Poncetastic thread

[WaitingForEgg]

Is there a poncetastic thread this year? I am itching to ponce!

How is everybody's weekend poncing going?

firefly my tree is also very vomit! Worst is a huge, bright blue diplodocus...

But it has heart...!

It is very tenuously related to Christmas but my poncetastic efforts this weekend have been to overhaul the ghastly fireplace we have inherited in our new home. Twas a monstrosity of very discoloured brass, cracked, discoloured marble and a weird brown coloured mirror surface. We still haven't moved all our furniture in yet I have already painted the brass with heat resistant black matte paint, I plan to lighten up the marble a little and god knows what with the brown mirror. It is basically all for the joy of hanging a stocking!

How is everybody's weekend poncing going?
I have made our Christmas cake (with help from the DDs).
I have everything for the DCs' stockings except one pair of socks.

Today I might decant and bottle last year's sloe gin to make room for this year's.

Theonly

I made some sequin decorations like that - they are bloody lovely.

Dead easy and very satisfying to make.

My poncing has ground to a bit of a halt because of early pregnancy nausea and exhaustion. DH, however, is putting up a new mantelpiece above our woodburner, so I have plans for Christmas garlands and candles galore!

Zorion I haven't caught up with the entire thread yet, but can I just say that that wreath looks fantastic! I wan't to learn to crochet just so I can make that!

WI craft group poncer here - popped into fabricland yesterday, and picked up a few bits of Christmas fabric, but I musy get on with a few actual gifts before starting the poncing proper

Me and dd have been pouncing up to the woods and scavenged some pine cones for pouncing, just haven't got any ideas for them juuust yet

Any pine cone ponce suggestions?

We thank you paper and firefly for the encouragement for my sequin decorations! Got the bits for them yesterday but the heads of the pins I got are too small to hold the sequins, so will have to wait.

I got some beautiful Christmas scrapbook paper and a polystyrene wreath to make this wreath. I have a quarter of it done, its so easy and a beautiful effect.

Bought some cuts of Christmas ribbon too, about 3 metres of each. Not sure what to do with them, but they are gorgeous!

That's beautiful the only! !!

[Waves shyly, slips in back corner and stands against the wall]

I have ponce aspirations, but I live somewhere very hot and non-Christmassy. It's one of the reasons I start so early - everything needs work and planning here. So - no holly, ivy, pine cones, sloes or even fireplaces in my life. However, this weekend I have made a start. I've just finished wrapping up the box for our Christmas Eve treats, and am well on the way with planning those. I also bought a roll each of green, red, white and black felt to start on Christmas stockings for my two children, one husband and one self. I'm definitely craftily challenged, but I thought even I would be able to cut out some felt shapes and sew them together. Which brings me to a question, actually. I'm a big fan of stuffed-to-bursting stockings. Will felt ones stretch nicely or should I be looking at other material?

Thanks for the recommendations re cinnamon rolls. At what stage do you think it is best to freeze? I am worried about losing their fluffiness
I have now officially finished gift shopping (except DH, still a couple bits to get) and done most of my wrapping
Next on the list is to go through current decorations to see what I need to add and start prepping food for the freezer!

Has anyone sewn a stocking from old baby clothes? I think I might give it a try, but I don't know realistically how much time it will take. I'd do it in small patchwork squares of fabric, so I guess that's a lot of sewing. I have a sewing machine, but I hate it, bloody old clunker always loses the thread on a back stitch.

Pink can you tell me where you got the wreath supplies? I want a go!

I went to the garden centre to buy plants'n'bulbs'n'garden stuff and came away with all of that and a can of gold spray lacquer.

I'm going to try it on acorns and fir cones.

Hypotenuse I've seen patchworkers recommending that you stabilise fabric pieces with interfacing when using baby clothes as you would be mixing different types of fabric together rather than the all cotton that is usually used. I would have think you could hand sew the patches and then just use the sewing machine to sew the two sides of the stocking together.

The fruit for my cakes is steeping in amaretto and I'll bake them at the weekend. I need to buy brown sugar and ground almonds with my weekly shop. I may get some suet too and I can use the leftover fruit to make mini Christmas puddings (I just chuck a load of fruit into a Tupperware and add booze, rather than weigh out the exact amount for the recipe so I always have some left over)

I'm busy knitting dolls clothes for presents for two of my nieces and then have plans to crochet blankets for two nephews. I have pinned patterns for a Spider-Man blanket and a Minecraft blanket that will both go down a storm with small boys.

I've looked at National Trust wreath making classes - the nearest is 30 miles away, but I'm in a county chock full of stately homes and garden centres so I'll keep looking and may find something a bit closer.

I've just finished reading the whole thread through and it's made me so happy . I've done zero Christmas poncing the past two years (firstly heavily pregnant with PFB and then coming out of a pretty dark time as PFB finished his cancer treatment) but I need to get back into my poncing groove and really enjoy this Christmas.

I have very little crafting ability so it's mostly about foodie poncing and easy decorations that can be assembled. Just DH, DS and FIL here this year just so good excuse to try a few new foodie things that are easier on a smaller scale.

On my list so far:

• Christmas cake. I've never made one as we don't usually eat it but I like the sound of the Nigella chocolate version
• Christmas pudding- have always made Nigella but might try something new
• Chilli jam
• Advent calendar for DS. I have a very cute one made from rusty buckets and have bought 24 mini wooden Gisella Graham tree decorations to go in it. I just need to find a mini tree that he can put the decorations on every morning. I have a vague idea about artfully hanging a beautiful tree branch for him to use but that may be wasted on a toddler
• Dried orange slices and cinnamon sticks for fragrance and decor
• Snow scenes in glass vases and jars using Epsom salts for snow and bottle brushes for Christmas trees. I've made these before and they were such fun
• Possibly make a wreath or pimp a shop bought one.

Now going back through the thread for more ideals to steal add to my list.

New to poncery, just bought our first house, pregnant with DC2 and this thread has truly inspired me to want to ponce out for my first head of house Christmas. I have fabric for stockings, I just bought my Mason jars ready to make some kind of flavoured vodka that I won't even be able to taste, finished DD's presents already and I am researching painting my own wrapping paper and sewing my own giant velvet bows to adorn the bannister as bought ones will simply not do. Is this poncing yet?

what I'm in Ireland, I just got them in a local craft shop, but I was browsing on hobbycraft yesterday and saw the polystyrene wreaths, so it's just nice paper, pins and ribbon then! Cost about €6 total so very frugaleering!

margot your list sounds wonderful! I had been wondering what to use as snow, had thought of sugar and salt, but they would dissolve easily. Hadn't thought of Epsom salts! Thank you!

WaitingForEgg You can either freeze them after you've rolled/sliced them (before final proving) or you can par-bake them after their final prove and freeze them once they're cool. If you par-bake them, they will have risen and will take up more room in your freezer. If you freeze them beforehand, you will need to thaw them and leave them to rise before you bake them. I'd recommend par-baking if you want them instantly and the other method if it doesn't matter that it'll take 4-6 hours for them to de-frost and rise before baking. Hope that helps.

Hello to Kurius and MissMargot. Lovely to hear of your preparations.

Kurius we have felt stocking and they don't stretch. Not sure if should confess to buying scandi style cream felt stocking with a red stitch from M&S and then embroidering names on myself.

Imagines self all alone on "cheat's guide to pouncing" thread.

Still the all important thing is the final look. Agreed?

Ooh! Teaplease I need those.

Chilly it's not cheating its customising - turning the generic into something unique

I've seen cute little gingerbread houses balanced on the side of mugs on Pinterest Teaplease - I like the the stars though, they look much less faffy.