's post to address the question of 
how much wool is needed to knit a square?
I'm not very good at judging but I went into Wilkinsons and purchased one of their large
balls of wool (it was just over a £1) and I've knitted 2 squares from that and I suspect I could
knit a third too...hope that helps.

Today is the day I am issuing a notice.... 

Knitters Wanted!  please.

When I first received the dates for Elliott's radiotherapy I came up with the

idea that I would like to knit a square featuring a heart for each session - 30 squares in total.

I would then join them together to create a blanket - a Blanket of Love.

I adapted a pattern and off I went - clickety clack with the knitting needles...

except it soon dawned on me that I was falling behind... 

yesterday was Elliott's 10th treatment and I have knitted.... 2 and a half squares!

(No laughing at my little knitting needles - I've had them since I was a little girl!)

So here is my plea - if anyone out there is a knitter and has a little bit of time

(I know, it's December - what am I thinking.. everyone is rushed off their feet!)

But just in case there are any knitting fairies, I'm looking for some 

additional squares to complete the blanket.  

The wool can be any colour double knit.

I'm placing the pattern below but if there are any problems reading it I can send it 

via email on request.
I'm hoping to have the blanket finished by mid-January.
Squares can be sent to the shop address please - Hope and Chances Creativity,
Heritage Quarter, 78 High Street, Gravesend, Kent DA11 0BH
To achieve 30 squares would be absolutely wonderful.

Yesterday was a long day at the hospital, Elliott had his radiotherapy treatment 

and then needed an MRI.  Sadly, he became very anxious with the MRI - 

because it is his brain they need to scan they do tend to place all sorts of 

contraptions on his head and it is so unnerving.

On top of that another round of blood tests etc - he calls the nurses vampires now!

In between appointments we played cards and had time to investigate the 

Christmas tree in the hospital car park.  

They have actually dug a hole in a parking space to erect it!

My decorations are one step nearer to being up...they are out of the attic!

I will get there, I'm going to put aside a few hours, 

pop a nice Christmas DVD on and wrestle with the tree lights!

Take care friends - have a lovely weekend, I bet most of you are shopping!

Oops!

Hello friends

An 'oops!' came to light yesterday, a small batch of 

December Charity Add-On Kits went out without the printed instructions.

I do apologise - it was one of those 'trying to keep all the plates spinning' days!

If you receive a kit and it is instruction-less then please send me an email

christine.emberson@blueyonder.co.uk

and I will reply with a copy of the instructions straight away.

Again, sorry about that.

How is the festive planning going?  My tree still isn't up, this is probably

the latest I've ever been!  But I'm still feeling festive so it is probably 

time to share another Christmas card with you...

Again, this card is featured in this month's edition of Cardmaking and Papercraft 

Magazine - it uses one of their free Christmas charms - a nice little tree. 

The die featured is Layered Poinsettia...I love that die, but you already know that!

I'm always partial to a bit of music script paper too.

On the home front the headlines are:  Elliott is still coping well with his radiotherapy, 

I'm becoming a demon daily driver on the M25!

Dehumidifier is working its magic and drying out the shop, 

I am really trying to be patient about it! really really really trying!!

I will be back soon with more news about 'Knitters Wanted!'

Take care friends.