Handmade Christmas link up!

I thought I'd like to wrap up my handmade Christmas series with a link up. I know that not everyone blogged about what they were making for Christmas presents with the threat of potential receivers reading/seeing the posts! Now that threat has passed I've seen some great gift ideas and handmade gift posts popping up in blog-land. I particularly love this idea from Leonie of Kiwi at Heart, I have plans for making some of these gift sets up this year. 

My own handmade efforts fell a little short, not all gifts were handmade by me, many were handmade by others. I let my fingers do the walking and bought quite a few handmade items from online sellers, just as good in my eyes, if not better as I was also supporting some wonderful talented crafters.

In the handmade Christmas journey I did figure one thing out though, I kind of like that last minute rush and flurry of making right before the big day. Sitting up late at night and making and wrapping and preparing gifts for those that I love and people I want to thank, it's something that I enjoy.

A Hydrangea cushion for someone who grows them.

A zip purse and  crochet hooks

A crochet Kokeshi for a dear friend.

I'd really love it if you would link up some of your handmade presents! It will hopefully inspire me and others when Christmas rolls around again!

forgive me

Hey! It's been a long time I know, forgive me I've been in holiday mode, easy meals, a messy house, no fixed plans and not blogging! But in order to start back in this space I need to do a quick Christmas wrap up. It's hard for me to do, seriously!  I'm the person who strips down all the Christmas decorations down on Boxing day! I can't stand them up a minute longer and the house just seems so much fresher once they are packed away, that being said the box of decorations still hasn't found it's way back into the cupboard yet! So here goes, I'll keep it brief so hopefully not too much forgiveness required!

I love now that the kids are older and we can make the most of some twilight Christmas traditions. Visiting MOTAT for their Christmas light nights, and also local houses that get into the Christmas spirit. The bonus was taking them out late on Christmas eve gave my husband and I a wee sleep in on Christmas morning too.

The Waiuku Christmas display has become a firm family favourite Christmas tradition. The Waiuku town hall, jammed packed with musical and mechanical Santa's and the biggest array of amazing Christmas decorations that you have ever seen! It's noisy and so magical.

This year I started another tradition too, new Christmas Pyjamas for Christmas Eve. I hope that some years they are homemade, this year I went with bought ones (I didn't want to start a precedent!) . They were a total hit and they stayed in them all day, convincing all the visitors that they just looked like normal clothes and there was no need to change. I think that personalised anything always goes down well, especially have a name that isn't common, if only they came in my size! Thanks Stuck on You!

I made some simple drawstring bags to put the pyjamas in, complete with their initials on them I also popped a handmade decoration in each for them to put on the tree before popping into bed. It was a lovely way to celebrate Christmas eve and I'm looking forward to doing the same next year.

So that's me all caught up now. I'm looking forward to sharing lots of things with you this year. I've got a feeling 2014 is going to be an amazing year, I hope you'll join me!

gifting

Lego Club Christmas gift! 

I really try to think "outside the square" for presents for little ones. I've given Lego club memberships for a few little people that we know for special birthdays over the last year or so. The Lego club is a one off payment and the child then gets an interactive magazine, stickers and sometimes a small Lego set several times a year till they are 11 or so (when the membership needs to be renewed annually). All for just under $20. The mum's have all said what a great idea it was and how their children have been enjoying getting something special in the mail every few months. At the time of the gift giving I wrote up a little card saying I'd signed them up and added a wee Lego minifigure. In each case I did speak with the mum before hand to make sure they weren't already signed up!

Have you seen this list? It's sixty gift alternatives to toys for children. I love it! I especially love the section on experiences. Often people with children struggle to fit admission charges into their budgets, a trip to the zoo can be really costly for a family these days. That's where Grandparents and Aunts and Uncles could chip in to buy a pass to the zoo, movie money or paying for swim lessons etc. Putting money towards experiences and creating lifelong memories must be better than toys that might not last until the next Christmas. I remember getting a Whitcoulls voucher (a local book store) when I was young, I loved being able to go in and choose a book that I really wanted for the first time ever.

Is there something you've gifted or been gifted that was "outside the square"? I'd love some more ideas!

it's a wrap!

photo credit: Meg from Growing up.

The lovely Meg from the blog Growing up has just shared this wonderful tutorial for making some reusable fabric wrapping. Isn't it a great idea? I always feel a great wave of "ugh" when I see the "sea' of wrapping paper on Christmas morning, all those trees!

I'm making a bunch of these this year for sure! Thanks Meg!

Inko dye - part 1

In a previous life I worked in the photographic industry, in one of the largest professional photographic labs here in New Zealand. So it's no surprise that I have a bit of a fascination with photographic processes, it's a bit like magic really!

I loved the idea of doing some "sun prints" ever since I heard about the Cyanotype process, around twenty years ago when I was at school, it's taken me a while to get around to doing it. I'd been put off by the chemical process a bit. Then I discovered Inko dye by Lumi which gives you the ability to print on fabric and wood with the power of the sun, with out all that fiddling around. 

You coat your fabric with the dye in a darkened room, it doesn't have to be completely dark, just away from direct sunlight. Then lay a "resist" on the top (the options are pretty endless there!) in this case I've used a plastic lace table runner (what use as a resist will get coated with the dye, so don't use a heirloom piece of lace that your granny made!) . Then pop it out in the sun. It changes very quickly right before your eyes! Magic I tell you. I left it out for around 20 minutes to give the dye a chance to fully develop, it was a really bright day.

You can see above some "soft" areas in the printed design, that is where the plastic lace wasn't sitting flat. This was my first print! But I didn't quite wash all the dye out and when I hung it out to dry it developed a bit more and went a lighter blue, but I'm still really pleased with my first attempt.

Inko dye is really concentrated so I also had a go at doing a diluted print too (that's it above). I did a wee bit of hand stitching to outline some parts of the design.

I turned my second attempt into two zip purses, one as a Christmas gift for a friend. I'm popping in a few crochet hooks and some hand spun yarn.

The same print, the top one is the reverse side of the printed fabric

The people at Lumi have just released six new colours of Inko dye! (it previously came in just three colours). I've been collecting up a few different things that I want to print with I've got lots of experimenting ahead. My first attempts were on a natural linen, I'm keen to try out the dye on some bright white cotton. Watch this space!

I'm planning a post too on the mistakes I've made, things not to do things I've learned! Just in case you want to try it out too.

crochet a Christmas tree!

Here's a little pattern for a sweet little crochet Christmas tree, or a "pine" inspired tree if you will. They are quick and easy to make and use very little wool!

Crochet Christmas tree

You will need:
A small amount of yarn in green and brown. Also a contrast, a different green or for a snowy look, white!
Embroidery thread (optional)
3.5mm crochet hook (or hook of your choice to work with the yarn you like )
Small pom poms
Sewing thread
Felt (optional)

Note: Tree is worked from the top down.

Row 1: Ch 3 (counts as first dc, here and throughout the pattern) 2 dc in 2nd ch from hook (3 dc)
Row 2: Ch 2, 1 dc in same space as ch 2. 1 dc in next stitch, 2 dc in last stitch  (5 dc)
Row 3: Ch 2, 1 dc in same space as ch 2. 1 dc in next 3 stitches and 2 dc in last stitch (7 dc)
Row 4: (decreasing row) Ch 1, slip stitch in next 3 stitches. Ch 2, dc in same space. Dc in next stitch, 2 dc in next stitch. (5 dc)
Row 5: Repeat row 3 (7 dc)
Row 6: Ch 2, dc in same space as ch 2. Dc in the next 5 stitches, 2 dc in last stitch ( 9 dc)
Row 7: Ch 2, dc in same space as ch 2. Dc in the next 7 stitches, 2 dc in last stitch (11 dc)
Row 8: (decreasing row) Ch 1, slip stitch in next 3 stitches, Ch 2. Dc in same space as 2 ch. Dc in the next 4 stitches, 2 dc in the next stitch ( 8 dc)
Row 9: Ch 2, dc in same space as 2 ch. Dc in the next 6 stitches, 2 dc in the last stitch (10 dc)
Row 10: Ch 2, dc in the same space as 2 ch. Dc in the next 8 stitches, 2 dc in the last stitch (12 dc). Fasten off.

You'll end up with a shape similar to the one pictured above. I've used hand spun yarn so it's not perfectly even. Now it's time to add some contrast. This is done by attaching the chosen contrast yarn to one side of the "decreasing rows"

Ch 4, then insert your hook into the next stitch. Repeat along the width of the "decreasing rows" and also along the bottom of the last row. Use the photo below for reference. You could use embroidery thread for this or just a contrasting colour in the same weight yarn as the main part of your tree. Each row could be a different colour, like your tree is covered in tinsel! I particularly like the white for a snowy look.

The trunk is crocheted as follows:
Row1 :Ch 9, sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each stitch till the end.
Row 2: Ch 2, sc in each stitch till end. Repeat this row 2 more times.
Row 5: Fold the 4 rows in half and slip stitch the two long ends together. This creates a long tube. Fasten off leaving a long tail for stitching to the back of the tree.

Decorate your tree! Add mini pom poms, or sequins or any other little decorations. You might opt to leave your tree plain? It's up to you!

Stitch the trunk to the middle of  back of the tree! I wanted to make my hand spun go a long way so I stitched some felt to the back of the tree to cover up the trunk and the rest of the messy back. You might want to crochet a second tree and whip stitch them together?

Add some embroidery thread to the top with a needle and hang it on your tree! Or tie it on a gift. I'm planning on hanging these off the teacher presents this year.

One tree can look a little lonely, so why not crochet a forest of them!

I'd love to see your trees if you make any!

progress

Time is ticking on by and my plans for a handmade Christmas are making really slow progress. I've ticked a few off my list, I printed off these beauties to make my list making a little easier. To take some of the pressure off (self induced pressure of course!)  I've taken part in some "online handmade buying"  from Felt, a New Zealand handmade website, there are some amazing handmade items for sale there.

I put the finishing touches on this cushion for a special person on my list. Each "petal" is in fact a small crocheted flower, I didn't bother counting them, there are lots! The leaves are cut from a tweedy woollen skirt, from a local thrift store, and the backing is more of the woollen blanket I used here.

Have you made any Christmas presents yet? Leaving it to the last minute? I'll be right there with you if that's the case - ah best laid plans eh?

her hands

Every festive season I'm inspired by the lovely things that Melissa from Tiny Happy  makes for her friends and family and her shop. They are mostly simple ideas, but in her hands they are transformed into something really special, maybe that's the secret? Seeing all those beautiful goodies makes me want to be on her "gifting list".

Melissa has taken the time to answer some of my questions about her handmade Christmas makings. I've also had a look through her archives and chosen some of my favourite projects. If you click on the photos it will take you to Melissa's post and you can find out how to make/bake them too!

Tiny Happy - Pepperkake

Do you have any favourite gifts to make at Christmas?

Not really- I do like to make food-y things for friends and family though. Things like lemon curd or jam/marmalade, or Christmas cakes or sweets. I also really like making gifts from gardeny things like dried lavender, seeds, herbs, etc.

I have a great time making things for my nieces and nephew every Christmas. In the past I've made soft toys, art sets, quilts, clothes and bags

Tiny Happy - Peace dove

Do you have any family Christmas traditions?

The kids get swept up in a frenzied whirlwind of Christmas card making every December. Keira makes cards for everyone she knows, including other peoples' pets. We have a few traditions such as making and wrapping gifts all together, attending an evening carol or cathedral Christmas service, and Tom and I always give each other a stocking filled with nice bits and pieces from the supermarket. Really. For example, last year I received some nice chocolate and moisturiser and a copy of my favourite magazine. Often on Christmas Eve we drink wine or cocktails with friends. Okay so that's not so much a 'family' tradition but rather one that Tom and I take part in! As for wider family traditions, both Tom and I come from big families and we alternate attending their Christmas gatherings each year.

Tinny Happy - Wreath

Have you received a handmade present that stands out in your mind?

I remember one year my sister made my whole family knitted slippers. It was an unexpected gift and they must have taken her ages to make. We were all very grateful for them when Winter rolled around!

Tiny Happy - Little totes

What is on your Christmas make list this year? Without giving any secrets away of course! 

This will show my terrible organising skills, but I haven't even thought about it yet. But thank you Louana for the reminder! As soon as I finish work for the year I will break out the craft supplies and have a good think about it. 

Tiny Happy - Pine tags

I know the Pepperkake recipe on your blog is popular, what else will you be baking this Christmas?

Ah yes making pepperkake was something I loved learning while living in Norway. I still make those even though they do seem to suit a wintry Christmas and are nice to hold in one hand with a glass of Glögg in the other!

I love making shortbread and use Christmas as an excuse to bake a double mixture and eat more buttery biscuits than I really should. But I fully intend to do that again this year.

I'll also bake the usual Christmas cake and maybe a Christmas pudding (although Tom made a beautiful one of these last year and it kept him busy for about 4 hours.

Tiny Happy - Dress up wings

Thank you so much Melissa! I think your Pepperkake recipe will be on my bake-list this Christmas.

If you want to check out more lovely things to make on Melissa's blog, she has a handy list on the left hand side. It's a good place to start if you are looking for things to make for loved ones this Christmas! 

How are your Christmas makings going? Mine, slowly, very slowly! But I've ticked at least one off my list. 

ornamental

It's that time of year again to sign up for the Kiwi Christmas Ornament Swap!

Click on the image to take you to Sew Funky to find out all the details. I've participated over the last three years, my kids love finding the little ornaments in the letterbox to hang on our tree. Handmade decorations are so much better than store bought don't you think? Will you join me?

another green

Today in the "a handmade Christmas"  seriesI am having a chat with Clare from Green Valley Crafts.I'm sure you already know her, right? If not you should head on over to check it out, her blog is a lovely read, Clare has mad speed knitting skills, shares some great recipes, she does all this and more with two small daughters. If she lived closer I'm sure I'd be sharing a cuppa or two with her on a regular basis! 

Instead pour yourself a cuppa and enjoy this little chat........

So Clare, do you have a favourite thing to make and give at Christmas? 

It's hard to chose a favourite, but I do like to make fabric bags to pop other gifts into.  More useful than wrapping paper and less cleaning up!

image source: Green Valley Crafts

image source: Green Valley Crafts

Do you have any favourite Christmas traditions? Any that you will do when your children are older? 

 I like to make a new handmade decoration each Christmas, usually out of felt.  I add one as part of the wrapping (or gift bag - see Q.1.) onto the gifts of close friends and family.  My eldest daughter and I bake and ice biscuits, and she wraps them and makes cards and then gifts them to family, friends and teachers.  Also, we get a new Christmas themed picture book to add to our collection each year.  These books are only out in December, and then put away for the rest of the year so they are that bit more exciting and special.

Ooh I like that book idea! Have you received a handmade present in the past that really stands out in your mind? 

 My mum makes me a tiny Christmas cake all of my own every year (no one else in my house likes traditional Christmas cake!  What?!)  I love this and look forward to it all year!  Yum yum!!

I was wondering, do you have a gift making/buying philosophy for Christmas? 

 In our family, we mainly give gifts to the children.  They get a sweet selection of wants and needs, usually a mix of handmade and bought items.  Adults exchange small gifts (our max spend would be about $15-$20 per adult), and we try not to buy each other 'stuff' we don't really need.  I usually turn to our fantastic Saturday market for the adults gifts, or online (felt or etsy) and those hard-to-buy-for-blokes usually get yummy food/drink type treats.

image source: Green Valley Crafts

What is on your making list this year?

 This year I have to make my baby her Christmas stocking, that's priority number one!  I'll make a set of decorations for the year, I'm thinking this year will involve a bit of cross stitch again, like last year.  I'd also like to make my girls new outfits for Christmas day (maybe matching, maybe not!).  There will be some kind of foodie gift for the kindy teachers.  If time allows, I'll make gift bags, otherwise we'll paint/stamp some brown paper for our wrap.  I would like to make an advent calendar with pockets, but I don't think I'll have time for that this year.   Whatever happens, there will be peppermint bark (probably at least two batches, cause I usually eat at least one!)

image source: Green Valley Crafts

I think there will be several batches of peppermint bark here too! So have I missed anything? Last thoughts?

Thanks for having me Louana!  I can't wait to follow your Christmas series, and get some new ideas and hear about other people's family traditions!

No thank you Clare! It's been great gaining a little insight to your Christmas traditions, I hope you share some pics of your baby's stocking once it's done - no pressure or anything! I think I'm going to steal that Christmas book idea too. I love that you consider you mum's Christmas cake a stand out handmade gift, it goes to show that you don't need to spend a fortune to create a really good memory for someone near to you. Don't you think?

towelling

Here's a quick and easy tutorial for a towel turban! Most of the ones you can buy in the shops are made of micro fibre, I don't know about you, but it feels funny on my hands and I'd much prefer cotton towelling. I made this one from a bright vintage towel, but you could choose a plain towel perhaps? I've seen towelling for sale at my local fabric store, might be a good option if you want to make a few.

Here's how you can make one:

Cut out the pattern, I often cut out my patterns on vilene, the plain stuff, not iron-on. It tends to hold up better than paper, especially if you are using it lots.

Cut out two pieces,(1cm seam allowance included) if you are using patterned towelling make sure the right sides are together. Zigzag or overlock the edges to stop it fraying. With right sides together stitch around the edge, leaving the bottom open, I used a 1cm seam allowance. (I only have the right edge turned back is to show that the "right" sides are together)

Turn it right side out. Turn up the long edge that you left open. Slip in a hair tie or elastic at the seam of the short "tail" end of the turban. Stitch the hair tie/elastic in place, going back and forward a few times to secure it. Carry on stitching right around the bottom edge.

It should look something like this. Almost finished.

Sew a button on the middle of the front seam (opposite end from the hair tie/elastic). That's it you're done!

Try and take a "selfie", hope you do better than me! I seemed miss the turban 99% of the time!

To wear the turban, but the larger part, the one with the button at the back, twist the front up and flip it to the back. Slip the elastic over the button and you are done! (another selfie! Really need to teach my kids to take great pics!)

This one is for my daughter, for school swimming. Perfect for when she comes out of the pool, she can quickly get her wet hair up while she changes back into her uniform. I'm going to team it up with a new towel for swimming too. Ticking off another hand made Christmas present!

not your hands

So my handmade Christmas series is about making gifts for friends and loved ones this Christmas. But what if you don't have a crafty bone in your body? What if the thought of finding time to make even one present is too much for you? Well it doesn't mean you can't still have a handmade Christmas, really it doesn't.

There are thousands and thousands artisans out there, selling their wares on sites like Felt (here in NZ) and Etsy (lots of NZers sell on Etsy, you can find the things they are selling here.) I'd  really love you to go and check out those sites, especially Felt (buy local n' all). You might just be surprised at what is being produced here (ok, maybe not surprised if you are a fan of Felt already). I'm not talking about "Nana" crafts either (not that Nana's can't make some funky craft type things, but I'm sure you know the type of crafts I'm referring to) some seriously professional products that anyone would be glad to find in their stocking!

Here are a very few of my favourites after a very short look on Felt.

I love the Wood botherer's shop for quality wooden toys - I was lucky to win the ducks above recently, they feel so nice in your hand, I'm also going to purchase some more of their animals for some littles on my shopping list.

These butterfly wing earrings - love them enough said. I'm a fan of vintage NZ stamps and Kowhai so I'd love to unwrap these on Christmas morning, argh! I keep finding earrings I love, these I think I might just have to buy for myself if no one else does.

For the hard to buy for (or maybe a smarty pants brother?) maybe this cushion?

There are some interesting hanging air plants in Eco bubbles shop.

These links are just a small, teeny tiny selection of amazing things on offer,but to be honest I've had to stop browsing, my buying list is getting bigger than my making list!

I think one of the best things about buying from these sites, other than the fact you've bought some amazing presents, is that you are supporting a small business! Woo hoo! We need that, we need those small businesses! You are supporting possibly a stay at home mum or dad - how cool is that? Super cool! Go and have a browse and tick a few more names off your list! Oh and it all gets delivered to your door! Bonus.

step 1 - planning

Welcome back to the handmade Christmas series. Before we can even begin to start creating handmade goodies for lucky friends and family, we need to do a bit of paperwork - making a list. Planning/list making is something that is hard to avoid when it comes to Christmas don't you think? A few years ago I bought a small hard cover notebook, just for Christmas list making, presents to buy make, cards to send (although at nearly $1 per card I don't think I'll be sending too many of those this year). It seems to make everything more manageable once it's written down.

The totally amazing Stella from the golden adventures of a very dark horse has designed these great lists/planners for you to download and print to use for your Christmas planning! I know! SO cool! If this doesn't encourage you to find a few minutes this week to sit down and work out a present making/buying plan for the next few months - I don't know what will!

When I sit down to plan, I like to think what the person not only would like, but what they might need too. I don't like to gift something without a use, most people have plenty of ornamental type things, especially grandparents. Gardeners, for example always need gloves, but perhaps team them with a hand made kneeler (ok I may have just spoiled the surprise, it's true a kneeler tutorial is coming up) and some good soap or hand cream.

All you need to do is click on the list that you like and you'll be taken to a website where you can download it for printing. Then find a few quiet minutes to plan away! If you are uninspired for gift ideas, well I'm really hoping that I can help you out with that over the coming weeks.

I want to give Stella a HUGE thank you for taking the time to design the lists for us to use! Generous right? She's a gem.

I'm also setting up a linky so you can link up presents that you've made to encourage us all to make this Christmas a handmade one.

a handmade Christmas

For as long as I can remember I have made gifts for Christmas presents, when I say "for as long as I can remember", I seriously mean it. When I was a small child I delighted in pouring over craft books deciding what I was going to make for relatives for Christmas. It was so exciting, creating gifts for friends and family. I spotted this book on my bookcase the other day and lots of memories came flooding back, my sister and I made nearly every project in it. No wonder it's falling apart at the spine.

Over the past few years I've left things to the last minute, I haven't felt the enthusiasm that I had in years past, tending to buy more gifts than I make. This year I'm determined to start out early and turn things around and I hope that you might join me too!

I've asked a number of blogging friends to share a few ideas, traditions and gift ideas to help us along. It should be inspiring! I know a few of you might be ready to stop reading, I mean talking about Christmas in August! (would it help you to know that I had planned on sharing this series in July! Even worse huh!). But I think the earlier we start the easier December will be. This December I'm hoping to spend plenty of time with my kids, crafting and baking and hopefully enjoying some Summer rays, enjoying all those fun festive moments (staying out of those busy shops too!).

I'm not asking for a big commitment, just perhaps an hour a week, knocking one present off the list at a time. Doable right? Handmade doesn't have to mean hours and hours spent on a gift/project, it could also be buying something made by another pair of hands.

Tomorrow I'll be back, bringing you an essential tool to help with all this Handmade Christmas planning, courtesy Stella from The golden adventures of a very dark horse. Stay tuned, I'm excited!