A -Slightly Psychedelic- Pompom Wreath

Only 2 weeks to go...!

Elisalex here, howdy!  With the majority of my presents done and ticked off the list, I'm now turning my attention to decorating...

For some reason, traditional Christmas Wreaths have always felt a little morbid and ominous to me.  Dark, spiky and somewhat reminiscent of funerals.  Beautiful, but depressing.  But then I saw this Pompom Wreath, and this tutorial from JCasa*Handmade, and I knew what I had to do.

For the wreath's structure I used some foam tubing from the hardware store and a coat hanger to create the shape -

Then made a bunch of pompoms in my favourite reds-dusty pinks-off whites colour combination and tied them securely onto the foam tubing.  To finish I wound around some woodland mushroom fairy lights I had (which I think look a little too acid-y when switched on, but perfectly cute -and innocent- left off) and attached a grosgrain ribbon loop so it can be hung. 

But no way is this wreath getting hung outside... I've become very fond of its sweet, not at all morbid or ominous, and very soft self.  I couldn't possibly risk it getting rained on or stolen, and most of all I want it inside where I can appreciate it.

Don't Panic!

We interrupt this crafting program to show you the wreath I made for my son's school contest with fabric scraps from previous projects.

There are 20 days of crafting left and my aim this week is to ship the big box of gifts to Canada. I know some of you are feeling the time crunch. I sure am, so soldier on, Christmas is on the same day every year and if not all of your hand made gifts are finished on time, don't panic! make a voucher to be redeemed in February.

My List

Firstly, a big Helloooo! to all fellow crafters and Christmas aficionados, and secondly, a huge thank you to the lovely Tilly for dreaming this up and making it happen.

I'm Elisalex of Stitch me Softly... Fairly new to blogging but no stranger to creative DIY; I was wondering how I would go about keeping my Christmas crafting secret, while also wanting to share it on my blog... So I couldn't be more thrilled to be a part of this network, not only to share my ideas and preparations and absorb the collective inspiration, but also allowing me to unashamedly express my excitement about the coming 9 weeks of pre-Christmas festivities!  (Anyone else notice how non-crafters think it's crazy to be getting excited about C-day mid October?  What they don't realise is the time that goes into a handmade holiday...)


So, without further ado, my To Do:

Decor

• embroidery hoop tree ornaments (that will also double up as little gifts) along the lines of this:

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• crochet snowflakes, (endless patterns here) and this year I will starch them to keep their shape.
• a wreath.  I've never had a wreath, let alone made one, but having seen some beautiful not-so-traditional wreaths, I'm feeling compelled to get involved.

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• stockings.  I made a fairisle one last year for my son, and I can't deny I felt a little jealous on Christmas morning!  So this year I'll be making a couple more chunky cabled stockings like this:

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Food

• Nigel Slater's Christmas Cake.  For anyone who doesn't like traditional Christmas cake - hit them with this. 

• Christmas Breakfast Buns from Xanthe Milton's Eat Me.  Beyond delicious.

The Christmas Present List is soon to come... Just need to wrap up some Autumnal projects before I completely immerse myself into all things Christmas!  Until the next time, over and out.

Christmas wreath

Well I've finally made something Christmassy!

This wreath uses an oasis ring as the base and has Conifer branches to cover it with ivy and ivy berries (sprayed gold) as a decoration.

I also used some orange slices and cinnamon quills to decorate it, but the principal of the decorations is the same for whatever you want to use.
There's a full guide on my blog, with lots of pictures!