Poncetastic thread

[WaitingForEgg]

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

I successfully ponced last night. Got out my glue gun and was in craft heaven. Made some beautiful Christmas flowers. Only three as they take bloody ages a long time to do. And I burnt my hand on hot glue. But hey ho.

I shall have a bouquet of Christmas loveliness!!

Bing! They are great!

I asked for hobbycraft vouchers for my birthday and I'm going to nip in tomorrow after my haircut to look for Christmas crafting stuff. We are on holiday to centre parcs so I might see if I have space for some craft poncing to do in the evening.

I have my kitchen back! The rest of the house is now returning to something resembling normal.
I can now commence poncing.

I have been industriously making pompoms in the evening to string up as garlands. Material is marked out ready to cut and sew into bunting.
Have finally unpacked baking stuff so I can get the cakes made this week.
Just thinking about what else I can do.

I have been woeful on poncing this year with other family stuff going on. But I am hoping to get back to some level of it in the next few weeks. Firstly, I want DH to actually go for a walk when he is "down home" this weekend, and gather some sloes if there are any left. (It was not possible to gather them on our other trips, between lack of time and "how it would look"ness). But I do have my mincemeat maturing nicely.

Otherwise, I have bought some nice bits for flower arranging this year, intending to do some at home (I was going to try a wreath but as we'll be travelling, that's not so realistic after all, but flowers for the tables when we are back and doing some hosting will still be nice).

I haven't been crafting - I need to finish off making a felt fish for DSis to go into her "Bride's Box" of decorations. And order a House decoration as she gave me the wrong date for her wedding last Christmas (twas during the year and she gave me the Saturday but they actually married on the Friday).

But I've also had to catch up on work stuff and general house stuff too.

So after a long time of waiting we will be having our bathroom done and we're also having a decorator come in to paint a few rooms, as due to some things happening at home, doing it ourself isn't practical. Unfortunately we won't get our house back to ourself until 17th December, which is leaving me a little antsy. I am very keen to ponce, but think practicalities might get in the way! At least our house will be all smart for christmas!

Finally we do have the fruit soaking. I keep fruit soaking for as long as possible before making the puddings and then simmer them slowly for hours until they are nice and dark. Along with blackberry vodka and cranberry gin, at least I have stuff sitting ready to make me feel better. :)

Where are people getting their long, straight twigs for the fireplace bauble decorations from? I usually do something similar with my blind and some large turquoise baubles, but that looks even better with the lights.

Also, found this on YouTube and wanted to share because it's a) clever, b) cute and most importantly, c) easy!

ComeInBaldrick your decorated branches are divine! I'm definitely pinching that idea

I am suffering from a serious lack of poncing!
With two weeks to go until the house needs to be in full blown ponce mode I really need to get a wiggle on.

So far I have mostly made flavoured gin and vodka [santa]

I am planning to have my pre Christmas de-clutter this afternoon then I will sit down with a large gin and write a plan. I can't even seem to decide on a wrapping theme this year.

I can't believe I have not come across this thread before. I am a megaponcer - usually. However this year DH and I are going on holiday from 4 Dec to 20th, so poncing opportunities will be reduced.

We normally have two trees, an artificial one in the dining room and a real one in the sittingroom. DH is keen to get as many jobs as possible out of the way so has brought the artificial one up from the cellar with a view to my decorating it ASAP. But, even if I hang on until Friday, that is still more than a month before Christmas. Do you think, under the circs, this is OK?

My idea is to buy the other tree the weekend before we go away, leave it outside in a bucket of water and decorate on our return. The alternative is to put it up before we go and hope DS2 will water daily. Probably pushing my luck there.

Normally the three downstairs fireplaces get bedecked with festive swags, six doors in the hall each has a short swag on the lintel and the bannisters get an ivy and fir garland with ribbons. Maybe not this year, though I will miss it all. (Will the family even notice?)

Then the food. Nigella says Rocky Road, of which we need vast amounts, will freeze, but that's all very well, mince pies need advance making and freezing, plus the biscuits for that Christmas Star cake you make with the Lakeland cutters, so room needs to be made in the already fullish freezer.

I don't know why I am writing this really, I think I am asking permission to unponce for one year. Well?

Off now to make the marzipan friuts, at least they will keep in a tin.

tricky I used to sell christmas trees. We would often have stock for a week or more before it sold. We made sure to freshly cut the bottom of trunk and then stand them in a bucket of water. Definitely leave the net on to protect it. (i do not miss lugging the bloody things in and out of the shop every day)

I am on a much lower level of ponce this year. So much building work has put all sorts of jobs back. We usually stock up on wood in Sept/Oct but the shed was full of building materials, so we're having to use our free time to do that. House a mess from kitchen stuff migrating elsewhere. Seriously cluttered :( My toddler is being very demanding too, so I'm just not getting the chance to ponce.
I've given myself permission to be more laid back about it this year.

Hi, queenrollo, I have just rung the place where we get our tree and they will have the first ones on 1Dec. They will be cutting them during the preceding two days, so if we get one and keep it in water until we get back we should be OK. That is a very good point of yours about keeping the net on, thanks.

Well I made the marzipan fruits yesterday, only took 2 and a half hours and three dozen mince pies this afternoon.

I know it is frowned on in MN, but as many cards as possible will be Jackie Lawson. I can set them up to be sent after we go away so not ridiculously early.

Desperately trying to think of boring jobs to get out of the way in order to leave room for some proper poncing.

Thanks to whoever linked to the site to crochet little stockings. I wanted 9 little knitted ones as part of the presents for my nieces and nephews, but this is the first year I can remember where they haven't been on sale anywhere. So I taught myself to crochet and have finally finished making them myself, of increasing quality but varying sizes as I used up all sorts of wool from a few years of knitting projects!

Thank you for the cranberry gin recipe, I've just made a bottle and it looks yummy already. I've just put it back in the gin bottle though, that's ok isn't it?

Barb it was me!! Glad it's solved a problem! Well done. Bet they look fab.

I love a good Christmas ponce but have scaled back in the last couple of years due to lack of time. However, I have made my cake - departure from the usual Nigella one to Nigel Slater's instead, because I just wanted a small one.

And today I have started a Christmas table cloth with the Norway pattern by Camille Roskelly.

Today I wallpapered the sun room ready to add the Christmas decorations to make a Narnia theme .
I have a new theme every year as its where we eat Christmas lunch. I still have to make the frosted twig trees and hang the swags ( not sure about those) I also have some little white birds on twigs that I got from Poundland.

I'm so impressed you wallpaper for 1 day a year!

We're having our kitchen ripped out on Saturday for a new one to be installed before Christmas. Unfortunately it's a bigger job than expected (need new electric box) so may be a TV dinner if the builder has any delays

Trumpton your room looks beautiful

Ah don't misunderstand me , the paper will stay up till next year !

Looks wonderful! Workman now finished (bar a few tweaks in new Year) so I finally get my house back. The lack of decorations and the film of dust have left me very unfestive! Who is doing last minute poncing?

Sun room nearly finished. I still need to make some more plastic icicles to hang amongst the snowflakes.
Pleased with the twig trees although I did end up with post-crete in my shoes and paint all over me and the doormat .

However the 8 foot tree that DH insisted on buying is looking decidedly minimalistic as it is currently sporting 300 lights and a single bauble !
It's a job for tomorrow later today.

Right ! Now I must try to get back to sleep zzz

trumpton it looks magical.

Can I join in? I'm not normally a Christmas poncer but have been swayed this year.

I had a couple of weeks off sick and rediscovered my inner ponce my making Christmas decs. I've finished the front piece of my cross stitch reindeer cushion and found some lovely backing fabric so I'm going to get the machine out and make it up today.

I've also make some beaded cross stitch Christmas tree decs. [santa]

I love the cross stitch and the bead work . Lovely colours on your cushion .