Isn't she lovely

Just look at this beautiful "Wintertime" stained glass panel designed and made by my ever-so-talented friend Flora May. Inspired by the lyrics of an old Suzanne Vega song, Freezetag, and the clean simplicity of Scandinavian design and children's illustrations from the 70s, this little gem is Flora's contribution to Folksy's Upcycle Christmas Competition in aid of the Sue Ryder Care Charity. You see, there's far more to this mitten-clad girl than first meets the eye. Believe it or not, she's made entirely from recycled, kiln-flattened glass and actually started life looking like this

or as a red brandy glass, a bottle of Harvey's Bristol Cream, a bottle of Blue Nun, a bottle of San Miguel and a bottle of white wine and some old kitchen unit glass-panels, to be precise. Quite a past, hey!

Flora's submission will be up for auction along with the other entrants' work from 7th-13th December and all proceeds will go to the Sue Ryder healthcare charity. This is also a competition with an aim of making something new and desirable from second-hand / charity finds, so if you're a member of Folksy go cast a vote.
A big thumbs up for Flora, Folksy and wine!

And the winner is...

Favorite Color Print by Finnish photographer JenniPenni

Well, first of all, a HUGE THANK YOU to each and everyone of you. I'm delighted to see so many of my favorite bloggers over at Kickcan & Conkers and I've loved reading all of your comments. I wish I could give you all a little something for taking part, but only 77 more posts to go before I put together another set of goodies (just in time for Christmas)!

So, without further ado, the winner of my first give-away, selected at random by Mr B., is

Flora May from Through the Round Window


Congratulations Flora, I'll pop these in the post for you this week.

Commiserations to everyone else.

Business as usual tomorrow.