Christmas Countdown Week 9 - Christmas Bakes

I love to bake. Every year I have found that I bake something. Although it's usually something like my banana bread. A few years in a row I have made cheesecake for dessert for Christmas dinner. I miss baking although it's maybe just as well as I wouldn't be allowed to eat it (thank you slimming world). Still, my last Christmas countdown post had to be dedicated to baking. If you have a free day (unlikely I know) set it aside to get some baking in. Everything I have picked for this post I chose because they could also be bagged up and gifted to someone. Obviously more prettily than I made it sound.

Of late I have been admiring The BBC Good Foods webpage. I follow them on facebook and they are always updating with yummy foods ideas that I can't eat. They have a whole section for Christmas and I thought I should link something from there. I narrowed it down to these gingerbread Christmas trees for two reasons. First of all I love all things gingerbread. Secondly they can be used as cookies on their own or packaged into gifts or to decorate your Christmas cake. So versatile.  They look quite simple to make too. If you want more ideas definitely head over to the BBC website.

More gingerbread. This time gingerbread fudge. I've never had gingerbread fudge before but I have no doubt in my mind that it's my new favourite. Just need someone to make it for me and then tell me it's syn free. This recipe comes from Cravings of a Lunatic (loving the blog name). I should warn you that it is American. However, with the internet it's easy to interpret ingredient quantities. That and you can buy American measurement tools. So you have no excuse not to make this for me. These cute little gingerbread shaped pieces are the result of a mold. Don't let that stop you. I am sure they will be just as tasty cube shaped.

Even if you aren't a baker the blog is worth checking out as there are lots of recipes on there. If you decide to give them a go I would love to hear about it.

I promise that this will be the last gingerbread themed item. I saw something very similar to this a few years ago and had it listed in my head as something I would never be able to do. Remember my rubbish decorating skills people. It looked so elegant and pretty and sadly there was no tutorial even if I wanted to attempt it. Well I came across this version by Modcloth. It has the recipe (again American) but also the pdf template to cut out the little shapes. I've seen it on Bake Off. It looks well easy (so long as it's not me doing it).

Modcloth seems to be more of a fashion/lifestyle blog but it has lots of interesting pieces including some festive ideas. Might not be for everyone but definitely worth it just for these little gingerbread houses.

I must be the only person in Scotland who doesn't like shortbread. But there it is. My confession is out there. I have never liked it. I always found it too rich, think and sickly. The gist of it is I don't like butter which makes up a large proportion of shortbread ingredients. I would be remiss though if I didn't have shortbread on here somewhere. It would feel like I was letting the side down. So here are some shortbread stars. The recipe is posted on a publishers page - bloomsbury.  What I love about this recipe is that it has one for glittery salted caramel at the start (now that's more me). I'm kidding, kind of. What is good about this is that you can do lots of different shapes and the rest of Scotland loves it. Make mine gingerbread though.

Jammy biscuits on the other hand? LOVE them. Who doesn't love a jammy dodger? Better yet, a homemade version? The Pretty Blog has posted this recipe and I think even I could follow it. Not a novice at baking but I haven't made that many biscuits in my life. If you don't think hearts are particularly festive then get some star shaped cutters. Plus they look so fab in these jars I think most people would enjoy receiving them.

The Pretty Blog is more like a lifestyle blog too with lots of different contributors. There are food and home sections in there with lots of DIY ideas.

When I said earlier that there was no more gingerbread within this post I lied. And I'm not sorry in the slightest. Mainly because this is a brilliant idea. This is a little bit of a cheat in that you are not really making anything. Well, you are but there is some DIY involved for the recipient. But if someone you are gifting to loves baking then this is perfect. This is a jar filled with all the dry ingredients to make gingerbread biscuits. I found this on the BBC Good Foods page but have seen other versions around pinterest. Brilliant idea. Plus you can decorate the jar. Just don't forget to write out the instructions on the label. I say that because that's something I would most definitely do.

And that folks is my Christmas countdown. I want to remind people that the only work I did with these is put the lists together. The owners of the images and the tutorials did all the hard work. You can find every tutorial listed under Christmas Tutorials on my Craft tutorials page. It's quite a long list now and I hope that the owners of these pages don't mind and that you all get something out of it. If the owners had blogs (providing they are still going) they have all been linked on my Craft blogs page. Not under Christmas though, they are under whichever heading I felt that better represented the blog.

Thank you for taking the time to read these. While it hasn't really made me feel better about this year it has taken my mind off things and I like to think that my mum would have enjoyed them. After all, this is her season. It has even given me some ideas. There were things that I wanted to have on these lists that just weren't available as a free tutorial. Something for me to work towards for next year. I think it will encourage me to be more creative.

Anyway, here is my entire countdown linked below.

Stockings
Blankets
Advent Calendars
Christmas Cards
Gifts for Crafters
Christmas Bunting
Christmas Decorations
Christmas Gift Tags

Christmas Coundown Week 8 - Christmas Gift Tags

Even though I had this post planned out on Thursday and the majority of the work done I am still late. Blame a surprise visit from my sister before my fourth nightshift. It was actually good that my sister visited as she could then get her winter woollies (more on that next week). Blame blogger for making it even later as it didn't save any of my work.

So this week I decided to pick something small. Something that won't take up too much time. Most people will be getting ready to wrap their Christmas presents (unless you are super organised). I love a personalised gift tag and I thought that would be perfect for this week. It makes your parcels stand out. I have even managed it one year. Both friends and family got these cross stitched gift tags and I loved them. Always meant to do it again.

This first tag involves something I love. Buttons! I have seen tags with button baubles and snow men. I picked this one for the countdown as it also included some felt leaves. A simple but effective thing to do. This one is by One Dog Woof and she talks you through it briefly. It's easy to do though, you really don't need much more instruction than that. She also gives some examples of other tags she has made and maybe you can get inspiration from those too.

Her blog is definitely worth a visit as she has tutorials, crochet and recipes. Lots to see there. 

Any decoration that involves mini Christmas baubles I love. This one is by Sally J Shim. The tutorial is very simple but the tag itself is also very simple. All you really need is some mini baubles and stickers. You can match up the colours to your wrapping paper or pick out the recipients favourite colour.

Sally J Shim is primarily a designer. However, her blog is filled with great tutorials. She has even published her own book.

A few years ago I went through a phase of using felt for everything. I even made felt Christmas decorations. So I will always have a soft spot for it and I would probably use it again. I think that's why I love this felt Gingerbread man by A Homemade Living. The tutorial is short and sweet and involves using a cookie cutter as your template. With that in mind you could use all sorts of Christmas shapes and create very pretty decorations for your gifts. Plus, at the end you are giving someone a tree decoration too. Two in one.

Perler beads and crafting have been all the rage for the last few years. Although, I think that has died down a little now. I have to be honest and say that I was never a huge fan of it. At least, I was never enticed enough to want to try it. Until now that is. Craft and Creativity has created a tutorial for these fab gift decorations. I think they look quite effective. Especially the Christmas baubles. Sadly the blogger hasn't posted in a few years but I think she has other tutorials on there worth checking out.

Paper cutting is another favourite craft that has been going around the last few years. I have to admit that I have admired anyone who can do this. I think I might be a little too clumsy for it. However, these tags look lovely. The tutorial is by Lia Griffith is a little basic but there is a PDF with the pattern. I'm sure most people would manage it. Lia Griffith is also primarily a designer but she has a great blog that I think would interest most crafters.

Well, thanks to me managing to save all these links to my pages rewriting this didn't take too long. I hope it was worth the wait for everyone. Next week will be my last Christmas countdown and that one will involve edibles!

Christmas Countdown Week 7 - Christmas Decorations

This week I thought I would look at some handmade Christmas decorations. I love a good handmade decoration and we would get one from my mum every year. It was hard to find decorations which weren't just for the tree. I hope I have found a good selection though.

This first one I thought was cute. I love a simple cross stitch design. It also combines it with something else I like which is hoop frames. Sadly this isn't a tutorial but you can buy the pattern from the designer Sewing Seed on her etsy page.  I am all for supporting independent crafters and designers and this one has some lovely patterns in her shop.

This next pattern is one of my favourites. I have seen these crochet baubles around for a while now and I have always meant to try them. The pattern is by Patchwork Heart who also happens to be one of my favourite people to follow on Instagram.  She is always making lovely things with her crochet and they are so beautiful to see. She also has a blog which I have followed for a while now.

I have seen a few of these clear baubles around too. It has become a popular thing in craft shops over the last few years. All you need to do is unscrew the top and fill it with whatever you want (ensuring that it isn't too heavy). This one is by Downtime Upcycle and I liked it because the blogger did this as part of a Christmas decoration exchange organised by her grandmother.  The blogger hasn't posted in over a year so I have only linked the tutorial to my Craft Tutorial page.

I love this idea. Mainly because it involves bells. This is actually simple to make as shown by Kerri Bradford Studio.  The tutorial doesn't go completely in depth but I am sure most people will be able to follow it. I think you could easily play around with this idea to come up with your own creation. I have actually seen a similar version on pinterest which uses mini baubles rather than bells. This lady is primarily a scrapbooker and has a whole host of tutorials and ideas on her blog.

Okay, I am cheating a little bit here. This last one is very similar to last weeks clay garland. However, I really love this idea and there are a few tutorials out there. This one is by Gathering Beauty and she uses air drying clay which I have never used before.  Interestingly one of the stamps she uses to emboss the clay was a knitted hat. Which means you don't have to go out and by the stamps to emboss your decorations. You could also play with various shapes and cutters. I'm thinking gingerbread men. As for the author of this one, Gathering Beauty is a blog worth checking out. She has lots of different craft ideas. Particularly for Christmas.

Normally I would leave my list at five. However, I had to have a knitted item on here in honour of my wee mum. Who would knit us something Christmassy every year without fail. So here is a little owl that I am sure I would have managed to talk her into knitting for me. This is a pattern found on ravelry which you can download for free so long as you are a member (worth signing up to). The pattern is by Knit a Zoo who suggest putting him on your tree. I probably would want him more out on display. Like with all of these links you could change the colours to suit yourself. You could even go bright.

Christmas Countdown Week 6 - Christmas Bunting

I was originally going to title this garlands but really these are all bunting of one form or another. I love bunting. I have always said I am going to make myself some and I plan to for project new house. My sister has even asked me to make her an autumn one which is a little late to start now (but as she has an autumn soul I don't suppose it matters when I make it).

Well, these garlands or Christmas bunting would brighten up any home. Some of them are even used to decorate trees. It's really up to you. Most of them won't take you long to make either.

This first one is one of my favourites. I love a star motif. The tutorial is by Anabelia and it's a fairly easy tutorial to follow. The blog is in Spanish but google will translate it for you. There is also a graph and seasoned crochet people would probably be able to do it from that. Anabelia Handmade is a lovely blog which contains many beautiful crochet patterns. Worth checking out.

I also love this tree bunting. The Royal Sisters is the person behind the tree motif and she calls it the Grandma tree.  The tutorial is fantastic as it photographs and annotates every step of the tree. One of the best crochet tutorials I have seen yet. It doesn't tell you how to turn the trees into a garland but I am sure most of you have the ingenuity to do that. I have also seen these trees done in lots of lovely colours. The blogger doesn't post regularly but there are a few other tutorials on it that you might want to have a look at.

It was actually really hard to find a free tutorial to bunting that wasn't made from crochet. I was almost giving up and making it entirely about the crochet. Then I came across this gingerbread man bunting. It's made from felt and the pattern is free from Craftsy which is a website I have used and talked about before. The good thing about this one is that you can decorate those little men as you see fit.

This cute little garland (and it is a garland) is meant for the tree. Not only is it cute but it's also edible. Both the recipe and the tutorial can be found on Donna Hay. If you recognise the name it's because it is the celebrity chef Donna Hay. Looks fairly simple to make and you get to eat it when you are finished!

 

 I love this one too. It's not really a garland or bunting either but can be made into a garland. These little clay ornaments were made by Garden Mama and I would love to have a go at making them. Definitely one for my to do list. The author makes it look easier to make than you would think. I bet if you were super talented you could also paint the impressions made by the green. If any of you do I would love to see some photo's. Garden Mama has lots of fantastic craft tutorials for the home and ones that you can do with your kids.

As always, none of these images are mine and belong to the people I have linked in. I have also linked all of the tutorials to my tutorial links page. The blogs you will find on my blog links page. Both of which are growing fast and I hope people enjoy using it.

Christmas Countdown Week 5 - Gifts for Crafters

This weeks Christmas countdown is some gift ideas for your fellow crafters. Us crafters like to receive items that other made. We appreciate the time and effort that has went into them because we have done it ourselves. Even better we love a gift where we get to create something ourselves. I would like to point out that none of these images are mine. I hope the owners don't mind and realise I just like to showcase others talents.

First up is one that I have coveted. These are yarn bowls and are created by the talented V's Pottery Shed. The design above isn't her only one. She has many beautiful and colourful designs. I am sure I have mentioned her before. She's also not limited to yarn bowls. She also creates wine glasses, travel mugs and at the moment her tree decorations are flying out.

Next up is for those stitchers out there. I came across this talented lady through instagram. Dandelyne is famous for her mini hoops. She creates kits which will allow you to wear a piece of your own hand stitching. I love them. If you follow her on Instagram you will also see that she likes to showcase those who design their own centre pieces for her hoops.  I personally think this would be something fun to do with my sister.

I am a huge fan of Nikki McWilliams. I love her biscuit designs. Brilliant if you love a bit of nostalgia. I have actually bought one of her cushions for my sister. Now she has come up with these little pin cushion kits. So you can have your very own biscuit pin cushion. This is another one that I am thinking of getting for my sister.

I also need to highlight my friend here. Not just because, well, I always do. Also because this would be the most amazing gift EVER! Lisa of For the Love of Yarn has a sign up for a new year long project (although you don't have to join in every month). At the end of the year, thanks to the boxed kits you will have made yourself a stole. A little different from the blanket club (of which there will also be a new one next year). Oh, and you don't need to be able to crochet as a knitting pattern will be provided for those who wish that option. I dare you to find me a yarn enthusiast who wouldn't love this.

Last of all we have a book which I would very much love. It's another of the What Delilah Did books (I have an earlier one which I reviewed here). This one is all about Christmas (all there in the title). So many beautifully stitched projects. It would keep anyone busy. And it's for stitchers of all kinds this time.

The reason I post this now rather than later is that a lot of these crafter businesses will be closing their order books soon so that they can get everyones order out on time. So if you want to treat yourself or someone else I would start ordering now.

Christmas Countdown Week 4 - Christmas Cards

Every year I would say that everyone is going to get a handmade card. I'm afraid I only managed this a couple of times and now I just donate to charity instead. I still appreciate a handmade Christmas card. My mum managed just about every year and she would personalise it so that it was of something we loved. I even have one of them framed somewhere and of course I kept the rest.

These are a good keepsake for your loved ones and even if you don't want to give them to everyone it's always nice for those closest to you. Having said that there isn't much time left so if I were you I would get started now.

This first example is the type of card I love. I have always wanted to have a go at making a shaker card but never quite gotten around to it. This one uses and old Polaroid photograph as the shaker window but you can use acetate. This one is by a debby 4000 who created it as part of a challenge. Her blog is primarily about scrapbooking and card making and it's called Scrap Journey.

If you are a quilter or a sewer of any kind the chances are your going to have scrap fabric around. These cards by North Story are a fantastic way of using up those little scraps. Of course you aren't just limited to trees. You could use the scraps for a whole whost of festive themes such as bells, robins and snowmen. They also take not time at all so you could have all your cards finished fairly quickly.

Anything with buttons I instantly fall in love with. I have seen a whole host of Christmas cards using buttons. I have seen baubles, snowmen and Christmas trees. All would be as simple as this card but only this one came with a tutorial thanks to Hopeful Honey. As I said it's fairly simple and all you need is some card, buttons, ribbon and your glue gun. I know of very few crafters who don't have these items stashed away. Plus, like the scrap fabric cards you could make up a batch of these fairly quickly. As I said the tutorial is by Hopeful Honey but she also has some crochet patterns on her blog so worth checking out.

I hunted high and low for a cross stitch card that was both free and had a good link to it. Turns out they are difficult to find as most people seem to scan in patterns found in magazines (not at all legal). I found this cute design by Krissy Cross. You can pick your own colours but I think the red against the green is quite effective. This would take you a lot longer than the other cards here but it's still a fairly simple design that you could get a few done in the 6 weeks to Christmas. Sadly this is not a tutorial on how to cross stitch. It's just a chart for the above card. Krissy Cross is a German blog but google will help translate it for you. It's a good blog if you like lots of cute cross stitch designs.

I love this last card. I have hand stitched straight onto card before when I used to scrap book. I loved the effect of it. This card is done in a similar way and it's actually fairly easy to do. Once you get the hang of it you could even try your own designs. This tutorial is by Form A Lines. The tutorial is very easy to follow and shows you step by step exactly what to do. I think after stitching the first card the rest would come along and you could play about with the colours too.

None of these images are mine and both them and the tutorials belong to all the people listed. I have linked the tutorials to my Craft Links page for future reference. The blogs I have attached to my craft blogs page. If any of you decide to try any of these I would love to see your photo's

Christmas Countdown Week 3 - Advent Calendars

I love an advent calendar. It is my personal belief that you are never too old for one. I have always wanted to make one but never found the time or the design I really wanted. It's too early for advent calendars but not too early to start making them.

This one is by Ruffled Sunshine and looks fairly simple to make. You are also limited to what items to put in there so it shouldn't break the bank either. You can also make it your own by choosing your own colours and little motifs for each pocket. This blog also has a lot of good ideas for different holiday crafts which involve the kids so worth giving it a visit.

I love this one because each of the little decorations is found in the pockets and you hang it on the tree each day. It's a kit which you can by from etsy seller Sesame Seed Designs so you also get the bonus of making it yourself. Not chocolate or gift related but one that would never get boring and can be handed down the family.

Any craft that involves jars I tend to love. This one seems quite simple and the little pockets are big enough to hold one sweet. It means you can chose your favourite sweets but it does mean that it might not last for the following year. You would have to be careful with the cardboard pockets. This one is by family crafts.

This one is fairly simple too. It uses toddler sized mittens, some printed card and some string. If you have lots of odd mittens it's a good way of recycling them. Or if you have family who have outgrown mittens you can recycle those too. Failing that you could scour charity shops. I think this is for people who want to make their own advent calendar but don't have a lot of time to spend on it. This is by HGTV. 

If you find a tree decoration that you like you can also make your own. I'm thinking of the stocking pattern from my first Christmas countdown post. The free pattern by Little Cotton Rabbits would make a cute garland advent calendar.

This one is quite possibly my favourite. It's more personal and I think it's one for the grown ups. It would be a fab gift for a friend. I think my sister would love this (although she might love the lego advent calendar I got her more). I can definitely see myself making this one. It's by the Thinking Closet.

Most of these ideas can be found on my tutorial links page. And all of these images belong to the linked websites.

Christmas Countdown Week 2 - blankets

I had planned on doing something else today and to post the blankets further down the line. However, if you want a blanket all ready for Christmas you should probably start now. You might not have much time for anything else mind you. Most of these blankets are crochet and you will find that they will grow much more quickly than the knitted. Unless of course you are just learning to crochet.

This first blanket is called a Snowflake Afghan and is by Lois Olson. You can find her pattern on ravelry.  I would probably do this in pale blue rather than dark. But that's the beauty of something like this. You can choose the colours to suit. I have seen this on ravelry done in green, red and even variegated yarn. You could even have more than one colour in there. This is done in aran which would work up more quickly but again you could do it in a finer yarn for a smaller hexagon. You would just need to do more of them. Of course if you are really clever you could do your own matching cushion.

This pattern is a little more complicated but still crochet. It's called the Yule Tree Throw and even comes with a matching cushion cover. This pattern is available on Red Heart which is an American yarn brand.  A friend of mine made a lovely blanket with this yarn. Lovely and soft and she was able to get a good deal by ordering it in bulk. Again with this pattern you could change the colour to suit yourself. Although the green does go with the tree motif. This is one of those aran style crochet blankets which I have admired but never attempted.

This blanket is a little bit more special than the others in that it was part of a crochet along. The panels were revealed one at a time giving people the chance to crochet alongside others and making the final piece a surprise. You can find the entire pattern on Repeat After Me. This is a fab crochet blog which has lots of patterns and well worth the read. This is again a complex (to me) crochet pattern which involves colour changes and a type of crochet that is all the rage just now and that's the corner to corner (or c2c) blanket. The author of this pattern links a few tutorials on how to do this.

This is the odd one out in that it is quilted and not crochet. This lovely quilted piece is actually a wall hanging but could be made larger to use as a blanket. The pattern for this can be found on Purl Soho which is one of my favourite crafting pages. I love this page for it's simple clean lines. If you visit the website often enough you'll know what I mean. All their makes seem to follow this even if they come from various designers. I think you can always tell a Purl Soho pattern.  It's listed under the yarn section of my blog list as Purl Bee. As I said you could always make this larger and you could change the colours to suit such as pale blues and purples.

You have seen this before. This is my mum showing off her Christmas blanket. She was so proud of it and every year it would come out and hang over the sofa. I show you this not to be nostalgic or bring the mood down but to show you that you don't have to have a complex pattern or a specific Christmas pattern to make it a Christmas blanket. You just need to change the colours. In this case my mum was learning both how to crochet and to crochet a granny square. She decided to use that learning experience to make this Christmas blanket. So if you know how to do a granny square you can make a blanket by choosing Christmas colours. You don't even have to have lots of colour changes. So here is a link to a tutorial on how to do a granny square. This was created by Heather of Little Tin Bird which is a lovely blog filled with gorgeous photography and some crochet in there too.

Next week I may have a guest post for you to look forward to. It's from someone that I have unashamedly shouted out about over and over again for being extremely talented. I am also hoping to have a WIP post for October (since it's almost finished) and of course a Christmas post which I have changed the theme of twice now.