Poncetastic 2017

[Annwithnoe]

Since there doesn't seem to be a poncetastic thread, and to avoid confusion with thread titles, would I be out of order to start this one?

First order of business, a toast to our dearly missed Fellatio Nelson, wherever she may be and a quote from her original thread:

^
"OK, first of all, I know it's still September by we need to start this thread now because as you all know, having a truly Poncetastic Christmas involves precision planning, strategy, bravery, heroics, and frequently martyrdom. A bit like the war in Afghanistan, only with nicer food and sparkly shoes.

So, if you, like me, actually want to make the next twelve weeks of your life a misery by hand-crafting your cards, finding a huge bucket for Nigella's turkey in brine, pickling pears, shrivelling oranges in a low oven for those rustic au naturel decorations, dragging half a holly bush back from the woods, and just generally being a smug annoying jobsworth ponce, join me on this thread.

Feel free to post photos of previous tree-trimming, cake icing or table centrepiece triumphs, discuss this year's bauble colour themes, debate the merits of Delia versus Gordon, road-test a selection of canapes and cocktails, (all in the line of duty) and link to lovely inspirational photos/craft ideas for a truly Poncetastic Christmas.

Warning: If your idea of a good Christmas involves Pizza, ITV, gravy granules or anything with 'Aunt Bessies' on the packet, this is not the thread for you".

^

May i introduce Fridge Snowman ? 5yo ds delighted in being asked to get xyz out of the fridge last Christmas

Oh crapola! Here he is:

quint you may indeed, is it coloured paper??
On it. So on it.

Ah quint that's fab - my fridge is red, I could do a Father Christmas!

Thank you again for such kind words. Before chemo started they said DH would have a year so if it hasn't done anything then we're going to have the best Christmas we can.

Dinosaur I'm so sorry about your lovely DF, I hope you have a fantastic Christmas.

show of hands pinterest is great, I've already followed mrs hathaway (I think?) This is my pinterest. I've got a Christmas board, a Christmas kitchen board and a north pole breakfast board!!

hairspray I might just borrow your list for myself....love a good list!

Can I ask you Christmas ponces ( my iPad just corrected that to ponies) a question about Christmas wreaths? A couple of years ago I bought a round polystyrene ring with the intention of wrapping it in white tinsel and adding baubles in bright clashing colours. ( of course the tinsel I bought wasn't long enough so it never happened) This year I am determined to ponce a little bit but my theme is more Scandinavian with lots of foliage and white candles etc. Any suggestions for a non traditional wreath along those lines? I was maybe thinking something with fabric tied around. I have ordered a load of pine cones and cinnamon sticks and I have a decent access to foliage but I didn't necessarily want a totally traditional look. Any suggestions gratefully received.

Badger - I've followed you back. LOVING the aesthetic. Thumbs up!

I'm going to go ahead and answer my own question. What do you think of the style of this one? The colours aren't to my taste but I like the general principle.

Hmm, that's really not my kind of thing - that artful casual thing is SO difficult to achieve, so if I did it it would just look scruffy

Along the Scandinavian lines, and having followed this very interesting link, how about a non-round wreath like this very minimal star:

and then save lots of the foliage and cinnamon for these delicious table decorations? I particularly like the ice tea light thingies.

I love those ice lights! I wonder how fast they'd melt? It gets very hot when everyone is crammed round the table talking. Maybe I'll put them outside to twinkle in the garden.

Just been to Tiger this morning and found their red gingham ribbon is back in stock so I bought lots for tying up cellophane sweet bags

They'd be just lovely on a doorstep, wouldn't they? Maybe LED tealights, as real ones get hot very quickly.

Love lots of those interiors but they're much whiter than my own ( and tidier). I find that I have quite a load of crafting material but I'm always missing some element.... so I love the metal star but I'm missing the metal star.... I love the red berries in the white pitcher but I'm missing the white pitcher..... and the red berries. . I love the reindeer skin thrown casually on the wooden bench.... I have a sheepskin so stinky that I'm the only person who will sit on it! I've got the stupid polystyrene ring and I will use it ! ( unless I can cobble a metal star out of wire coat hangers! )

Spirited Just to make you feel better I have one of those polystyrene rings in the back of my cupboard too, taunting me for years now. It was supposed to be wrapped with hessian and gold wire and a cluster of larch cones and dried orange slices. But every time it's come out one of the dc has commandeered it for some game and I lose track and then find it in February under someone's bed. Last year DD saw it and squealed happily because it seems playing games with a polystyrene ring is now an actual Christmas Tradition in our family.

Am now following Badger & MrsHathaway on Pinterest. Here's my Christmas board for any who are interested. Please excuse the many mannekins as christmas trees - I'm trying to persuade my niece not to be a grump about christmas & feel these may persuade her. I also use my board to gather ideas I think my Mum would like, so it's a bit all over the place.

as appear unable to spell mannequin ...

@MyPatronusIsABadger I do hope you have a wonderful Christmas with your family. I am very sorry.

@MrsHathaway I seem to already be following you and @MyPatronusIsABadger (I was following Christmas, but have followed your other boards as they appeal).

Whoever else posted your link I followed too. I find it funny that people who like pouncing/ Christmas planning also often have a bullet journal board too.

My Pinterest is here I have linked my home page as I have a board for Christmas and now a separate one for Christmas crafts and Christmas food so things are easier to find.

I'd love to see anyone else's Pinterest boards too- it is a nice site for inspiration.

Ha autocorrect made poncing into pouncing!

And I have no idea why half my post was in bold.

I'm loving the Pinterest inspiration I'm now getting. With everyone's beautiful styles I'm stumbling upon lots of things I wouldn't normally see.

spirited I like your wreath but I've no idea how difficult it would be. I'd have a big Victorian traditional Christmas if I could. I love the deep red colours, but also like all of the country Christmas understated stuff too.

What I need is half a dozen houses and an unlimited amount of money!

I'm going to drag out all of my Christmas books and plan what I want to do. I might add it to a list/calendar so I can plan my time and set realistic goals.

Hopefully it'll give me an idea of a productive way to use my commute time too.

Annwithnoe ah that sounds familiar...the craft project that never was. I do feel that I could probably win a medal at " buying the craft materials but never using them".... I am so fickle. Maybe this is my year. I'm really hoping that I can get the present buying done early so I can concentrate on the poncing and eating come December. I may make it my tradition to do something different with the stupid polystyrene ring each year. If I manage it this year I will post it.

YaY! I love this thread!

I'm going to get some fancy greenery like last year and make table decorations with pine cones and holly berries attached with green wire and intertwined with fairy lights and big white church candles for ultimate effect.

I am also looking at either embroidering my own jute sacks as stockings, or if this is too poncey/I don't have time will buying some personalised Christmas gift type bags to which I will add scandi brown paper wrapped presents with red string both from Ikea :D.

Will definitely be lurking on this thread to get more fabulously over-the-top ideas. Has anyone started an early Xmas Pinterest board I can follow? Mines below:

www.pinterest.co.uk/martinnathalie9/fabulous-christmas/
www.able-labels.co.uk/christmas
www.ikea.com/au/en/catalog/categories/departments/decoration/25228/

Nat xx

Will add mine later, printersest

Perhaps not correct thread to ask but I'm after warm sparkling fairy lights, like days of yore before led. Sick of buying ones and at home they look as charming and cosy as a prison strip light.

Nathlie you have a gorgeous junkaholique blog fireplace scene on your board, great blog for crafty s Xmas stuff

Sunset, my fairy lights are warm ones and they are lovely and cosy. I've accidentally bought bright ones through, they were indeed bright, but just awful, cold and blue. Im sure they work in very fashionable houses or with certain cool styles, but I couldn't pull it off at all and they went straight to the charity shop!

We just get at tesco or home base really as they are closest, but I think you'd be ok looking for warm fairy lights.

I'm sure I saw them last year I'm b&q and the range.
What I would love to see is the mixed fairy lights like we had as children in the 70's and 80's that were multi coloured but instead of red as they have now there was a glorious neon pink. I have one set, passed from my parents, with only 2 remaining pink bulbs on them. The switch from pink to red changes the whole overall tone of the colours.

Hugely resisting the urge to say 'it's not like it used to be.....'

Like these @thenewaveragebear1983