Festive Gift Exchange

I was lucky enough to register for the wonderful handmade gift exchange kindly hosted by Linda at Craftaholics Anonymous, and was paired up with the crazy busy and talented Elle over at the Handkerchief Tree

We’ve been convoing a little and I’ll freely admit I’m kinda nervous that what I have prepared will be shonky at best, heck Elle teaches crafts! So no pressure what so ever, I just had to whip up some stuff for someone who is paid to teach people how to craft, eekkk!

After a few days pondering just what to do, I mean, what do you make for someone that could or probably has already made it? I decided to stick to what I think I’m good at and things I like doing, then I kinda got carried away and put together this little bundle of goodies!

{Festive bunting

Stuffed heart decorations

Zipper pouch

Tissue cozy

Handmade gift tags

Candle, made by hubby}

I decided to wrap each gift individually, I love brown paper for gift wrapping, there are so many ways to dress it up, I chose some spotty ribbon in red and white dotty and aqua and white dots, lovely!

I’m totally stoked with the parcel that Elle will be opening soon, I know Christmas isn’t all about the gifts but they are lovely.

Yummy treats!

Flu season this year has knocked my socks off this time round, I don’t remember ever feeling this bad, hopefully I won’t get another I’m not sure there are enough Kleenex left!

Anyhoo, moving on to nicer things….

I’m the first to admit that I’m no baker, but even this is one thing I can’t mess up!

I love coconut & cupcakes, so what better than coconut cupcakes!

To make these little bundles of yummyness you need to gather the following ingredients

2 medium eggs

1 tsp Vanilla extract

100g White sugar

Pinch of salt

Bag of shredded coconut (250g)

Crack the eggs into a bowl add the vanilla extract and whisk. Add the sugar and just a pinch of salt whisk it all together.

Mix in the coconut, making sure it is all covered in the mixture.

Pop some cupcake cases into a cake tin. Spoon into each case a few teaspoons of mixture.

Pop the trays in the oven for about 15 minutes at 200, once they are golden brown take them out of the oven.

Once they are cooled, pop in the fridge for 20 – 30 minutes to help firm them up.

Melt some chocolate, break into pieces and pop into a bowl which is sat over a pan of water. Make sure you don’t let the bowl sit in the water or allow the chocolate to burn!

Spoon some chocolate over each ‘cake’ and a sprinkle of stars!

Pop them back in the fridge to harden up the chocolate.

After you’ve had your dinner and the kiddos are in bed, make a hot choc, pop one or two coconut cakes on your plate and settle to read a few pages of a festive novel.

Eeeek! I’m getting ridiculously excited for Christmas, going to bust out the decorations and stuff tomorrow!

Its been a while!

The other day I realised it’s been about 12 months since I ‘discovered’ blogs, before that fateful Google search I’d never heard of blogs , I  wasn't aware that little blue frogs could help link things together and Pinterest was the exotic unknown cousin of ‘bookmark’.

A lot can happen in 12 months

I now have my own little blog, (with 399 followers more than I expected!),

I have linked to many a blog using those little blue frogs,

I have a new email address just for bloggy loveliness,

I’ve met some amazingly wonderful gals from all over the world,

Realised I’m not too bad at craftiness,

Bemoaned the fact all the best fabric stores are in the US,

Developed a ‘healthy’ obsession with fabric,

 Learnt how to use my sewing machine,

 Realised I don’t need to handover ridiculous amounts of cash to obtain cinnamon roll goodness (shame on you Cinnabon) as I make my own awesomely fanblinkingtastic cinnamon rolls WITH vanilla frosting,

Learnt enough about html to know I don’t want to learn any more,

Pondered as to why we don’t have different flavoured coffee creamer in the UK, Nestle you make me weep,

Made a bigger effort of making our home more homey,

Been humbled by the strength and generosity of others,

Realised that a fancy swanky camera isn’t necessary when Picnik / Photoshop is out there,

I’ve cried, laughed and snorted coffee out my nose (it was very attractive I can assure you) with the stories you share,

I’ve created a twitter account, got 1 follower and not even sent a tweet!

I’ve grown more confident and happier with the person I am.

This crazy trip into blogging has been great, and I’m looking forward to what the next 12 months have in store, thanks for taking this trip with me!

Festive Tea Lights & Ickyness

I’m feeling very sorry for myself, woke up this morning with a stinking throat infection, it's absolute agony, and I’ve no energy what so ever, which is a vulnerable position to be in when you have 2, 2 year  old boys to look after.

They know when I’m not in tip top mummy mode, they aren’t being too bad, considering I’m pretty much just stumbling around sounding like someone who has been smoking 60 a day for 50 years, they keep giving me cuddles and asking how I am, so sweet!

Anyhoo, as I’m feeling like total poop I’m going to share with you a tutorial for some festive, Scandi mini bucket tea light holders. This tut was first shared on Amie’s Pinkapotamus.

Today I’m going to show you a quick and easy festive decoration.

My love affair with Scandinavian inspired items has resulted in these little cuties, to make your own you need to gather the following items

{Mini buckets

Red & white ric rac

Scandinavian style embellishments

Mini bells

Hot glue gun}

Start off by cutting your ric rac in to lengths long enough to go round the top of your bucket.

Place a glob of hot glue on one side, I put mine just under the handle, press an end of the red and white ric rac into the glue.

Wrap the ric racs around the bucket, adding more hot glue on the opposite side, under the handle, press the ends of both the red and white ric rac into the glue. Snip off any excess ric rac.

Repeat for all buckets, I alternated between having the red and white on top.

From your selection of Scandinavian inspired embellishments, choose those you want to add to the buckets, I decided on one embellishment per bucket.

Add a glob of hot glue to the front of the bucket; press the embellishment into the glue.

Repeat for all the buckets.

I can’t have any Christmas décor without some bells in there somewhere, and I’m very fussy about bells, they have to have just the right sounding Christmas ring to them! I can be found ringing every bell in a shop just to find the right sounding ones; luckily these little rusty painted ones do the job!

Using some bakers twine I added a few bells to 3 of the buckets, tied to the handle.

Now you should have a selection of rather lovely mini buckets.

I placed mine on the mantel, the little train is a decoration from the Christmas tree we had when I was growing up.

Pop in some tea lights and you have a lovely candle lit display.

Hope you guys are enjoying my little Scandi phase!

Linking up to some of these

Home work, Making the World Cuter, French Country Cottage More the Merrier Monday Craft o Maniac Monday Organising Mission Monday Pinkapotamus Beneath the Rowan Tree, Home Stories of A-Z, Todays Creative Blog, Show & Tell, Power of Paint Party, Someday Crafts, Sweetpeas & Bumblebees, House of Hepworths, The Shabby Chic Cottage, Beyond the Picket Fence, The 36th Avenue, Fireflies & Jellybeans, 504 Main, 30 Handmade Days, Funky Junk Interiors, Under the Table and Dreaming, Sundae Scoop, Craft O Maniac, ABC & 123, Beneath the Rowan Tree, A Round Tuit, Serenity Now, Freckled Laundry, Homemaker in Heels, Spunky Junky, Funky Junk Interiors, Tatertots & Jello, J & M's Eye Candy, Organize with Sandy, The Creative Itch, Rook no.17,  Creative Spark, Gingersnaps, Blissful & Domestic,Keeping it Simple, Craft Junkie Too, Simply Designing, Making Lemonade, Truly Lovely Blog, Chic on a Shoestring Decorating, Cherished Bliss, Your Whims Wednesday, Lil' Luna, Crafty Confessions, Sugar Bee Crafts, Sew Woodsy, Wicked Awesome Wednesday, Home for the Holidays, My Repurposed  Life

Hey you guys!

Today I’m sharing a sweet little festive project over on Amie’s blog Pinkapotamus! 

Check it out if you have a spare few minutes, hope your all having a lovely Wednesday!

Seasonal Candle Safety Tips

With Holiday Season upon us and the darker winter nights well and truly here, most of us have started to bust out the candles.

So I thought it wouldn’t hurt to do a little reminder on candle safety, I’m sure you all know these things, and follow them, but sometimes a reminder is all good!

1)     Never leave a burning candle unattended, especially around kiddies and pets.

2)     Keep burning candles out the reach of kiddies and pets.

3)     Always ensure you extinguish the flame properly, the wick can reignite if the flame isn’t fully extinguished.

4)     Always place candles on a suitable heat resistant surface, preferably a candle plate.

5)     Ensure your candles are on a level surface, away from flammable items.

6)     Keep the wick trimmed, if it is too long, the flame will flicker and could leave soot up the wall, a ¼ inch is ideal.

7)     Keep candles away from drafts, you don’t want your curtains being blown into the flame!

8)     Don’t move them whilst they are burning, you don’t want to spill any melted wax on yourself and if a container candle, it will be hot.

9)     Make sure you remove any broken wick from the wax pool; it could work as another wick.

If you fancy making your own candles, here are some tips from the hubby who has been making all sorts of candles for over a year.

1)     Never put wax in the microwave to melt it down, all wax is flammable; if it reaches its flammable temperature in your microwave you will have a microwave on fire! (Soy wax could be done in the microwave, but you could still get hot spots – be careful)

2)     If you want to melt down scrappy candles to make a new one, use a double boiler, and don’t leave it unattended whilst melting.

3)     Make sure your wick is the appropriate size and type for the size and type of candle you are making.

4)     Use proper candle dyes, not crayons to colour your candles. I know Martha says you can, but crayons use pigment dye which can clog the resulting is a smoking candle and increased fire hazard!

1)     Do not burn for under an hour, with at least an hour’s burning time the melt pool goes across rather than straight down, increasing the life of your candle.

2)     Do not burn for more than 4 hours at any one time, the melt pool will be so big and deep it ends up burning away wax quicker.

{These are tips and advice, they do not replace common sense, please be careful, if you set light to aunties cardigan, it's not my fault}

Linking up to some of these blogs

Home work, Making the World Cuter, French Country Cottage More the Merrier Monday Craft o Maniac Monday Organising Mission Monday Pinkapotamus Beneath the Rowan Tree, Home Stories of A-Z, Todays Creative Blog, Show & Tell, Power of Paint Party, Someday Crafts, Sweetpeas & Bumblebees, House of Hepworths, The Shabby Chic Cottage, Beyond the Picket Fence, The 36th Avenue, Fireflies & Jellybeans, 504 Main, 30 Handmade Days, Funky Junk Interiors, Under the Table and Dreaming, Sundae Scoop, Craft O Maniac, ABC & 123, Beneath the Rowan Tree, A Round Tuit, Serenity Now, Freckled Laundry, Homemaker in Heels, Spunky Junky, Funky Junk Interiors, Tatertots & Jello, J & M's Eye Candy, Organize with Sandy, The Creative Itch, Rook no.17,  Creative Spark, Gingersnaps, Blissful & Domestic,Keeping it Simple, Craft Junkie Too, Simply Designing, Making Lemonade, Truly Lovely Blog, Chic on a Shoestring Decorating, Cherished Bliss, Your Whims Wednesday, Lil' Luna, Crafty Confessions, Sugar Bee Crafts, Sew Woodsy, Wicked Awesome Wednesday, Home for the Holidays

Scandi Shabby Chic Candles

This is perhaps my most favourite time of the year, cooler weather, hotter dinners and snuggling up indoors whilst it rains outside.

Its 2.30 in the afternoon and it is already getting dark, I’m sure I say the same thing every year, but doesn’t it feel as though it gets darker earlier and earlier?

With this in mind I decided to make some cozy candle jars, I’ve always loved the Scandinavian trend of red and white, especially in the Scandi shabby chic style, which inspired these.

To make your own you need to gather the following

{Clean, empty jars

Strips of hessian

Scrappy fabric hearts

Craft glue

Lavender

Wire

Tea lights

Throw & snugly socks optional}

I didn’t measure anything for this, gives it more that shabby homemade look!

Make sure your jars are clean, and eye ball the length & width you need of hessian to go around the jar, include a slight over lap too.

Cut your hessian.

Add a blob of craft glue to the centre of each strip.

Cut out hearts, I used scraps from another project.

Gently, but firmly press a heart onto each blob of glue.

Flip each strip of hessian over, place jar on its side in the middle of the strip, add a blob of glue and press one side of the hessian on to the glue, repeat for the other side.

Repeat for all jars.

Using some craft wire, make a handle for each jar.

I know a lot of you would probably use Epsom salt for this step, but I don’t have any!! So I decided to use some lavender which I grew myself, add a few handfuls of dried lavender to each jar, the warmth from the tea lights should help produce a lovely scent!

Pop a tea light in to each jar, don’t they look gorgeous just as they are?

Once lit, they look stunning with the light coming through the open weave of the hessian.

I’m going to make a few more to dot around the home, such a quick and easy make, but totally awesome.

I’d like to say I’m now sat wrapped in my throw with my feet cozy and warm in my fluffy socks, but, Ahren is wearing one sock whilst using the other as a flag to start a race and Ethan is wrapped in the throw and spinning.

Happy Monday. 

Linking to some of these blogs

Home work, Making the World Cuter, French Country Cottage More the Merrier Monday Craft o Maniac Monday Organising Mission Monday Pinkapotamus Beneath the Rowan Tree, Home Stories of A-Z, Todays Creative Blog, Show & Tell, Power of Paint Party, Someday Crafts, Sweetpeas & Bumblebees, House of Hepworths, The Shabby Chic Cottage, Beyond the Picket Fence, The 36th Avenue, Fireflies & Jellybeans, 504 Main, 30 Handmade Days, Funky Junk Interiors, Under the Table and Dreaming, Sundae Scoop, Craft O Maniac, ABC & 123, Beneath the Rowan Tree, A Round Tuit, Serenity Now, Freckled Laundry, Homemaker in Heels, Spunky Junky, Funky Junk Interiors, Tatertots & Jello, J & M's Eye Candy, Organize with Sandy, The Creative Itch, Rook no.17,  Creative Spark, Gingersnaps, Blissful & Domestic,Keeping it Simple, Craft Junkie Too, Simply Designing, Making Lemonade, Truly Lovely Blog, Chic on a Shoestring Decorating, Cherished Bliss, Your Whims Wednesday, Lil' Luna, Crafty Confessions, Sugar Bee Crafts, Sew Woodsy, Wicked Awesome Wednesday, Home for the Holidays