Beach Christmas - Paper Ornaments

*If you have been directed here from my Facebook link blunder, click here to see the Christmas Wreath.

Yesterday I took the afternoon off from university to spend some time crafting, and I'm really happy with some of what came out of the day.

We'll start with my favourite:

keeping with my colour scheme, we've got the aqua/teal colour in the pinwheel at the back, with some flowers made of napkins (sticking to my attempt to avoid buying very much for these ornaments!), and a quilled circle centre. You can't really see the glitter but the pinwheel is edged with glitter glue and then the quilled centre is coated in glitter also.

A paper ornament honouring the land of the language I love so much, we have a Paris doily ornament, hung with ribbon.

Now this skinny number is made with a tassle I removed from another purchase that it just didn't suit (in my opinion). I made some little quilled beads, and added a little doily (current squished up against the cabinet there, but it won't sit like that on the tree), and a ribbon up top. I change between loving this and thinking it's bin-worthy. We'll see what happens.

I've already got about four other quilled snowflakes that I made a long time ago, but now I've got these two as well:

 

 

 

Loving the stripey peach paper I used for the first one. So bright and fresh.

I haven't made the rest of my burlap/hessian and lace placemats yet, but there'll be time for that in the near future, I'm sure, and I'll post photos of them when I have.


Have a lovely day,

xnata

Fairy Dust

I recieved a gift from the fairies!

Fairy Dust!

I'm so lucky! I'm going to have to save it and only use it for very special wishes. I think I should do something to thank them don't you? Perhaps a gift in return...

Today I've been crafting more decorations for my 'Beach' Christmas, and I'll post about that tomorrow when they're dry and pretty and have posed nicely for my camera. I really enjoyed making them; sometimes I think making things is a better therapy than anything else, don't you? Better than burying my head in a chocolate cake anyway.

See you tomorrow,

xnata

Fairy Magic Two - Adventures in Lilac Hollow

One day the fairies of Lilac Hollow were very lucky to have some visitors!

She of the not-so-green thumb introduced some friends to the fairies, and these friends brought the fairies some gifts.

...some beautifully scented lavender...

...umbrellas for the fairies to use when it rains...

...and some beautiful purple baby's breath. These gifts were all very much appreciated and enjoyed by the fairies, but the baby's breath was their favourite. She of the not-so-green thumb was relieved to see this gift, as she knew it would keep her fairies out of trouble!


You see, in another part of the garden is a large plant full of little purple flowers, and the fairies loved to go and pick them.

 

However, in that garden was the home of a grumpy old Goblin who didn't like it when the fairies took his flowers, and he'd chase after them with a stick!

 

But with their own plant of tiny purple flowers the cheeky fairies won't need to take the goblin's flowers anymore.

The End.

Christmas 2012: Baby-Proof Beach Theme!

I am the Mummy of a clever, mischievous toddler. And a small house.

For a moment, I considered skipping decorating for Christmas at all, but that was too sad. He deserves a magical Christmas every year of his life.

Plus, this year one side of our family will be having the Christmas gathering here, so we really couldn't skip decorations or a tree. So I have started planning...

First, how do we avoid the whole tree getting knocked over or falling on top of baby? Well, we don't have room for my prefered method of putting a play pen around it, so I'm using my own unique method. There is this weird banister thingy in our house, and the tree will be tethered to this. Problem one solved.

Next, I would be sad (not to mention panicked, stressed and possibly bleeding or being bled on!) if any of my glass ornaments broke. It's just a hazard I'm not willing to risk. So, how can I do christmas without my ornaments, and without spending lots of money on new ones?

As I was stewing on this, inspiration came from a random place - my new tablecloth.

I'd bought a matching table runner for the table on the patio, and some other knick-knacks to match. I loved the colour scheme so much I decided this would be the colours of alterna-Christmas.

Looking at those colours made me think of the beach. Theme found! That way, the majority of decorations are made from free things like shells and driftwood. That certainly fits my budget!

Note how this tiny collection that I already had includes pieces that look like angel wings? It's all coming together...

But, I don't want sand in or near my house. No thank you, so how could I incorporate the colour of sand without it? Hessian/Burlap!

Before I knew it, I'd come up with these hessian/burlap and lace placemats. Aren't they simple yet puuurrrdy?! And the best part - so easy to make, and they work out to cost about $1.20 each, if that :) so making 20 is no big deal!

I'm attempting to make it so that no two placemats are decorated the same.

I'll be using the hessian/burlap and lace and other ribbons and such within my colour scheme to make ornaments for the tree (though some lace will simply be tyed to the tree in bows), all of which I will share with you as I make them. There'll be quilled ornaments again too! I also have plans for lots of paper pom-poms, a paper lantern or two, our usual fairy lights, and a lighthouse :) I've pinned a million pinterest things too, and hopefully I'll find time to do a couple of those ideas too. Still trying to dream up a way to have old fashioned beach huts somewhere in the theme (not life-sized of course!).

Lovely candle holders and pretty smelling tealights will also be on the tables.

I am looking forward to doing some beach combing for shells and driftwood, but I feel weird about using real starfish, because it makes me sad to think people might collect and kill living starfish and seahorses just so I can decorate my table : / so I'm seeking a way to make them instead. Where there's a will there's a way!

I'm only about half way through my placemats, but I'm so glad I thought of it and could do it now, 'cause I really wouldn't have time in December!

Stay tuned for more Beach Christmas decoration prettiness :)


xnata.

Fairy Magic!

Once upon a time there was a woman with a big garden but a not-so-green thumb, and she did the bare minimum to make sure her house didn't look like it was inhabited by cave-people, but otherwise ignored her greenery.

...But then one night, a brave fairy snuck into her house and came to her while she was asleep, and whispered a request in her ear. The fairy needed a new and beautiful place to live, and so did lots of her friends. They needed protection from dogs and lawnmowers and other people, but most of all from the goblins that live in the area.

And so,the following day she of the not-so-green thumb ventured out to her garden and searched for the right spot for such a haven. She took time collecting all the plants and things needed for the fairy garden, and spent hours digging and pulling out tree roots and rocks and putting in fresh soil and compost, and then she planted all the flowers she had collected, with the help of her assistant gardener Hilde.

Hilde

She wondered what this little fairy village should be called...Lilac Hollow was the name chosen.



Then, only a day or two later, she was watering the garden when she spotted a tiny purple flower springing from a white flowered plant! She was surprised, but took this to be a message from the fairies that they liked the name.

After laying down a fresh bed of mulch and some little pebbles for the fairies to find their way, it was the fairies' time to set to work, creating a sign and a little house for them to sleep in when it is too cold to sleep on the flowers.

They were given a gift of some magical elf glue by a friendly family of elves that live near by, and some sticks by the pixies that live in the not-so-green thumb's front garden. Before long they had a cosy dwelling to sleep in, with room for plenty more, and even a bigger door than they needed in case the pixies (who are quite a bit taller) or other friends ever feel like visiting.

Finally they were all settled in to their new home, and look forward to caring for the garden and watching their beautiful flowers grow.

The End.

Gone Vintage!

Yes, I know, I've changed the blog's image for like the 30th time. And I'll keep doing that until it's perfect. Now I think the background is too mod and I'll need to make a new one. Surely it'll seem right to me one day.

But for now I just plain don't have time to make a new one, so we'll all just have to live with this, okay? There are two important jobs I've been avoiding, and then there's my darn uni studies slowing this whole show down.

But, stay tuned as there is a reason for this vintage change! The next few posts will be decidedly vintagey.

I hate posting something without a picture of some sort. So here's a flower from my garden - Spring has sprung early here!

I wish you could all smell it, it is devine.

xnata