Winter Teddy Bear Decorations

The Cricut Explore Air 2 has pros and cons. One of the pros is they have a huge number of templates and projects available to you as part of their design space. One of the cons is that to access it you need a subscription! I bought myself a months subscription in the Autumn in order to get lots of little projects made, including these cute teddies for the Christmas tree.

These teddies are from the Cricut range 'Teddy Parade', and it features these adorable teds in a range of different outfits! I mixed and matched a couple of them to get this hat and scarf look, before cutting out in the colours I wished and attaching coordinating thread! I cut an extra teddy shape out and glued it to the back so that the thread is enclosed and the bears are a bit more sturdy. They're super cute :)

Silver and Blue Kusudama

Last December I shared with you my Cream and Gold Kusudama, mentioning I had another one in the works... Well, I did in fact get it finished before Christmas was over, but never had a chance to photograph or blog it. So, here we are!

It's been nearly a year since I made it, so I don't exactly have much to say about it, although wrapped in bubblewrap it has held up just fine in storage. I used the same tutorials as last time, the details of which are in the post linked above. I really love the intricacy of these decorations, though the amount of effort involved is currently ensuring I do not start another one!

[The blog is a bit quiet at the moment due to personal reasons. But I have a huge selection of inspiration for Christmas decorations in my Christmas tag!]

Fluffy Cowl and Mittens

I was in Wilkos before Christmas, and found this amazingly soft, fluffy and brightly coloured wool by Yarnfair. I fell in love and a ball fell into my basket!

I began by making myself a cowl, based on this pattern by Delia Creates. Based on, because I adjusted the number of stitches in my foundation chain and the number of rows to suit my personal taste. Also, I began the cowl with half double foundation crochet, rather than working into a chain. And I got slightly distracted and realised afterwards the cowl isn't actually in hdc, because I managed to add an extra yo and pull through in the middle of every stitch, which is why the "knit look" is less effective - at least I made my mistake consistently!

I loved this wool so much that when I finished the cowl I immediately started on a pair of fingerless gloves too. I used the same pattern, just a smaller starting chain, and left a gap for a thumb hole. I ran out of wool partly through the second one, so I had to buy more (such a shame!)

I received a black leather jacket with bulky silver zips for Christmas, and I have enjoyed the contrast of wearing that jacket with these soft, bright feminine accessories. I also discovered a brooch I had previously made matched the colour scheme perfectly, and I love that it is an extra accessory for either the mitts or the cowl :)

By The River Dee