Christmas 2012...

Merry Christmas all!

Hope everyone has had a lovely time and is now enjoying the relaxing post Christmas 'downtime' after the hectic run up and of course the day itself...

I had the luxury of a few days off before Christmas this year, and what a bonus that has been.Normally it feels like you're thrown into Christmas day itself with breakneck speed plus the fact I've not had Christmas off a-proper for the past six years (can you believe I wasn't allowed to take Christmas off one year because I "dont have children..."  as I was told...yep, that was a kick in the teeth) but these few days off have been a bonus...

So whats been occurring then...

I headed off on Friday to the shops to get my last few gifts and became wildly sidetracked by the cupcake stand...see, my love of all things pudding shaped still has not abated...(couldn't get a pudding planter from M&S though...gutted!)

The ginormous Christmas tree cupcake gave me ideas for next year too...

After planning my route around the shops, having my list (and checking it twice) I still ended up being out for three and a half hours and as it was by then lunchtime, the masses had descended, the cafes were packed so I ended up sat in my car with a 'Festive Bake'!!! Well, at least it was 'festive'....

 

That afternoon was spent wisely, wrapping up the prezzies bought that morning, labelled (handmade too...) ribboned and bowed and popped under the tree. Also the last few Christmas cards were made...

This Forever Friends idiot proof card making kit turned up the day before when I was searching for something else (always happens that way, doesn't it?) so I sat at the crafty spot and got making...

It was indeed idiot proof, like painting by numbers!

 

Whilst sat at my desk, there was a lovely rainbow that lasted for ages, very un-seasonal looking but so bright and vivid...

 



Some decorations were made too...little pompom snowmen made out of gorgeous, subtle, aurora borealis glittery wool from Poundland of all places...

His arms are made of twisted fine wire, the broom is a cocktail stick with 'unstrung string' for the bristles...a painted cocktail stick tip for his nose, sequin eyes a bit of blush on his cheeks and a ribbon scarf round his neck..

 

I made two of the little fellows, to live in the apothecary jars on my mantlepiece for over the festive period.
In the jar, a bit of a backdrop was needed, so I printed out my favourite Christmas Carol - Silent Night, aged it with a tea bag, tore the edges and sprayed it with glitter hairspray (better on paper than watered down glitter glue as it doesn't 'distort' the paper like it does with water based products...

One of the litte fellows in his jar...

I love them so much I just wish I'd made them earlier in the season so I could look at them longer!

There's been a bit of a 'Snowman' theme this year as well as my pudding love...this is lovely Mums Christmas card that I cross stitched for her...(the cupcake bauble is from Gisela Grahams' Christmas range)

I went to the Glasgow Crafts for Christmas event in November and was on the lookout for some variegated/tie dyed aida, but all I could find was linen, and try as I might I just cant stitch onto linen!
So not to be beaten, I got some white aida from the stash, broke open some pen ink cartridges and diluted them in warm water, scrunched up the aida and dunked it in....came out looking just as I was hoping it would...metallic threads and a bit more glitter hairspray finished the sparkle fest...

Again, with the Snowman theme....lovely Mum and I went to the Sage to watch see the Snowman on big screen accompanied by the Newcastle Philharmonic Orchestra...what a sight and sound that was...simply beautiful...

 

Christmas Eve saw a bit of a baking frenzy in the kitchen...I woke ridiculously early, so was in the kitchen at 5.30am listening to some great Christmas songs on the radio and baking up a storm...By 9.00am I had baked 12 mince pies, 18 sausage rolls, 12 mini quiches, 6 large choc chip cookies (more on them in a bit..), a tray of cherry shortbread and 12 spiced fruit cupcakes with which I created these... Santa 'Oooops' cupcakes...these four in the un-Christmassy box are for lovely nanna!!!

Now the choc chip cookies....Pinterest is to blame yet again...

Pudding shaped...couldn't resist making these...!

Come Christmas Eve evening, to say I was ready for a sit down is a bit of an understatement...candles, wine, chocolate... what more is needed...:-)

Well add a new onesie into the equation and Carols from Kings on the telly and it began to feel exceptionally festive and Christmassy...

In fact it felt exactly like this...like it in fact was...

BH x