Fellatio's thread for a PONCETASTIC Xmas - PART 2!!!

[BudaisintheZONE]

Well we seem to have filled up the last one so I started a new one. Hope that is ok with everyone!

Jacaqueen - I finally remembered to have a look at my Angel Chime. It is small - about 10 inches tall. Very light metal. Easy to put together. Looks ok. Word of warning - was searching for who it was who asked me and came across a post from someone whose parents had one and it burnt their table! So they get v. hot.

thanks not hanks - doh

Thanks trumpton for the snowflake links

Jest tryin' to spread the word . Snowflakes R us! they are very pretty done with 3 inch squares,fiddly, but pretty.

Phew, thanks for cake reassurance.

I am making fabric 'baubles' from vintage faric, too!

fabric, that is.

Oh Good Lord. I looked at the first thread early on, thinking 'Must keep track of that one', in hope of achieving a poncetastic Christmas. I now find there are squillions of pages of poncetastic ideas to read and so little time... Right. Starting at page 1. I should be finished by Easter.

Poncetasticness has slowed right down in the girlywhirly house. We have had no heating for three days and two nights, and the boiler is being repaired now. So no Christmas advance cooking done yet. Christmas throw I am doing has been useful to keep my legs warm as I sew gems onto it! The boiler is on the kitchen wall, and we needed to take down a cupboard, so the kitchen will need a good clean after it's put to rights.

Is anyone else making their own garland/wreath? I'm planning on making both, was going to get holly & grenery from hedgerows, but apparently holly is protected species - dammit! Other than that i'm putting in dried orange slices & clementines, and little bunches of cinnamon sticks tied with pretty gingham ribbon, and some chillies tied in bunches with wire - saw Kirstie doing that on their christmassy show, which I'm loving!

I might, pootles.

You could just buy holly, no? Or I sometimes us rosehips instead, they look good.

Your wreath sounds beautiful!

Btw, came on here to say my copy of Sarah Raven arrived today and I am just settling down for a lovely browse.

Have just ordered Sarah's Christmas book for my best mate.

Cake marzipanned, had some spare marzioan so rolled into balls, dipped into chocolate and rolled in crushed nuts. Trying to keep the DC off them.....

Bagged up and poncified HopefortheBest's Chocolate Mocha biscotti. They look great, almost too good to give away......

Pootles - do you have a good old fashioned greengrocers anywhere near you? They normally sell holly and mistletoe a few weeks before Christmas, much cheaper than florists. I am not into wreaths, but I do like some greenery in the house. I like a mix of sarcococca ( Christmas box ), pittosporum, choisya, mistletoe and bay. Rosemary is also good, great smell.

taffeta - eucalyptus, cornus and viburnum are lovely too. Mum always has a big jug of foliage right by the front door - lovely. I've got some dark red roses - mmmm!

Market stalls often have holly around now, too. Cheap, again.

Your marzipan sounds yummy!

*roses in with foliage that is - that wasn't just a bizarre non-sequitur!

Oh I love eucalyptus but it doesn't grow round here. May need a trip to florist.....

Ours is in a pot, and very sheltered (no garden here, just a patio).

Currently poncing about Christmas Pudding wine. We used to get one from M&S but for the second year running, my local one isn't stocking it

Can't have pudding without pudding wine!! Although I will still have some of the uber-poncey Sherry I bought to make it with so I guess that would go too.

Had a visitor round tonight to drop off my b'day gift. I made some mulled wine. T'was delicious even if I do say so myself

all gone now though

We have two types of holly in our garden (planted by us). The variegated one is really attractive. Do you have any friends or neighbours who might spare you a bit of holly in return for one of your orange/cinnamon/chilli decs?

I think wild growing holly is protected, the birds rely on their berries as a food source in winter.

Oh, how lovely girly. Are they much trouble to grow? I am hugely tempted by those standard-grown ones you see in home magazines around now. Poncetastic, or I a bit silly? I have a little bay tree I grew from a seedling into a standard, I could have them match.

Didn't realise you could buy holly - might try that. We have bay and rosemary in our garden, will definitely try that, thanks! Might plant some holly for next year as well...

Loud did you make your bay like a proper lollipop type tree? I have no idea how you'd do that, ours just sort of sprawls at ground level... although our front door is nowhere near grand enough for a pair of bay trees!

Holly is 35p a stem here pootles.

The bay you have to start with a seedling - at some point someone probably pinched out the tips of yours to make it grow sprawling. With mine I let it get to around a foot high then pinched the top so I ended up with three branches, and I prune it so the branches grow inwards into a ball.

It's only little atm (3 foot ish) and quite a loose ball rather than lollipop, but it'd get there if I wanted.

It's dead cheap but you need patience. Btw, I live in a concrete-staired council block, so my door isn't posh either! Bay tree is on the balcony.

One day ....

Yes, you can grow holly in the garden, it's best to go to a proper garden centre or nursery for a shrub. Don't expect massive growth in one year though! Ours suffered a bit in the summer with a fungal infection, a bit like black spot on rose leaves, you need to spray with a fungicide and pick off affected leaves. Don't put affected leaves on the compost, they advise you to burn them or bin them. We had heavy frost the other day and the holly looked just like those Christmas cards, really pretty. The leaves are dark green in the centre with a yellow edge.

There is a thornless holly available, but I haven't seen many around.

I made a wreath last year and used moss - it was v easy to wire onto the base and then wired vintage cotton reels and buttons on as decorations. Haven't started this years but might just go around clipping all sorts of green and have a pick and mix wreath. DS2 has been I'll with various bugs for ages so I've not had chance to be organised on wreaths yet. Christmas baubles still languishing in the loft

Oh you are clever quiltingmoomin - I don't as a rule like wreaths, but vintage cotton reels and buttons sound divine! Do you have a pic?

What other poncetastic ideas do we have for greenery in the house?