I have had this square tin since Christmas 1996, it's one of my favourite things. The artwork is by Lesley Anne Ivory, and her work really strikes a chord with me. I love her cats of course, but I also love the rich detailed backgrounds, with their textile themes. This one even has quilt blocks in some of the paintings; cats and quilts are a perfect partnership.
I can't find a website for her, but there's loads of images on google; I think I need to own one of her books, maybe next Christmas I'll get this book of carols, which I saw in the library. It's just gorgeous.

Why I love this tin so much is because it's the perfect size for charm packs; I don't have a huge collection of them, but the ones I do have are stored neatly away, waiting for the day when I have the courage to cut them up. I find them daunting, I'm so afraid of 'wasting' them that I can't touch them. I get them out, and look through them and dream, and then I pack them away again. If they weren't so darn expensive, $20 Australian and upwards, I'd be little more adventurous.

First fabric purchased for 2010! .75m of neutrals, from the local shop. I buy nice creams and dots whenever I see them, you can't have too many. It's a modest purchase to kick off the new buying year.