Craft Free Christmas?

Remember when this was a craft blog? Oh Christmas used to be the time for my fingers to get calloused from stitching and  my nails inadvertantly polished with glue. 

But you know something? I'm having myself a craft free Christmas.
I can't be tempted by all you devil crafts people! I won't look at 30 great last minute DIY gifts and you won't catch me clicking on the link to 24 great wrapping ideas by Martha Stewart OR the 52 Christmas decorations to make from a discarded cork.

The craft giver in me has gone on holiday. In the Bahamas. Sorry.

But the good news is I won't be making any of the following tin foil centre pieces. No really. I can't be tempted!
Not even by the shiny snowman....

 nor the groovin' alien angel.....

 Or the incongrous kitten cookie holders.

Yes I'll admit the demonic elf pyjama bag is tempting. And just in case it has taken possession of your craft soul here are the instructions!

And if you want to remember the good old crafty Christmases of yore or get some ideas then click on this link and you'll see that I've crafted myself into a Christmas collapse on rather too many occasions!

Christmas Crochet Round up!

It's not too late to whip some of these up.

Here's some free patterns and tutorials for lovely hand crocheted ornaments.

My sister made me some of these last year and I love them. Here's a free tutorial on craft stylish

Miniature delicate hearts from craft penguin

And it's worth having a squiz at slugs on the refrigerator website - for ALL THINGS CROCHET.
But for now - the ornaments. 

Mini Christmas wreath

Teeny weeny stars

Bobble stitch snowflake

 And from whiskers and wool blog we have:

this lovely scallop wreath

 And this snowflake wreath

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 and this candy cane

Get hooking....

Hessian Bird Decorations - Keeping it Eco

 

Do you say "heshen" or "hess-ee-an"? Karen, resident sewing expert, who is from New Zealand, is rather adamant that I say the latter, but being the slacker country talker that I am, I do say the former. So shall we just agree to disagree and say burlap?

These basic burlap birdy decorations are for a kindergarten Christmas market. I've made so many that I am now covered in a haze of hessian! I've been dusted with a blush of burlap! In fact, it got right up my nose.

However, they are lovely - and eco. Because I made them from a coffee sack that my friendly inner city hipster cafe was happy to give to me even though I'm not very cool and don't have a beard. I'm sure if you go to your local hipster cafe (they are everywhere!!) they would give you a coffee sack too. Beard disguise is optional.

My coffee bag was conveniently Brazilian and therefore printed in festive colours of green red and yellow. 

The thing about hessian/burlap is that it lacks structural integrity (beware of the loose wefts that warp your weave!) so I have a few tips for working with hessian.

1.If you have hayfever - then wear a mask and goggles. Seriously.

2. Back each shape with a strong card. I recycled some vintage embossed wallpaper for the backs.

3. Don't cut the shapes too far in advance of sewing/gluing as they will fray away into nothingness and all your work will disappear and you may feel as though you might be going a special sort of  crafty Christmas crazy.


Which bird do you like the best? I'm partial to the crazy fringe tailed turtle dove above.

But the chevron ribbon tailed partridge is okay too. 

As are the silver tailed sparrows with their racing numbers.

The simple bird shape is fun to play with - you can add all sorts of trims, wings, buttons,and tails as you see fit.

The feet are made from a pom pom trim I bought for $5.50 a metre at Rathdowne Remnants and that's pretty economical when each bird only uses a tiny two pom poms!

Here's the LINK to some Keeping it Eco Christmas Craft from last year. Remember  - recycling rocks. Especially true at Christmas time...

Merry Kitschmas!

 (From the collection of Home Journals I bought at the tip shop 20 years ago for $2 - still the best $2 I ever spent!)

HOW TO DECORATE

still not too late to make poofs and swags

WHAT TO BUY...for him and her

What to eat...

Santa meatloaf...mmmm

It's all in the presentation!

No one comes between me and my ham!

 

 

 WHAT TO DRINK

 WHAT TO WEAR

"Why didn't we think to get matching pyjamas for the Dog Darling?"

 WHAT TO LISTEN TO

HAVE A FUNKY KITSCHY SAFE WONNDERFUL CHRISTMAS!

collection of eco Christmas craft ideas....

I "pinned" all of the "keeping it eco" Christmas craft ideas to a pinterest board - it seemed like I was doing something. I guess it's shuffling deackchairs....I should be doing eco Christmas craft....except I did so much last year that it, well....just doesn't seem environmental to make many more Christmas things! 

I'm not "feeling" the Christmas inspiration....yet....you'll all know when (and if!) I do.......but in the mean time, if you want to revisit some ideas then check out the pinterest page.

How about everyone else? In the Christmas flurry yet? Feeling the inspiration? Where do you go to seek ideas?

Rocking Horse

Really? Christmas? Already? 

Is Christmas so far away? Actually -  it's only 105 days, 9 hours and 48 minutes away!!!!

Here's a new rocking horse design for the sister outlaws' range of Christmas goodies which now has to make it into craft kit form and onto the website for sale quick sticks. Because now Christmas is now only 105 days, 9 hours and 46 minutes away!

Sorry - can't stay and chat! No dilly dallying! Work to do.....105 days, 9 hours and 38 minutes....

Christmas films to watch while you wrap

'Tis the season to be jolly and Christmas films are part of the cultural celebration of peace and good will and all that stuff. But be wary - there's some shockers out there that will bring out the bah- humbug in anyone!
Our favourite Christmas films are: 

"The Nightmare before Christmas" - a wonderfully subversive tale about the culture clash of Halloween and Christmas and what happens when an ambitious but disillusioned Pumpkin King wants more from life. Amazing old school stop motion animation and Danny Elfman songs.

In "Edward Scissorhands" Burton takes on sixties suburbia with this Frankenstein fish out of water tale. The film has great flair, hilarious design, amazing cast and a bit of magic.

"Meet me in St Louis" for all the reasons I mentioned here and because Judy Garland sings "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas." The film isn't set entirely at Christmas - it follows the seasons in a year - but the crisis point of the story happens at Christmas time. It would warm the cockles of any Grinch's heart.

"It's a Wonderful Life"

Individual dreams fight against duty and community wins over capitalism in this fantastic Frank Capra film. James Stewart is magnificent as the duty bound, kind hearted George Bailey, a man in crisis who has quelled his own spirited dreams for the love of his home town and family. What a corker of a film. Donna Reed is glorious as Mary Hatch and the dance scene where the floor opens up is priceless. Okay I admit the whole angel thing is annoying but this is a film about how much one person's life can matter, how a community can fight meanness and about how wonderful a life is.

Others we like are:
For the kids "The Muppet Christmas Carrol" for the film buffs "Shop Around the Corner" and my teenage daughters adds "Serendipity" and "While you were Sleeping" to the list for rom-com lovers. Watch at your own risk.

And what NOT to watch? "Love Actually" tops my list. A ridiculous film which tries to hide it's cringe worthy lack of plot and character development behind an ensemble cast of stars. What I hate most about this film (yes besides the schmaltz, bad soundtrack and cuteness) is that any female character over 30 is either a)cheated on b)overly committed to being a carer and unable to be in a relationship or c)dead! While the men over forty? They end up with women half their age or a supermodel. Get me a bucket!

What are your Christmas film favourites?

How the wind up wound up....

Winding embroidery yarn around things turned out to be a fairly calm and therapeutic Christmas craft....slowly winding, winding....not much brain power required....

The hair combs look lovely in the hair. I also bought some really large sturdy combs and covered them too - forgot to take pictures before I wrapped them.

Anything else I can wind yarn around??I like it. My eldest daughter has been making combs for friends this year too.  We wind together.

Is it a wrap yet?

Present for my nephew Conrad

Check out this bit of razzle dazzle at aesthetic outburst and at one pearl button

Are you all wrapped up?

To do list: Make a Christmas wreath....tick.

Kitsch winter wonderland Christmas wreath. Made with an old tyre from a kid's bike...

Spray painted white and covered with packing foam (from a washing machine part recently delivered!)

Little winter wonderland scene made from cardboard, felt, buttons and lace flowers. The felt figures have toothpicks glued to the backs which I could stick into the foam.

Trimmed with a frosty ribbon, a tartan ribbon bow and some sprigs of fake holly

I like it. But I may just be high on glue fumes. Baby Joe declares it is "toooooo cute".