Poncetastic thread

[WaitingForEgg]

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

This fell off threads I'm on.

Not feeling it much this year. I have the fruit soaking for the cake though.

We are having some work done in garden which is taking up time and attention. And planning in some house stuff. We are having a fireplace opened up and a gas stove put in with an oak lintel. Oak lintel needs to just be deep enough to put some candles etc on with a garland. I suppose that's Poncetastic!

Trying to pin down workmen and decorators and decide on paint colours and furniture and lamps etc is priority at the moment. And decluttering. Have got to get the she decluttering and sorted.

So don't think I will have time to do any actual real life poncing. Although the the Penguins look cute!

ciderwithbuda We're all a mess here after our kitchen renovation over-ran. The floor is due to be fitted week commencing 5th Nov. The whole project should have been finished mid Sept. I am way behind on poncing. I've done zero, actually.

Currently having a proper sulk about not being able to make the Christmas cake.

ginger and anothershirt, thanks for that! yes, someone else will defo be doing the cooking on xmas day, and if I decide to stay at mine, then i'll be heating up some stew or something :-) the poncing and cooking can wait until future years! She is over a decade in the making, longest ponce ever surely! :-)

Hello poncers. After a MONTH of landlord battles and lots of blood, sweat and tears, I finally have both internet and electricity in my home!

Every cloud has a silver lining... no electricity meant I have stocked up on pillar candles!

I am gearing up to try my lino cutting kit for the home made cards...

I had a gorgeous Sunday covering jam jar lids with pretty paper. Nearly ready for making and storing chutney.

I'm intending on making mustard for the first time, has anyone ever made mustard before? I was thinking of chucking some red wine in add to the flavour. How easy is it to ruin get right?

I made DH a stocking today, red felt, with HO HO HO in white felt down the side and a few felt holly leaves.

I don't think the poor bugger has ever had a proper stocking before. His mother didn't even use a pillowcase: she used to use actual socks.

trian, I think a Christmas baby wins the ponce prize, though!

Made icicles to hang from sun room ceiling today. Made them from plastic bottles cut into strips and twisted over a candle flame.
Very impressed but I think I will need about 100 so the effect is good.
Planning a Narnia theme in the sun room this year. It's where we eat our dinner and I always go a bit OTT.

Trumpton Those icicles sound wonderful! I would love a photo and a description of exactly how you made them, if at all possible. What else would you include in a Narnia theme? I have never done a themed Christmas so am really fascinated. I'm not sure I could pull it off this year, though, but maybe next year...

This wallpaper as accent wall,
icicles This is the tutorial I used
Paper snowflakes on windows.

Twig tree ( I will make my own ) hung with small metal lanterns with battery tea lights )

Son in law will ,maybe, make some wardrobe doors to go onto French doors that lead from living room into sun room.

Chargers will be silver cake boards covered in log print wallpaper.

All I have had to buy this year is two rolls of wallpaper as walls are silver grey from last years retro 50s theme.

Thanks Trumpton I really, really like those icicles and it's a genious way to reuse plastic bottles. That tutorial sounds fairly straightforward.

Your Narnia sun room sounds fabulous, too.

trumpton that wallpaper is beautiful!

Is anyone gingerbread house making?

I've found a gorgeous template, going to have a trial build with cardboard tonight

Sorry Whatabout, I've only just seen that you asked for the penguin pattern. I'm afraid I just saw one I liked the look of on Pinterest, then drew the design on some cardboard, then used that as a template. So no real pattern, sorry.

Trumpton, I love the idea of your Narnia room

I've been busy making some more things, mainly using branches I collected on an early Sunday morning walk! I've made a twig Christmas tree which has tiny neutral coloured glass baubles on from Selfridges (100 for £10) and fairy lights (need to wire them around the twigs a bit better when I actually put them up for Christmas).

A big branch has baubles dangling off it and some fairy lights wrapped around the branch. Then there's another branch for the kitchen with cookie cutters dangling off it (I'm going to put some fairy lights around that branch too).

I made a couple of big snowflakes for the walls with ice lolly sticks, which I'm going to paint but haven't got round to it yet. Another branch has card stars and wooden snowflakes dangling off it, with some snowflake lights. That is for the living room window.

I also made a wreath made with mainly colourful mini glass baubles (again £10 for 100 from Selfridges) but I'm not totally happy with it yet. Will redo it a bit better I think.

Also have my Werthers originals and parma violet vodka brewing in the kitchen (they smell and taste amazing!) How long should I leave them before I decant into small bottles?

I'm sad that this thread isn't as active as it has been in past years :( Hopefully it'll liven up a bit closer to Christmas :)

Oh, I also made the 2 twig stars next to the stick tree. Just cut a branch into 5 equal lengths, then use a hot glue gun to stick them together. My new favourite toy is the hot glue gun

How did you make the parma violet vodka, i really like the sound of that. is it just a case of crushing up the parma violets, or do you put them in whole?

I just put them in whole, then I just shook it every time I went past it in the kitchen. It only took a day or so for them to totally dissolve.

I love all of those ComeinBaldrick. Esp the cookie cutter one. I have a set of cookie cutter lights that go up in the kitchen.

I might have to find some branches!

I've been rubbish on the Poncetastic front this year. Too much else going on with redecorating etc.

I bought a big box of crackers very cheap and have covered them with silver snowflake tissue paper and glued some jewels from my stash on. Pouncing gaily away here !

I do not intend to ponce fully until December. All my decorations are up in the attic and I have a feeling that I shouldn't get too much into it before then!
I am going to look at my Sarah Raven book for inspiration but was thinking next thing to do might be cranberry sauce making? And I have fab idea for Christmas chocolate log which involves gingerbread leaves and icing sugar snow -making it look like a real log as much as possible without getting into too much sugar craft stress.

Anyone got any Christmas cake decorating ideas?

Here is the log

Here is a fabulous cheese tree

And here is a sausage roll wreath

Hello poncers!
Quietly lurking until I start maternity leave in two weeks and I can focus properly on decking my (rather tiny) hall...
Dec 1st I'm having a Christmas drinks do at ours for a few neighbours. What do I need to make the house well and truly Christmassy? On my list is:

Garland for stairs
Some festive candles
Possibly a festive towel or two in the bathroom - nothing naff, perhaps a stag print or similar.
Some festive cushions for sofas?
A poinsettia?

What else do you have??

Swede, I love the sausage roll wreath.
Do you have the recipe/method details for it?

I've been lurking as I'm a wannabe poncer but a very active 16 month old prevents me doing anything though I have got ingredients for Xmas pudding rum, after eight vodka, choc orange vodka and a cake... I like the look of the cheese tree - maybe I can do a version with pineapple as well for ds

ComeInBaldrick I am so impressed! I particularly love the cookie cutters and the branches. What did you use to hang the branches up with?