Gingerbread Tree and Chrimbly counting 21

21 - this picture is from the archives, I can visualise the moment but can not remember the story. So, let's waste not time and get on crafting! (Well eating!)

Gingerbread Tree (needs to be eaten same day)

You will need ..
Your favourite gingerbread biscuit recipe
Star shaped biscuit cutters - in decreasing sizes
Star shaped biscuit template/s - larger than the biscuit cutter sizes
Decorative plate
Edible glitter
Optional - ready to roll icing

1. Make the gingerbread recipe, roll and cut out star shapes to create your tree.

I did three extra large stars, two large (both sizes from the templates I made) then I made four of each of the three biscuit cutter size and then a final much smaller star (I cut this free hand)
2.  Bake your biscuits and allow to fully cool and harden

3. Roll and cut out icing shapes to match every one of your biscuits

4. Starting with the largest star, layer up in decreasing biscuit sizes, pressing lightly to help with the construction

5. Once all stacked up, sprinkle lightly with edible glitter ... stand back, take photos before hungry guests tuck in!

 Ideally the tree should be made and eaten on the same day, however, the biscuits can be pre-made a day or two, stored in an airtight tin and the icing added just before your guests land :)

If you have been inspired by my tutorial, 

please could you be so kind to link back to my blog

I would love to see your yummy yummy festive trees :)

Linking with Julie's Advent

#hawthorn

#crafts  #christmascrafts  #handmadewithlove #handicraft #inspiredby #imadethis #livelovecraftme

Nordic style forest and chrimbly counting 20

A French style enamelled number plate in the middle of a native wild flower meadow on a small island.

Nordic Style Forest

You will need ...

Card - any colour - I chose ice blues, charcoal greys and duck egg blues

Scissors

Pen/pencil

Glue

G*L*I*T*T*E*R (comes with the same health warning as yesterday)

1. On a scrap piece of paper folded in half, draw a simple tree shape, the trees I made are approximately 10cm tall 

2.Cut your template out, lie on to your card, draw around and cut out the segments

3. Each tree needs three sections

4.Once you have cut three tree shapes, fold each one in half
5. Glue the outside of one half of one tree shape - see photo above right

6. Stick a second tree shape to the gluey half of the first tree, hold tight until dry

7. Turn over and add glue to both halves of your tree

8. Take the third and final tree section and stick to the gluey halves. Hold tight to dry

9. Stand the tree on it's base and smile coz suddenly you have a Nordic style tree right in front of you!

10. Repeat the exercise varying the shades of the trees until you have a little forest sprouting up before your very eyes

11.  I used pinking shears on two of the trees to give them added interest, leaving the other two plain

12. Do you add glitter? I did, I still had the twinkly stuff everywhere left over from yesterday's post, so it seemed churlish not to use it up and just go the whole glittery hog!

I'm glad I did :)

If you have been inspired by my tutorial, 

please could you be so kind to link back to my blog

I would love to see your little Nordic trees :)

Linking with Julie's Advent

#hawthorn

#crafts  #christmascrafts  #handmadewithlove #handicraft #inspiredby #imadethis #livelovecraftme

Lucky stars and counting 19

On a fairly (no - extremely) remote island walk, we found, along the practically indistinct pathway (I am sure it was just a sheep track ...) this fishing buoy. It had not been there long as the grass beneath was still fresh and only lightly dented.  And the sea? Quite a way off and the path was too high up for the buoy to have just rolled there on the day's light breeze ... so who'd carried it there and then abandoned it? 

'Curiouser and Curiouser' as Alice would have said.

Little lucky paper stars 

You will need ....

Pliable A4 paper (cartridge or origami)

Scissors

Ruler

Pencil

Embroidery thread and needle

Optional (and I hasten to add it should come with a health warning) glue and G*L*I*T*T*E*R

1. Measure, along the length of the paper, 2cm wide strips and cut out - each strip makes a star

2. Tie a 'knot' at one end of your strip of paper - careful not to pull too light as you want your paper to stay flat. 

3.Having tied your 'knot', flatten the creases firmly with your fingers

4. Take the short end of the paper ribbon and tuck into the knot - see photos below

5. Once tucked in, turn knot over and fold the long piece around, tightening the creases as you go along. The knot creates a pentagon shape which 'forces' your paper ribbon to go around the different edges of the pentagon as you wrap. Crease firmly each time. See photo below

6. Once you have used up all the paper ribbon, the last little piece must be tucked in and all creases pressed down.

7. If the very last little bit of paper comes out further than it should, snip off the excess - see below

8. Now for the persuasion part! Pinch the points of the pentagon, working around your shape as you go. You will have to go around a number of times before the star holds it's new form

9. You should, fairly quickly, have a mini galaxy forming. They are little papery delights as they cluster together. It is at this point you should think carefully as to the next step..... to  G*L*I*T*T*E*R or not to G*L*I*T*T*E*R

10 I chose to G*L*I*T*T*E*R

11. I am STILL clearing up the sparkle and twinkle. 

If you have been inspired by my tutorial, 

please could you be so kind to link back to my blog

I would love to see your little lucky stars :)

Linking with Julie's Advent

#hawthorn

#crafts  #christmascrafts  #handmadewithlove #handicraft #inspiredby #imadethis #livelovecraftme

Paperback Novel Trees and counting chrimbly numbers 18

In a small ex-industrial linear village, lined with stone terraces and squashed cottages, a little home pressed up against a shop opposite a local supermarket has the delightful view of a soulless tarred car-park. Quietly it has a very small and almost indiscernible house number at pavement level.

Paperback Novel Trees

You will need ...

Pages from a thrown away novel

Ruler

Hole punch

Wooden skewers

Small block or wood or wooden buttons

Drill (may not require)

Stars - sticky, button, hand drawn

Scissors
Extras - small vase or pots, ethically gathered moss 

1. Fold your page in half - but only pinch the top crease, try not to bend the remaining paper

2. Draw from the central top fold down to create a triangle. Some trees I made were very narrow tall triangles, others fatter and wider

3.Cut out the triangle, keep the off-cuts - they may be a good shape to make tall thin trees

4. Fold the triangle in a concertina pattern, starting from the base. Narrow folds give a nice zig-zag tree but see what you think

5. Punch a hole in the middle of your folds - you may have to do in several stages if you have a small hole punch

6. Thread your wooden skewer through the holes

7.  If you find the peak tends to tip over, which I did, you can lightly pierce the top triangle with the skewer point which works well to keep the tree upright

8.  Before you attach your tree to it's base, this is a good time to add your star to the top. I used a star shaped button and tied it to the top of the skewer. Equally a star sticker would work just as well

9. Insert your skewer tree trunks into the pre-drilled block of wood or in wooden buttons (I was lucky enough to be gifted some ages ago and never had a use for them - until now!) 

Ta-Da!

In my enthusiasm for making my Paperback Novel Trees, I ran out of bases, so I filled a little jar with moss and 'planted' three more trees :) 

If you have been inspired by my tutorial, 

please could you be so kind to link back to my blog

I would love to see your little trees :)

Linking with Julie's Advent

#hawthorn

#crafts  #christmascrafts  #handmadewithlove #handicraft #inspiredby #imadethis #livelovecraftme

Tomte inspired drift wood santas and chrimbly counting 17

The National Trust really looks after her volunteers, we were taken on a jolly out at the end of summer and (Susan from Granny Smith's Quilting will recognise this image) we went to Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal. Key places were identified with simple but perfect signs - number 17 - you have been snapped!

During this month of crafty nonsense, I have learnt a lot along the way and I have enjoyed crafting and sharing, however there are a couple of my tutorials that I absolutely adore and  these little chaps are my utter utter favourites - I hope you love them too :)

Tomte driftwood santas

You will need ...

Small pieces of driftwood

Acrylic paints - red, white, black, pink
Small paintbrushes

Drill

Embroidery thread

Tapestry needle

Scissors

1. Prepare your drift wood - ensure not sandy, saturated or too brittle. The ideal would be to have aged looking wood which is light and easy to work with 

 2. Choose which way round you want the tomte/santa face and paint the lower 'beard and face' area with a rough coat of white acrylic paint - I decided I wanted the end item to look shabby and aged

3. Once the white is dry, paint, in pink, a softly square face shape (either with a ready made pink or mix the red and white to a suitable shade)

4. Paint the top part of the wood in red - this will be the hat

5. When the face has dried, dawb a couple of cheery cheeks (I was inspired by the 'Nutcracker Soldier')

6. When the face has dried, paint eyes in a variety of expressions - in black

7. Using the white, give each little tomte/santa a lovely twirly mustache, a 'pompom' at the top of his hat and a thicker white 'fluffy' border at the base of his hat

8. When the mustaches are dry, add the final touch of nose and mouth

9. Carefully drill a hole at the top through the 'hat', thread with the tapestry needle the embroidery floss, cut and tie off.

Then, do a happy dance, feel free to clap your  hands and squeal (coz I did) !

I have seen somewhere in tinter-land something like this and I did try to find it so I could credit them, however, try as I might, I have not been able to track them down - but thank you who ever you were - you inspired me!

Linking with Julie's Advent

If you have been inspired by my tutorial, 

please could you be so kind to link back to my blog

I would love to see your tomte - santas :)

#crafts  #christmascrafts  #handmadewithlove #handicraft #inspiredby #imadethis #livelovecraftme