Salt Dough Handprint Decorations

It's Christmas Eve!!!  

I just wanted to get in one more post before Christmas.  And I saved my favourite christmassy make 'til last.  It was my favourite because it was a joint craft project with Bo - his very first craft project!

We made salt dough decorations, with Bo's teeny-weeny handprints on them, for family Christmas pressies. 

Here they are.....

I wanted to do something to preserve them, so that they'll last year after year.  So I gave them a couple of coats of acrylic varnish.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the varnish will make them last a long, long time! 

Of course, I made one for us too - and hung it on our tree.....

Now, all I have left to say is MERRY CHRISTMAS to you all!!!  

And see you in 2015.....

Hugs,

Carly

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Paper Stars

Hello again, dear friends!

Only 5 days to go!!!  

I've been making paper stars (Froebel stars) galore this month!  I learnt to make them a few years ago.  And, every December since then, I've made a stack.  They're so easy to make - and SO addictive!!!

Here are some of this year's batch.....

I'm going to attach strings to them, and hang them on our tree.

For these ones, I found a kit (from Rico Design - here). The paper strips come ready-cut, which cuts out the boring bit of the process.

I had good intentions to write a tutorial on making Froebel stars this year..... but it didn't happen, I'm afraid.  Sorry!  It's on my list of 'must-write posts' for 2015.....

I hope your Christmas preparations are going well (and that all your shopping - and crafting - is done and dusted)!

Until next time.....

Carly

x 

A Visit from Sankt Nikolaus

When we woke up last Saturday, we'd had a visit from SANKT NIKOLAUS!  Now we have Bo (who was born here in Germany), we decided that this was a tradition we'd like to start in our household.  

When they go to bed on the night of the 5th December, German children leave their boots by the door.  In the night, Sankt Nikolaus stops by and stuffs little gifts and sweets into the shoes.       

Though, all along, we were keen to start following the St. Nik tradition with Bo, we didn't want it to detract from our family's Christmas stocking tradition.  When I was younger, I LOVED opening my stocking pressies on Christmas morning!  I'd drag my stocking into my parents' room (before even going downstairs to spy on my 'big' presents under the tree), wake them up, climb into their bed, and start unwrapping.  The presents in my stocking were always just little 'bits and bobs' (things like colouring books, pencils, bubble bath, hair bands, small books and toys, sweets, and ALWAYS ALWAYS chocolate coins) - but I thought they were FANTASTIC!  Because I loved my stockings so much, I want to do something similar with Bo.  BUT, the sorts of things I see as stocking-fillers are exactly the same sorts of things that St. Nik brings kids over here!  

SO.....  we decided that St. Nik would always bring Bo JUST Christmas-related things (we were thinking decorations, baking kits, Christmas books and colouring books, christmassy outfits, christmassy craft kits, chocoltate Santas, candy canes, christmassy stationary bits).  This way, he can use and enjoy his gifts in the run-up to Christmas - AND opening his St. Nik gifts will be totally different from opening his stocking gifts on Christmas morning.  So, we contacted St. Nik - and he was fine with our plan!

Here's what Bo woke up to on his very first Sankt Nikolaus Tag.....

Check out his tiddly little boot:

A Santa outfit/babygrow:

A stripy reindeer top:

A stocking to hang up on Christmas Eve (mommy-made, of course):

  

And two christmassy dribble-bibs (also mommy-made):

Thank you, St. Nik!!!

What are your best memories of Christmas traditions from your childhood???

See you soon.....

Carly

x

Our Little Christmas Elf

Hi Everyone,

Last time, I said I'd share some photos of Bo in his elf hat.  Now, I know that I'm ridiculously biased here, but I think (for your own safety) I need to offer a CUTENESS WARNING!!!

I wanted to do a mini 'photo-shoot' with Bo, to get some pictures that I could use for family Christmas cards.  I thought that the elf hat I'd just finished making (which I posted about here) would be a good prop.

So, let me introduce our little Christmas elf, Bo.....

As you can see, he is training to be one of Santa's little helpers.  It's very tiring work!  Bo was 'looking after' all those presents.  We didn't tell Santa that 'looking after' involved tearing open, dribbling on, bashing, and trying to eat the presents.....  Shhhhhh!!!  

Well, not long to go 'til the big day now.  I hope your preparations are going well!  Are you crafting any last-minute gifts???

Hugs,

Carly

x
    

Baby Elf Hat

Ooops!!!  I just noticed that my last post was almost 2 months ago.  That's shameful, isn't it?!?  I've been a very BAD blogger!!!  I hope Santa hasn't noticed, otherwise I may well be getting coal in my stocking this year!  Just in case Santa happens to follow crafty blogs, I'm going to try to be a GOOD blogger over the next few weeks.....

Probably even more shameful than my lack of blogging recently has been my lack of crafting!  After Bo was born, I didn't touch my sewing machine, crochet hooks, knitting needles or pretty-paper-stash for months.  Then, about six weeks ago, I picked up where I'd left off all that time ago (though it only seems like 5 minutes ago), and started some serious crafting again.

So now I have lots of show-and-tells in the pipeline.

For today, I wanted to show you a little baby elf hat that I made for Bo. It was the first crafty project I managed to finish since our little elf's arrival.

Here it is.....

I sort-of made it up as I went along.  I couldn't find a pattern that was just right for what I wanted.  I made a similar hat for a friend last Christmas (which you can see here).  It looked very cute when I'd finished it, but it was a bit small and not quite the shape I'd hoped it would be when it was on.  So, for Bo's, I did my own thing.  It doesn't look as cute off, but better on (if you know what I mean).  

You can see for your self how it looks on, anyway.  Next time, I'll share some photos that I took of Bo in his elf hat.  

Until then.....

I hope you're all keeping warm and well, and getting lots of christmassy crafting done!!!

Hugs,

Carly

x

Merry Christmas!!!

Oh dear!!!  I think I've let myself down a bit here.  My last post was from the 5th - that was a LOOOOONG time ago.  I think this is the first time since I started this blog that I've left posting for more than a week - and it's certainly the longest I've gone without visiting anyone else's blog!  And I genuinely am quite cross with myself about this.  The bad thing is that I don't even have a good excuse.  I've neglected emails and Facebook and EVEN Pinterest too!  We've just been lazing around really - and visiting family and friends.  

But I have to say that the resting and relaxing HAS been lovely!!!

I had to venture online today, though, to wish you all, my dear blogging friends, a very MERRY CHRISTMAS.....

..... and to show you this tiny elf hat that I crocheted for a tiny friend.....

I'm wondering whether I could get away with one myself.....

Have a great day tomorrow, dears!!!!!

Cary

xxx

   

100 Random Facts About Me (Part 3)

You know the score!  Let’s dive straight in this time:

51.  I can’t do shopping at Primark!

52.  And I hate clothes shopping in sales (especially at Next), when everything’s a mess

53.  I can only wear Esprit jeans

54.  I NEVER wear heels

55.  My favourite animals are polar bears - it's one of my big dreams to see one in the wild

 [As I can't have one as a pet, I 'adopted' one - to pretend]

56.  Another one of my big dreams is to see the Northern lights

57.  I like personal space – and don't do well in crowds

58.  I LOVE Christmas  and everything that goes along with it (even sprouts)

59.  I love playing board games - we have an entire games cupboard 

60.  Robins are my favourite birds

[Isn't he cute?!?]

61.  I have to touch something red if I see a magpie (though, otherwise, I’m not particularly superstitious)

62.  I do NOT like dark chocolate!

63.  I love Dr. Seuss 

64.  I’ve always wanted to write a book

65.  I like feeding ducks

66.  I LOVE IKEA!!!

[I always get excited when the new catalogue arrives]

67.  I can’t hula-hoop

68.  I worry WAY too much, about EVERYTHING

69.  I never listen to the radio

70.  I rarely watch the news (it’s never happy)

71.  I believe in love at first sight

72.  I love the feeling when you’ve just had your hair trimmed.  I like to swish!

73.  I love that feeling you get on ‘pirate ship’ rides, when your tummy goes funny

74.  I used to enjoy watching horror movies, but can’t watch them nowadays

75.  My movie choices are always comedies, adventures or fantasies

These were all meant to be random FACTS about me.  But I’m afraid they’re just making ME seem rather RANDOM!!!  Oh well!!!  

That’s it for today!  If you can bare it, I’ll be back soon with random facts numbers 76 to 100.....

In the meantime, don’t forget to enter my GIVEAWAY here.  I’ll be drawing a winner this Friday.  Good luck!!! 

Carly

x

Crafty Gift-Giving

As promised in my last post, I’m going to do a show-and-tell of some of the Christmas presents I made for people this year.

Unfortunately, I didn’t manage to make quite as many gifts as I did last year (being in hospital for the last two weeks before going home for the holidays threw lots of spanners into the Christmas-planning-works).  It was a good job I’d started on most of my planned gift-making projects super-early!

Here are the ones I managed to finish on time.....

[a hot water bottle cover for my mom]

[a make-up case and brooch for my brother-in-law's girlfriend]

[a make-up case for my mother-in-law]

[a bag for my friend]

[a button necklace and matching bracelet for my sister]

I made a few more things that I didn't manage to photograph:

• I made another make-up bag (for my sister).....
• ..... and ANOTHER for my cousin's wife
• I made a phone case with a neck-strap for my nan (she likes to carry her phone around the house with her)
• I decorated a plain notebook for my mom (I cut up pretty spotty and stripy papers to make a little house and garden on the cover)
• I made a beaded Christmas tree bauble for my nan

Simon contributed to the Christmas crafting cause this year too!  He made all the men in our families jars of DELICIOUS apple chutney and tomato relish.

Do you remember my post from aaages ago about my sister's first sewing project?  Well, I decided to set her up for future projects by getting her these for Christmas:  

[a little bundle of fabrics and other essential bits and bobs]

[my all-time favourite sewing project book]

[the world's cutest, pinkest sewing machine]

She was SO excited on Christmas day, when she opened the sewing machine.  I can't WAIT for her to get started on some projects. And.....  I can't wait to have a go on her machine!!!  ;-)

Have a fantastic weekend!

Carly

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