Christmas Countdown – Day Eight

No apologies today for bringing out an old favourite for the Christmas Countdown, it’s the Frangipane Mince Pies.

They are a firm family favourite, I’ve already had a request from my daughter in law for a consignment to take to the feast when we visit for Christmas. And looking at the blog stats I find the recipe has been visited over 1500 times since I first posted it!

You’ll find the link by clicking on the photo…

Frangipane Mince Pies – Planet Penny Recipes

These are the mince pies loved by people who don’t like mince pies!

And, if you are into baking, here’s a link that might interest you. How do you fancy being in that big tent with Paul and Mary next summer? Here’s the application form!

Great British Bake Off Application Form

If you get in, do let me know!

I’m getting ready for a trip to London which I’ll tell you about later. I’m off to panic about packing as little as possible without ending up without the things I need most. (Probably knickers and knitting!)

See you soon…x

Christmas Countdown – Day Seven

Day Seven of the Christmas Countdown already! That’s a whole week gone…eek!

From last year’s Advent Calendar I bring you gift tags, I had lot’s of fun making these. I wish I could remember the safe place in which I put the pot of silver bells, I’ve just had an idea….

Click on the photos below to go to the links, there are some lovely free tags to download and print if you haven’t the time to make your own…

Planet Penny Advent Calendar – Day Seven

These look very professional. I haven’t tested how easy it is to personalise them with your own choice of names, but Lia Griffiths the designer seems to have explained things very thoroughly.

liagriffith.com

You can buy these tags on Etsy, simple and very pretty…

Terryscards – Etsy

The Wee Birdy tags come in various colourways to download and print…

weebirdy.com

Understated elegance…

Happiness DIY

and homespun fun…

Fresh Picked Whimsy

I hope you find something here to suit your Christmas style…

See you tomorrow…x

Christmas Countdown – Day Six

Day Six on the Christmas Countdown… and last year I was thinking about pinning things, and it wasn’t anything to do with Pinterest either! There’s always stuff to pin up at Christmas from Christmas Cards to shopping lists so pretty pins are always useful for the pinboard, whether it’s in the kitchen or the workroom. I made these last year and if you follow the link below you can find out how. They are very easy, and packed in a pretty, decorated glass jar would make a great stocking filler for a crafty friend.

covered thumbtacks - Christmas Countdown day 6

Planet Penny Advent Calendar 2012 – Day Six

A good use of bottle tops here, you’d have to remember to be v-e-r-y gentle with the bottle opener to keep them neat!

Bottle top thumb tacks - Christmas Countdown Day 6

Martha Stewart

We’re back to buttons again here, is there no end to their uses? You can even fasten clothes with them, you know!

button thumb tacks - Christmas Countdown Day 6

The Crafted Sparrow

This candle idea is fun, and very easy. I feel like I have to do a Health and Safety thing here….take the pins out before the candle burns down to them… never leave burning candles unattended…not suitable for children under 36 months…

How about not lighting the candle at all, just stand back and admire!

thumb tack candle - Christmas Countdown Day 6

Activity Village

This next requires a serious amount of drawing pins, and maybe an account at the stationers…

thumb tack tree - Christmas Countdown Day 6

Landeelu

But oranges, lemons and limes would all look good with this treatment, if you’re not tempted to put them all in the mulled wine!

It’s not time for mulled wine alas, but I am in need of a cup of coffee so I’ll say…

…until tomorrow…x

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…

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…

Anthropologie

Pompoms again! I love them…

pompom wreath - christmas countdown day 5

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…

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?

notonthehighstreet.com

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

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…

…or knot them closely together like this…

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)

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.

These stars make a pretty garland…

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?

etsy.com

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

Until tomorrow…x