I got the PS4 :D she is going to be so excited! I even got her the Attack on Titan game that she has been begging me for :D

Aww the forum giftbox thing is over? Been off much

Christmas in May+July or Summer Yule exists!

nice tongue twister, nice poem !

edit: we could do a forum that's rhymes-only

2xpost whoops, gunna head out now

yes I've drwand them myself. I had one angel sitting at the windowsill that looks like this one - so not my idea, just my "scribbling"

Thank you to all three of my Sharky Secret Santas! Stat boosters are always awesome. :)

I got four gifts wrapped this morning and thought I was done, until I turned around and found another gift. It will get wrapped when I've finished my husband's gifts. My husband says I use too much tape when I wrap gifts, but I like to know that the paper is going to stay in place.

I made one quilt many years ago using the machine, but handstitched on the binding. I'd like to try making a quilt by sewing it by hand. It would give me something to do in the evenings. I watch tv while I do cross-stitch, though sometimes I end up watching the tv more than I work on the cross-stitch.

Exactly! A few days ago I found an old green Pyrex plate and a Pyrex mixing bowl in the same color! I got both of them for about $3. There were some glass pie plates, but i decided to leave those, since I need to look through the ones my grandmother had.

I had typing classes at school since grade school, so at least 10 years (can't remember exactly when they first started). There are times where I do use the hunt and peck method, mainly when I'm eating. I have an account on Craftsy and the prices of classes on there have a wide range. I've only enrolled in the free classes and got one class for free with a code. I always go to Youtube if I can't figure out how to do a crochet stitch.

Just checked Amazon and the Amiibo figures are on sale there. The used ones are priced pretty decently too. I may have to buy a few more from there after Christmas.

With those types of games, I usually have a good run and then I crash and burn early on the next run. Or my phone mistakes which direction I swiped. I couldn't find a date for when Mario Run would be released on android, just that it would be released sometime later.

I haven't looked for free craft books for the Kindle for a while. But I did nab the complete collection of Sherlock Holmes for free yesterday.

Now off to get questing done and then work on Christmas gifts!

i wanna thank my Secret Santa Shark~! Ahhhh such nice backgrounds yay i'm so excited :D <3

There will be much gaming to do over the festive period, I predict!

How long before we all went mad from trying to find rhymes and there was a Tank meltdown?

Won't somebody think of the children(sharks)?!
Maybe... xD

Aw, they are really cute! That's such a nice idea.
Are you feeling OK about Xmas again now? I hope so!

Following the sticky tape situation yesterday, normal gift wrapping was resumed, and I think i have conquered things! However, some of the gifts were being wrapped in tissue paper which is another beast entirely...
A secure gift is a 'not opened by accident' gift!

As my other half likes watching NFL and gaming, it's handy for me to have 'stuff to do whilst that's on' things, so I can recommend using crafting for that kind of vibe! Yeah, it's best to be stuff you are familiar with or just watching bits of, otherwise the stitch to TV ratio goes a bit out of whack.

The bargains! With my current job issues, I am missing being able to pop into the local charity/thrift type shops here. It's so much fun browsing. And you can sometimes find good things for Xmas and birthay gifts in great condition. Plus my niece is ever hunting Barbie doll clothing...

Ooh, a free class should always be taken advantage of! I understand that folks need payment for their time, but some things are just way too expensive. I'll always try the self-taught route when I can.

Argh, there are always sales when I have no cash spare! Hopefully there'll be something still in the New Year.

You know, this is why I play stuff like Animal Crossing and don't 'game' as such. I just get very stressed by most types of game! Generally because i am very much sausage-fingers and not good. xD Hopefully you will have more success if/when you get the game.

I do try and check for the freebies on kindle maybe once a month or so, there are some fun thing to get. I found some Victorian ghost stories and the knitting & crochet stuff. Quite good bits.

Best of luck with your questing and gift work. I am trying to sort last minute site gifts as I thought I'd sent some things and it seems I haven't, so might have more work than I thought to do!

In general, I apologise in advance for all hideous typos in the Xmas period, I will be on a kindle that likes to make up autocorrect words and is a pain trying to edit anything back to normal. And sends comments about 57 times. When it works. Wish me luck...

yes indeed! Emily already has plans to sit around in her jammies all Christmas day lol. That is why I told her dad he could see the day before and the day after :D

I like this most cunning plan! And gaming is very theraputic.

Speaking of PJs, I was going to get my HA dressed for the 24th in a nice bedtime ensemble, but it's gotten a bit late... Let's hope I can manage a tiny bit of laptop time tomorrow, as last time I tried the wardrobe on a mobile device it was not having it!

Good night! :)

Yeah it is a great plan! I need to find a more festive outfit for the holiday. Night and sleep well Hun :D

Since I've got some of the thin wrapping paper being used, I usually end up adding more to the corners of gifts so that the paper doesn't rip on its own. One year, my cat ended up ripping one of his gifts open due to the catnip that was inside the toy. That gift got rewrapped and had a few more layers added to it. I've got 5 more gifts to wrap, 7 if I add the two gifts I'm working on for my husband (if I get them done on time).

Right now, I've only got Netflix as a means to watch TV, so most of the time the stitch/craft to tv ratio is always horrible. But if my husband is playing a video game, I use that time to work on crafty things, as I don't have to pay too much attention to what he is doing.

I have a full time job, but I still have to watch my spending at thrift stores (and antique stores whenever I venture in)! I always find too many things that I like. Sometimes I can talk myself out of buying some things. I have found gifts for my husband there before and my husband has found gifts for family members at thrift stores as well. It's amazing what people will give away!

Most of the free classes that I got on Craftsy seem to be more along the lines of introductory type classes. The class that I got for free with a code teaches how to make a double wedding ring quilt, so that will come in handy next year. The main thing I use Craftsy for, is the free patterns that are uploaded there. I always try to teach myself how to do something first as well. If I can't figure it out then I go to youtube.

I'm going to wait until after Christmas to buy some more. I'll wait to see if I get any Amazon gift cards. If I don't, I might use any money I get for Christmas to buy a gift card for myself and use that to buy a gift card.I looked at Gamestop, and they no longer had the sale on Amiibo figures and the used ones were still about $7.

If I play multi-player games, I usually end up shouting and cursing at the other players. Destiny has a holiday event going on right now and they brought sparrow racing back. Most of the people I've raced against are always shoving and pushing me around on the course. I like games that I can play by my self that most, Animal Crossing being on of them. I'm sure I'll have a few good runs followed by many mediocre runs when I get the game.

I always forget about the books that are free on the Kindle. I do check out the apps in the Underground section that are free. I've downloaded quite a few games that I need to get busy and play so that I can uninstall them from my Kindle. I've got too many at the moment.

So far I got all my quests done for the day and got some work done on one of the gifts. I'm still working on site gifts. I may spend quite a bit of time on that tomorrow and Saturday.

Hey Sharks, there's a video on the weather channel web site about guys who made a giant snow shark that looks like the one we made for the contest. :D

I have been so busy with festive things and colds, I nearly missed it - I AM 5! Well, OK, my account is. xD Loyalty box = pet slot, I believe!

OK, finally got the wardrobe to load - don't know if it's my machine or the site - and I have HA jim-jams on ready for the 24th.
Your Santa & Reindeers are adorable!

If I can't get back to a laptop/PC I could be in these PJs for a while... xD

We're in the final gift making and wrapping sprint, you can do it! I think I was lucky this year, the paper seemed OK, so no reinforcements required. Sounds like some air tight 'clip top boxes' are needed for cat gifts, to keep the smell away from their sensitive noses!

Ah, not so good for just putting TV stuff on in the background then, if you have to select each thing you're going to watch. Might be good if you're re-watching a box set of something for fun.

Oh, you'd love it round here, we basically have coffee shops, charity/thrift shops and antique shops (tourist town syndrome!) as our main retail places.
I really hope I can get back into a steady job and a good shopping routine - usually I pick up charity bits through the year for birthdays and Xmas gifts, but have been out of the routine this year. You do have to go regularly to find the bargains.
Though, the New year is a great time to charity shop, when everyone is clearing out things! C'mon new job and stability, I say it again!

Sometimes craft intros can be enough of a kick to start your interest, and you can then choose if yo need paid courses, or can self-teach with online and book resources. Much as there's a lot of nonsense out there online, there are really hepful things too. Free patterns are always good.

Its a shame that for sewn clothing, patterns are so big and complex (and not really printable at home), so I look for second hand ones of those too. As long as all the bits are there, you can get good use of them.

Good luck with the post-Xmas bargain shopping.

The Wii and Wii U were good for same-room multi player. Though i suspect there was the same amount of cursing when it got a little competitive. Yeah, it is annoying when people seen to be more about targeting the players rather than playing the actual game.
Solo gaming for the win! Even if it's just the Tourney. xD

As a not-much-of-a-gamer I don't check for apps very much. I think my other half downloaded Crossy Road at some point as it keeps being angry at me of not updating something! It's handy that you can 'buy' the free stuff and not have to download it immediately and clutter up the machine.
You never know you may find good stuff when tidying up the Kindle!

Super happy we made the quest challenge, new pet slot will be great. So many nice ones have been released recently.

I am currently trying not to laugh, my niece was due to be round today, but now can't. The reason? She and her dad were playing 'trampoline' on the bed and broke the bed base! So they are both in the dog house over that one. And mummy and daddy have to sleep on a matress on the floor tonight/for Xmas.
Oops... :p

The snow sharks are REAL! See, we were trend setters. ;)

REMINDER! Winter Contest & Raffle

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Thanks :D Yay for comfy jammies!

I need to finish cleaning and go grocery shopping. Then I get to start on the food!

Yes, I'm hoping to finish my husband's gift by tomorrow. Now my parents' cat just gets a container of treats under the tree, so no further worries of him ripping a gift open.

Re-watching shows does make it easier to work on crafts at the same time. However, video games seem to have taken over any free time available to watch things on Netflix.

I'd love to return to England and spend more time in smaller towns! I took a trip to England, Scotland, and Ireland 4 years ago and since then I've wanted to go back. My best wishes to you on the job hunt. Regular visits do help with finding bargains, I think, because thrift shops have so much waiting to put out on shelves. The new year would be a good time to check the shops, I don't think I ever really have looked at that time.

Pictures always seem to pique my interest and help determine if I want to try and make something similar. Some things, like chain mail, I can make just by looking at the picture, but others things require instructions or video help. I tend to be a little cheap at times, so with Craftsy I don't really want to pay money for a class, if I"m not sure about how well the instructor will teach. There are some very neat patterns on Craftsy that are available for free.

Those patterns are rather large, and I always find them rather difficult to refold them so they can be put away.

So far I only have a Wii, but I want to upgrade to a Wii U at some point in the future. Some of those games can get rather competitive, like Mario Kart or Super Smash Bros. Its rather annoying when I get shoved around the course for sparrow racing. I have a quest that goes along with it the requires three first place finishes and I only have one left to get. I can spend all day playing solo games. I don't know how many hours I logged playing Skyrim, Fall Out, or Dragon Age, but I always go back to those games.

I've mainly downloaded mystery themed hidden objects games on my Kindle. Has a story and makes me think while I play it. The Facebook app on my phone keeps telling me off for not updating the app, but I keep putting it off.

Another pet slot will be handy to have. I just adopted a pet last week, but I'm sure if I keep perusing the adoption center, I will find another pet that I'll want to adopt.

Oops! I have to admit that I've never jumped on my bed before, but I also had an air mattress for quite a while.

Off to hand-deliver the last of the Christmas cards and a few gifts, then work on some questing and Christmas gifts.

I'm alone so I have nothing to do for Xmas. Makes shopping easier (just for myself) and no wrapping or decorating to worry about. So Subeta's Luminaire is my only holiday gifting. :) Guess I'll put on a movie, on Sunday, and sit on the computer. Going to see Star Wars on Monday because my office is closed that day. :D

Bam! You fling the snowball at starlesswinter and it hits them.. hard! :D

Oh and a reminder that every year on Xmas/Luminaire Eve and Xmas/Luminaire Day I throw tons (like hundreds) of scratch cards and fairies into the Donation Center. Maybe 1 of the Sharks who knows how can post a ping for the Shark group then as I will make a post here when I'm ready to do that. :)

for those I will not see later on - I wish aveybody a merry luminaire hurries of to work

Happy Luminaire/Christmas everyone!!! I know I'm a little early but just in case I can't be online tomorrow.

Also THANK YOU SHARKY SANTA, WHOEVER YOU ARE! Another trading card I needed :D Pusheen is always so adorable <3

"There's no shark wrapping paper but that won't stop me! Meowmeow Sharky Santa" Thank you Sharky Santa! :D