Any Ponces Around?

[MikesJuppIsMyBitch]

My mincemeat is melting in the slow cooker atm, and it made me feel nostalgic for the Poncetastic thread. I've had a search, but can't see it.

I'm happy if someone else wants to start it, or this could be it!

Most of my poncing is kitchen based, although I'm planning to make seashell angels this year too, and maybe do something fiddly with acorns.

Also, I'm going to attempt to knit some presents.

Anyone out there? I'm poncing off now, but will check in later.

Love to ponce.

My main new project this year is going to be individual embroidered Christmassy initial gift tags that can double as ornaments should the recipient so desire. I am going to do them for just the immediate family which is 20 😱 people. I’ll start after Halloween though because I have some Halloween embroidery projects I’ve been looking forward to.

It’s going to be my second year in a row of double-poncing as my lovely mother, the Dowager Duchess of Ponce, is no longer well enough to do her own decorations so my sister and I get the treat of putting up over a dozen fabulous boxes of ponce for her!

Waiting eagerly for the poncetastic thread, as in true ponce fashion I have had myself a brand new wood front door for the season plus I’ve banned the inlaws this year so I can be as poncetastic as I like without MIL saying that it’s not necessary and “let’s just have an uncomplicated Christmas dinner with no faff” no, it’s all about the ponce!!!

Yes! Was just wondering who would start this. The only poncing I’ve done so far is my Christmassy Pinterest board. Going to collect pine cones at the weekend to dry in press for Christmas poncing

Oh and might collect some sloes if it’s dry for gin. The slow gin went down well as gifts last year

I am easing into the ponce.

I've made Christmas decorations in previous years (bunting and fabric chains) and now this year will make my own Christmas long sleeve top.

I really want to make matching pyjamas for me and the children (DH has no truck with that sort of thing) but lack of time will do for me.

I love baking and will do a lot of that.

Hello fellow Ponces! Always a relief to find it's not just you.

I wish I'd called the thread Easing Into the Ponce: it sounds fantastically smutty.

My mincemeat is all jarred and labelled, and I'm starting to feel that warm smug glow I get for being Better Than Other People. That's the essence of poncing for me. (Kind of joking).

I've got loads of dried pine cones left for last year, and have about a trillion Pinterest ideas to try. We made pine gnomes last year, which looked brilliant (and slightly daft) on the mantelpiece.

I've decided not to make a Christmas cake this year, as we've got so much of last year's left. Just writing that down has made me feel slightly twitchy, but I'm trying to see it as an opportunity to try making one of the many festive cake recipes I've saved over the years.

All your ideas sound lovely. I'm always slightly in awe of those who can sew. I sew like a six-year-old boy. [santa]

I have found my people! Just started sewing matching gift sacks for the kids. Couldn’t find the fabric I used for Ds1 when DS2 was born and them not matching makes me twitch!

Mincemeat is next on my list. I love the idea of place tags that can double up as decorations- definitely borrowing that idea

Please share your slow cooker mincemeat recipe. I can smell it from here!
I’m getting twitchy for Christmas crafting but am not sure what to make yet.
I always bake and cook and love all the Christmassy smells that come from the kitchen. I always make a cake that basically only I eat

This is what I need right now, a bloody good ponce! (Ok that sounded better in my head!)
Have you got a picture of the pine cone gnomes Mike? That sounds like a good start for me.

It’s been 2 years since my last efforts, when I made stockings for us all, and a ton of Christmas fudge.

“Easing into the ponce”

I think it appeals so much as a phrase because it describes me so well. I really enjoy a nice long run up to Christmas with plenty of time to do the things I enjoy, like baking and crafts. I usually don’t leave myself enough time but this year, I’m embracing it.

To date I have made two different flavours of mincemeat and the plum cheese from the GH Get Ahead magazine. Looking forward to making my cake and pudding in a few weeks time.

Ohhhh this thread sounds fabulous. Can I ponce too?

@HoldMeCloserTonyDanza that sounds amazing! Where did you get your inspiration from for embroidered gift tags?

Ahhh, I love all of this! 2018 is the year I can fully embrace the ponce.. I have moved into a house complete with fireplaces and a bay window (of course I had christmas tree locations in mind at all house viewings...)

I have already made some apple and chilli chutney and I've got all the ingredients for my mincemeat which will be done this weekend.

I'm also determined to do some non food related ponce-ing this year, any suggestions for easy but effective crafts welcome!

I made my mincemeat about 2 months’ ago. I’m counting down to being able to make other food items nearer to Christmas!

I do have a tonne of blackberries in the freezer, so will do more jam soon.

I’m generally a food poncer as I’m not very crafty / creative generally!

I can almost smell all your mincemeat & chutneys from here I’m only a basic sewer myself an in awe of the idea of a Christmas too! It sounds fab Jeremiah.

A Christmas top that is not too

Yay! The poncing thread [ssmile] I was thinking about them earlier

I did a load of Nordic and German biscuit recipes last year so I'm thinking of something a bit different for this year, not sure what yet. The good food jewelled cranberry mincemeat was amazing but my pastry was terrible so I need to work on pastry or bribe my DM to make me a batch.

Morning ponces!

I just use Delia's recipe to make mincemeat. I'm out today, but will post it later . She tells you to melt it in the oven for a couple of hours so the suet melts and coats the apple to stop it going off.

I stirred it together the day before with the DCs, left it overnight, then put it in the slow cooker on low for about half an hour. It makes the house smell bee-yootiful.

I'll dig out some photos of my pine gnomes. They turned out really well, as long as you didn't look at the back. (That's very much a theme in my makes).

Have any of you ponced in these threads in days of yore? I have, but have name-changed. Is fellatio here incognito?

I've got the ingredients for my Rick Stein spicy chutney. Just need to pick some apples and pears from the garden.

Keep on poncing!

Ooooh I thought 25th September is the official ponce thread start date? Don’t know if I can break tradition and ponce too early..

Ooh can I officially ponce too ? I was a poncing lurker last year ( which sounds decidedly iffy ) and loved reading about all your plans and stole a fair few ideas too ! So this year I thought I'd declare myself as a poncer

AlwaysPottering do you live near Swansea? I've got a bag of pine cones collected some years ago for an idea I can't remember what I collected them for. You're quite welcome to them.

I think there's traditionally an 'are we poncing yet?' thread, so we're entirely in keeping with that.

I went to our nearest pine forest last weekend equipped with children and bags. We found lots of beetles but not a single usable pinecone, we got completely lost and had to walk for miles to get back to the car, and the children are refusing to go near a forest with me again. I might have broken poncing.

On the plus side, we have a beautiful new fireplace this year so I'm really looking forward to bedecking that out in the finest poncery I can find not including pine cones

Yes, this is the pre-poncing thread, in preparation for the main ponce.

I was getting the ponce-jitters.

Oh well then, if this is also traditional, then I must immediately prepare for poncing! Really want a couple of traditional wreaths, have got a couple of sprays (white, silver and gold) but I might get a red or a pearlised one to enhance berries etc...

I am in the market for a garland too, will have a look at ideas unless anyone has any??

Oh oh and I want mini pine cones for poncing too!

My garlands are all artificial so far but I'm going to dry a load of orange and apple slices at the weekend to decorate them with. I have tiny gold-painted wooden stars that go on them too, and I think I'll get a wide rich red velvet ribbon to wind around the one on the stairs. I felt it was missing something last year.