Festive feastie bits!

There is a score through most of the items on the list, and these little treats, made yesterday, packaged today, have been put in with Christmas pressies! Phew!


I started making these when my friend, Sophie, gave us some one Christmas.


I've use these two recipes - Fruity Christmas biscotti from the BBC Goodfood site and the decadent chocolate one, Cherry Chocolate Biscotti, from allrecipes.co.uk.

We had to test them -
hence the gaps!

All wrapped up and ready to go!

Happy baking!

Basic printing with the kiddies!

Looking at the growing pile of saved polystyrene bases reminded me how much pizza we had eaten and also the need to use the bases for basic printing. Here's what we produced:

You need block print ink and at least 2 rollers -
one for ink and one dry for pressing the image onto paper

Our original designs drawn onto polystyrene squares
from pizza bases

Drying results

Hettie's disco dancing snowman

Rachel's snowy cat

Me flowers

 We were inspired by these pictures and this link.


Next year I plan to print and make my Christmas cards...bit late now!


A good place to buy the ink, roller and paper is Artrageous in Bristol. Have fun....x

Finished and framed

Flowers or birds?

I found this link to a beautiful felt flower ages ago and have just got round to making it. The link to this lovely project is here at the Megan Reardon tutorial, or link to her blog Not Martha


Extra tips are:


1) Stitch each petal rather than gluing, less fiddly & saves time 
2) Rather than glue the main disc to the card, sew a running stitch around the edge of the disc and then pull tight to fix it over the card backing. See pic below...

I'm going to experiment with other colours and shapes and I'll let you know how things go...


Happy stitching
Alli
x

Greeting for Christmastide - old plum!

While you are writing, making (!?), opening or displaying your Christmas cards have a look at these postcard christmas cards from the early 1900s. 

Ringing in the New Year! Religious images...

I think this angel is a bit scary!

Is that a scythe hanging behind the mirror? 

'Youtube' were not the first to adore tiny cats! Love the pun, 'feline'!

This is my message to you all!

So, I'm going to echo Elsie and say that I wish you all 'luck and pleasure this Christmas. Mind what you get up to.' Love Alli xx

Kid Christmas Craft - pecking birds!

A few years ago, whilst on a trip to the local museum, my daughter made one of these pecking bird, moving toys. Cute, eh?

I think they are cute and wanted to share the activity with the craft club I run at my school.Here's a template and instructions on how to assemble your birds.

Here are some images of the birds that my club members started... work in progress, plenty of feathers and googly eyes in use!

Text & word inspired bird...

Collage dotty bird...we think it looks like
The Hungry Caterpillar, Eric Carle inspired

Love birds...

Shake your tail feather...

The sparkly legs will have to go or
the birds won't move!

Simplicity...

Love birds, gone crazy with love!