That Moment

 And sometimes, you just need that first moment and it all comes together.

I am now on holiday for 3 weeks due in part to:

• work closes at this time of year for 3 weeks
• it is Christmas
• it is summer

It has, in the usual manner, been manic for the past few weeks at work, everyone wanting everything sorted before we close. Everyone one wanting all of this year's results secured and processed so we start fresh again in the new year.

So, to have a sunny day, be able to appreciate the crystal-clear blue of the water, despite being a little chilly at first, have that first moment of the year when you can sit in the sun and dip your toes in the water, also knowing that you are on holiday and can breath for 10 minutes.

It is still a great feeling, even if you do do it every year

Christmas Tree

 I like Christmas.

I like the colours, the lights, the decorations, the excitement that people have. The caring side that seems to come out in people more.

Ok, I can't say I actually like the day itself, the stress of food, presents, what others are doing, who will be around etc.

But I definitely like the lights and the gentle lull of the evening with the lights going, glowing in the dark. Therefore, I love having the tree up in the house, having all the other lights on low and watching tv etc. with that warm glow of the multi coloured Christmas tree lights.

Sadly, here in New Zealand, the days are getting longer and lighter at this time of year, so to see any pretty lights around, you have to stay up till 9-10pm. This means that there is actually a lack of Christmas spirit around as there are no lights as you finish work, no carols blaring from speakers in shops, Christmas window displays lack that cuteness as they inevitably show displays of beaches and sunshine (due to it being almost summer and everyone breaking up for the summer holidays from school and work),

You can actually forget that it is Christmas here in December!

This year, I wanted the tree up early, but life got in the way, as it frequently does at the moment, so today I finally got there. It is the barest of decorations, enough to show the significant ones that are important to me, but the main aspect was of course the lights.

There, finally, the house glows in the evenings (and very early mornings too)

Jigsaw 30 - Ugly Sweaters

 Whilst I am happy to do a Christmas jigsaw at any time of the year, they are always cute pictures, this one just had to be done at Christmas time.

Because I live in New Zealand, we sadly do not have ugly Christmas sweaters due to it being our summertime and the temperatures are too high for us to require a sweater.

But that doesn't mean we don't dream of a cold white Christmas time, we just wear ugly Christmas sweater t-shirts instead, or t-shirts with jokes about ugly sweaters!

I actually purchased this jigsaw myself. My cousin and her family love wearing ugly sweaters and always try to have a mid-winter Christmas weekend here so that they can have an opportunity to wear the sweaters. So, I purchased it, knowing that she would enjoy the jigsaw too

And now it was my turn to complete it.

It was fun to do. Definitely one to be sorted by colour.

It has since been loaned out to a friend who is also obsessed with ugly Christmas sweaters.

Guess What?

 I won first prize.

Everyone was totally taken with the tree, fascinated at what it was and the detail of it. So many people thought, from a distance, that it looked like velvet and then when they got up close, and realised it was actually tea bags, they were amazed. They didn't even realise, to begin with, who had created it as it sat on my colleagues' desk not mine. Then I got heaps of questions about its creation, the time involved, how I dyed the tea bags etc

So many positive comments and the judges thought so too.

Bring it on 2026. Last year we got 2nd place in the competition and this year 1st place. Got a reputation to maintain here, what will the competition be next year?

It is Finished

 The tree is now finished and just needs to be moved to the office

I am so pleased with the tea pot I found to place on the top. I have the lights pouring out of the spout

Jigsaw 29 - The Bizarre Bookshop

 One I got off of marketplace and was intrigued by the colours, design and intricate detail. In true form, I thought it would be easy but the colour was so intricate and fine that it took some real doing to get the right location.

But I loved all the titles of the books, the qwerky little animals and characters hidden around the bookcase, in between the books

Kudos to the artist on the intricate detail of the whole design

Crafting for Work

 Yes, you read that title correctly, I am crafting something for work.

For a competition within our office. Last year there was a Christmas theme decoration of your desk area. We built a Gingerbread house! The post about it can be found here.

This year, it was a Christmas Tree competition. I immediately knew what I wanted to do and so in consultation with my desk/pod mates, I told what I wanted to do, and they were happy to let me run with it.

Quite a few years ago, a friend of mine had created a tree for a display that was quirky, creative, Christmas themed and latched into New Zealand style.

In other words, a New Zealand Tea Tree.

A Christmas tree that represented the native Tea Tree that we have in NZ (Leptospermum, commonly known as Manuka or New Zealand Tea Tree, is a versatile native shrub prized for its vibrant flowers, aromatic foliage, and ecological benefits)

A Tree that represents all of this, made entirely from tea bags, yes, tea bags.

I set about dying over 200 brand new tea bags, four different colours and then laced them onto a wire mesh frame.

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Drying in the sunshine

Almost there, just need to add the top and the lights