The Party is (Almost) Over

So...it's been a month since I showed my face round here and it's high time to get back into some semblance of a routine, both online and in my actual life. The break has been lovely though, since we've celebrated Christmas, ushered in a New Year and Mr. P and I have enjoyed an overseas holiday in my rather prolonged absence. So what's been going on here at Maison Pyjamas?

A few days before Christmas I managed to play nice with some gingerbread and put together this Christmas Tree under the watchful tutelage of the Gingerbread Ninja, Ms. Tazzie. And while it looks a little like the Leaning Tower of Pisa - it is still holding together even now and has given me hope that perhaps I can do an annual Gingerbread Christmas Tree or even cookies since my interest in icing cookies was definitely piqued by this project and Tazz's +++ confidence in me. It was like having my own personal gingerbread cheerleader (but without the pom poms)

Christmas Day itself was a very relaxed affair. We had lunch at a local hotel, and then headed off to my brother and sister in laws for the afternoon where we played a spirited game of pictionary, which served to reinforce my belief  that nobody in my husbands family can draw for sh**. This was my sister in laws rendition of Darth Vader (which nobody guessed correctly although one bright spark did suggest "Bondage Hamburglar" ) 

Then it was off to my parents house to spend time with my family where the only game we played was drinking cocktails and taking incriminating up to the minute videos to put on Facebook for perpetuity. My sister and I were being really silly and the family photo album inherited some more really bad pictures like this one, in which I can't appear to make up my mind whether I'm going to mimic a chipmunk or a pirate. I think Sister of Pyjamas was going for a demented Jack Sparrow look which she nailed perfectly.

I  made huge amounts of  jam from apricots that were hanging over our side of the fence from the neighbours house and since it was unlikely that 20 year old male uni students were about to go Nigella and make their own jam I gave them a few jars as payment for providing me with the apricots. Everyone was happy.

Very little sewing has taken place since I finished work 6 weeks ago.  I'm mid way through quilting two tops and am hoping to finish at least one this week, and then we'll see about the other. I've taken laziness to a whole new level during this break! Normally this would have me feeling like a slacker but I'm too relaxed to feel any guilt. 

I saved the best stuff for last - Mr. P and I have just come back from Langkawi, Malaysia which is seriously one of the most magical places on earth. Rather than wax lyrical about the beauty of this island , I'm going to let my pictures mostly do the talking. We saw in New Year on Pantai Kok beach, did a fish spa, went on a terrifying cable car ride, and I have decided that while wild monkeys look cute in theory , when they are up close and personal (with the possibility they might jump at you to bite you) they are decidedly less so. 

Plenty of cocktails, retail therapy,( I added to my extensive shoe and handbag collections big time) relaxing and eating also took place. I have noticed that in previous holiday snaps I tend to take about a bajillion pictures of food so I deliberately concentrated on scenery this time around. And yes- thats really me up there on that horse. 

This week is all about getting ready to start my new job next week, catching up on the washing from our holiday and getting some sewing done.  After spending the last 13 years slapping around in casual clothes for work I need to organise some sort of decent wardrobe of clothes that doesn't focus on jeans and cargo pants as a staple for workwear. Shoot me now.

I'm Being Stalked By Gingerbread

Winston Churchill was known for being a famous politician, and Mother Teresa for working towards world peace and helping others.   I think I'm forever going to be known as the chick who got her arse kicked by a gingerbread house. Thank goodness I have all of you to turn to for support to make me feel better and make me laugh. First, Cardy sent me a foam gingerbread house kit which completely negated any future risk of unstickable or imploding gingerbread.

A couple of weeks ago,  Little Miss Sunshine sent me a Gingerbread Christmas Tree Kit a couple of weeks ago in case gluing the foam ginger bread house together fails. Or because she wants to read about my failure with a gingerbread tree next. Whatever the reason , receiving it made me laugh. A lot. 

And now Jill has gotten in on the act by sending me a picture of a DIY gingerbread house that apparently even I can manage...

I'm starting to think I may never live this down...

After a self imposed fabric drought, a little bit of new fabric has found it's way to Maison Pyjamas over the last couple of weeks. Little Miss Sunshine was having mad de-stash and gifted this rather significant pile to me. Imagine, if you will, the pair of us on Facetime doing a fabric fashion show I could pick what I wanted from her de-stashing efforts. And why is it that I find that other people's stashes so much more exciting than my own? 

And this past weekend, Tara, Claire and Lorraine and I hit Tricia's Discount Fabrics and I bought these lovelies home with a specific purpose in mind. There is no better way to spend a Saturday than a fabric road trip with some of your besties. 

But before I can start any new projects I still have to clear a few more WIP's ...so I finished the postage stamp top yesterday and have got it to the stage where it's all basted and ready for quilting...

I also have it on good authority that my Dresden quilt is on the frame and is being worked on by my quilting fairy. Is there some sort of rule about how many WIP's I can still have before it's acceptable to start something new? 

P.S. Ugh - Its Monday again. Already.