Poncetastic 2020

[VivaJen]

I came on looking for the annual thread but can't find it so here is the start (courtesy of Fellatio - wherever you are)

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".

How lovely, I've been looking out for this thread!
I've got two jars of wild blackberry gin steeping away in the pantry, and DH has made two jars of his pickled onions.
I need to carry on with the kit of The Twelve Days of Christmas decorations I had as my main Christmas present last year. Lockdown and house renovations mean I haven't made as many as I wanted to, but I'm hoping to have 5 or 6 finished for this Christmas. Here are the finished Pear and Partridge! I'm half way through a Calling Bird and a Leaping Lord too

Wow @Boholady. They are amazing. Going to look so great when you have completed the full set.

@Boholady

How lovely, I've been looking out for this thread! I've got two jars of wild blackberry gin steeping away in the pantry, and DH has made two jars of his pickled onions. I need to carry on with the kit of The Twelve Days of Christmas decorations I had as my main Christmas present last year. Lockdown and house renovations mean I haven't made as many as I wanted to, but I'm hoping to have 5 or 6 finished for this Christmas. Here are the finished Pear and Partridge! I'm half way through a Calling Bird and a Leaping Lord too

Wow @Boholady they look beautiful and will become a family treasure. Picked onions sound good as well, I love a po with cold meats on Boxing Day.

Oh Delia's pickled shallots. Still have a jar from last year. They are eye wateringly strong and crunchy and magnificent.

The first Christmas we were married, I went all home-body and made my own pickled onions and picalilli; you couldn't see across the kitchen for vinegar fumes!

@Boholady Those are so beautiful! What a talent.

@Boholady

I just bought that single pear as a gift !

Also a modern embroidery kit for a 16 year old .

HERE

@Boholady

Don’t look! No peeking !

Those are beautiful @Boholady they put the felt decorations i have been making to shame!

My hairy bikers book arrived for less that £3 from abebooks I am pretty pleased. I want to bake now.

I am currently torn between cox and cox wrapping ( beautiful and not to bad with a referral discount) and a roll of brown paper (effectively free as can buy from a small business on amazon and get the credit back). I have bought some pretty recyclable tape but I'm just not sure. Has anyone chosen their paper for this year yet?

@finallyfoundkeys I love your present tags, how beautiful!

Thank you everyone else for the kind words about my felt Twelve Days of Christmas decorations x
It was a lovely present to receive, because it's given me joy all year long (and will next year too because I won't finish them until next Christmas lol).

@Makedo I’ve gone for gold and silver tones this year. I found three beautiful and huge rolls in T K Maxx. One rose gold, one marbled and one silver. All of them have a slightly iridescent sheen to them. I’m tying with pale gold and white checked wire edged ribbon. I like to mix different papers amongst the recipients, so they all ‘tone’ together. We make handmade white card labels from luggage tags to thread on to the ribbon.
I’m glad I’ve found a place to confess my Christmas obsession!

So happy to see the poncetastic thread, I follow & post every year but my poncing is limited to crochet and cross stitch. Am jealous of all those who can bake.

This year is so up in the air with local lockdowns etc that I won't be doing too much. I've made a cushion for dm, half a cushion so far for dsis and have started a Christmas cross stitch for me.

I plan to make 2 book marks, a penguin toy and possibly a Christmas tree if I can squeeze them in, and will hopefully be enjoying the candles I made earlier this year using up winter / Christmas melts and the wax that didn't burn when the wick ran out - I've re-used 2 Sainsbury's Christmas candle containers and I'm quite proud of them.

This is what I found 2 of in my stash; I'm just about to pop one in the washer now. Then make it if it doesn't run, over the next week or so, for my friend's almost 1yo for Christmas

I've just made a second batch of sausage rolls, this time flavoured with homegrown chillies. They have one hell of a kick! 🌶🔥🌶🔥

I have a massive roll of brown paper here since we moved house. I think I'll chop off slices, sit down with the kids on Sundays in November in front of nice films and draw and colour patterns on it (a pattern for each recipient). Them on Christmas Day, we can just gather the lot and stick it on the compost heap. Sorted

I wish I could figure out presents for the adults though, I've 4 to buy for and not the slightest idea for any of them.

And then cushion fronts. They seem a bit squiffy though so will see how they wash and iron first. & I'm not convinced how they'll go with the pink & purple dd1 has chosen

lucysmam, I would buy a cushion pad about 2 inches wider than the red patterned areas. Sew the fronts on to your backing fabric, cutting off the white/blue excess.
You should find that the squiffiness goes as the covers adjust to the square pads. .

TrickyD thanks for the tip, I'll do that. Even if they don't match anything this year, they will in future.

@Boholady, your decorations are amazing!!

How much time would you say you spent on each item?

@mathanxiety I think the partridge took about 6 hours, doing it in two sessions. That's including cutting out the paper pattern pieces and so on. But I've been enjoying taking my time and trying to sew as beautifully as I can because that's all part of the pleasure for me. I find it very relaxing, and 3 hours disappears without me realising lol

I should say the partridge is double sided, so the pear took less time, maybe 4 hours or so? But again, I did it over two sessions.

They certainly look as if a lot of care (and expertise) went into them. You really have sewn beautifully.

@Lalanbaba

Clementine, black pepper and Bay gin. Gingerbread gin. Blackberry whisky. All done and stocked in the pantry. I'm trying different recipes for sausage rolls and today I used apple sausages with fennel and extra black pepper. Does anyone have tried to freeze them raw and cooked them from frozen? That would be great for Xmas Breakfast or Xmas eve.

I always freeze uncooked and just pop straight in the oven. So much nicer when they cook fresh and you get the delicious smell.

Can I join in? I've always been a bit poncy but this year is my first on my own house and (probably) the first I will host myself rather than at parents so I am already getting a bit overexcited.

So far I've made apple and beetroot chutney, apple butter (have had a bit of an excess of apples!) and today I am going to make either chilli jam or mincemeat and maybe start on the flavoured fins if I can find some big kilner jars somewhere

No ones a massive Christmas cake fan but I was thinking about making nigellas chocolate Christmas cake instead. Don't know if anyone has tried it?

GoGoGone, not sure about the flavoured fins. Sharks’ or Salmon?
The rest sounds lovely though.

@mathanxiety thank you! I wish I was clever enough to design them in the first place lol x