Sunday 30 September 2012

Father Christmas Plate And Pom-Pom Christmas Puddings For Handmade Monday



Its October tomorrow and there's a rumour going around that they've started playing Christmas music in Sainsburys... the band wagon is rolling and i'm going to jump right on and share some festive makes with you today!

Okay, i know i started last week with my advent calendar (thank you all for your lovely comments by the way! x). This week though i'm stepping it up, prepare yourself!


Who Ate All The Mince Pies? Father Christmas Plate







It may seem odd to be thinking about Christmas already (although perhaps not to my fellow crafters who probably started humming jingle bells to themselves around June... :)). This was the first of my Christmas makes and i have vivid memories of painting it with the olympic dressage on in the background... strange but true!

I love the humour of Christmas and believe that at its best it is all about family fun. Part of that fun generally involves eating large amounts of delicious food so i wanted to make a set of plates with different Christmas characters happily over indulging. The idea is that these characters can easily be equated to family members.

Santa is like a big, jolly 'Dad' (or Uncle/Grandpa).





Despite painting him way back in August, i haven't begun the others yet as my early start on Christmas was interrupted by other demands and i'm only just starting to catch up now... However, i can tell you that Mum, kids and dog (or rather their Christmas equivalents) will all be featured!

I felt that this plate could happily stand alone though as it would be perfect for leaving out mince pies or other tasty treats for Father Christmas on Christmas Eve! It would make a fun gift for a Dad/Grandpa/Uncle too i think and they can be tricky to buy for :)

Its 16.5cms across and resistant to careful dishwashing. Its available now from my Etsy shop (priced £10) where you can also see more images and details.



Christmas Pudding Pom-Pom Decorations




If you're a regular visitor to my blog then you'll know i am a big fan of wool. I can't knit but i can make pom-poms, in fact i looooooooove making pom-poms! They are just so squeezabley soft and cosy looking - right up my street and perfect for wintery and festive crafting (expect to be seeing more pom-poms from me in the coming weeks :))

I made these cute little Christmas puds this week from super soft chocolatey brown wool yarn, with hand cut wool felt for the icing and holly. The button/cherry holds it all together nicely and these are sure to last many Christmases! I'm loving their rustic charm :) i hope you do too!

I'm selling these in pairs (like the real thing, one portion is never enough :)). The price is £7 and they are available from my Etsy shop.


In Other News...

Links Page


If you dropped by for my Handmade Monday post last week you may remember me mentioning the idea of creating a page on my website to put links to the websites of other British designer makers - the idea being to support the handmade movement by helping shoppers browse more easily and also to help the SEO of the websites involved. The good news is that there are now thirty websites listed on my links page - yay! I feel much better seeing some of the familiar and gorgeous goods of my fellow makers displayed on my site as well as my own :) If you are happy for me to add your website do let me know, i'd love to have you on there! (This particular page is for British designer/makers with their own websites but i'm working on other ideas to showcase the work of more fabulous crafters)

Handmade Monday


I'll be working on some more Christmassy items this week. Here's a peek of some pressies i've been wrapping...



... and i've got something cosy and wintery on the go too - pom-poms may be involved.... :)

Before i get to work on all that though, i'm going to pop over to Handmade Harbour and see what everyone else has been up to. There is some fabulous crafting going on over there so its well worth a nosey!

Have a wonderful week! x


45 comments:

  1. I love the little Christmas puds, what a great idea! And the Father Christmas plate is great, and the answer is...probably me, woops!

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    1. thanks Penny!

      i'm a bit partial to a mince pie too :) x

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  2. The plate is lovely and I wouldn't be able to bring myself to eat anything off of it, would just want to sit and look at it. Hope you have a good week.

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  3. I really love the face on Father Christmas. He looks so friendly and jolly. I admire you with your idea for the links page, it is a very good idea. I am looking forward to seeing what the other characters on your plates will be.

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    1. thank you!!

      i'm looking forward to seeing how they turn out too...... :) x

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  4. Great plate, I love the idea of all different characters.
    I agree.... pom poms are great :)

    Jan x

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  5. I lurve mince pies!
    Glad that your website is doing so well. It must have been a bit nerve wracking when you started.

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    1. yum, me too :)

      i am pleased with the site as it took quite a while to get it organised... weebly are great though and i would definitely recommend them! x

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  6. They're all wonderful, I haven't made pom poms for years - very tempting to have a go!

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    1. thank you!

      i know, aren't they fun! addictive though :) x

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  7. The mince pie pom poms are just great :-) Thanks for sharing your lovely makes and well done for supporting other artisans.

    Claire

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  8. Aw the puds and plate are fab, very Christmasy. I was in the Supermarket the other day and they were selling chocolate Father Christmas next to the Halloween things.

    Well done on the links page, that is a really nice thing to do.

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    1. thanks Harriet! :)

      i know, they might as well just set up a permanent Christmas section and be done with it! x

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  9. I love the humour and character you're caught in that plate! And the pudding pom-poms are adorable! x

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  10. Cute little puds and I love the Santa plate, too! I've not even thought about Christmas bits yet - have some ideas but need to get a few commissions made first! Love the idea of a links page - would definitely be interested once the blog and Folksy shop are looking right!

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    1. thanks Bev!

      i've thought a lot about it... but haven't made much yet! x

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  11. Oh my! Santa in stitches - I'm loving it! as much as I love mincemeat pies! This plate is... so me!

    Love the photo with the wrapped gifts (you wrapping already???) the gift wraps are so... pretty ...Nordic in look :)

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    1. thank you Martha! i'm glad my happy Santa appeals :)

      all will be revealed re pressies next week (they're tree decs so nothing inside! :))

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  12. Very nice plate. I saw advent calendars in the shops last week, and it even seems a bit soon for them.

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    1. thank you!

      i know what you mean.. my crafting self is thinking about Christmas but my regular self isn't nearly ready to! x

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  13. Love the plate! And it's never too soon to be thinking about Christmas ;)

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  14. The plate is the best. It could take pride of place all year round. x

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    1. awww thank you! that's really sweet of you :) x

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  15. I love the Santa plate, looking forward to seeing more. The pudding Pom poms are lovely - I haven' t made Pom poms since I was a child, we used to make them with my Mums left over wool :0)

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    1. thanks Melanie!

      i used to make pom-poms as a child too... probably why i find them so fun now! x

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  16. Oh I do love those plates and agree Christmas is about fun and over indulgence

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  17. Love the Father Christmas plate. It is a keepsake that could be used each season.

    Wendy

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  18. 'Who ate all the mince pies'- genius! I love it.

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  19. I love the little pom-poms. Those are about the only thing I can make with wool. The Santa plate looks great and so jolly.

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    1. thank you Stephen!

      i'm glad i'm not the only 'non knitter' around here :) x

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  20. Love the plate - how very apt :o) Can't wait to see more of those tiny little pressies!

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  21. Oh, I love the Father Christmas plate! Ideal for leaving his sherry and mince pie on Christmas Eve! Your crockery is all so desirable, I may be forced to buy some soon.
    I'd love you to include me on your links page, but I'm not sure what site you'd link to as I've got my website in maintenance mode as I'm not convinced I'm going to keep it. Will have a think. xxx

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    1. awwww thank you! i'm really glad you like it :)

      i'm working on a crafty blog roll for here on my blog so will definitely add your blog to that! x

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  22. Oh your Father Christmas plate is fab. My children loved leaving something for him. I'm sure they'll be really popular. The Christmas puds are lovely decorations. Have a crafty week.
    Ali x

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    1. thank you!!

      i used to love leaving something out for Santa too :) funny the things you remember! x

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  23. Loving the father Xmas plate. By those little parcels are soo cute too!

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Your lovely comments are much appreciated x