Christmas crafters?

Graces7

Wondering how many we have here? I am an angel maker.... Christmas roses, knitted, oh and BELLS with a real jingle in them!

Started the gathering already... Planning a card with an angel for each neighbour here..

In past years, before leaving the mainland and all its... its.... its.... I sold at Craft Fairs... a small Christmas tree with all home made decorations .. mincemeat... red and green baby hats... tinsel on many things... essence of Christmas..

Any Christmas crafters here working with the elves already?

castle_lover

I don't sell or anything, but I crochet little Christmas things. I've already made a tiny wreath and a santa hat to go over a Terry's chocolate orange for a gift.

I'm also making wreaths for the kitchen back doors.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

castle_lover wrote: »

I don't sell or anything, but I crochet little Christmas things. I've already made a tiny wreath and a santa hat to go over a Terry's chocolate orange for a gift.

I'm also making wreaths for the kitchen back doors.

Mrs S makes wreaths for family and friends each year. She also knits and crochets bells, angels and crib figures that the local school raffles at the Christmas Sale of Work.

My only contribution is the ingredients for the wreaths.

The Santa hats sound like a good idea. She says she could knit some miniature ones and make others from felt - there's a bag of Christmas bells here that could be used on them.

I make cards using lino prints that I've carved myself.

Day Lewin

Have spent my morning cutting out gift tags from a Molton Brown shop bag...they are a most lovely deep chocolatey brown embossed material.
Gold writing for the names, a bit of ribbon to tie on the boxes. Very festive and rich-looking and my present labels are now all ready for use!

Stratvs

Day Lewin wrote: »

Have spent my morning cutting out gift tags from a Molton Brown shop bag...they are a most lovely deep chocolatey brown embossed material.
Gold writing for the names, a bit of ribbon to tie on the boxes. Very festive and rich-looking and my present labels are now all ready for use!

Would never have thought of that. I've a drawer of wine bottle gift bags that's accumulated over time and some have lovely plain gold / silver finishes which would be perfect for tags. Thanks for that idea!

While not seasonal in actual appearance I've been working for few months on painting & resin coating 4x4 ceramic tiles to use as coasters and there'll be a few added in with the presents this year.

goat2

There are some great ideas on here,
I turned my first ever Christmas tree into a swag, looks lovely when all the parts are assembled each year,

Graces7

So many lovely ideas.... soon will start knitting Christmas bells! I even have jingles for inside them...

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Mrs S is currently cutting out pieces of oddments of material to make a couple of patchwork quilted tree skirts that people have asked for.
They look very well and are a good use of small pieces of material.

Princess Calla

goat2 wrote: »

There are some great ideas on here,
I turned my first ever Christmas tree into a swag, looks lovely when all the parts are assembled each year,

Had to Google that, looks lovely, great idea for recycling a loved tree.

Scarinae

I am going to make pomanders, I used to do them every year but haven't made them for a while now - they're oranges covered in cloves and dried out in a mix of spices.

I've been held up a bit as I couldn't find orris root in the shops and have had to order it online, it's the most important part of the spice mix as it dries the oranges out and stops them going mouldy. I got pretty much everything else this weekend though so the house is starting to smell like Christmas

mirrorwall14

Scarinae wrote: »

I am going to make pomanders, I used to do them every year but haven't made them for a while now - they're oranges covered in cloves and dried out in a mix of spices.

I've been held up a bit as I couldn't find orris root in the shops and have had to order it online, it's the most important part of the spice mix as it dries the oranges out and stops them going mouldy. I got pretty much everything else this weekend though so the house is starting to smell like Christmas

Ooh instructions please?

Graces7

Graces7 wrote: »

So many lovely ideas.... soon will start knitting Christmas bells! I even have jingles for inside them...

Bells everywhere! They are addictive! Will take photo soon...

Mollyb60

Started making felt Christmas tree decorations this week. It's a learning curve but I've been enjoying it. Made an absolute hames of the star but the heart turned out fantastic. Have a Christmas tree cut and ready to start and I'm strongly considering buying more coloured felt to do an angel too and maybe a robin. Will be giving them to friends and family this Christmas. It's a great little thing to do in the evening with the cat on my lap and is making me feel so Christmassy.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Mollyb60 wrote: »

Started making felt Christmas tree decorations this week. It's a learning curve but I've been enjoying it. Made an absolute hames of the star but the heart turned out fantastic. Have a Christmas tree cut and ready to start and I'm strongly considering buying more coloured felt to do an angel too and maybe a robin. Will be giving them to friends and family this Christmas. It's a great little thing to do in the evening with the cat on my lap and is making me feel so Christmassy.

That brings back happy memories. We still use the felt decorations one of our daughters made about 25 years ago.

Graces7

"Jingle bells, jingle bells..." Found some red glitter yarn as well as the slightly sequinned white I have been working.. May send them as Christmas "cards" with a little note..

Sundew

Scarinae wrote: »

I am going to make pomanders, I used to do them every year but haven't made them for a while now - they're oranges covered in cloves and dried out in a mix of spices.

I've been held up a bit as I couldn't find orris root in the shops and have had to order it online, it's the most important part of the spice mix as it dries the oranges out and stops them going mouldy. I got pretty much everything else this weekend though so the house is starting to smell like Christmas

Oh this brings back fond memories of watching pomanders being made on Bosco when I was a kid. My mother was incensed when I “ destroyed” the orange with cloves

Scarinae

mirrorwall14 wrote: »

Ooh instructions please?

Do you just want the recipe for the spice mix or the full instructions on how to make them? I've been making them since I was a child so I don't have a step-by-step method written out anywhere, I could do it for you but it won't be this week.

Graces7

Sundew wrote: »

Oh this brings back fond memories of watching pomanders being made on Bosco when I was a kid. My mother was incensed when I “ destroyed” the orange with cloves

Yep.. "wasting good fruit"? I had that too. As we were so limited with fruit after the war that did make sense..oranges were scarce and precious as was all food . Stays with you.

sdp

Scarinae wrote: »

Do you just want the recipe for the spice mix or the full instructions on how to make them? I've been making them since I was a child so I don't have a step-by-step method written out anywhere, I could do it for you but it won't be this week.

I would also love your instructions, and where online you bought your spice mix, Thank you!

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Beaumont Hospital knitivity is selling knitted & crocheted decorations and Christmas figures to fund the foundation.

Patterns are available at the hospital shop if any of you are over that way.

Mrs S has been sent a pattern book after the Elves she knitted last year.

Graces7

Delighted that my Christmas bells are going to Canada.

We give parcels to the large numbers of very needy families there in the areas we live and work in . Three days food, gifts etc, so the bells will go in these.

A privilege for me to do thus

Added the jingles yesterday; sweet music!

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Just came across this picture of the knitted items for the Beaumont charity last year.

This year includes a Santa elephant and an angel being knitted by Mrs S as I type.

Graces7

First carillon of bells ready to go...well wrapped so they don't " jingle all the way" to Canada.... :eek:

Long ago had an apology from a postman for what he thought was a broken item as the package was.... jingling. Budgie toys

Scarinae

My pomanders are ready and I've started giving them to friends as gifts - the scent is unreal

Posy

Oh lovely!

Graces7

I can smell them from here... mmmmmm