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...

ooh good luck addictediam with your craft table - can't wait to hear how you got on. I keep swinging between just making stuff to decorate my own home and then have wild flights of fancy of going in to mass-production. Judging on my efforts so far, I'll be lucky to have enough to decorate my mantle piece

Flubba I promise I didn't sneak a peak at your scrub! I think there is some critical proportion of sugar to oil but I haven't even tried yet so who am I to talk. Have you tried again? I'm sure it's just a case of trial and error. You do sound like you have got sucked into the felt world! I have found some mini pom-poms after searching high and low so have been able to make my xmas pine cones BUT my shrunk jumper is such a lovely shade of green that I would like to make a bit of a pom-pom garland with it. I just need to know how to do that picky thing with a needle so am off to You tube some tutorials (or Tutes as they seem to call them on Pinterest!)

Keep the faith everyone!!

at keeping the faith. We will triumph! (said in manner of Meg Ryan in call box in Paris in French Kiss) [shows age].

Flubba and addicted we've all seen your pics and I don't think you need to worry!

:o indeed at keep the faith!! :o :o
And yes, we will triumph (or go down in a blaze of felt, lit by candy-cane vodka)

Thank you ancientmarinator

Hi all. Quick question. Have I left it too late to make blackberry vodka and skittles vodka in time for christmas? I saw the recipes on the old thread and decided to make them, but now it seems it is almost the end of October! Don't know where the weeks have gone! Will the flavours be strong enough if I make them this weekend, and strain and decant mid-December?

I've not seen blackberries still on the bushes much - and they might be a bit sour by now! Taste and check, I would.

But I think you will be fine, because mine has been steeping for less time than there is to go from now until Christmas, and it is very tasty already according to DH!

I think it will just get stronger and more mellow the longer you leave it, but will taste good quite soon.

Ok, I have a question - I may re-post on Fellatio's thread if no-one here replies as it's probably a shared interest.

Has anyone bought either of these from Cox and Cox in previous years, and do they work? And am I wasting my money (that site is eyewatering but so pretty!)?

www.coxandcox.co.uk/products/snowflake-cookie-cutters/in/festive-season

www.coxandcox.co.uk/products/snowflake-punch/in/festive-season

I haven't used those particular cutters but I love cox and cox. There is a discount code in the money topic - not sure ifnit still works though.

Oooh ... I shall go and hunt the discount code, thanks for the tip!

I only found the site last year, and after I'd spent my budget, but this year it all looks so tempting!

Would someone be able to PM me a pinterest invite please? I've been browsing it all afternoon, it's so addictive!

Spannerpants, PM me your email address and I'll send you one just now :)

Quick question about bottles for the flavoured spirits - are ones with corks ok or should I really use the swing top ones? Saw these and thought they might do the job? They are a good bit cheaper than the much nicer swing top bottles.

Sent shesparkles - thank you!

Zeeky - I would think the alcohol is preservative enough it doesn't really need a swing top?

Not read entire thread so apologies of already here but Baker Ross catalogue do great sheets of labels that say 'handmade by ...' and you can fill in your name.

Thanks Ella. Of course, you are right, there are no blackberries left on the bushes. I had toyed with the idea of using frozen ones. However, I've had a rethink and am going to forget about vodka gifts (except for skittles vodka for DBro, which I think is a make-a-week-ahead kind of thing) and go for chutneys and shortbread.

I'm now onto thinking about wrapping - is it too early to discuss this? - and would really like your solutions to a problem that plagues me every year. How do you attach gift tags?? I always seem to end up attaching them with sticky tape which looks unfinished and rough, or using those shop-bought metallic bow things.

This year I am going for brown paper and homemade red-and-white snowflake gift tags but have no idea how to attach them. Would love to use ribbon somehow but have nothing to tie it to!

Oh ... blackberries in the freezer, that is so organized I didn't think of it!

I quite like tying ribbon across the whole parcel (in a cross, you know?), then tying the ribbon from the gift tag into it. It is very wasteful of ribbon though so I don't do it for everything, just for a few parcels to make them look posh. But I am keen to hear good ideas too, please?

Thank you so much. Hadn't thought of using twine. I think that'll be what I'll do this year. Your tags look great Rosie! I'll only be doing it for my fancy gifts. The chutneys will have red "velvet" ribbon tied round them so I'll attach the tags to that.

Ella, ribbon looks lovely but I think the twine will fit nicely with the rustic look I'm going for with the brown paper.

Another question - can anyone recommend a source of 250ml glass bottles for my skittles vodka? Ideally I'd like ones with stoppers, as they look the best, but they're much more expensive than I'd like. I've been looking through tesco groceries but all their bottles of value ketchup, etc., are 500ml or so. Any ideas? :)

Oh, yes, twine is very pretty! I think I may try that myself - though I wonder if rustic works best when it is constrasted with very elegant surroundings? Whenever I see pictures of rustic tree decorations and so on, they're set off by gorgeous stately rooms and huge trees. I think it might look just a bit messy in our little two-room flat with a tiny tree - what do you reckon?

Btw, if anyone has good tips for decorating a small space, can you share? I got a big vase of red roses and Christmassy foliage last year and will do that again, but in general it is tricky to think of those things that would make it special without taking too much room!

I think rustic works in any size of room, but if you only have a tiny tree look at other places to place decorations too. You could attach tree decorations to a garland, even a long length of country style ribbon, and hang across windows, or a wall. Or decorate a twiggy wreath, and hang from a picture hook (removing the picture first!)

I think the secret is to have a few focal points and not over-clutter in a small space.

For those of you after candy canes, I spotted them in 99p stores (NOT Poundland!) yesterday. About a dozen for 99p, they had cherry and peppermint flavour.

I'm also after bottles for flavoured vodka, any ideas anyone?

Thanks girly, I like the idea of a garland with decorations in it.

What I am lusting after is one of those proper mantlepieces where you can put greenery and candlesticks on the top and have baubles hanging down ... they look lovely!

Would anyone give me an opinion encouragement if you have a minute, please? I have been making a quilt for my baby niece. I know her mum (my SIL) likes to dress her in strong, bright colours (no pastels), and so I have tried to choose the same for the quilt. I hope it looks ok - I had some very sniffy comments from the ladies at the sewing shops (but then I think they are of the view that baby girls must be swathed in pink, which isn't SIL's thing at all anyhow). I put pics on my profile - unfinished obviously but what do you think? Is it ok for a present or should I get a proper present and just ask them if they like the quilt or not?