Winter Holidays

Hello everyone, Happy New Year and welcome to the first blog post of 2026.

I have to apologise for the lateness of this post. I hope it was worth waiting for.

January is the time when advertisements in the media focus on booking our summer holidays. So, I'm getting in the mood, spending a few days in a cosy caravan in a most stunning corner of Devon. There is hardly anyone else about, the weather so far has been pretty kind (compared with storm Goretti last week), and the scenery is really beautiful.

One of the things I love to do whilst away on holiday is to walk our dogs. My reasons are very selfish! I love to see the countryside (or the coast, depending on where we're staying) and whilst walking beside the river this morning, I picked up a couple of lovely sticks, as I am want to do, when I see them lying just where they have fallen. These two beauties will dry out and perhaps become rustic dowels for textile art or simply decorated with hand made items during various seasons.

Walking along the riverbank...

...picking up sticks!

Another reason for walking the dogs, is so that for the next few hours we get some peace and quiet, during which time I can do some crafting.

We don't usually do very much while we're away. It's a chance to rest and relax, enjoy being a little family and for me at least, fit in some hand stitching, yarn craft and/or some hand spinning. For me, the winter holiday in the UK is ideal for just this. So long as you have waterproof coats and boots for exploring nature, there's nothing better. Well, I wouldn't exactly turn down a holiday in the Bahamas, but I'd really miss the dogs, lol!

So here are a couple more photos of what will keep me happy over the next few days.

English Paper Piecing. Hand stitching is the perfect portable project.

Some mini loom weaving. I'm very new to this, so practise is key!

As you can see, I'm really behind with my Piece of Cake, August Challenge, 2025. (The biggest understatement of 2026 so far!) I have it here with me though, and the plan is to progress a few more sections by hand.

So, how about you? What would (or do) you take with you to enjoy during a winter caravan, cottage or motorhome holiday? Let us know in the comments. Lizzy and I were born nosey, and I bet some of you were too, so we love to hear about, and see, what everyone has been up to. During your holidays, are you finishing WIPs or will you take something new to start? I always like to start something fresh when I'm away. It means that when I eventually see the finished item, I will remember the holiday during which I started it.

Hope about a little machine stitching? Do you have a little sewing machine to take with you? What will you make?

Perhaps you'll take some sketching or painting tools so you can create images of your time away? Now I'm really not good at drawing or painting, so I'm taking photos and videos this week of things that inspire me, so I can use them for Lizzy's Journal Challenge for 2026! If you're a budding artist (or an experienced one), why not sketch what inspires you, so you can join in creating a journal too?

I'm imagining a few of you reading this and wondering what on Earth Lizzy's [sewing] Journal Challenge is all about. If you're a Creative Friend, you'll (hopefully) know. If you're not part of the Creative Friends community, find out more about it, here on the website and you could join in too!

Whatever your holidays consist of, vacation or staycation, don't forget to store your memories in whatever way you wish. Often life gets in the way of our crafting. We are all busy and we feel the pressure of "being behind" with all we'd like to do. Holidays are the times when we can redress that balance and allow our minds and bodies to relax, doing what we love. Of course, there's no shame in doing nothing at all when you're having a break but my fingers get itchy, and if I don't go prepared with lots to do, I quickly become bored and irritable. Me irritable? Surely not! :-).

So when you're writing your holiday packing list(s), don't forget to take with you the crafting you love to do.

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And so, we come to a very important part of this blogpost. I finally get to announce our winner of the December 2025 blogpost competition. It was a lot of information to gather and not many readers were able to do that. But the one person who provided all the correct information, and so wins the prize, is.......(drum roll)

WENDY CHAPMAN

Hurrah!!

Wendy, you win a mystery prize that will wing it's way to you when I arrive home next week. Thank you for taking time to participate and congratulations on your win.

Thank you to all those who read, commented on and participated in the blogposts during 2025. Thank you for reading this post too. If there's a subject you feel might interest others in a future post, do let me know in the comments here and perhaps we can cover it.

That's it for now,

See you in February.

Kath x