Category Archives: Christmas Countdown

Christmas Countdown – Day Five

We’ve got swags and garlands for Day Five of the Christmas Countdown.

(I’ve just been completely diverted by going back to the original blog post about the making of this garland and reliving a moment from 2009!  That’s what’s so lovely about writing a blog, isn’t it?)

Anyway, the link below will take you to a tutorial for this particular Christmas Garland…

Garland - Chriustmas Countdown Day 5

Planet Penny Advent Calendar – Day Five

The next one was for sale at Anthropologie, but I don’t think it taxes the imagination too much to work out how to make something similar…

Felt Wreath Christmas Countdown Day 5

Anthropologie

Pompoms again! I love them…

pompom wreath - christmas countdown day 5

Pinterest

I sooooo want a stags head!  Not a real one you understand, that wouldn’t be kind, but I would have such fun dressing it up like this… and the crochet garland is very pretty too!

reindeer head - Christmas Countdown Day 5

ing-things.com

And here’s a really pretty idea, and simple enough to do with the children.

This one is for sale on Etsy but Blooming Felt has a fantastic range of thick 100% wool fleece and felt balls for a project like this…

Felted Garland - Christmas Countdown Day 5

Etsy.com

Andfinally, a scrap bag garland, made by knotting fabric strips onto a wire ring base, or onto thick string to make a garland…

scrap wreath - Christmas Countdown Day 5

Crafts & DIY

I’m off to look for a stag’s head…I’ll be back tomorrow!

Christmas Countdown – Day Four

It’s Day Four of the Christmas Countdown and we’re in the button box!    You’ve probably noticed I love buttons and use them frequently as embellishments for crochet bits and pieces.

I’ve got a particularly precious box of mother-of-pearl buttons and these I like to use to make the sort of decorations which will come out of the box year after year as family heirlooms.  They just seem too fragile to stitch on to clothing which then gets hurled into the washing machine at regular intervals.

This was the heart I made last year.  It’s very simple, you can find out more by following the link below…

button star

Planet Penny Advent Calendar – Day Four

Next, a simple and effective way of making a unique card, and also inspiration for making a wired tree decoration as above, worked into a different shape.  The buttons here are quite standard, but look really pretty mixed together. (It’s always worth checking your local charity shop for button tins, and sometimes the most unprepossessing old garments have gorgeous buttons worth salvaging)

button heart card Christmas Countdown Day 4

folksy.com

I think these are tree decorations, but wouldn’t they make fabulous earrings?

button trees

notonthehighstreet.com

This is spectacular, isn’t it?  You would need a seriously large button box to make something as gorgeous as this!

button ball Christmas Countdown day 4

Pinterest.com

And back to the mother-of-pearl buttons again.  I think this is made in much the same way that I made the crochet string of balls and beads in this post, but there’s lots of scope for the imagination to make garlands for the tree.  You can space things out along the thread for a delicate look…

button garland

Pinterest

…or knot them closely together like this…

button garland

The Crafted Sparrow

I think I would be tempted to pop that last one in my jewellery box after Christmas!

So with that I’m off to find more seasonal inspiration, and I’ll be back tomorrow.

See you then …x

Christmas Countdown – Day Three

It’s Day Three of the Christmas Countdown and I’ve got a spot of paper folding for you.  I loved Origami as a child and I think the one and only book on the subject in our local library spent more time at my house than on the library shelves!  I only found out about these simple little stars made from paper strips relatively recently, though, and these are the ones I made last year for the Advent Calendar.  (click the photo below to find the instructions)

origami stars Christmas Countdown day 3

Planet Penny Advent Calendar – Day Three

Brightly coloured folded paper balls are spectacular, and you have to be pretty neat fingered and accurate.  However, I think once you’ve made them you would want to have them on display all year round, not just Christmas time!

Origami Lights Christmas Countdown Day 3

thecraftideas.com

These snowflakes and Santas are very jolly and brightly coloured, aren’t they?  The website the picture is linked to has little videos to show you how to make them.  I haven’t had a chance to try them out yet, but if you do I love to know how you get on!

origami snowflakes Christmas Countdown Day 3

Origami Maniacs

I had a craze for making paper cranes a while back and filled the family Christmas tree!  I sourced some metallic and iridescent Origami sheets which looked really pretty.

origami cranes

Pinterest

These stars make a pretty garland…

origami stars large
Design Detective

…and going back to the simple little stars at the beginning, this would make a stunning centrepiece for the Christmas table wouldn’t it?

star tree

etsy.com

Enjoy the links and have fun with the paper folding, I’m itching to have a go myself now!

Until tomorrow…x

Christmas Countdown – Day Two

Hello!  I hope you enjoyed the links and inspiration for Day One of the Christmas Countdown.

Looking back to last year and the Planet Penny Advent Calendar I found the little yarn balls which I made as tree decorations which then went on to have decorative use all year round.

This is how they started out…

mini balls and needles - Christmas Countdown day 2

Planet Penny Advent Calendar – Day Two

They then went on the tree…

yarn ball decorations Christmas Countdown Day 2

And eventually found a new life as the Knitting Mobile!

Knitting Mobile Christmas Countdown Day 2

Knitting Mobile link to PDF

This year I made some slightly bigger baubles by the same method, leaving off the knitting needles and adding a contrasting button on the hanger.

yarn balls Christmas countdown day 2 So with the wrapping of threads in mind, here are a few more ideas…

These are made using balloons and I think would work well fixed over fairy lights.

string balls

home-dzine.co.zaI

I can’t find a link for this one but I love it, even though it would take oodles of yarn (and patience!)

yarn wrapped tree

This little tree is sweet, and makes good use of battery fairy lights which are a much safer option, especially when you have excited little ones around.

wrapped yarn tree Christmas Count Down

Homemade Gifts Made Easy

And this is a lovely, simple idea.  What better time of year than Christmas to count your blessings and put them on a string?

blessings string Christmas Countdown

A Soft Place To Land

I hope you like these yarn and string ideas.  Don’t forget to click the images and links to find out more..

Have fun! See you tomorrow…x

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