Festive home made caramel bars and chrimbly counting 23

Good grief - no 23!!! Hey ho, no worries, lets move on to ....

Home made caramel bars

You will need ...

Your favourite caramel or toffee recipe

Grease-proof paper

Festive wrapping paper/ribbons

Scissors

Make and cool your caramel or toffee recipe as per the instructions

Cut into finger sized bars

Wrap first in grease-proof paper - either as a little parcel or in a candy wrapper style

Layer up with your decorative paper or ribbons

Slap away any hands that think they can have first dibs

Decorate tree or hand out your caramel bars to special folk - just because they deserve it :)

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  caramel bars!

Linking with Julie's Advent

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

Shabby chic style wooden ornaments and chrimbly counting 22

It seems such a long time ago (1st of October) that I visited Fountains Abbey in warm and glorious sunshine, a complete contrast to today - a dreich and grey day - all the more reason to get crafting!

Shabby chic style wooden ornaments

You will need ...

Little 'slices of wood' - these were cut from a pruned cherry tree branch and dried on the radiator overnight (I wanted them to crack)

Acrylic Paint (I used red and white)

Letter stamps or stencils

And .... I *whispers* used glitter (again ....)

Ribbon

Drill

Tapestry needle
Optional - varnish

Drill, printing blocks, wood slices

Paints

G*L*I*T*T*E*R

1. Saw through a pruned branch - the one here is approximately 6cm across. 

2. Dry over night on the radiator (in the southern hemisphere!) I wanted the slices to look old and rustic so I then placed them on top of our wood burner for about an hour or so and the little cracks soon appeared (happy me)

3. Once dried, decide which way will be the top and paint a coat in your chosen colour, you may need more than one  - I found one layer of white was too pale once dried and did a second coat.

4. While the paint was still damp, I sprinkled a little silver glitter.

5. Drill a small hole at the top (to thread your ribbon through later) I forgot to do this step until I'd rushed on ahead and had already stamped my words!

6. Having decided which words you will stamp or stencil on, start with the central letter and place in the middle of the slice, then work outwards

7. At this point, once all the paint was dry, I gave a quick and light varnish and whilst that was still sticky, I added more glittery stuff - this time teeny tiny red stars 

8. Once all varnish/paint has dried, thread your tapestry needle with the ribbon and tie to your wooden ornaments.

9. Then, feeling rather happy with your results, go and place them in your tree :)

I am really pleased with the end shabby style - just what I was trying to achieve. I can't beleive how happy hanging them up in our tree made me :) (Possibly because I have almost reached the end of our marathon chrimbly make-athon!)

 Just two more posts before I go quiet - I need to lie down in a dark corner and recover myself from all the cutting/gluing/sticking/painting/baking and making and all the *G*L*I*T*T*E*R issues I managed to inflict on myself!

 It has been fun, so glad you came along for the ride :)

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 wooden tree ornaments :)

Linking with Julie's Advent

#hawthorn

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

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