Okay, I know it's January and this should have been written almost a month ago, but as I mentioned last time the events of the end of the year caught me out.
This then is a sort of rapid romp through what I intended to write with photos showing some of the ideas in their making stages as I had to speed up to get them off to the right people and places as I went along!
The idea of making so much for the festive period is twofold. Making something specifically tailored to a person and spending time and care on it can make a gift special, it can also cost far less than a hastily bought 'pressure to buy' present.
Here's the last elephant to see out 2022 (even if it is 2023 now) - good thing he's got a good memory aided by my notebook and photos!
With my Card and Present Lists all present and correct the countdown is on. Obviously the more time I allow myself, then the easier and cheaper things will be. Well, it should work like that, if everything goes to plan (you know there's a 'but' coming now don't you?)
Best laid plans and all that means that this is more of a list than a blog in an effort to note all the 30 bites for the final month of the 12.....
I did at least manage my first bite which was to stock up on stamps. If I'm honest this belongs to earlier in the year. Once I heard that the price of stamps was going up I took the precaution of buying ahead to make sure that all my Christmas posting would be at the pre-price rise level....
Month 12 - Bite 2
My husband always buys too many cards - not dozens too many, just a few. I'm off into the loft to find out what's up there from last year so that I know exactly how many I need once I've used up his 'last year's stock'.
Month 12 - Bite 3
Now to make the rest of the cards I need.....
If you remember I went on a fern picking trip and pressed the ferns when I got home.
These are now nicely dried and have worked well so now all I have to do is dress them up with some sparkle and a star, mount them on Christmassy backing paper and pop them onto card.
Apologies for the lack of before and after photos from now on... with the clock ticking I took shots when I could so that I could get the finished products in the post or wrapped or.....
Month 12 - Bite 4
For family I tend to make different cards to the ones for friends. For the children I found a few wooden letters that I bought a while back at really silly sale prices.
For each of them I'm decorating their initial by pasting on Christmas tissue paper left from last year and attaching a hanging string before putting them onto the card. That way they get a card and a decoration too!
Month 12 - Bite 5
Other family cards get the handmade treatment too..
A spot of simple cross stitch embroidery with sparkle and beads always looks effective and is pretty quick to do...
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Month 12 - Bite 6
Following on from the Christmas card stock I rummaged around in the loft to unearth the bags and boxes from previous years. We tend, as a family, to recycle these between ourselves. I can't tell you how old some of these are, but it becomes a kind of game when giving presents or bags for each household to try and remember who gave which to whom the year or two or three before!
Month 12 - Bite 7
This particular box deserves a bite all of its own.
It's been going back and forth for a number of years. At first it was from my niece to me for a birthday when she filled it with bath bits and treats. The following year I returned it to her so she could fill it all over again. Then we moved on to vouchers to fill up my e-book. That was when my sister took it over and so she fills it each birthday and Christmas with a selection of goodies and after each celebration I return it to her for the next time!
Month 12 - Bite 8
And onto the other 'gift wrapping'. I found some origami pages online a year or so ago and by downloading free wrapping paper designs and printing them I can now make up some small gift boxes ready for little treats.
Month 12 - Bite 11
The joy of these is that they are light and slim so don't I won't need to pay much for posting them.... One or two of my friends and I swap little gifts like this - either decorations, coasters or the such like each year that fit into the letter or (at the most) large letter category. We usually send handmade things and try to think of something new each time so these fit the bill beautifully.
Firstly I'm returning to those craft kits that I found languishing in a box. The first was so quick and satisfying that I don't know why I left it so long to get on with it!
Month 12 - Bite 9
I also watched an online tutorial for making drawstring bags. Last year I made one or two so this year I'm using some of the fabric I got in the sales in January to make some more.
Month 12 - Bite 10
Enough of the wrappings! Onto the presents...
First up more makes using the sale fabric. Little fabric storage boxes - thank you online video tutorials!
Once again the fabric and tutorials come to the rescue with these rather clever bookmarks...
I've sent them mounted on photos of one in use on a book page as with the third photo above.
Month 12 - Bite 12
On the subject of posting - I need to check the last posting dates to make sure I can use second class posting to get my cards and presents to where they need to be (especially with the strike situation this year)...
Month 12 - Bite 13
One of the collections I made earlier in the autumn was of leaves. This was for a special project. I used them to make leaf prints and used these to illustrate a calendar for a nature loving friend.
I matched each leaf to a month - mind you it was a challenge with some months.
Where there was a simple shaped 'growth' - the acorn cup for October's oak print or the seed 'wings' for September's sycamore I printed that too...
Month 12 - Bite 14
And so onto decorations. Not the shiny expensive shop bought stuff, but the handcrafted (and extremely cheap in most cases) ones...
Month 12 - Bite 15
I've sewn quite a lot of these over time. They are quick and simple (and have sold really well at Christmas Fairs in the past, but these are just for us).
Month 12 - Bite 16
This one is folded rather than sewn - I'm making some extras so that next year they can be attached to card to make more Christmas Cards!
Month 12 - Bite 17
While sorting the decorations I found a number of these plastic baubles that were all faded and flaky so I'm recovering them with strips of spare fabric!
Month 12 - Bite 18
These are for wrapping as mini wreaths to hand from the tree...
Month 12 - Bite 19
More for the tree - some wet felted balls with added beads and bells from chocolate treats!
Month 12 - Bite 20
Remember those pine cones I collected?
They've been dried so that they open out and I'm ready with some ribbons and sparkle to glue gun them into hanging decorations.
Month 12 - Bite 21
This one I've been trying to get around to for ages! I saw it in a magazine last year and just had to have a go..
The idea is to use up some more of my yarn scraps making pom poms (a very soothing exercise) and then tie/sew/glue them to a polystyrene hoop to create a fluffy wreath with embellishments of ribbons, bells, small felted balls - you name it get it in there.
Month 12 - Bite 22
Just finishing off a scarf and socks for my sister and that will be that!
I know they look odd like this - once the heel is knitted in they turn out more like these!
That's probably enough for one post - a bit rushed, but done thus far.....
Sorry - looks like there'll have to be one final, final post for 2022 before it's done.....
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