deck the halls

Let the festivities commence!

A very Merry Christmas to you all.

Love Clare xx

creating traditions

 Not feeling Christmassy yet?

Why not start a new tradition.

Today my friend Karen and I began a new Christmas crafting tradition.

All you need is one or more friends some crafty products

 and a radio playing Christmas tunes.

 We gave air dry clay modelling a go.

Neither of us had used this product before,

 a little tweaking here and there and we were on a roll.

*quilt by Molly Flanders

 Well Karen was,

she was like a woman possessed!

 I was a bit more methodical.

Now we must wait until they dry...

I'm thinking over night should do the trick.

Anyone interested?

We used DAS air dry clay,

bought from a craft shop, but also available online.

You will need cookie cutters 

(letters nigellas)

and buttons etc 

and basically anything you can press into clay!

You will also need a rolling implement, a pallet knife

and some skewers or a large needle.

Couldn't be easier!
My mind is whirring away...
don't you love learning a new craft?
I'm thinking the possibilities are endless!!!!

ps.
hopefully they should dry white,
I'll update you when they're finished.

friday favourites

If you noticed my new cushion a few posts back,

then you'll want to know where it came from right?

 Well I struck it lucky when I won Annettes giveaway

over at My Rose Valley one of my favourite bloggers.

 There really is nothing like a blog parcel!
Thankyou Annette I love everything!

Annette knows my penchant for fabric and threw in these lovely florals...

and a cute tin heart which is hanging next to my new santa decoration.

He came from Finland via the Winchester Christmas market.

So it seems I am developing quite the taste for Scandinavian homestyle

as Annette is from Sweden, although she lives in Swizerland.

Hopefully then my little home made swedish gift will 

get a gallop on and arrive with Annette for Christmas.

I have had a wonderful year of giving and receiving gifts from around the world.

It really has been a great experience, did you know that a parcel from the UK

takes roughly 1 week to arrive in the US and a couple more for Australia!

My word for this year was to connect with people, 

my word for 2013?

trader

ps.
I have opened a facebook page 
please take a look if you fancy a chat!

Liberty love

 I have always thought I was born in the wrong era..

stepping into Liberty confirms my theory.

It was love at first step.

This is my place.

So forgive the quality of these naughty snaps,

taken with my phone I couldn't resist.

 Anyone else wondering how they hung those paper chains?

 If I had to choose one shop to shop in for the rest of my life,

let it be Liberty!

 This picture is for Mary and everyone who loves fabric!

 Believe it or not I wasn't in fabric buying mode?

Not this time at least.

I did buy myself a little memento

a handmade button bauble from their refound department.
A selfsewn decoration on the same tree as one from Liberty!

If you find yourself in Regent Street

make sure you pop your head in,

you might find me behind a till or hanging some decorations...

again..I'm dreaming!

country living?

Well I can dream can't I?

You know the part in 'Elf'

where Buddy decorates the store big time...

that's me when I decorate our tree.

More is more right?

ps

See that lovely Christmas cushion.

It's a giveaway gift that I won 

from one of my favourite bloggers

My Rose Valley

(more to come on that)

If you like my blog

you'll love Annette's.

loving decorating my tree from my own stock!!
photo was created via picmonkey

out of the dark

 and into the light.

 I am a fan of candles,

yet I rarely light them.

I've had this idea rolling about in my head for a year now,

since I saw a real wax flameless candle last year.

In an effort to spend as little as possible

and to make use of what I have,

I bought some battery flameless tealights,

took a fixed potato peeler to this pillar candle

carved out a hole about two inches deep
(I used the pointy end of the peeler
not the actual peeler part!)

and

tadah!

one flameless candle.

 two flameless candles 

(uh huh ha)

With my mind now in full flow.

I raced about the house finding things to light up.

The possibilities are endless....

so why not have a go?

Give your house a clumsyadult child/pet friendly glow.

* I bought my tea lights from Robert Dyas

6 for £2.99

They do sell flameless pillar candles too.

My only tip with the tealights 

is to try before you buy 

if possible.

These flicker,

which is a tiny bit artificial.

curtain call

I did it!

Dont you love it when a plan comes together?

I had just enough fabric to make two curtains.

 I had to add an oddment(of the same fabric)
 to the top of them to make them long enough.

If you look in the first picture
you can just about make out the additions
at the top.
I don't notice now,
I'm sure most wont!

*curtain, vintage fothergay fabric a bargainous £5
secondhand curtain header free!
chairs from the dump
picture dottie angel teatowel
heart decoration Winchester Christmas market
light fitting Laura Ashley
vintage letterpress tray ebay
trinkets around the house!
(thats another post)
dingy photoshopped snaps courtesy of mother earth!