Advent Days 9-12 and a Challenge

Here are gifts 9-12 from my Advent Exchange, a hand towel with a stitchable band for personalisation, a set of handy highlighter pens for marking off charts, knitting patterns etc (if the girls don't pinch them), a packet of assorted emery boards and some lovely hand cream and body scrub. This exchange is so much fun.

I can show the ornament I sent to Melanie in the Gift of Stitching exchange now, I killed two birds with one stone and used the design from the Nov/Dec Challenge on Needlecraft Haven so I couldn't show it until Reveal Day which was yesterday.
Our challenge was either of these two designs from Log Cabin Needlework. I chose the Noel design and stitched it in WDW and Thread Gatherer threads, it is finished with a flamboyant bow that started life on a box of Thornton's, and is backed with the vintage fabric shown (Rag Rescue again). I really love this one and may have to stitch it again for myself.
The album is here and shows what a difference thread choices can make to a design.

Invasion of the daleks and an advent exchange

There is the very slightest outside edge of a possibility that I might be a teensy bit of a geek...
Here is what I made yesterday.
I drew him on plain cotton fabric with a black sharpie (still getting that slight bleed problem), then couched the mini string of Christmas lights down and stretched him over mountboard.

He is now sitting in the tree practising his extermination techniques on unsuspecting ornaments whilst waiting for the Dr Who Christmas Special.

Meanwhile I've been opening my gifts in the Needlecraft Haven Advent Exchange. So far I have received a handy mending kit, some snuggly stripey socks, a mobile phone usb adaptor set (very useful), pot pourri, a handbag keyring, hair clamps, two skeins of yummy thread and a lovely photo frame, and I'm feeling rather spoiled, so a huge thank you to my secret benefactor.

and I couldn't resist the temptation to include my selection of vintage baubles somewhere in this post.

The Travelling Pattern, Another Ornament and a Golden Snitch

I've been lucky enough to be chosen as the next stitcher for the Travelling Pattern. I'm hoping to get it stitched up before Christmas, so watch this space...
In the meantime I've finished up another ornament. This one is from this year's Christmas Ornament Issue of The Gift of Stitching magazine. Those little reindeer just crack me up.
And then she went on Pinterest again... 
Don't all groan at once!
This time I found this tutorial from Tiny Apartment Crafts, for making a Harry Potter Golden Snitch ornament, and in no time flat I was up to my eyes in glue and glitter.

The original tutorial mentioned some problems getting the wings to stick to the bauble, so instead of making them individually, and sticking them on I made the pair from a continuous piece of wire with a little circular loop between them, then when they were dry I popped the ferule off the top of the bauble, dropped the loop over the neck and stuck the ferule back on. Clear as mud? I should have taken a picture halfway through. Anyway here it is, my very own Golden Snitch.
Off now to try and clean the holographic glitter off my keyboard!

Ornaments, apples and hooky

And here we are in December! Hi to anyone who has come over here via the Advent Calender on Jo's Blog. A Christmassy post for you all.


The Needlecraft Haven Ornament Exchange finished last week. Here is the ornament I sent to Mary (no blog as far as I am aware)
This is He's a Flake by LHN, stitched on  hand dyed linen from The Crafty Kitten, and backed with the vintage fabric shown, which I bought from Rag Rescue (well worth a visit), and finished with a few pompom "snowballs".

And here is the one I recieved from Barb. Thank you Barb, I totally love it, it is so pretty and delicate and stitched entirely over 1.
It also came wrapped up in the Christmas fabric it is sitting on, which was very thoughtful.

I've also taken part in an ornament exchange via The Gift of Stitching, here is the beautiful ornament I received from Melanie (Don't know of any blog for Melanie either). It looks like a real vintage glass ornament doesn't it? 
Thank you Melanie, its just lovely.
I can't show you the one I sent to Melanie because I used the Monthly Challenge design and it's not reveal day yet, I'll bore you with that one later ;D.

And what about the apples and hooky I hear you ask. Well ta da!
A snuggly little apple cosy a la Mollie Makes.
I've wanted to make one of these since the fabulous Mollie Makes was first launched, and Eloise has been desperate for a cosy to keep her poor neglected little apple safe and warm on it's perilous journey into college.  I mean the girl has literally been pining for an apple cosy. 
If you've been following this blog for a while you'll know that crochet is something I struggle with but last week I bit the bullet and had a go and just like Eliza Doolittle "By George, I think she's got it!"
OK so attempt one was more like a grapefruit cosy, but, 
Look. At. That.
Can you tell I'm excited?
I suspect I may have found a new addiction. Ho Hum.

Another Day, Another Wreath

Or, I Must Stop Looking On Pinterest. Maybe I should write that out a hundred times, but then I'd probably look on Pinterest for an idea for something to do with a sheet of handwriting...

Anyway I saw all these lovely wool and felt wreaths on there so obviously I had to have a go. 
This one was easy. Doesn't even merit a tutorial, just a few instructions.
Get a polystyrene wreath base and wrap it in wool (allow yourself plenty of time it takes about a zillion times longer than you think) securing the ends with a dab of glue. 
Add some spiral felt roses and leaves, a few diamante florist's pins and ta-da! 
This one is for indoors, I don't think it would stand up too well to our Cornish weather.
I've made some bits of jewellery too, but they are for gifts so I can't post pictures on here yet

Wreathed in smiles!

I'm smiling because I got the most wonderful surprise in the post last week. Barb sent me this gorgeous stained glass penguin that her husband had made. I believe I may have mentioned once or twice that I love penguins.
The label says that his name is Percy and that he will hang in my window and watch out for Killer Whales. I don't suppose he is likely to spot any, but he's probably quite glad about that.
Thank you Barb, I adore him!
I have sent out two stitched ornaments this week, and received a very beautiful one myself, but as these are exchanges I can't show any pictures yet. Watch this space.
I can show these though. You can blame Pinterest for inspiring my recent flurry of creativity.

I am loving my new bracelet, made from a vintage tape measure I bought from Rag Rescue.  I dangled a little key from the toggle for a steampunk/chatelaine sort of look. It is incredibly hard to use your left hand to take a picture of your right hand! My fingers really aren't freakishly short and stubby, its a perspective thing. Honest.

And here is a Christmas Wreath (Aha! Now you see the clever pun in the post title) made from three packs of cheap baubles from Asda  (and a handful of teeny silver ones from the local florists), a wire coat hanger, and a lot of hot glue.
Not convinced I should have included the two larger glittery silver ones one either side. I think my snowman maybe singing falsetto this year...

A catch up post

I've been very busy crafting lately and I've got lots of makes to show today. First up is my finish for the monthly Challenge at Needlecraft Haven. We chose this design from The Primitive Hare. The album is here
Of course I made a few changes because, well when do I not? Finished as a large hanging ornament. I know it is probably meant to be for Hallowe'en but it has just kind of stayed up...

Next, the girls decided they wanted me to decorate some plimsolls for them. These are just done with Sharpie markers on plain white shoes. If anyone has any idea how to stop the slight bleeding you get when you do this I'd be very grateful.

Eloise had comic book heroes on one foot and villains on the other.
Naomi decided she wanted hers inspired by the Manga story and movie "Deathnote"

After that I bought some mini aluminium buckets and modpodged vintage labels from The Graphics Fairy onto them. 

I put button bouquets into the smaller ones, I'll use the larger ones for packaging Christmas Presents.

Everything was going swimmingly and then I discovered Pinterest. Oh dear. You could drown in the number of amazing craft ideas you can find on there. I was very taken with this idea from Flamingo Toes for upcycling old jumpers to make stylish and cosy headwraps. You know me, I'm a see it, have to do it right away sort of girl, so I dashed straight down to the charity shop and bought a couple of old jumpers, and here are the results (also a scratch on my face where the machine needle snapped whilst trying to go through three layers of jumper and flew up and hit me, but I don't have a picture of that!)

Right, back off to Pinterest to decide what I'm making next...




Linking this post to Brag Monday at the Graphics Fairy