A little Christmas Crafting

When my youngest son and I put the Christmas tree up in the drawing room, I thought it could do with a few more decorations. Hmm. Odd that, really, because it is the same tree as last year, the same decorations as last year, and the same people decorating the tree as last year, lol. So why do I know see so many holes? Who cares, lol. Good excuse to make a few more Christmas ornies, right? I had found some very glittery stars in town a couple of days ago, but they needed just a little something. A little something in this case being a Santa portrait! After a bit of searching in my picture files I found the perfect one, printed, cut, glittered a little, and glued. Didn't take long at all, and the it toned down the very glittery stars a bit -


I got thinking how long ago it was that I started decorating this Christmas tree all in white and silver, and realised that it was 1985!! This lace star, which kind of started the whole white and silver decorating thing for me, was a project from the October 1985 issue of the McCalls Needlework and Crafts issue -


I made sets for my mum and mother-in-law as well, and I am so happy that they are still using their stars as well.

I filled a couple of bowls with baubles etc, they look so pretty. This one is in the fireplace -


The winter potpourri on the table -

A few large glass letters spelling NOEL -


Maybe tomorrow it will be nice enough to take some photos of the whole room, so that I can show you the Christmas tree. Fingers crossed.

I altered a glass jar today, so that it would be pretty enough for a Christmas present. It is now filled with something very yummy -


The jar is wrapped in wide vintage lace -


I found two really cute images in my picture files -


Pretty ribbons and lace tied in a bow, a little crystal drop, and I think thats all it needs -


And of course every now and then I have to make tags. This is the latest one -


Lots more to do, so fare thee well! xxx

A little bit of crafting on the weekend

We finally managed to get the car out of our road Saturday lunchtime. It appeared that most people had finally been able to drive again, lol. The roads were sooo busy, and the town centre was heaving with people. Didn't spend much time wombling about, just got what was necessary and then went home again. Sunday was soggy, but at least the snow had disappeared. Not nice enough to go out though, so I crafted a little bit.

I really wanted to to finish the garland I had started, using the sweet little tree shapes and Noel banners from the Romantic White Christmas e-zine. I had already completed the tree topper, and used a chubby little cherub in its center. I liked the cherub so much, I decided to add him to the little fireplace garland -

I'll show you the completed garland a little later in the post.

For the last 25 years or so, the Christmas decorations in our drawing room have been white, silver and clear glass. And not much changes, lol. Occasionally I buy some additional ornaments, but my boys won't allow me to change anything really. You wouldn't think they are all grown men in their twenties, would you? " Its tradition, mum", they say. This year though, I am adding a few new things, I think I can get away with it, tehehehee. I have made some white lace flowers to go into a bowl with white and clear glass baubles and some silvered pine cones -


I also did another bit of crafting, messing around with glue and paper and this, my bestest friend, lol -


It is an old wallpaper roller, you know, to roll over the edges, to make sure they are properly stuck down. It works a treat when making tags or anything flat where glue is involved. These are little snippets of a project I just completed, but can't really show you properly yet -


And while I am showing you crafty stuff, I thought I'd show you a couple of velvet strawberries I made the other day, sort of prototypes. I had seen some vintage velvet strawberries somewhere on the net a while ago, and liked them so much, I had to try making some. I embroidered them with some seed pearls. Not sure yet how to deal with the green bits, lol, I tried a couple of different things, as you can see. I think cutting one piece of green felt, shaped like the green leafy crown on a strawberry might be best, but I also like the ruffle on top. Hmm. We'll see, I'll have another go after Christmas.


Right, back to the garland. I started putting the Christmas decoration up in the drawing room. Didn't get very far, because our Hector was very ill this morning with a high fever. After a couple of injections at the vet, and lots of tlc, he is feeling a little better this evening, and eating his favourite scoobie snacks again. I'll have to finish the Christmas decorations in the drawing room tomorrow, but at least the fireplace garland is up. Here it is -







And here is one of my little white birdies, which I have had for many years. They are such dear little things -


If my darling Hector is better tomorrow, and doesn't need constant cuddles from his mummy, then I'll finish off the drawing room decs and show you tomorrow. Fingers crossed.

Toodlepip xxx

Bits and bobs and lollipops

I don't know why I said that, it doesn't even rhyme properly, lol, but the lollypop bit just popped up when I typed the bits and bobs bit. I blame it all on too much snow.

Snow. Ah. We have even more of the stuff today. LOADS more. This was at 6.30am this morning -

And a little bit later this morning, Poppy going completely loopy in the garden. That girl just loves the snow -
Playing hide-and-seek, tehehe -

Digging for... errmm, no idea -

Remember the pic of the table and chair from yesterday? The soft little cushion and tablecloth of snow? It tripled in thickness overnight! -

I so love watching the birds in the garden, DH and I spent ages this morning giggling at their antics.


Ok, thats enough snow, cold and white. Now for something warm and pink! Ok, so its not warm yet, but it is most definitely the most delicious shade of pink, and you can use the contents to make something nice and warm - a cup of tea! This is the beautiful tin of LADUREE tea which I won from Janet at shabbyfufu a little while ago. Isn't it just gorgeous?


It will look fantastic in our cottage in France.

Whats next? Ah yes. I really have been taken with the sweet little bottlebrush trees in delightful pastel shades, which have popped up all over the American blogs which I follow. Most of them had been bleached, hand dyed and glittered, and they looked fabulous. Could I find little bottlebrush trees here in the UK? Anywhere? Pffftt. I searched for the dinky little green trees everywhere, in town, on the net, no luck. Until I went to a garden centre. And there they were, tiny little green bottlebrush trees! Oh the joy, lol. Only one size, tiny, but hey, they were bottlebrush trees! So I chucked the little green trees into a bowl with bleach and water -


It worked, here they are, still unadorned, unglittered, just bleached -


And while I was at it, I put in a piece of burlap as well to see how it would turn out. I love it in its natural dark colour as well, but I wanted something lighter, so that it would look a little bit less rustic. I am really pleased with the colour after bleaching -


I was photographing these things on the table where I keep two of my inspiration baskets. What are they? They are two baskets where I keep my much loved treasures from two very dear blogging friends, Dorthe and Alexandra -


I have some crafting to do this evening, and now I have to prepare dinner, so off I go!
Toodlepip xxx

Let it Snow and boot fair booty

It seems the whole of Europe is covered in snow. The difference between the UK and the rest of Europe? Every other country seems to cope with snow sooooooooo much better than we do. It is the same every year, lol, even with plenty of warning, everything goes to pot. Two snow flakes and the country is at a standstill. Having said that, there really is an awful lot of the white stuff around at the moment in pretty much all of the UK. We are stuck in our road, because our house is in a dip, and in order to go anywhere, we have to go UP the road, either end. And that is not happening at the mo.

This was last night, taken from an upstairs window. It was quite bright out there, the snow was reflecting the streetlights, I guess -

And this was today -

My beautiful Hector sniffing out the fat balls for the birds, geez, that boy loves his food -

Poppygirl, she loves playing in the snow, I couldn't get her back in the house for ages -

All the bushes and trees were weighed down with the snow -

And apparently there is more on the way. My poor DS1 got stuck in Rye after work this evening, had to wait for a bus for almost two hours. We had already started looking for a hotel for him, lol, but he just phoned us to let us know that a bus had finally turned up.

On to much more enjoyable things, yay! Here are the pics I promised you in the last post, the ones of last Sunday's boot fair.

You may ask yourselves why on earth I would buy just one spoon and two fish knives.......... I know, a little odd, but there weren't any others in the basket, and there really was a good reason. Look at the handles! They are the most beautiful mother-of-pearl handles! I'd love to take them off and make pendants with them, if only I knew how to solder. Or had the equipment. Or wasn't so scared of ruining them -


The next piece isn't complete either, lol, it is missing the lid, but it had such beautiful decorations, I couldn't resist it. Anyway, a container of any sort is always very useful, right? -


I love old glass vases, I have been collecting them for many years. Often they are pressed glass, sometimes, like in this case, cut glass, and very occasionally cut crystal. This gorgeous tulip shape vase is heavy! I love it when they come with bits, like flower frogs etc. This vase had two, woohoo -


Not much in the way of bling, just a single strand of poils and a pile of glass bead bracelets, which I can use to embroider fabric collages -

Another pack of vintage cards. I do like the animal images on this particular pack -

How could anybody not want this gorgeous dessert set? Large bowl, six individual bowls and the six plates to put them on -


How about these two mugs with lids? They are so pretty, beautiful lustre ware with the prettiest flowers and really good gilding as well -


My most favourite recent find though, not from the boot fair, I hasten to add, is this piece of trench art from the first World War. In order to find out more about it, I read quite a bit on the internet, and it was so sad to read the stories of soldiers making pieces like this, literally stuck in the mud in the trenches, out of spent shell casings and other bits. Prisoners of war apparently made trench art pieces as well. Some pieces were made when the soldiers returned home. This cross has a little ring attached on the back so that you can hang it from a chain, like a necklace. The figure of Christ is quite worn. Who knows how many times it has been rubbed in prayer for the war to end, or for the loved one who made it and sent it, to return. Or maybe the loved one never returned and this cross was the only keepsake left -


I hope everybody is safe, wherever you are. Toodlepip xxx