He was op shopped last week. He's made in Japan & plays "Santa Claus is coming to town".
Christmas really begins for us on the first of December. The tree goes up & all the decorations come out. The kids & I have made everything lovely & Christmassy today. We've been playing Christmas songs & reading Christmas stories & singing along with our dancing Santa.
I'm planning to post the 12 days of Christmas in the kootoyoo style. Play along if you like. I'd love to take a peek at a bit of holiday fun.
Tutorial: How to make these pillowcase craft project can be found in PDF form here.
Project Pillowcase: 5 speedy quick “present cupboard” craft projects made from one pillowcase for "A Week of Pillowcases" hosted at Meet Me at Mikes.
I try to use materials from Op Shops in my projects & I’ve been successful with this challenge. BUT…you shouldn’t feel restricted to using pillowcases. Remnants or lovely new fabrics will work just as effectively.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1 of 5 The End Product:
1 eco-friendly shopping bag.
The How To: Can be found here. You need to use bias tape for this project. So visit here for the best tutorial ever.
The Verdict: Super easy, super speedy & a AAA rating for the present cupboard. People on the nice list WILL be getting these for Christmas
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2 of 5 The End Product:
2 Covered Suspension Files (per pillowcase). The How To: Can be found here.
The Verdict: Super easy, super speedy & a AAA rating for the present cupboard. People on the nice list WILL be getting these for Christmas.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3 of 5 The End Product:
1 Peg Apron.
The How To: Can be found here.
The Verdict: Super easy, super speedy & a AAA rating for the present cupboard. People on the nice list WILL be getting these for Christmas.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 4 of 5 The End Product:
1 Blog Roll
The How To: Can be found here.
The Verdict: Super easy, but not so super speedy (the embroidery takes a bit of time). This pressie is for super special people.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 5 of 5 The End Product:
4 Tealight holders (you will be able to make 8-10 from one pillowcase).
The How To: Can be found here.
The Verdict: Super easy, super speedy & a AAA rating for the present cupboard. People on the nice list WILL be getting these for Christmas.
9 bad jokes 8 plates for turkey 7 twinkling lights 6 stuffed mushies 5 glowing gifts 4 waiting sacks 3 chrissy trees 2 drinks with bubbles & a sp...i...i...i...i...ng santa
You've gotta love a Christmas cracker. Tacky trinkets, dorky hats & bad jokes read out by drunk, dodgy relatives.
We are lucky. We don't have to get together with any undesirables on Christmas day.
I do get a good giggle out of the stories told by my brother & his gorgeous wife about some of the goings on at their Christmas events. I kind of wish I had a few stories of my own...
I had to check twice because I was a bit surprised about how many people I had on my nice list. Surely some of these folk must have been naughty.
We have a "no gift" rule with the adults in our family (we all give a donation to the charity of our choice instead). That cuts out a few but I'm still sitting at 2 pages!
I was feeling a bit like I was stuck on an express train to Christmas & I wasn't going to be ready when we reached the station. I've now completed my Christmas List & I think I can now sit back & enjoy the ride.
I've still got a few bits to make, a few bits to finish off & a few bits to buy. I am hoping to be able to finish off the purchasing at this shopping night. I'm feeling confident that I am on track for my handmade Christmas & feeling pretty good about it!
3 chrissy trees 2 drinks with bubbles & a sp..i...i...i...i...ng Santa
I LOVE a real Christmas Tree but unfortunately R has sneezed his way through the last few Decembers which is no fun at all.
The kids & I made these trees together. We cut them out of MDF, painted them, sprayed them with glitter & added the cup hooks.
Each child has their own tree decorated by themselves with all their special decorations. They get given a new decoration each Christmas & they put their handmade decs up too.
Yay for a sneeze free silly season.
If you have kids make sure you check out my December gift here.
5 glowing gifts 4 waiting sacks 3 Chrissy trees 2 drinks with bubbles & a sp...i...i...i...i...ng santa
Yep...that's the kootoyoo tribe. These tealight holders are gifts for someone special this Christmas.
I'm feeling a bit hamstrung by the "brilliance" of the 12 days of Christmas idea. I've got lots of other stuff I want to share & I'm lacking a bit of inspiration for the 12 days at the moment. It's OK at this end of the song but what about when I get to 10, 11 & 12?
Oh well...I'm a finisher that's for sure. If I commit to something I'm going to see it through. So if you nod off over the next few days I'll try to make sure that the wake-up call at the end is nice & loud.
Don't forget to check out the December gift. It really is a beauty. It plugs into the TV & all the games have an educational element. Take a look here.
Thinking lots about Christmas & giving & sharing & eating & drinking & making & appreciating...
I'm trying really hard to give handmade this year & I thought this might be a good way to spread a bit of Christmas Spirit around.
The Winner Takes it all!
Vintage Father Christmas pillowcase filled with great holiday gift ideas all handmade by me from mostly thrifted/recycled materials. I think that this would cross a LOT of people off your nice list this Holiday Season. You could win the lot! I'm happy to post anywhere! You can view this image with notes on Flickr.
I like to be organised...
Here's a list of places I've been & things I've seen to help me prepare for the upcoming holidays.
COPY FROM HERE:
Still feeling totally inspired by the handmade issue of mankind mag from my favourite design blog. Q What is the blog author's first name? ANSWER: use the first letter - LETTER:
We like to keep lunch casual, I've found some fabulous BBQ recipes for the big day. Q What type of meat is pictured on the rotisserie? ANSWER: use the first letter - LETTER:
Getting some great ideas for upcycling (my favourite craft) & enjoying the revamp over at this fabulous craft website. Q They list everyone's favourite Portland based author mama as one of their inspirational sites. Which Portland based author mama is she? ANSWER: use the second letter of her last name - LETTER:
Looking forward to being able to buy handmade at the shopping shindig with the craft book Queen. Q What type of car is pictured? ANSWER: use the first letter - LETTER:
All these letters unscramble to reveal: WHAT? is all you need.
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8 plates for turkey 7 twinkling lights 6 stuffed mushies 5 glowing gifts 4 waiting sacks 3 chrissy trees 2 drinks with bubbles & a sp...i...i...i...i...ng santa
We made these as Christmas gifts a couple of years ago. Each year they get brought out for our Christmas feasting. Somehow, I've become the custodian of a couple of extra plates because certain people (& you know who you are) insist on living thousands of kilometres away in the stickiness that is Darwin.
In other news...the light tour didn't disappoint.
Each house was rated by the tour leader:
c. best viewed at high speed b. slow down & maybe brake a second or two a. park car & mill about admiring the months of work by the owner/operator of the show
The kids had their own rating system:
Action scored points Quantity of lights scored points Appearance of cartoon character scored points Bonus points were awarded for the appearance of "baby Jesus" Mega points awarded if owner of house was handing out lollies
"TOP JOB" was awarded to this house:
This pic shows the small girl jumping for joy in the "snow" which cascaded from the balcony onto the crowd below at 30 seconds intervals.
I gave myself a laugh & then thought better of offending the nearest & dearest.
I fashioned these the other day in order to please the wheat free, gluten free, no tomatoes, no capsicum, no this, no that, no the other eaters in the family. They were very well received by all but the vegetarian (but she's used to fending for herself).
It's a scorching day in and around Melbourne today so I thought some of you might appreciate these little tastes of Australian Christmas.
I just chopped up the cucumber & scooped the seeds out then topped with turkey, cranberry & brie. Delish!
The beach has totally zoned me out. As a classic speedster, always multi tasking it's a complete break & absolutely lovely.
I did just want to pop in & say...
I'm wishing you all a safe & happy holiday. May the pretty drinks be plentiful & the company delightful.
I love a can do attitude. I like people who make stuff happen. I like folks who enable other people. I like a generosity of spirit.
A couple of items have come my way this week (via great girls with "can do" attitude) & I thought they might interest you guys...
YOU CAN help someone else...
Help raise much needed funds for young cancer sufferers.
How You Can get in the Christmas spirit It’s simple for the public to get involved this Christmas. You Can’s primary fundraising mechanic calls on Australians to recycle their old mobile phones – turning trash into much needed funds.
You Can Post It! Simply log onto www.youcan.org.au and request a Reply Paid mobile phone recycling envelope to include in your gift-giving this Christmas. Redundant mobile phones can also be dropped into You Can bins located in a range of retailers nationwide: Sony Centre, Best & Less, Harvey Norman and Leading Edge Computers
How does You Can work? It’s simple! You Can’s chief fundraising mechanic calls on Australians to recycle their old mobile phones – turning trash into much needed funds. It’s estimated that there are anywhere between 15 to 20 million unused phones in Australian homes!
Sony Foundation has partnered with Folamh, an Irish recycling company, to swap old mobile phones for cash to raise money for the development of youth cancer centres. All donated phones will be recycled for reuse. That means, once collected, phones will be refurbished and resold. Any mobile phone that cannot be resold will be broken down into its constituent parts and responsibly recycled. So simply by donating an old mobile phone, Australians can directly contribute to You Can’s fundraising appeal, whilst also contributing to a greener planet.
&/OR
YOU CAN help yourself...
Learn to screenprint right here in Melbourne.
If you book into a class in the next two weeks Laura is offering a FREE hand printed tea-towel! - you can find out more here for class dates
You just need to do is get in touch with Laura via email learn2screenprint@gmail.com to express your interest.
7 twinkling lights 6 stuffed mushies 5 glowing gifts 4 waiting sacks 3 chrissy trees 2 drinks with bubbles & a sp...i...i...i...i...ng santa
These gorgeous Christmas lights belonged to my Grandma & now belong to me.
Tonight we are going on an Xmas Light Night Tour (& it really is XLNT) with our ACE friends. It's a driving tour & Jo does heaps of research & plans the tour perfectly.
We are starting at Jo's with a couple of drinks & then heading out in convoy. Can't wait!
But I've officially caught the Christmas bug. I blame this girl for her constant stream of Christmassy goodness. Every time I hit "next" there's another bit of viral Christmas cheer.
The trees are up & the 2009 decorations were purchased from Mikes & made by Emerge - the kids love them & they are hanging front & centre on each tree.
I've had a crack at making some decorations of my own using wooden discs I purchased from Reverse Art & embroidery floss. I think my favourite is the tree.
just about to shut down. Still going with a couple of things which is a bit disappointing but unavoidable this year.
I enlisted the help of this charming little elf. I'm really glad I did or I'd be rocking in the corner about now. Her workmanship is incredible - "Elf of the Month".
I'm looking forward to the morning & the excited smalls.
Wishing you all a wonderfully happy Christmas Eve & an exciting Christmas Day.
12 days down 11 candy canes 10 rolls for pencils 9 bad jokes 8 plates for turkey 7 twinkling lights 6 stuffed mushies 5 glowing gifts 4 waiting sacks 3 chrissy trees 2 drinks with bubbles & a sp...i...i...i...i...ng santa
Is anyone else feeling like Christmas has really snuck up on them this year?
I am totally disorganised. Twelve days down & only twelve to go - yikes! I'd better get a wriggle on...
11 candy canes 10 rolls for pencils 9 bad jokes 8 plates for turkey 7 twinkling lights 6 stuffed mushies 5 glowing gifts 4 waiting sacks 3 chrissy trees 2 drinks with bubbles & a sp...i...i...i...i...ng santa
I know, I know there are supposed to be 12. I had to sample didn't I?
The candy cane doesn't really do it for me. I'm always disappointed in the peppermint. I don't reckon that they look like they should taste minty.
Candy canes are so much a part of Christmas that you have to force yourself to like them as they are always in plentiful supply this time of year.
I remember sticky taping candy canes onto cheap cards when I was a kid in primary school & now my kids do the same. I think just about every kid in the class does the candy cane thing so that means about 25 canes per child!
- Felt from Feltgirl on etsy. Far out...look at the colours aren't they wonderful!
- Wrapping the first of my Christmas presents. The Cookie genius has this wrapping paper for sale in her shop. She shoots you a PDF email & you just print away...5 colours. Fabulous.
- Apple green. I saw a display bathroom tiled in apple green tiles & now I can't stop thinking about it (& wishing I wasn't so "safe for resale").
- Victoria Mason. Just everything about that girl is hot, hot, hot. Her work is beyond compare...attention to detail every step of the way. She's going to be at Magnolia Square from Thursday to Sunday. Surely this Christmas you deserve a pencil sharpening or morning tea ring set.
- The Plant Sitter. I can't tell you how much I LOVE this book.
- Chicago. I've seen the stage show at least 10 times & I never get tired of it.
Not
- Airconditioning that's too cold. I wore my jeans on my arms in the theatre last night & used my carry bag as a nanna rug just to keep warm.
- Possums in the ceiling!!! It's OK...Pete's been around & I think we may have the little critter beat.
- Curly girl with a stomach bug.
Lot's more of what's hot & what's not over at Loobylu.
Family from interstate, christmas functions, pre-christmas catch-ups, water damaged phone, going away, presents to buy, blah blah blah. It's the same for everyone I know, but today I've been landed with more than I expected & I'm having to move like lightning!
This little beauty picked up at The Mill Markets in Geelong. I love it!
Look at all the alphabet stuff I've collected this week & most of it today. I cast my op shopping net a little wider today & came home with a whole host of goodies.
I'm thrilled with these pickups. I've had my eye out for some of these letter magnets for ages & I LOVE the curtain fabric too. The rest is all bonus material for a "lucky shopper". The Noah's Alphabet fabric is all black & white cartoons of 2X2 animals which I think would look pretty cute as embroidery. I'll be having a crack at that AFTER Christmas
In addition to my alphabet haul I also picked up a gorgeous Christmas frock to get me in a festive mood. It is red velvet & perhaps a little micro mini for me - I'll have to find something cute to wear under it.
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