Hats On Top

Yes I am still sewing hats.  

They are proving to be very popular.  I guess it is a good time of year here for hats to be wanted.  

I have done a few new ones lately but also a bunch of repeats that I haven't show you at all.  

The dino on the left is the same outside as before but I have had to use a different yellow inside.  The gold on the others was a lot better but I can't be fussy when there isn't a fabric available.  

I'm really please with the middle one.  Owls are popular still these days so I am sure it will go to a new home soon.  

The little birdies on the right are cute too.  I had that fabric in my stash.  But it was only half a yard.  Bother.  Turns out there is just not quite enough for a second side in a yard!  Grrr...  I wonder if I will find a smidgen more ever!   Oh well, now I have more scraps I guess.  

I'm glad I found that out though before I get around to buying any yardage online.  Not that I should really but there are so many nice fabrics out there.  

I have a bunch of other sewing to do but probably won't be able to show it until later.  Hopefully that is not because it isn't finished until after Christmas!  

I think DJ is all better now so I hope today is a good one for me & I hope it's a really great one for you!  Only 8 more sleeps!  Ekk.....

Christmas Tree Fix

If you read here the other day, you would have seen my tree.  I wasn't happy with it. I really should have used the same gold stars in it that I had on my tree.  But as a quick fix I got some size 6 Mill Hill beads & put them on in the middle of the green star.  It's still not great but it just gives it a bit more bling that it needed.  Much better.   Not entirely but better...

Chris-mouse

Oh why do I browse on line & find more ideas!  Sunday I got it into my head to make mice!  32 mice later....  

But they are cute!  I wondered what I would do with 32, but decided to take them to playgroup to give the kids.  

BJ had to have a pink mouse.  We put him on our tree the other day.  Next to his Hallmark ornament for the year.  Mickey & Minnie enjoyed the company.  

I went into playgroup early & hung them on the tree there so they were on when everyone arrived today.  The looked cute!  Certainly brightened up the tree.  All the kids were excited to get one.  Santa had left the children gifts under the tree while they were all playing outside.  Wow, he's good isn't he?  Anyway, the kids got their gift & a candy cane mouse.  Lots of happy children.  Probably extra happy from the sugar high after the party food first up!  

Want to make your own Mice?  Visit Martha!  

Playgroup is now done for the year.  No more crafts!  But this week I made angels!  Lots of angels!   The kids just had to decorate them.  They had a blast.  This is BJ's angel on top of our tree.  Again very lightly glittered.  Some kids had glitter catastrophes!  There wasn't much plate showing on some of them.  They are quite effective really considering they are paper plates!  For more info on how to visit the blog where I got it from.  It's one of the best places!  So much to inspire!  

OK, have a great week won't you!  Preparing for Christmas or whatever you do!  

Also check out the ladies over at freshlypieced for more inspiration on WIP Wednesday! I will be able to do some of my own crafts next week!  Woohoo!    

Busy Busy Busy

It's the silly season isn't it!  For sure!  Where has the time gone.  

I have been making stuff behind the scenes!  It's just they are becoming very repetitive!   So I have had nothing new to post yet.  

Another batch of melting snowman cookies!  It was another Christmas party on Saturday.  This afternoon I have to make cookie dough for yet another batch.

I have been whipping up more hats too.  Up to no. 34 now.  Have another 2 to make for sure.  Then I might make a few more for a shop in town.  BJ wearing one is good advertising as it turns out!  :-)  

I have managed another Christmas tree!  I finished it yesterday & I tried to get a picture but it was just gone sundown so it was too dark for a good shot.  Actually looking at this one it doesn't look like a good picture either!  lol  I had this fabric in my stash.  It was left over from something I had made for someone in these colours they requested at the time.  So, I figured these colours are going to match their decor for Christmas extra well.  They aren't Christmas fabrics exactly but they are the right colours!  The only thing I had to buy for this one was the star on top!  Cool huh?  I don't think it is sparkly enough though.  I just haven't been able to find something suitable for sparkling up the centres.  I think I will need to get some no 8 or 6 Mill Hill beads to put a gold one in the centre of the stars.  Either way, that's another gift done!   Another handmade gift!  Woohoo!  I do have fabric for another tree but I don't know who else to give one too yet!  I just want to make it!  That too is done with fabric from stash.  

Can you believe how fast Christmas is coming around though!  I try not to look at the calendar.  I am ready though.  I sorted stuff the other day.  I needed to check the hidden stash to see what was what.  Yay, boys are done!  That's it.  That's all I am concerned about.  For the rest, if it happens it happens.  The grown ups won't care either way!   But the boys are sorted so that is a relief!  

Have a good week won't you!  

WIP Wednesday

If you are a Pinterest fan no doubt you will have seen plenty of pictures of these Melting snowmen cookies!  

Well this is my version!  & this is pretty much the extent of my crafting today!  I made the dough Monday night.  A double batch.  One lot is in the freezer waiting for the end of the week.  Cookies were baked Tuesday night.  I used my go to recipe for that bit.  I know it is a good one for rolling & cutting shapes.  I didn't roll these but I know they are going to hold their shape nicely.  They weren't meant to be perfect for the melting snowmen to sit on.  

This morning at 7.45 I was icing, zapping marshmallows individually in the microwave, & dressing them up.  Last night Stuart drew the faces on with my groovy edible ink pen.  So this morning I had a good laugh as I pulled them out of the container to put them on.  There was even a pirate!  Unfortuantely the pirate mallow went a second too long in the microwave & smooshed on the cookie badly!  Gee they are fussy in the microwave!   

We took these to school for the Christmas party this afternoon.  They were a hit.  Well I didn't have any to take home so that was a good sign.  BJ did sit on the floor telling all his friends around him that they were melting snowmen that mummy & daddy made!  

I haven't picked up the knitting since Sunday when we had a Ravelry group meet up!  Knitting in the Vineyard no less!  Very posh!  Was lovely really!  But no knitting since as it's been full on kid craft organising & baking!  Oh & some work thrown in there too just to add to the challenge!  

Linking up with all the talent over at Freshly pieced for WIP Wednesday!  

Re-purpose Ornaments. Or Not.

I've been trying to think what to do for craft this week at playgroup.  I took a chance & went by an op shop for some ornaments.  They had loads.  That's strange!  It must be the season for them or something!  Cool!  So for a few dollars I had a pile of ornaments that needed help.  So I spent the afternoon making a mess really!  So what did I learn?  

1. The glass ornaments that break don't like having glue on them.  The old paint will come off under it & make a mess of whatever type of paper you are trying to stick on it.
2. Tissue paper is pretty mucky to try to use & you have to be really fussy if you want it all nice & tidy & neat.  Not going to happen with kids aged 2-4.  
3. Crepe paper is just as bad but the colour comes off on your fingers & takes a little while to come off! Also not good for kids!   
4. Acrylic paint is good.  Works well.  But messy too.  Lots of fun for kids but will take too long to dry on that stuff.  
5. The glittery balls cover over with paint quite well which surprised me!  
6. Once painted though what can you decorate them with to jazz up the paint!  Needs to be the following day or something anyway once the paint is dry.  
7. Rice paper works great!  But I only had a really small piece I found in my stuff & it worked nicely but I haven't seen any around in stores for a long time.  Looks like great decoupage.  
8. Regular printer paper also does not work though.  Too hard for little fingers to work as it needs loads of soaking in glue to get it soft enough to work nicely.  
9. Fabric tied around with ribbon at the top does look OK.  But not a craft for kids to do as it's boring!  
10. Don't pull the hangers off them first thing.  No matter how awful they are, leave them on as they hang up to dry more easily with a string.  Put a new string on later.  
11. If there are broken glass ones, take out the hanging tops from them & use them in others.  They are handy as the old ones had good wire hangers in them too.  If they are loose you can glue them on later!  

So there you go.  I will ditch that idea for playgroup for now.  I now have a pile of ornaments I guess I will have to paint & decorate myself sometime!  

Tomorrow night I will have to spend the evening cutting out instead!  

Did You Decorate Yet?

December 1st has been & gone!  Did you get your Christmas decorations up?  Or don't you bother yet as it's too early?  Or did you do it last week?  I can't believe how many times I heard this week that you can't do it before the 1st as it's bad luck!  Bad luck from what?  I don't do that luck stuff .  Growing up I think we only decorated the week before or not much earlier as that is when the real trees were for sale at the petrol station!  I was in my own little world then not having a clue that people decorated earlier than that with a fake tree!  Ekkk... fake trees?  I love them now!  So easy!  

Yesterday we couldn't put it off any longer though.  BJ has been waiting for decorating day for about 5 months!  lol  I just have to get used to not having a modern, trendy decorated tree.  I get the kid decorated tree!  BJ said it was so beautiful!  & you know!  He's right!  It's not perfect!  It has his ornaments on it that he made at playgroup & kinder.  It has a bunch of non-breakable stuff on it for DJ to play with, as I know he will.  It has the boys Hallmark ornaments on it that have become our tradition.  DJ hasn't got one for this year yet though.  We fixed that yesterday & ordered it online.  Lucky for me I have a sister in law in New York that I could have it shipped to as they don't ship out of the USA.  They have loads more ornaments over there than we have released here in Aus.  It was hard to choose!

I also got my other tree finished!  

If you read here on Wednesday, I was cutting fabric for a tree & ran out.  Well I did get more on Thursday & finished sewing this together that day.  But I still couldn't decide what to put in the centre of my sections.  I  have loads of little things in the cupboard but not 10 of anything matching.  So Friday I took it to work & just got these other star buttons.  I finally got them on last night & it's done!  Yay!  It's pretty cute!  It was an easy make.  Just a little fiddly.  But I can cut corners if I have all the embellishments handy at the start.  Next time I will.  I enjoyed making it & am thinking of who I could make one for for Christmas.  I have a couple of people in mind.  We'll see.  I have to dig in my cupboard to see what fabric I have plenty of.  

Enjoy your Sunday!  I sure will!