All the homemade Christmas people over here please, lets share our ideas :) - SECOND EDITION :)

[BabyDubsEverywhere]

OLD THREAD

We were all on about pinterest, jars, and where we are up to in our christmas planning :)

Lets go...

[Sillyoldelf]

What chocolate have people made their peppermint bark with ? White choc , milk choc , dark choc , or a layer of 2 ? What do people think tastes the nicest ?

[Sillyoldelf]

Lots of us ( well a few ) are making Baileys fudge ! I need to hurry up and make mine before I drink all the Baileys ...

[Zeeky]

Also want to make more felt decs and gingerbread men if I have time & bathsalts!

I've had to put together a spreadsheet to organise each day until Christmas as otherwise i will never get it all done. Also haven't bought anything for DH yet! Also got to factor in school holidays as won't get much done in the daytime with a bored/over-excited DS home all day!

[Zeeky]

Hi ladies, still loads to do here too. Starting to think this whole homemade gift malarky is way too much like hard work!

Done so far:
Jams labelled & fancy lids
Christmas pud rum & vodka made
Bramble gin & vodka made
chutneys made
marmalade made
cards posted
decorations up
spiced nuts made
mince pies made and eaten
advent calendar made
felt decorations - 2 hearts & 3 gingerbread men made
lemon handscrub made
spiced jelly made
sweetie jars made

still to do:
baileys fudge
vanilla fudge
peppermint bark
mince pies
Oreo truffles
cake pops
label and decorate chutneys
label nut bags
label flavoured vodkas/rum/gin
assemble hampers
finish wrapping presents
update shopping delivery
decide on Christmas day menu

[MarTURKEYSTEWart]

I have mine in a kilner jar in the fridge, Thunderbolt.

I figured it's just chocolate and candy canes, so should last. Plus it's quick enough to make that I can always make another batch in a couple of weeks if it looks like it's gone dodgy.

[Flubba]

I love your sock monkey martyr - very sweet. I made something similar once and it's a very, very odd looking fellow. It's got an arse the size of a good child-bearing hipped woman, a tiny head with fuzzy hair and its eyes are on wonky! Still, my boy seems to like chewing it

Since my last post, I panicked a bit and have now personalised the kids' stockings (we had three the same, so have added felt initials), and added the felt letters for DS's and friend's son's car rolls. Have gathered together the material for DH's stocking and have hung the baker's twine along a wall and started putting up our Christmas cards. so essentially I've done one of the things on my list and created two more :)

[MartyrStewart]

New Pics on profile

[MartyrStewart]

Oh, plus Gypsy tart to do, and finish the garland and roads.

[MartyrStewart]

I don't even want to think about what I still have to do!

I have finished the mustard
Made Onion Chutney
Made a couple of pocket pixies
Finished Dinosaur garland (bar stringing)
Made some of my nephew's felt roads
Peppermint bark done
Candy cane mice done
Various flavoured vodkas
Christmas pudding brandy just needs straining
Few tree decs
Crayon rolls x2
Christmas wreaths x 2

Still to do
Bacon Jam
Chocolate Pretzels
Hot water bottle covers x 2
Dolls Bedding for my Niece
Spelt crackers and parmesan crackers
Baileys Fudge
Little notebook bag
Mulled Wine Kits
Sock Monkey

I'm never going to finish in time!!

[Sillyoldelf]

Flubba t shirt definitely not naff . I think your DP will feel very proud wearing it.
I am feeling sick thinking about everything I still have to do. Might I say whilst DH is oblivious that Christmas is around the corner ... It's a shame we can't all live in a kibbutz together together over Christmas to all help each other !

[Flubba]

woah that's a bit long!!

[Flubba]

:o at your festive earrings silly

Wrote a list of what I still have left to do this morning;

• finish DH's T-Shirt from the kids (is it Really Naff to have the words "I'm the daddy" written on the back of a t-shirt drawn on by the kids? :o :o ?
  
• make fudge for four families
  
• finish off guinness mustard (it's looking chunkier already - am going to leave it another day)
  
• finish off bunting binding for nieces' birthdays (on 22nd & 25th)
  
• make plate for goddaughter/niece's birthday
  
• make my own placemats for Christmas
  
• learn to patchwork (!!!!) and make my parents their table runner with all the odds and sods left over from my other work
  
• get material for and make the pirate flag
  
• make felt letters to stick on car-rolls to give away as presents
  
• finish making and writing Christmas cards
  
• make spicy biscuits for party
  
• make mulled wine for party
  
• host the party for 100 guests (!!!!)
  
• make a felt stocking for DS
  
• do labels for chutneys, fudges and mustard
  
• wrap/present presents
  
• decorate house
  
• buy and decorate tree
  
  
• prepare food for Christmas Eve and Christmas lunch
  
  Phew. I need a huge great big glass of wine lovely warming cuppa now after reading all that! :o
  
  How are you getting on martyr?

[MartyrStewart]

Silly - I bought some of those too - I am going to half dip them in chocolate. Chocolate pretzels are lush

[Sillyoldelf]

I have bought some pretzel stars today . I am going to put some pretty ribbon through them and then maybe hang them from a shelf . Failing that I could loop them over my ears and they could be festive earrings.

[MartyrStewart]

How are you all doing?

[VickityBoo]

Very easy mogs but took time to zest the clementines etc.

www.cottagesmallholder.com/cranberry-and-clementine-sauce-recipe-546

That's the recipe I used, substituting the alcohol they recommend for port. I needed extra sugar too as it seemed a bit too bitter so you must taste it!

The worst bit was making sure the jars were still warm and ready to go before the sauce cooled. I'll probably make it again, and I'm confident to make other jams and preserves etc now.

[mogs0]

Vickity - was your cranberry sauce recipe easy to do? I bought some cranberries yesterday and am yet to search for a recipe. I, too, was going to buy a jar of real cranberry jelly as a back-up!

[VickityBoo]

I'm gutted. I've spent weeks on and off making all of the appliqué parts for my lovely tablecloth and now I don't think I'll have the money to buy the big fabric.

I will be completely gutted.

[Flubba]

no, no Silly, no chucking you off the thread ~ if anything I should be congratulated more for many works of art carried out by you all without having to lift a finger! :o :o

Nice to have visitors RueDe but a bit inconsiderate of them to turn up when you have Things To Do!! :)

Just realised I have this weekend to finish things off and that's pretty much it. We have plans pretty much every other day until Christmas. Do you reckon my kids (4, 3 and 10m) will let me get on with things quietly? :o

[RueDeWakening]

onmythirdglass - those ideas sound great! DD (4) would love the dolly and the box :)

I had plans for this weekend, but now we've got visitors coming. So I think the individual christmas cupcakes I was planning to make will have to wait until Monday or Tuesday.

On the upside, I did manage to finish a car roll for the smallest of our visitors, so he'll have a present to take home with him on Monday!

[Sillyoldelf]

Oh no over I am so so sorry ! Of course they were ! I hope I am forgiven ? Well I thought they were lovely and I will definitely be trying the doily. O dear. silly now fears she will be evicted from the thread .

[VickityBoo]

Cranberry sauce is a go! It's on the hob and jars are sterilising in the oven.

God I hope it works...

[mrstiredandconfused]

Omg onmythirdglass they all sound wonderful! wonders how to get on your Christmas list