Secret projects in the making

Although I may have been a bit quiet recently regarding what I'm making, fret not, there is plenty on the go! Most of them at the moment are secret makes which will eventually become Christmas presents, so I can't speak too much about them for now.

I can however reveal that I've been made a few bits which are destined for a new little person born to the world last Friday. (and before you ask, no I have not had a baby) Once his mummy receives these in the post, I will blog some pictures. I must say I'm particularly pleased with one item in particular...

My most recent finished project is some Christmas bunting which I shall be selling at my upcoming craft fairs, here are some piccies although they're not great due to the fact that it is dark long before I get home from my day job! Let me know what you think of them!

French horns and Christmas holly on one side and golden snowflakes on the other

 Black and gold snowmen on one side and gold snowflakes on the other

The C Word

This is a strange time of year for a lot of people. Autumn has most definitely arrived, the nights are drawing in, the bulk of the year is behind us and then the big C is looming...yes, I mean Christmas. For many, the mere mention of this C word sends them into a state of complete panic/denial but for people like me, it plays on your mind right up until the last minute. I mean this in a good way. I LOVE preparing for Christmas and now that I have my own home (this is our 3rd Christmas as Mr and Mrs) it is a serious Event requiring long term planning.

For me, the thinking about Christmas officially starts after my birthday (27th October) and it snowballs from there - pardon the pun. For me, half the excitement is in the planning and organising of presents, menus, new decorations and The Tree. The other half is seeing it all come together  - The Tree being exactly how I want it, the presents looking too good to unwrap, the fridge bursting with goodies (everyone comes to us for Christmas Eve dinner - an new tradition now that I'm a married lady), the making and eating of mince pies, ah the list is endless...

I'll get to the point now, owing to financial constraints,  I have decided that this year is going to be a Homemade Christmas, more so than in previous years. This year I shall be making probably about 90% of the gifts I shall be giving and I can't wait to get started. I have so many great ideas for (nearly) everyone that I am worried I won't get them all done in time! My hubby is even getting in on the act and will be producing some great pressies with his homegrown delights from the garden, so looking forward to seeing the results!

As well as all the regular things, each year I like to find new decorations to add to the collection - something that me and Hubby don't agree on. I am regularly accused of getting carried away and I regularly reply with something along the lines of 'I don't care, I'm doing it anyway'. However this year is a bit different and I shall be making the new additions instead of buying them. More about this in future posts.

Here are a few pics of my recent projects:

Stocking shaped bunting 

 Frosty the Snowman bunting

This bunting will be in my shop soon so keep an eye out!

This all leads me to the question: What is best a Shop Bought Christmas or a Homemade Christmas? I'd love to hear what you are all planning for The Big C, please leave a comment or two!

Christmas bunting

I thought I'd give you a sneak peak of this fab snowman print which is soon to become some festive bunting.

A string of stockings

At this time of year I start thinking about Christmas and what new decorations can be made/purchased to add to the collection. When I was little, my mum always made new things for each Christmas and we still have some to this day. The biggest project she did was the cross stitch advent calendar which we loved opening to see what goodies were in each box! And there were tons of cool and original decorations for the tree. But I digress.

Since hubby and I have been in charge of our own Christmases (this year will be our third), I have made some bits and bobs each year as well as spending probably too much money on lots of shiny new ones! The first decoration for 2010 is a lovely string of stocking shaped bunting.

'Before'

'After'

I used three different Christmas themed fabrics and a lovely green satin ribbon. As I had a limited amount of ribbon (needed a specific shade of green that apparently is hard to find) I decided to make the stockings double sided and I finished the loops of with two snowflake buttons.

So this bunting goes into storage ready for the holidays!! My other Christmas projects for this year are patchwork stockings and a cross stitched nativity scene. I'm sure there may be a few other things along the way! Ooh and I'm also going to be making my own door decoration and will probably do the golden pears again as they worked quite well. And I'm making the Christmas cake this year too!

OK, enough about Christmas, I do know it's still July!!!