New memo boards in stock

Last week was a very busy week on several levels. I had a two day event over the weekend at Marks Hall and on Sunday night I flew to Edinburgh to spend the week at home with my Grandad. I had to work at double speed to get two weeks' worth or work, crafting and Christmas prep done before I left. This week will be a welcome rest! So here I am in my hometown of Falkirk writing away and feeling rather pleased with myself for having set up a working wifi network to connect my phone and laptop to the interwebs - a great technical revelation for this 4 storey split level house!!

I made 8 memo boards last week so thought I'd share some pics for you. All are 16x20inches and priced at £20 so if you fancy one for a Christmas gift, give me a shout! These will make it to my Etsy shop but not sure when yet.

 

Manly fishing boats pattern - very bright and cheery colours

I finally found a use for that Ikea fabric I love so much!

My favourite part of this kooky print

A bespoke order for a wee boy's bedroom

Dinosaurs are cool!

A bespoke order for a shoes and handbag lover

Bespoke order, this one is out of this world!

Vintage style rose print

Christmas Market Tomorrow

This weekend is the Marks Hall Christmas Market and not only am I excited about the whole Christmassy feel of it, but it also marks the 1st anniversary of my first ever stall at a market! I'll be there again this weekend and really looking forward to helping people with the Christmas shopping :)

However, I am certainly not looking forward to spending two days standing in a marquee with no heating. On the plus side, at least there's no snow this year. Last year it was truly baltic. Here's hoping this weekend is not too cold.

If you're needing a helping hand to get into the Christmas spirit, I definitely recommend the Marks Hall Christmas Market to get you in the mood for the upcoming festive season. Come say hi if you do come along!

Christmas Make: Door Decor

We always have a real Christmas tree, and I am very particular about how the tree should look. I always trim a few branches off to make the tree perfect (there are always a few pokey out branches, aren't there?) and I also trim a few at the back so it can go closer to the wall. I'm not talking masses of pruning, but just a few snips here and there.

This year I had a few large pieces and I couldn't bear to bin them. I already have my table centre sorted so I wondered what I could do with the trimmings. Then I had a light bulb moment and thought of making a festive decoration to hang over a door. These cost a fortune in the shops, especially for real tree cuttings but seeing as I already had everything I needed, it was totally free to make!

 

I wired the cuttings together using florist wire (any thin wire wold work) and then used some spare red and gold baubles and a matching ribbon to finish it off. The possibilities are endless and you could make it to coordinate your Christmas colours. Why not try making one yourself, and have a totally unique alternative to a wreath?

Christmas Make: Pom Pom Wreath - Tutorial

In my last post I mentioned how much in love I am with my Clover pom pom maker and that I had an idea for a wreath. Well, it's finished now and I must say I am so pleased with it, I can't tell you how much!!

 

I saw something similar to this on Etsy and realised that it would be the perfect use of my pom pom maker which up until then was producing pom poms with no real purpose.

 

I used  a length of pipe insulation (the grey stuff around the pipes in the loft) and Mr PC taped it into a circle for me. It was quite narrow so I decided to wrap some wadding around it to pad it out a bit. Then I used some fabric to cover it over so it was pretty on the back as well as the front.

I attached the ribbon first so that it was under the pom poms. Then I got glue happy and started sticking all my lovely green, red and white pom poms on! I used a hot glue gun to attach everything to the wreath but you could sew it if you prefer. For me, the glue was faster, and more fun too!

And there we have it, a modern take on the Christmas wreath! It is currently adorning the inside of my front door and it looks delightful, even if I do say so myself! And the best part is, it hardly cost a thing because I already had everything I needed and the wool was just £1.79 per ball and I estimate I used about two balls of each colour, so all in all it cost just over a tenner which is a total bargain :)

You could certainly make the pom poms in different colours for different holidays and events. And the wreaths could be all kinds of shapes, I think heart shaped would be nice for a wedding.

Shake yer pom poms!

My current work in progress involves my new favourite toy - the clover pom pom maker. This wee gadget is addictively (is that a word?) fun to use and so quick! When I was little my granny used to make pom poms using the cardboard circles technique but when I tried this a few months ago it was a total woolly disaster. Enter the pom pom makers which I found on t'interwebs for £6! Now I'm merrily wrapping the wool, snipping it and tying it off before shrieking with delight at the fluffy pom pom results!

Pom poms are easy peasy with this gadget!

Christmassy pom poms

My original idea was to make a ton of red, white and green pom poms in various sizes to put in this lovely glass bowl...

They still need a quick trim before they're perfect

But since seeing a pom pom wreath on Etsy, I'm now making them for my very own wreath! A bit of pipe insulation taped into a circle shape and some red fabric to cover it with a ton of pom poms on top will look fabulous. And so Christmassy! Pics to follow when it's finished!

I'm toying with whether to have pom poms in the bowl too or sticking with the baubles and LED lights I originally earmarked for it. I don't want to do overboard on the pom poms (so not like me to go overboard, I never ever do that, no not me!) so I think I will have to decide once the wreath is made and the other decorations are out.

And, just to show that pom poms do come in other colours, I have made these to turn into a garland for a little girl's room. What 8 year old would not want pink and purple pom poms hanging across their room...? Well if she doesn't like them I'll hang them in my bedroom!

I will have to give these away as they're a Christmas pressie...

But then again, I might just keep them!

New sign

A few weeks ago I ordered a laser cut sign to use on my stalls at craft fairs. And although it looked fab, it was a bit bare so my arty sister took it away to spruce it up and here's how it looks now!

A few spangles

3D bow

This adorable sign will be gracing my stall at all my upcoming events. This Saturday I'll be at Plants That Grow near Halstead, Essex. Checkout where else I'll be in the run up to Christmas and come along for some handmade gifts with a difference. 

Hooray! December is here!!!

I LOVE Christmas. There's no denying it. For me, nothing signifies the start of the Christmas period like a chocolate advent calendar. Yes, I may be a grown up but I still have a chocolate advent calendar. Where I come from, it is the law to have one, regardless of your age. I will still be having one when I'm an old granny. It's just not Christmas without that wee bit of chocolate everyday which you are legally obliged to have for breakfast. (I have been known to eat chocolate for breakfast on many many occasions, but that is technically illicit chocolate eating while advent chocolate for breakfast is nutritionally more acceptable) And it has to be a kiddie one, not a boring grown up version.

This year, I have a Me to You Bear one and Mr PC has a Milky Bar one. I have even replaced my regular calendar with the chocolate one, so it's taking pride of place in my office where it will distract me about 7,693 times a day every day until the last box is open, the last choccie has been scoffed and Santa is on his way!

Mine

Mr PC's

And, just to make sure we have the whole countdown to Christmas covered, we also have an advent candle  and another (non-chocolate) calendar which my mum gave us.

Posh advent candle from Laura Ashley

While writing this, I have realised that I'll be away from home 12-16 Dec so now I have a quandry: What to do about my advent responsibilities??? Do I take the calendar with me? Do I empty the boxes out and let myself have one choc each day I'm away? Do I eat them all when I get back? What to do, what to do...

NB. This is a scheduled post hence the first box of the calendar not being opened. Rest assured that by the time you're reading this, the chocolate has been eaten and the candle burned down to number 2!