coughs, sneezes, ribbon and wrapping paper

Well, I've been ill with a throat and chest infection the last week or so (now there's a cheery Christmassy note to begin on) but the doctor prescribed me some new meds yesterday and I swear they're kicking in already. So I've been a recluse the last few days, sitting by my Christmas tree, too weak to even munch on a mince pie. And that's the way life is isn't it? Just when your diary has reached full capacity and you should be darting here there and everywhere around town you're feeling like crap and sat on your settee under a blanket with your pajamas on. So you roll with it, wrap a couple of presents, watch Love Actually (suggested by Emma), listen to the She And Him Christmas album on repeat (think I may have OD'd on that one now) and wait to feel better again. 

And though in a prefect world I'd be busy as a bee in a mad Christmas social whirl I can be grateful for a cosy chair by the fire, a very lovely family and some twinkly fairy lights. 

Hope you're not letting the winter coughs and sneezes dampen your Christmas spirit! XXX

signs of Christmas

We haven't decorated or bought our tree yet (that's a job for this weekend) but the signs that Christmas is here are popping up all over our home...

I had a sweet conversation with my hairdresser last week about the 'magic' of Christmas. She believes in it, and so do I. Can you feel it yet? Is it making your world twinkle a little more?

I really believe that there's something in the air this time of year, and even though I'm dog tired and sleep deprived (little pregnancy moan) I'm still feeling that Christmas glow. Hope you are too!

holly and mistletoe make

I'm definitely feeling the Christmas spirit these last few days, it's been cold, frosty and the streets are suddenly full of twinkly lights - it's my very favorite time of the year! But I've suddenly realised how time is flying by and how it's now or never when it comes to achieving my Christmas goals. So with just an hour to spare this afternoon I managed to squash in little festive project I've been thinking about these last few weeks. And it felt good to get things done and start and finish a project in one go - rare for a busy (disorganised) girl like me! 

First I cut out some template shapes out of white card-

Then I pinned the shapes to some green felt...

...and cut around the templates-

Next, I added a few stitches to the holly leaves...

...and then sewed on the bells... and finished!

It's a quick and easy make that will look very merry hung around the necks of those bottles of booze I'm giving as gifts this Christmas - or they could adorn my door handles at home, or hang on my tree, or be attached as little extras to my best friends' pressies... don't you love those Christmassy colours? Getting so excited!

Needed-
Card to make the templates
Pins to attach the templates to the felt Green felt
Bells or buttons for the berries (my coloured ones were from M&S)
Needle and thread to sew on the bells
Thread to make the loop
Wool to stitch the holly leaves (optional- looks great without too)

Christmas make

We made these sweet little gift tags for Edie's teachers with just a few supplies we already had hanging around the house. They're super simple to make and Edie helped with the rolling out and the cutting. Edie used a straw to pierce the holes for the ribbons before baking and I used letter stamps for the initials (I painted them in with black acrylic paint when they were baked but they would have looked just as gorgeous left plain white).

This is all you need to make a plain white version:

White polymer clay ie. Fimo
A rolling pin
Cookie cutters
A straw (for making the hole)
Something for stamping (I used letter stamps for initials but any pretty or interesting stamp will look ace)
Ribbon

And for the extras:

Acylic paint
Tiny paint brush (for painting in the letter)
Letra set (for the 'Mr' or 'Mrs')
Clear acrylic Matt Medium or varnish (to seal the letra set and paint)
Large pretty beads (for extra decoration)

I love these tags all the more because they're something that kids can help with that don't look like they've been made by a child (not that there's anything wrong with glittery Christmas paper angels and Father Christmas faces made with paper plates and cotton wool- I love those things the best but it was lovely to make something that Edie thought was 'like the ones in the shops...').

Definitely well worth the effort! Happy making.

home in the afternoon

Today Edie was home from school. The house was warm, the kettle was on, we put some Christmas songs on the record player and settled down. I got none of the things done that I had planned but hey, that's life.

Our making session turned out perfectly (but boy do you need eight hands to keep a project under some kind of control with a three year old). It was more fun than I thought you could have with a poorly girl sent home from school. 

I'll be back with more pics of the sweet little project we were working on tomorrow...