(fragrantless) trees and cloves and johnny...

This year's tree is the real mccoy. Pint sized but still alive. I'm hoping to bonsai it thereafter. It's not as fragrant as I hoped it would be. But then again, I've lucked out in the past buying ceiling sweeping chopped tress that are of some inobviously different and pineless smelling variety. Also, this one has droopy branches that can only handle light weight decorations, so we have reinstated the driftwood one from last year (as a kind of double act) with the added bonus that the kids get to do their own thing and make one of them look ugly. Seen as I have been making jute stars and stockings I decided to sit the tree pot a plastic bag inside a coffee bean sack as well. And I'm remembering to water it.

Some hungry stockings hanging and other decorations strewn around the house by the kids...

I have also made these small hand embroidered decorations to stuff with wool and cloves to give as gifts. In case other people have rip off neutral smelling trees and so we still get to enjoy the smell of Christmas. I guess there is always cinnamon and brandy and almond too and beer and barbeques and.... who needs the pine really?

Anyhow, leaving you today with 'The Man in Black'. It's Ok to laugh.

Merry Christmas peeps - have a goodie x

ho ho ho hat

ho hum... bah humbug... I don't care...

Ho ho He he look at me

"me more cherry!!!!!"

The kids were harping on about a Father Xmas hat.

I hate acrylic felt - so I made one out of red linen triangle (50cm base, 45cms high) cut on the bias (diagonal grain of fabric) with a side seam down the back + some white cotton ribbing (50x 7 cms) + a doodacky pom pom me wipith upith.

It's solstice tonight. So I think I might

go have a beer outside, while its still light.

above the red verandah - STORE

Under the red Verandah is running a store upstairs (Above the red verandah!)

where you will find a choice selection of art, textiles and vintage goods.

Entry is thru the big red door down the side of the cafe on Tancred St.

Open every day 9-4 until Christmas. (artwork and floral brooches by Brooke Georgia)

It's bustling and merry and full of heaps of wonderful Christmas gifts.

(Mandy's been cooking up a storm downstairs and is stocking a wide range of her ever popular sauces, jams chutneys as well as chocolates UTRV t-shirts, funky tea towels + more!

There's a little mamaGhomemade thrown in for good measure as well as a whole host of other product by talented artists and designers.

Emma has also sourced a selection of second hand vintage goodies for fans of unprocurables.

and made these geometric books...

There are quite a few decorations, stockings and the like to adorn your home.

In the words of James Brown... Get on down and get on up! (or visa versa)

coffee sack decorations

I've been playing around with burlap coffee bean sacks - making over sized decorations -

during which I even used a protractor for the first time since high school!

The ginormous five point star came to me in a flash of inspiration was made with a few tips from here. The rest of the process was guided by gut feeling and the added benefit of having no sprogs around offering to "help".

If you are keen to do something similar - it goes a little something like this...

80 cm radius (the average length I could get out of one side of each coffee sack) with 2 pencils and a piece of string and/or a measuring tape to form the circumference. A whopping 1.6 metre diameter...

Pattern folded in four to make a cross and center the protractor...

72 degrees x 5 star points...

Join points to get intersections, cut out petal shapes and use as pattern for burlap and canvas interfacing. Baste interfacing inside seam allowance before sewing up, leaving hole to stuff.

Skuzzy op shop pillow inners are practically free and make for perfect filling.

The star is a little too big to hang anywhere inside the house without it being a hazard. I thought about putting it outside, suspended under the pear tree - only it'll get rained on and rot. See those lovely angles... the wonderful symmetry and awesome accuracy...cabinetry and boat building just might follow.

The sprogs are requesting more of the stockings. I suspect that has less to do with craft and aesthetic appreciation than it has to do with their intended function and fill-ability a month from now. Ho Ho Ho kiddo.

just because

Thinking about rustling up some santa sacks for the kids with these 4 from spotlight.

Like these sweet little numbers. More crafty chrissy ideas here and here.

And this song is pretty much the soundtrack of the last couple of weeks. Best played as loud as the kids will tolerate (or even better alone) in the car driving down on a long stretch of road - ...just because I just worked out how to bring it to you. There will be more.

this years tree

Its made from driftwood we collected at Pines Beach. We made it by drilling holes in the center of the driftwood pieces and slotting them over a metal rod. The rod has to be fairly rigid so it wont waver and we used a bigger piece of chunkier driftwood, a washer and a nut to secure it to as a base/stand. 

It helps to consider how wide you want your base and at which height you want to taper it to a point. Then its really just a matter of collecting enough different lengths and some extras to stack your pyramid. I think the curved pieces look nice pointing upwards and that way they also hold the decorations better. I'm planning on ceremoniously burning it on the fire on New Years Eve!

A couple of years ago my Mum started a new tradition in our family of going to Ballies and buying the kids and I a new decoration each. It's my december highlight.

...there was that one year tho when I felt utterly justified in calling management to notify them that their Santa was a reticent sleeze bag with no imagination and had been making eyes at all the mummies! Yes, I got Santa Fired!

Oh and last years tree... 

Harakeke flax stalks spray painted white.

...think I might be stretching it a bit to come up with a new one every year. Any ideas?