Gingerbread Man (Christmas) Cross Stitch

Well, it's only 292 days til Christmas! In reality, I finished this cross stitch last year, but helpfully didn't get it finally mounted until earlier this year... But, it's ready for next Christmas! The Gingerbread Man is made with a Christmas Characters cross stitch kit from DMC - a lovely little gift from my husband :) I mounted it in a wooden embroidery hoop that I painted gold, and added a little gold bell and a red hanging ribbon. I really love it when I walk by the tree, knock a branch, and hear a little jingle, so I couldn't resist that addition.

Present Gift Card Holder

When giving someone a giftcard or just some cash, it can be difficult to make it look special. This free SVG by Dreaming Tree offers a solution with a little present that holds a gift card inside. This was quick and easy to cut out using my Cricut Explore Air 2, and was even fairly easy to glue together. I chose to make the main body of the present in a dark green, and chose a complimentary hand-marbled paper from my stash for the front. I also added one of my gift tags which I've shared peeks at over on Instagram! I used some simple curling ribbon to tie it up, as I didn't have any appropriate fabric ribbon to hand. Inside is an insert which you glue down, and it has a slot in the middle for your gift card or cash. I've just put a gift tag in to model it! I really love that this was easy and effective. And it wouldn't even be too difficult to make a simpler one without a cutting machine.

Festive February: Butterfly Ornament & Behind the Scenes

Happy Christmas! Well, maybe not quite. But welcome to Festive February! Normally in the run up to Christmas I fill this blog with seasonal creations, but as I mentioned on my Facebook page last December was very much focused on my health and my family, rather than blogging. That didn't mean I didn't spend time creating though! So I thought we'd have a little mini-series sharing all the things I didn't get a chance to blog - it made more sense than waiting til November!

The first project I want to share is possibly the most important, and also fits in with why Christmas was quiet. Our baby daughter, Youngling, was stillborn just days before Christmas, and we were in and out of hospital with difficulties. Even though she's not with us, she's a Christmas baby, and I wanted to make an ornament to remember her every year on our Christmas tree. The room where I gave birth was filled with butterflies, and it just seemed right to blend a butterfly motif with the pure white of a new born child. It doesn't scream of grief or loss, but just something that brings her into our Christmasses for years to come.

It is made from two pieces of white felt, one with cut out shapes. There is a layer of interfacing and a layer of angel hair sandwiched in between, and hand sewn together. I added a hanging ribbon, some sequins and beads, and embroidered her name on the back.

Balloon Birthday Card

I wanted a bright, bold, and slightly girly card for my niece's Birthday earlier this year. If you can't tell, she was turning 8 years old! I loved the idea of a big balloon card, and was able to re-purpose this polka dot wrapping paper from my stash :)

I backed it on some card for stability and raised it from the card with 3D foam pads. I added some liquid jewels on the silver polka dots, cut out a number 8, and tied the balloon with some lengths from my ribbon collection! Hopefully it won't float away too quickly...

Accessories Holder

My youngest niece recently celebrated her 5th Birthday, and as many of us girls do, she loves her hair accessories! I recently saw this idea online, and thought it would be perfect for her. I'm sure it won't organise her entire collection, but it at least allows her to display and easily access her favourites :)

Assembly was fairly simple, once I had the right equipment! I began with a 15cm square canvas, and attached a layer of wadding on top of it so that there was some give. I cut a square of fabric from my stash (I used to have some of this fabric attached to my jeans!), and attached various ribbons to make four strips. I also attached two small loops at the bottom to hang hairbands from.

I attached a hanging loop at the top, and stitched a ribbon bow on for some extra prettiness :) This particular ribbon bow actually came tying up a set of pyjamas - remember to never throw anything away! I then spread the fabric over the canvas, stapling it at the back. I originally tried to do this by opening my normal stapler out to use as a staple gun, but it was not going well! Thankfully my father-in-law stepped in with a proper staple gun, which worked much better :)

Summer Brights Birthday Cards

I recently went through a pile of Craftseller magazines from a couple of years ago, and found in them a whole selection of craft papers I had forgotten about! It's lead to some experimenting of mixing patterns and colours I wouldn't normally use, inspired by the graphics provided. It's been a lot of fun :)

This gorgeous tag with the red polka dot balloon was included in the range. I was even more impressed that I had a pink paper in my stash that (nearly!) perfectly matched the pink edge of the tag. I raised the tag with 3D dots, and added a little ribbon bow so it would appear tied on.

I loved this Birthday Wishes graphic, and how it had matching floral papers. I stuck with the red and white theme, mounting it on some hammered white card and red paper. I'm not used to using a graphic as bold as the red and white zig zags (or chevrons, as they're called these days!) but I think I made the balance of pattern work, and raising the graphic off the background helped.

I used some of the floral papers in this card too, for a friend who has a sweet tooth! The colour combination is so bright and fresh, but the empty space balances out the amount of pattern. Although I have to admit to finding these off shaped graphics awkward to work with!

I love this polka dot balloon, and used it to make a smaller card. The graphic uses off white rather than pure white, so I reflected this in the hammered ivory paper, and then picked up the red again in the "gingham" paper. I love the turquoise and red together!

Bunny Bunting [Great for Spring!]

I'm afraid I've been a naughty blogger... Not only have I not posted in over a month, I can't find the source of my original inspiration for this bunny bunting! You will find it in various forms across the internet though :) We are bunny-mad in our household, and when I saw this idea I knew it would be perfect to decorate the area of the house which our rabbits spend their time playing in. But, it would also make a great spring time craft, especially if you throw some spring colours and pretty papers in :)

It was a lovely simply make, textured card from WHSmith, fork pom poms (I still don't love the method, but I tied them slightly differently and trimmed them down, and they worked for this!) and some twine I had to hand - I wanted to use ribbon but I didn't have any in the right colour/length/width combination! Always the way. I enjoy a bit of craftiness decorating the house, and with my husband always in mind, this is cute without being garish!

Felt Patchwork Christmas Stocking

After making my husband his Star Wars R2D2 Christmas stocking last year, I decided to make my own personalised stocking this year :)

You may remember seeing sneak peeks of this earlier in the year, piecing together the patchwork and these detailed sparkly sections.

The back is made from white fleece, and the front is made from a patchwork of felt. The different elements on the front involve beading, sequins, felting, hand stitching and ribbons.

I love it so much, and can't wait to (hopefully!) find it on Christmas morning...!