Christmas Cheeseboard - Making Christmas 2013 Week 11!

Well, the big day is almost upon us, so this is the last progress report on my list of makes for

I am still finishing off some last-minute gifts for my son's fiancee, but as they are not coming home until the New Year, I still have a few days grace!

So this fabric will be a completed Pleated Pouch by the time they arrive :)

I do have another finish to tick off that long list though.

A Christmas Mouse cheeseboard!

I found the plain wooden board in a local discount shop and knew that I wanted to try transferring an image onto the board. The mouse image is from that treasure trove website, The Graphics Fairy, and is taken from a vintage Natural History book.

To transfer the image I printed the mirror image on to the waxy side of a sheet of Freezer Paper, placed the wax sheet image side down on the board and then rubbed over the image with the back of a spoon. It's the first time I have tried this and I think I probably should have used a simpler image for my first attempt!

I left the board to dry overnight and then coated the board with two coats of matte Modge Podge to seal the image.

If you have attempted anything New to You in your Christmas gift making this month, don't forget that the last link up of this year will open on December 25th! As you might be otherwise occupied that day, there is no need to panic the link up will be open until December 31st :)

 As there are still so many things that I would like to try I will be hosting the monthly New to Me link up again next year, so look out for a new button soon!


So, here is how my Making Christmas list finally looks :

• A Christmas Table Runner for our new dining table MADE
• Two Pleated Pouches to fill with make-up/nail polishes for my daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law to be IN PROGRESS!
• One Liberty and linen jewellery roll for my sister-daughter-in-law NOT MADE
• Dieter's Chocolate Hamper MADE
• One Triple Zip pouch for my sister-in-law MADE
• A Knotwork Christmas cushion - for me! - ONE FOR NEXT YEAR!
• A Fairytale Cushion for my grandniece using one of Quiet Play's Happily Ever After paper-pieced patterns This is going to have to be a birthday present in the New Year!
  
• Homemade chutney for my brother and son MADE
• Homemade relish for my brother MADE
• More dishwasher vodka! MAKING TOMORROW!
• Biscuits for cheese for my brother SCRAPPED!
• Something to go with cheese! - A Cheeseboard :)MADE
• Meat rub, BBQ apron MADE 
• Pyjama trousers for my youngest son - MADE
• Appliqued pyjama top for youngest son MADE

  So, not too bad after all!

Thanks Janine and Rebecca for hosting such a great Link Party, and to everyone else who has supported and encouraged along the way, I would never have worked my way through so much of this list without you! 

Chocolate Indulgence - Making Christmas Week 10

 Another week gone and time to check on progress or the lack of for

This week Making Christmas is hosted by Susan at The Bored Zombie so don't forget to check out her post and link up your lists whilst you are there. 

By the time you read this I am hoping that this post's title will be particularly accurate as I will be working my way round the stalls at the Christmas Market in Brussels, and I will be very disappointed if chocolate isn't featuring heavily in my day :)
 
Before heading off to pile on the pounds I had some chocolate therapy of the guilt-free, diet variety to even things up.

My sister-in-law is a serious chocoholic but is also a serial dieter (do you think the two might be connected!!), so when I was trying to think of an appropriate Christmas present for her chocolate was always going to be in the mix somewhere.

When I saw the instructions for mint chocolate bath melts in the latest issue of Making magazine it occurred to me that I could combine her two interests in one by giving her a calorie-free chocolate hamper, so I set to work :)

This is what I came up with - a DVD of Chocolat, Johnny Depp and Chocolate, what a brilliant combination :), a White Chocolate Truffle candle and some handmade goodies. 

Earlier in the year I found these china pillboxes in a small vintage shop and knew that they would make great containers for handmade lip balms, so that is finally what they have become. The lip balm is flavoured with a square of dark chocolate and some sweet orange essential oil. I had enough to make extra pots for my daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law to be and still have some left over for myself. The lip balm contains beeswax, cocoa butter, shea butter and almond oil so we will have the softest lips around :)

Then I added the mint chocolate bath melts, which were simplicity itself, just melted dark cocoa butter, peppermint essential oil and almond oil poured into mini cupcake cases and left to set. The brown sugar body scrub has rose essential oil and chocolate scent added, naturally, to keep to the theme!

All I need do now is find some smart labels and ribbon and they are good to go and another gift can be ticked off the list!

My son and daughter-in-law are going to visit their relatives in Scotland next week so are taking all of the presents for them with them. As there is no way I will get the fairytale cushion for my grandniece made before they go I am going to scrap that as a Christmas present and make it instead for her birthday in the New Year.


So speaking of lists, here is how it is looking now

• A Christmas Table Runner for our new dining table MADE
• Two Pleated Pouches to fill with make-up/nail polishes for my daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law to be
• One Liberty and linen jewellery roll for my sister-daughter-in-law
• Dieter's Chocolate Hamper MADE
• One Triple Zip pouch for my sister-in-law MADE
• A Knotwork Christmas cushion - for me!
• A Fairytale Cushion for my grandniece using one of Quiet Play's Happily Ever After paper-pieced patterns This is going to have to be a birthday present in the New Year!
  
• Homemade chutney for my brother and son MADE
• Homemade relish for my brother MADE
• More dishwasher vodka!
• Biscuits for cheese for my brother SCRAPPED!
• Something to go with cheese! - A Cheeseboard :)This might get done in time!
• Meat rub, BBQ apron MADE and oven glove for my b-in-law ?
• Pyjama trousers for my youngest son - MADE
• Appliqued pyjama top for youngest son MADE

Hope you are making progress on your lists too. I shall be checking them out if I manage to waddle back on to the train for the journey home :)

Linking up to 

 

Making Christmas - Week 9

I finally managed to get my Act together to post my updated list on the same day as the next post for Making Christmas is due.

That in itself is a minor miracle!

This week Making Christmas is being hosted by the lovely Lucy at Charm About You she has been cross-stitching up some festive ornaments and has the charts free to download on her blog, so don't forget to check out her post and link up your own updated list whilst you are there too.

It's my youngest son's birthday tomorrow, which is a sure indication that I don't have a lot of time left!

Fortunately I have a couple more finishes to tick off the list, I bought a plain t-shirt in my local Tesco store and appliqued a black felt moose to the front for a matching top for the moose pyjamas.

When I showed them to my middle son, he put in a request for a pair of his own! Anyone know of a source for rabbit-themed flannel that isn't pink or babyish??

I also bought a plain wooden board to go with the relish and chutney with plans to decorate it somehow :) It might just stay a plain wooden board though if I run out of time!

There will be three jars of accompaniments with it though. My neighbour's apple trees produced an amazing amount of apples this year, so she was handing out bags of apples to all-comers. When I discovered a recipe for Winter Spice Jelly on the Good Food website, I knew exactly what to do with my bag of apples.

I have never made jelly before so invested in a jelly bag to strain the mixture. There was some inventiveness required to rig up a system to allow the jelly to strain overnight, fortunately my middle son came to the rescue with a Heath Robinsonesque contraption involving sinks, string and laundry baskets! The kitchen smelt gorgeous whilst all this was going on :)

Testing for the setting was a bit nerve-wracking and at one point I thought that I would have virtually no jelly left, but it all worked out in the end. The recipe states that it should yield two jars of jelly but I only had one full jar and a 1/4 filled jar in the end, so I think if I make it again I would use smaller jars.

There were more spices involved in the Spiced Meat Rub which is going to go with the BBQ Apron that is another finish this week.

I haven't yet decided whether to cut my losses with the Oven Gauntlet and downscale to a potholder or hang on in there and go for broke with the gauntlet:) Next week will be the crunch time with this as it needs to be all done and dusted and in the post soon! 

So here's how my list is looking now -

• A Christmas Table Runner for our new dining table MADE
• Two Pleated Pouches to fill with make-up/nail polishes for my daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law to be
• Two One Liberty and linen jewellery roll for my sister-in-law
• One Triple Zip pouch for my sister-in-law MADE
• A Knotwork Christmas cushion - for me!
• A Fairytale Cushion for my grandniece using one of Quiet Play's Happily Ever After paper-pieced patterns
• Homemade chutney for my brother and son MADE
• Homemade relish for my brother MADE
• More dishwasher vodka!
• Biscuits for cheese for my brother SCRAPPED!
• Something to go with cheese! - A Cheeseboard :)
• Meat rub, BBQ apron MADE and oven glove for my b-in-law ?
• Pyjama trousers for my youngest son - MADE
• Appliqued pyjama top for youngest son MADE

Looking forward to seeing everyone else's progress.

 

Christmas Lists again!

I was too busy making this

this,

and this

and then eating them, to put together a post at the weekend updating my list for

 

So, I am only just getting around to it now. 

There was a lot of baking and not very much sewing going on in these parts recently, so my Christmas Cake is now made and safely stored away but there aren't any other finishes to be ticked off the list. 

I did get to make a start on the pyjama trousers, the fabric is all cut out and ready to sew up. Whilst I was at it I also cut out the fabric for the BBQ apron too, but sadly that is as far as that has got too. The pyjama trousers need to be finished for Sunday as that is our youngest son's birthday and I would like to give him them as a birthday present. I am thinking that as well as making the pyjama trousers, I might have a go at appliqueing an appropriate motif to a plain t-shirt for a pyjama top. 

Last year I found this moose cutter in a wonderful shop nearby, Re-found Objects, it has the most quirky products imaginable. I can always guarantee finding something that will take my fancy. 

So, I am toying with the idea of using this as a template for the applique, needless to say it will depend entirely on whether I can find the time before Sunday :)

I have searched through all of my recipes and recipe books and cannot find anything suitable for the biscuits I wanted to make for my brother. I will not see him before Christmas so will have to make them long enough in advance to send, but all the recipes I have only have a shelf life of up to a week, so I am going to scrap them from the list and think of something else to go with the relish and chutney instead. All suggestions welcome :)

So, here's how the list looks now.

• A Christmas Table Runner for our new dining table MADE
• Two Pleated Pouches to fill with make-up/nail polishes for my daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law to be
• Two One Liberty and linen jewellery roll for my sister-in-law
• One Triple Zip pouch for my sister-in-law MADE
• A Knotwork Christmas cushion - for me!
• A Fairytale Cushion for my grandniece using one of Quiet Play's Happily Ever After paper-pieced patterns
• Homemade chutney for my brother and son MADE
• Homemade relish for my brother MADE
• More dishwasher vodka!
• Biscuits for cheese for my brother SCRAPPED!
• Something to go with cheese! 
• Meat rub, BBQ apron and oven glove for my b-in-law - apron cut out ready to sew!
• Pyjama trousers for my youngest son - cut out ready to sew!
• Appliqued pyjama top for youngest son

 If you have classmate gifts to make this year, you will definitely want to check out Erin's post for Making Christmas, her Lollipop Nose Critters are adorable!

Hope you are making more progress than I am :)

Making Christmas - Week 7

Aren't the weeks flying past at the minute, or is that just me? Anyhow it is about time that I had a look to see how much, if any, progress I have made on my Christmas list.

Sadly not very much progress has been made, although thanks to a fortuitous win and some happy mail, there is potential for more progress soon!

I was lucky enough to win a $50 gift voucher from the Sew Sisters fabric shop in the OctoberQuest2 prize draw. It may be down to the fact that they are based in Canada, but they had the perfect fabric for the pyjama trousers that I am planning to make for my youngest son.

He has a moose sticker on the back of his car, which makes it very easy to find in the car park, and loves everything moose-related so it must have taken me all of 5 minutes to spend the voucher. I have no idea how the Wishes charm pack managed to "fall" into the basket too :)

Said son will be away this weekend, so I am planning on tackling the pyjamas whilst he is gone. Having never sewn clothes before, I am keeping everything crossed that it all works out as planned!

I have also pulled the fabric for the BBQ apron and oven mitt, so will, hopefully, get started on these soon too.

These need to be posted for Christmas, so I really would like to get them done and dusted and in the post before the Christmas rush. One memorable year our parcel to them didn't arrive until January, and even then had completely different presents inside, so I have been very wary of sending parcels late in December ever since!
 

So here is how my list is looking now

• A Christmas Table Runner for our new dining table MADE
• Two Pleated Pouches to fill with make-up/nail polishes for my daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law to be
• Two One Liberty and linen jewellery roll for my sister-in-law
• One Triple Zip pouch for my sister-in-law MADE
• A Knotwork Christmas cushion - for me!
• A Fairytale Cushion for my grandniece using one of Quiet Play's Happily Ever After paper-pieced patterns
• Homemade chutney for my brother and son MADE
• Homemade relish for my brother MADE
• More dishwasher vodka!
• Biscuits for cheese for my brother 
• Meat rub, BBQ apron and oven glove for my b-in-law - fabric pulled!
• Pyjama trousers for my youngest son - fabric received!

I hope you have been making more progress than I have, and if you are stuck for a quick gift check out Nat's great tutorial on turning a knitted jumper into a cross-stitch cushion, it is genius :)


Link up your Making Christmas progress this week and check out everyone else's progress (or lack of!) with Nat at Made in Home 

The link up for November's New to Me is open until November 30th, so if you have tried something new this month link it up here


Linking up to 



 

Zipping down the list!

Whilst searching through the rather large blue bag that passes for my odds and ends storage at the minute, I came across the printed instructions for the Triple Zip pouch from Debbie at A Quilter's Table. As well as the instructions, there was also nearly all of the cut pieces and zips needed to make one pouch.

Well, as I have at least two pouches to make on my Making Christmas list, it seemed like the right time to finally finish what had been started many moons ago :)

And here it is, the fabrics are all by Amy Butler from my stash so it was a very economical make!

I am filling the pouch with some mineral bronzing powder and the brush to apply it, which I hope she will love as much as I do. If you haven't come across Lily Lolo mineral cosmetics before, I cannot recommend them highly enough ( and I am not being paid to say that!). The products themselves are excellent, free of any parabens, perfumes or dyes, so great for sensitive skin and on top of that their customer service is second to none. My order was dispatched a couple of hours after I placed it and arrived in the post the next day!

As my Instagram readers will know, this pouch did not come together seamlessly. For reasons unknown to myself, I pulled all the zips closed before stitching up the side seams ready to turn the pouch the right way out. As many of you will no doubt know from similar experiences, that makes it well nigh impossible to turn the pouch out!!!

It took me at least an hour of fiddling with the zipper pull through all the layers of fabric to finally get it to budge along the teeth. Fortunately neither the zip nor the pouch were any the worse for the wear, which is more than could be said for me. A restorative glass of wine was an absolute necessity :)

Hoping to get more ticks on the list this weekend, although we have just come back from a trip to IKEA, which resulted in a car full of new furniture for my newly-decorated sewing room. I might have to negotiate indecipherable diagrams and innumerable screw sets, not to mention an irritable husband, just to get to the sewing machine!

Linking up to Finish it up Friday

Making Christmas 2013 - Home for the Holidays Table Runner

Week 6 already, how did that happen?

 

When Janine and Rebecca announced the Making Christmas Blog Hop, it seemed like my posting day was ages away but now, not only is it Week 6 but it is also my turn to post on the Blog Hop, so if you are new here welcome, feel free to stay a while and have a look around.

Making Christmas is all about encouraging and supporting each other to tick off on your list all of those crafty makes that might otherwise slip off the radar in the run-up to Christmas. In addition, along the way crafty Bloggers will share their projects and ideas that might just be the ideal gift or home decoration project that you have been looking for. You can check out the projects that have been blogged about already on the Making Christmas Pinterest board 

Until now my Christmas makes have all been edible as my sewing room was out of action being redecorated. Happily the room is now presentable again and I don't have to negotiate tins of paint or rolls of wallpaper to get to my stash.

My project today, however, is a Home Decoration project that has been on my to-do list for a long time. 

I am calling it my Home for the Holidays Table Runner. The embroidery patterns in the middle are by Jenny of Elefantz and are free to download from her pattern store on Craftsy. As well as these Wonky Houses patterns, Jenny has lots of other great embroidery patterns including her Shabby Roses BOM and, currently, an e-zine stuffed full of Christmas projects, so definitely worth checking out. 

This finish means that here's how my list currently looks

• A Christmas Table Runner for our new dining table MADE
• Two Pleated Pouches to fill with make-up/nail polishes for my daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law to be
• Two Liberty and linen jewellery rolls for my sisters-in-law
• A Knotwork Christmas cushion - for me!
• A Fairytale Cushion for my grandniece using one of Quiet Play's Happily Ever After paper-pieced patterns
• Homemade chutney for my brother and son MADE
• Homemade relish for my brother MADE
• More dishwasher vodka!
• Biscuits for cheese for my brother

 To the above though, I have added 

• Meat rub, BBQ apron and oven glove for my b-in-law
• Pyjama trousers for my youngest son

One off the list, two added that isn't how it is supposed to work!! Hopefully your lists are healthier than mine, add them to the link at the end of the post to join in the fun :)

If a Table Runner is on your list of makes for this year, here's how to make your own Home for the Holidays Table Runner. 

You will need ;

• Wonky Houses embroidery patterns from Elefantz's Pattern Store (there are 4 patterns available but I only needed 3 of them for this project)

•  Plain evenweave fabric for the embroidered blocks at least 3 - 6" x 6" squares ( I used an old linen table napkin)
• Interfacing to back the embroidered blocks
• Embroidery floss
• Transfer paper/pencil/Frixion pen
• Embroidery hoop
• Quilting cotton to cut 64 - 3" x 3" squares and 6 -  3 and3/8" x 3 and 3/8" squares. (I used 8 Layer Cake squares that I received in a Christmas Fabric swap ages ago!)
•  Wadding/Batting - 18" x 45"
• Backing Fabric     - 18" x 45"
• Binding strip  - 104" x 2 and 1/4" 

Step 1 

Download the free embroidery patterns and use your preferred method to transfer the patterns to your plain fabric squares. (I used a Frixion pen to trace the pattern on to my linen, you can see the inked lines in the photo below. I also altered the patterns slightly to make them more seasonal!)

Step 2

Embroider the houses, adding embellishments if you like. (I added candles in the windows of one house, a wreath on the door of another and a wonky Christmas tree to the third, and lots of snow!)

 

 Fuse the interfacing to the back of each square and trim each to 5.5" square

Step 3

Cut your 3 and 3/8" squares in half diagonally to give you 12 Half-Square Triangles (HST's). 

Step 4

Stitch your 3" squares together as follows;

8 pairs
2 rows of 10 squares
2 rows of 12 squares

At each end of the 10 and 12 square rows add an HST. Make sure that you orientate them so that the 3 and 3/8" edge of the triangles are on the top for one of the 10 and 12 square rows and on the bottom for the other 10 and 12 square rows.

Add an HST to 4 of the pairs of 3" squares, again orientating 2 to have the 3 and 3/8" edge along the top and 2 to have the 3 and 3/8" edge along the bottom.

Step 5

Join 4 pairs of 3" squares together to make 2 4-patch blocks. Join 2 pairs of 3" squares to an HST to make 2 4-patch blocks with an HST point.

Step 6

Stitch an embroidered square to your 4-patch blocks in the following order;

1. 4-patch block with HST point
2. embroidered block
3. 4-patch block
4. embroidered block
5. 4-patch block
6. embroidered block
7. 4-patch block with point

(I couldn't fit it all in the photo but there is a 4-patch block with points on the left-hand side, honest! )

Step 7

Stitch a 10 square row to a 12 square row lining up the points at each end. Stitch these double rows to your embroidered block strip, one above and one below.

Step 8

Layer and baste the backing fabric, wadding and quilt top. Quilt the table runner. (I outline quilted each horizontal and vertical seam using a white thread on the top and red thread in the bobbin.)

Step 9

Trim the excess batting and backing and bind with a double-sided binding using the 2.25" strips.

Place it on your table and enjoy!

At least my table will be well-dressed this Christmas even if nothing else is :)

Thanks Janine and Rebecca for providing just the push I needed to finally make the Christmas Table Runner I have promised myself for years :)

Now it is your turn to link up your Making Christmas progress!







 

Making Christmas - Week 4

Another week has whizzed by so it is time to check in with my progress (or lack of!) on my list of Christmas makes.

 

As I knew my sewing room was going to be out of action for most of the week, I wasn't feeling too hopeful on the sewing projects I would like to complete in time for Christmas. I was absolutely right to be less than hopeful! 

Whilst I had no sewing space to hide away in, I did have a kitchen to play in so I pulled out the recipe books and torn out magazine pages to see what I could add to my list of makes this week. I was so pleased with last week's chutney that I thought I would add another preserve to the cheese lover's hamper for my brother.

So here is the latest addition to the hamper!

This was even easier to make than the chutney, as basically I threw everything in a pot and let it simmer for 30 mins :)

The recipe is available here if you would like to give it a go.

So one item added to my list and immediately ticked off! Is that cheating ??

So here's the current list, hopefully, some of those sewing projects will see some progress in the coming week.

• A Christmas Table Runner for our new dining table
• Two Pleated Pouches to fill with make-up/nail polishes for my daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law to be
• Two Liberty and linen jewellery rolls for my sisters-in-law
• A Knotwork Christmas cushion - for me!
• A Fairytale Cushion for my grandniece using one of Quiet Play's Happily Ever After paper-pieced patterns
• Homemade chutney for my brother and son MADE
• Homemade relish for my brother MADE
• More dishwasher vodka!
• Biscuits for cheese for my brother

If you haven't already come across the Making Christmas Blog Hop, it is the brainchild of Janine and Rebecca who came up with the wheeze of asking fellow bloggers to post a list of the crafty projects they would like to complete before Christmas and link them up.

Along the way there will be posts and tutorials on holiday-themed projects, this week's post is by M-R at Quilt Matters, pop on over and check out what she has lined up for this week.

You can also check out all the great projects being ticked off those lists at the Making Christmas  Pinterest board.

So if you haven't already made a list, I don't like to worry you but it is November, maybe it is time you started thinking about that crafty Christmas you thought you had plenty of time for in the summer! Link up your list here and enjoy the support and encouragement of your fellow bloggers, and maybe get some handy ideas along the way :)
 

Making Christmas - Week 3

Although it doesn't seem like it, we are already in to the third week of Making Christmas, where did week 2 go??

If you haven't already come across the Making Christmas Blog Hop, it is the brainchild of Janine and Rebecca who came up with the wheeze of asking fellow bloggers to post a list of the crafty projects they would like to complete before Christmas and link them up.

Along the way there will be posts and tutorials on holiday-themed projects, this week's post is by the very talented, paper-piecing Queen, Kristy who has designed an adorable Christmas Robin Wreath paper-pieced pattern, where does she find the time?? The pattern will be available for free download from Kristy's Craftsy shop, but only for a limited time, so if you would like it you will need to be quick.

Having made zero progress on my Making Christmas list last week, I was hoping for better things this week, and I am pleased to report that I have managed to tick one thing off of the list. Yay!

Chutney for my son and brother. I had to wait until my son was away for the weekend before making this, so that I can squirrel it away for Christmas without his seeing it :)

The recipe for the Spicy Squash and Apple Chutney was from the October issue of Good Food magazine and is available here I used Butternut Squash in my chutney, but it would be a great way to use up the leftover pumpkin flesh if you are carving up pumpkins this week!

I enjoyed making this so much that I have decided to make some biscuits for cheese and put together a hamper for my brother. He is a very difficult person to shop for, but loves his cheese so I think that might just hit the spot.

So here's my updated list

• A Christmas Table Runner for our new dining table
• Two Pleated Pouches to fill with make-up/nail polishes for my daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law to be
• Two Liberty and linen jewellery rolls for my sisters-in-law
• A Knotwork Christmas cushion - for me!
• A Fairytale Cushion for my grandniece using one of Quiet Play's Happily Ever After paper-pieced patterns
• Homemade chutney for my brother and son MADE
• More dishwasher vodka!
• Biscuits for cheese for my brother

The room where I sew and craft is being decorated this week, so I think my opportunities for ticking off any of the sewing projects will be minimal. Maybe it is time to crack out the vodka :)

I hope you have been having a more productive couple of weeks than I have!

 Linking my updated list up to the Link party here 

Making Christmas - another list!

When Janine asked me if I would like to join in with the Making Christmas Blog Hop that she was co-hosting with Rebecca, well I didn't need to be asked twice!

The aim of the Blog Hop is to provide encouragement and support to bloggers as they work through their list of craft makes for Christmas. Well, you know me, I love a good list, and what could be better than one good list? Two good lists of course :)

To join the party too, all you need to do is make a list things you want to get done before Christmas. How satisfying will that be! Then link up your list here

You can include things that are specifically Christmassy, such as gifts and Christmas decorations, but you can also add in your intended Halloween and Thanksgiving makes and any other handmade projects you want to get finished by December 25th at the very latest!

To encourage everyone in the often hectic run-up to Christmas, the MAKING CHRISTMAS BLOG HOP HOSTS will be posting each week with either a Brainstorming Holiday Themed Post or a Tute for GIFTS, HOME DEC or CHRISTMAS ORNAMENTS and every week you can link up with your updated list and your makes from the past week.

October 19th - REBECCA Making Rebecca Lynne

October 26th - KRISTY Quiet Play

November 2nd - M-R Quilt Matters

November 9th - SOMA Whims and Fancies

November 16th - FIONA Celtic Thistle Stitches - that's me!

November 23rd - NAT Made in Home

November 30th - ERIN Missy Mac Creations

December 2nd - LUCY Charm About You

December 14th - SUSAN The Bored Zombie

December 21st - To be confirmed

So  not only will there be lots of cheerleading and support but great gift and decoration ideas too, what more could you want ? Well, how about a prize thrown in for good measure!


January 11th 2014 - A winner will be randomly selected from the link ups for a small prize.

Janine will be adding all the tutorials and makes to a Pinterest Board too, so you will have a one-stop shop for all of the great projects that will be coming your way. 


When we lived in Latvia, I fondly imagined that when I was back in the UK I would have so much time and access to all of the resources I needed, that I could have a nearly handmade Christmas. Well, last year was our first Christmas living back in the UK and it didn't quite work out like that :) So this year I am scaling down my ambitions in the hope that I can achieve everything that I set out to do. So here's the list of projects that I would like to complete for Christmas.

• A Christmas Table Runner for our new dining table
• Two Pleated Pouches to fill with make-up/nail polishes for my daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law to be
• Two Liberty and linen jewellery rolls for my sisters-in-law
• A Knotwork Christmas cushion - for me!
• A Fairytale Cushion for my grandniece using one of Quiet Play's Happily Ever After paper-pieced patterns
• Homemade chutney for my brother and son
• More dishwasher vodka!

So that doesn't look too onerous does it :) ???

Now it's your turn, to join in the fun, write up your Christmas (or Halloween or Thanksgiving) makes list and link it up here 

Check out the other links and leave an encouraging comment along the way too.

I shall look forward to seeing what projects you have planned for the Holiday Season.

Speaking of holidays, don't forget to check back tomorrow for the announcement of the winners of the