Christmas in July....

 I am back from two weeks R&R at the family cottage. It was truly restful. I read by the lake, on the dock, on the deck, and anywhere else I pleased.
I had some craft books with me, my e-reader and some magazines. I relaxed and got inspired all at once.
While I was away, I noticed some new folks have come to visit Heaven is Handmaid. Welcome to you!
I hope you enjoy your stay, and thank you so much for stopping by.
My cousin, recently returned from a Newfoundland visit, came to the cottage for some R&R as well. She brought me Jam-Jams -- delicious with ice cold milk -- and some summer savory. This is essential for the Christmas turkey. Sure, you can get savory in Ontario, but it is not the same as this one. I was running low, so this jar will help ensure successful Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners.
When my cousin and I returned home, we got busy on her grandson's Christmas stocking. (See, the theme is developing here...)
Her grandson lives in a sunny paradise, so we wanted to make his Advent Calendar stocking more tropical. Gone is the snowflake marker, replaced by a wooden palm tree. The Splendid Sandra machine embroidered his name for us onto some tone-on-tone white fabric, and I hand embroidered the applique band on to the cuff.
We went to our local quilt store to buy some buttons, and some new bobbins for the embroidery machine.

Finally, although it is not Christmas quite yet, Wonderful Wendy recently sent me some Tilda fabrics AND my favourite Cath Kidston prints, along with two of her beautiful handmade cards.
It was such a lovely surprise to find the package waiting for me.
So here's a big shout out to (and hugs) to her for making my holiday return that much more special.