Indholdsfortegnelse for Handmade Christmas i Handmade Christmas

Welcome to Handmade Christmas! I’ve had so much fun creating this publication: coming up with creative ideas, sourcing materials, making and photographing projects, and writing up easy-to-follow instructions. There’s so much in here to share, and I can’t wait for you to get started. As you may know, ‘getting back to basics’ became a national pastime during the lockdown years, with people eager to learn how to grow and preserve their own food, bake sourdough and make clothes. It also saw a boom in creativity, with people learning to crochet, knit and embroider amongst other crafty skills. Essentially, we watched people being drawn to traditional ways of living that rely less heavily on commercial supply chairs and consumerism. It was interesting to observe that fewer people got into large, resource-intensive…

What you need Bay tree prunings. Lots of them Long ivy vines. Ditto Secateurs Thin gauge wire Satin ribbons Sewing thread Scissors Hot glue gun and glue sticks Method To make wreath: 1 Strip leaves from ivy. 2 Make a wreath using the ivy vine. Start with the thickest ones, but make sure they’re not too thick as they won’t be bendy enough. 3 Weaving over and around, over and around, and staggering the woody ends, continue adding ivy vines until you have a nice thick wreath (about 5cm thick). 4 Begin adding bay branches, by laying the first branch flat along the front of the wreath and coiling wire around the branch and wreath to secure it. 5 Overlap new bay branches so the leaves cover the base of…

Made with a wooden pallet rescued from the local factory district, some printouts and a bit of paint, I’m sure you’ll agree this sign would get the excitement flowing from the moment your friends and family step inside the front gate. What you need Small timber pallet (called a skid), 70cm x 100cm Sharp saw Hammer Sign templates (download for free at Scissors Masking tape Sandpaper Grey lead pencil Acrylic paint (white, two reds and two greens are useful) Assortment of small brushes – flat and round Paint marker, white (optional but useful) Method 1 Using the saw and hammer, remove the sides and back of the skid. Saw through the front panels as close to the side beams as you can, then use a hammer to bang and…

What you need ◻ A medium light fruit cake (450g)◻ A medium Madeira cake (450g)◻ 250g dark chocolate melts◻ 100g white chocolate melts◻ 5-6 red frog lollies◻ 5-6 green jube lollies Method 1 Finely crumble both cakes into a large bowl and combine thoroughly. 2 Take ½-tbsp scoops of mixture and smoosh firmly into round balls. Lay on a baking tray or plate and refrigerate overnight. 3 Melt dark chocolate in a double-boiler setup (small bowl over a pot of boiling water). DID YOU KNOW? If you wanted to give these an extra R18+ boost, you could add a good slurp of brandy or rum to the cake mixture before rolling. Just like Nanna’s traditional rumballs! 4 Drop chilled cake balls one by one into melted chocolate, roll around until…

Because it’s such a great, easy-to-make healthy snack option, the recipe for these bliss balls also makes an excellent gift for the health-conscious and busy people in your life. We’re no stranger to the old “cake inna jar” these days, and this kit is much the same: simply layer your ingredients, pack them tight, and you’re off! What you need Recipe is for 1 jar. If making multiple jars, you may like to weigh ingredients as you add them to the jar. Ingredients: ◻ ½ cup/45g raw cacao powder◻ ½ tsp salt◻ ¼ cup/30g maca powder◻ ¾ cup/60g shredded coconut◻ ½ cup/80g raw macadamia nuts◻ 1 cup/150g pitted dates Equipment Digital scales (optional) 500ml clean, dry jar with lid (size and shape of regular mayonnaise jar) Dessert or serving spoon…

Christmas hampers might seem like a brilliant gift but, all too often, they’re overly expensive and largely pointless. When you look at most commercially produced hampers, it’s easy to see that while they look impressive at first glance, much of that comes down to window-dressing, and that the contents are distinctly underwhelming. The Last-Minute Food Hamper is quite different. The idea is you do a quick whip-around of the house to collect things you already have (and therefore presumably like) and put them together to create a basket of goodies the recipient will actually enjoy. If you have a basket to put everything in, great; if not, scrunching up a bit of tissue or wrapping paper in a box and popping things in that looks just as nice! • Create…

Easy to make in bulk, this recipe freezes well in an airtight container, so you can make it months in advance and just jar up, decorate and label up when required. What you need (Makes roughly 2 cups of dukkah) 115g almonds (blanched if you’re short on time, raw if you’re on a budget) 125g raw cashews 100g sesame seeds (white for preference) 4g chilli flakes 3g coriander seeds 2g cumin seeds 1 tsp garlic powder ¾ tsp salt ¼ tsp coarse ground black pepper TIPS • You can really play around with the flavours in dukkah, especially if you’re into dehydrating different foods (see page 47 if you’re keen to learn). You can play around with any combo of roasted nuts and spices, such as lemon myrtle, fennel and…

What you need Citrus fruits – it’s nice to have a mixture Sharp knife Dehydrator Pencil Scissors A heavy book Thin tea towels or paper towel For dehydrating tips, see page 47. Method To dehydrate citrus rounds: 1 Wash and dry all of your citrus fruits. 2 Using a sharp knife, cut thin, 2 even slices of fruit. Aim for slices around 3-4mm thick. For larger fruits like grapefruit, you may like to cut the fruit in half before slicing so the pieces will eventually fit into a glass. 3 Set aside the “hats and bums” 3 (where you can’t see through any of the juicy flesh). 4 Lay slices flat on dehydrator racks 4 and dry at 50-55ºC until they are completely dry. 5 Once dry, allow to cool…

I love the thrill of creating something amazing with simple materials, especially if they’re materials that had a past life as something infinitely more boring. Because let’s face it: unless it’s actually functional, what is the point of crafting if not to be able to show off just a little bit? My preference for crafting unsurprisingly sits in the “let’s use up what we’ve got, and optimise materials” space, which is important to note because I’m increasingly aware of how much ecological damage can be caused by the ‘fast craft’ world. Much the same as we’re slowly moving away from ‘fast fashion’ as a society, it’s my hope that crafters will be more mindful of the resources and energy embodied in the materials they use. Less glitter, ditch the plastics,…

Here’s a way to make similarly flamboyant wrapping embellishments that can be either recycled or composted after they’ve served their purpose. It’s also a nice way to repurpose second-hand wrapping paper before it too becomes waste. What you need Paper (non-glossy wrapping paper is great. Thicker is better) Iron Ruler Pencil Scissors Glue or double-sided tape Method 1 If the paper has wrinkles or creases, iron it with right side facing down and with the iron on a medium setting (no steam!). 2 Measure and cut 2cm wide strips of paper in the following lengths: 1cm x 9.5cm 3cm x 19cm 2cm x 17cm 3cm x 21cm 3 Shortest strip into a loop and stick the ends together. 4 With all the other strips, measure 4 and mark the midway…

What you need Cotton fabric in two contrasting Christmas colours, plus a patterned white-on-white and a flesh tone Doorstop pattern (see pages 126-129) Scissors Pencil or tailor’s chalk Iron Sewing pins Sewing needle Embroidery thread to match fabrics Heavy A4 card Craft glue Paintbrush Uncooked rice, wheat, barley or gravel Stuffing (optional) jingle bell Method 1 Cut all fabric shapes and quantities as per pattern (see pages 126-129). Cut heavy card as per pattern also. 2 Place both hat pieces and 2 beard right side down, then fold a 5mm hem along the curved edges of each piece. Iron flat. 3 Position and pin hat pieces 3 on top of body pieces, with both fabrics right side up. Loosely stitch straight edges of hat to body, stopping 5cm from the…

What you need Felt in various Christmascolours Scissors Embroidery thread to match the felt Small jingle bells Sharp embroidery needle Method 1 Cut 2cm wide strips of felt. You’ll need around 8 x 20cm strips per ornament. 2 Layer the strips in alternating colour pattern (red, white, green, red, white, green etc). 3 Working through 4-5 layers at a time, cut 2cm squares from the strips. Set aside in piles in colour order. 4 Using all 6 strands, thread the embroidery through the needle and tie one end with a double knot. 5 Poke the needle straight through the middle of each pile of felt and the pull felt to the end of the thread. 6 After every 2-3 piles you thread on, add a jingle bell. Aim for 4…

When the festive season hits, it’s not unusual to do a mental stocktake of your wardrobe and realise you don’t own nearly enough red or green items to get you through the barrage of parties and gatherings and work-drinks and catchups. Rather than heading to the shops for a frustrating (and expensive – honestly, how can red become dearer just because it’s December?!) session of trying on poorly-made novelty clothing, why not settle down with a nice mug of mulled cider, chuck on a laughably cheesy Christmas movie, and make something fun to wear instead? Many projects here can be made with scraps and materials you have laying around. If you’ve Kondo-ed your craft room though, and have no scraps to speak of, don’t worry: I’ve kept material costs to…

This cute project is halfway between a teatowel and an apron, and depending on how elaborate you want to go with embellishments, it can be made in under half an hour. Being made from teatowels, most of the hemming has already been done, and it can be made with either a sewing machine or stitched by hand. Method 1 Iron teatowels so they’re flat to work with. Remove any tags. 2 Cut a 10cm wide strip from 2 each long edge of one teatowel. These will be the straps. 3 Cut 2 equal rectangles around 315-20cm wide and 20-30cm long from the short end of same teatowel, leaving one hemmed edge on each rectangle. These will be the pockets. 4 Fold straps in half lengthways 5 Using small running stitch…

These earrings are a cute little accessory for people who love adding a touch of Festive to their everyday outfits, and they make a great gift for anyone with their ears pierced. What you need White felt – 10cm x 10cm Orange felt (scraps are fine) Scissors 60cm white embroidery thread with 2 strands 30cm orange embroidery thread with 2 strands 16 black or dark grey seed beads 2 earring hooks 2 jewellery ‘o’ rings to match earring hooks 1 embroidery needle DID YOU KNOW? If you’d like to purchase all materials for this project, you can buy kits from www.theurbannanna.com, along with many other cute Christmassy designs. Method 1 Cut 4 white felt circles with a 30mm diameter. 2 Cut two small triangles of orange felt, roughly 15mm long…

If you’re the type of person who enjoys giving gifts but you’re interested in reducing your eco-footprint, you may have already taken a look through the recipes and instructions in this bookazine and found some ideas for making gifts that don’t generate much waste or require much financial input. But what about when you’ve been invited to a festive gathering at the last minute? Or you’ve been told there’ll be two extra guests? Or the present you’d been planning for months didn’t pan out? These ideas could see you not only save a tonne of money and reduce waste, they could also see you step away from commercialism at its time of peak greed and into the community-building concept of a Gifting Economy. • Look through your books, magazines, games…

Reusable gift tags are a great step towards more sustainable gifting, and these polymer clay tags are a gorgeous way to begin. Personalised tags can also add to part of that special feeling of excitement when you spy a prezzie under the tree that’s clearly for you. What you need Polymer clay - gingerbread brown and white Straight-sided glass jar Christmas themed cookie cutters Polymer clay thinner Bamboo skewer Pin or needle Baking tray Thin satin ribbon EXTENSION/ALTERNATIVE ACTIVITY Once gifts have been unwrapped, these tags also make beautiful hanging decorations. Method 1 Break off an olive-sized piece of brown clay and knead it until it’s smooth and malleable. 2 Using the glass jar, roll it out to 6mm thick directly on the baking tray. 3 Cut out the desired…

Not only do you have huge scope for colourways, it’s also a great project for using up bits and bobs of fabrics you have lying around in the craft cupboard. What you need Wire coat hanger Pliers 6-7 fat quarters of fabrics. Choose complementary colours to match your Christmas theme. Pinking shears Ruler Colour coordinating ribbon or fishing twine Method 1 Using pliers, unwind the coat hanger and straighten out as many kinks as you can. 2 Curve the straight wire around twice into a circle that’s around 16-18cm in diameter. 3 Layer the fabrics on top of each other, alternating dark and light colours. 4 Using pinking shears and working with 43-4 layers at a time, cut the fabrics into strips 4cm wide and 14-16cm long. Keep them in…

Hosting any good party involves many elements: food, lighting, making sure you don’t cross-pollinate the wrong guests (don’t get me started on how Uncle Dave won’t talk to Aunty Sheryl’s boyfriend because of what he said about our Doreen!). But one of the biggest factors that can set the right mood is which music you play. Christmas parties can be a challenge in this respect, because of the many demographics to cater for. Creating your own digital playlist using a music-streaming platform is great, but with so many songs out there, it can be time-consuming to work out which ones you want to add. Here are a few lists you can work with, and some suggestions of how to combine them for different types of parties. Kid-friendly, upbeat…

Books Kerry Boyne et al. Wellbeing Homegrown Homemade (No. 2). Universal Media Co., NSW, 2021. Oberon & Lauren Carter. A Family Guide to Waste-free Living. Plum/Pan Macmillan Australia, Sydney, 2019 Alex Elliot-Howery, Jaimee Ewards & Cath Muscat. Use it all : the Cornersmith guide to a more sustainable kitchen. Murdoch Books, Sydney, 2020 Kirsten Bradley & Nick Ritar. Milkwood: real skills for down-to-earth living. Murdoch Books, Sydney, 2018 Hannah Moloney & Natlie Mendham. The Good Life. Affirm Press, Boon Wurrung Country, South Melbourne, Vic., 2021 John Seymour, Will Sutherland & Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. The new complete book of self-sufficiency. Dorling Kindersley Limited, London, 2019 Jade Miles. Future-steading : live like tomorrow matters : practical skills, recipes + rituals for a simpler life. Murdoch Books, Sydney, 2021 Lindsay Miles. Less Stuff: Simple Zero-Waste Steps To…

Australian Christmas is so different from the Hollywood-portrayed image of snowy festivities filled with crackling fireplaces and frosty outdoor scenes. Here, we’re more likely to be serving up icy-poles in the pool than sipping hot-chocolate by a bonfire. And these days, it’s not uncommon that yuletide gatherings are held entirely outside, with a BBQ, an esky full of cold drinks, and some twinkly fairy lights to set the party tone as the sun sets. This is what makes handmade garden-themed gifts such a brilliant idea! Sure, you could duck down to the nursery and buy whatever mass-grown, hothouse-tender seasonal plants they have on special, or the latest in plastic-that-looks-like-real-leaves decoration, but how much more special to make and give items that come directly from your garden? There’s a range of…

Whether you want to grow your own soft herbs such as basil, mint or parsley, or you want to keep potted woody herbs like rosemary, thyme or sage, this planter is perfect for housing herbs right on the kitchen windowsill. What you need 1.65m x 12.5cm pine fence paling 90cm half-doweling (I used Tassie oak) Tape measure Grey-lead pencil Saw Hammer Small nails Sandpaper Dark red acrylic paint Medium paintbrush Text template (see pattern on page 125) White paint pens – medium and fine tip Method 1 Measure and cut three pieces of fence paling at 24cm long. These are the front, back and base. 2 Measure and cut two pieces of fence paling at 10cm long. These are the sides. 3 Construct box by nailing the side panels between…

Well, with its delectable blend of Christmassy spices and traditional red, white and green toppings, this chocolate bark is the perfect contender for Most Valuable Player during the festive month. Get ready to make a second batch, because there’s a very good chance you’ll end up eating the lot you made to give away as gifts … What you need For chocolate: ◻ 400g milk chocolate◻ 400g dark chocolate◻ 70g roasted hazelnuts◻ 15-20g crystalised ginger◻ 1 tsp dried citrus zest, ground◻ ¼ tsp cinnamon, ground◻ ⅛ tsp star anise, ground◻ ⅛ tsp clove, ground◻ ⅛ tsp cardamon, ground◻ ⅛ tsp dried vanilla powder For topping: ◻ 60g dried cranberries◻ 60g pistachio nuts, shelled◻ 120g white chocolate melts Method 1 Set up a double-boiler by placing a large metal, glass or…

This spiced tea blend is a cinch to make and is delightful as an afternoon pick-me-up when the work year is winding up ahead of Christmas. Make it for yourself, make it as a gift, but whatever you do, make more than you think you’ll need, as you’ll love it! What you need 1 cup loose-leaf black tea 1 tbsp dried apple, chopped into small pieces 1 tsp whole cloves 1 tsp whole cardamom 1 tsp crushed cinnamon quill 1tsp dried orange peel, broken into small pieces ¼ tsp dried vanilla pod, chopped into very small pieces Method Combine all ingredients and mix well. Store in an airtight jar until required, then use 1 heaped teaspoon per person in a cup or teapot of boiling water and allow to steep…

I’ve gone for a simple red-and-white design because I had heaps of odds and sods of red floating around, but you could use greens, gold, silver, white – whatever works with your Christmas decor really. DID YOU KNOW? CROCHET TERMS This pattern uses Australian/English terminology for crochet stitches. Stitches you’ll need to know are: • Chain stitch • Slip stitch • Treble crochet • Double-treble crochet What you need Yarn – use this as a stash busting exercise, or purchase your preferred Christmas colours Crochet hook – size 5.00 Scissors Method To make the hearts: To make the garland: Allow roughly one heart per 10 cm of garland, so work out how long you want your garland to be and make that many hearts. You can mix and match colours…

What you need Plain tea towels (red, green or white work well) Christmas-themed cotton fabric (quilting Fat Quarters are great) Scissors Sewing pins Embroidery thread to match tea towel (Optional) embroidery thread to match elements of fabric pattern Embroidery needle Iron Method 1 Wash, dry and iron the tea towels and fabric. 2 Decide which area of the fabric you’d like to incorporate, and whether you want more than one piece. For the bird fabric, I chose a section I that included lots of whole birds. 3 Measure a fabric rectangle that’s the width of the tea towel and as long as you want. Allow a 2cm seam allowance on each side and cut it out. 4 Fold under the seam allowance 5 Position the fabric strip around 510cm from…

Rather than having a double-layered bow, this design uses a felt inner to puff out the fabric nicely, so you’ll never have to worry about storing it über carefully for fear of it getting crushed. What you need ◻ Fabric A (main bow) 26 x 18cm ◻ Fabric B (centre strip) 8 x 4cm ◻ Fabric B (neck strap) 100 x 4cm ◻ Felt 24 x 8cm ◻ Scissors ◻ Felt ◻ Sewing pins ◻ Sewing needle ◻ Embroidery thread to match fabrics ◻ Velcro 1.5 x 5cm ◻ Iron Method 1 Cut and iron all pieces of fabric. 2 Place the main bow fabric right side (RS) down and lay the felt in the middle of it. 3 Fold the long edges of the fabric over the felt so…

One way many Australians are taking steps to reduce unnecessary gifting at Christmas is to engage in various gift-swapping arrangements. Having firm boundaries around the concept of gift giving helps to limit that feeling that you *have* to get something for everyone, and more often than not results in reduced waste, and lightens the load on the old credit card too. If you’ve not considered setting up a gift-exchange system before, take a look at some of these. Budgets and boundaries The underlying theme in all of these arrangements is a clear set of boundaries around whatever you decide to do. For some, this might mean only giving one present per person; or it could be a firm budget for any gift purchased; or perhaps it might be a themed…

After a super low-key accessory to make an outfit more Christmassy? This pair of penguin cufflinks are just for you! What you need Polymer clay - black, white, green, red and orange Straight-sided glass jar Round pen lid, about 10mm diameter Round pen lid, 15mm diameter Bamboo skewer or toothpick Xacto/craft knife Baking tray Cufflink blanks Polymer clay glue or superglue Method 1 Break off an olive-sized piece of black clay and knead until it’s smooth and malleable. 2 Using the glass jar, roll it out to 10mm thick directly on the baking tray. 3 Cut out a disc using the larger pen lid. 4 Repeat the process with the white clay, but use the smaller pen lid. 5 Position the white disc offcentre on top of the black disc…

Presents, candles, mistletoe, holly, being jolly, and other things ending in ‘olly’… There’s a definite feeling to Christmas, isn’t there? Some of it’s about how things look – decorations, colours, shapes - while other parts are more to do with the smells, sounds and experiences we’ve come to know as Tradition over the years. This looks different for everyone – just spend Christmas Day at a friend’s house and you’ll quickly realise how many things you thought were Christmas traditions are actually only unique to your family – but there are a few things that seem to crop up repeatedly. A wreath, something to hang ornaments on, twinkly lights, wrapped gifts, and a meal shared with loved ones. From reusable gift tags to making the house smell like Christmas by…

What you need Cardboard tubes Tissue paper Slightly thicker paper Scissors Glue Ribbons Things to fill your bon-bons The details Cardboard tubes Clean toilet rolls are ideal, or you could make your own from thick cardboard like cereal boxes or pizza boxes. Thicker paper Kids’ drawings, newspaper, reused wrapping paper, brown paper wrap, colourful magazines … look around at what you’ve got. Ribbons Fabric ribbons are good, as you can reuse them year after year, but baking twine, raffia, paper ribbon and garden twine are all good options too, as they can be reused or composted. Things to fill your bonbons • Make your own crowns from fabric or paper if you feel they’re something your guests will miss. If they’re something that never gets worn anyway, consider just skipping…

If you’ve been a gardener for a while, you’ll be no stranger to jars and bags of seeds filling drawers and pockets. Rather than have them sit around becoming less viable over time, why not pack them up in attractive envelopes and give them away? This project is a great chance to re-purpose old calendars, kids’ artworks, book pages, wrapping paper – any kind of paper that’s reasonably thick will do the job. These simple envelopes make wonderful gifts for fellow gardeners – either filled with seeds, or as a stack of empties for them to fill. What you need Envelope and label pattern (see page 124) Heavy card – could be a cereal box, tissue box, thicker cardboard box Paper – magazine, calendar, wrapping paper etc. White is good…

What you need Fresh pine tree branches, at least a good armful 6-10 ivy vines, around 30cm long 8-10 bay leaf branches and 15-20 leaves One large candelabra for centre A pair of pillar candles Battery operated fairy lights 8-12 battery operated tealight candles Red-and-white toadstools (see page 67) 8-10 dried orange slices (see page 47) Various red ribbons Scissors Thin gauge wire Method To make ribbon tufts: 1 Cut ribbons into 60cm lengths, with diagonal ends. 2 Cut wire into 25cm lengths. Cut as many of these as you have ribbon lengths. 3 Fold the ribbons in a concertina fashion so you end up with 3 loops and 2 ends poking out in the same direction. 4 Poke wire through the base 4 folds of the ribbon tufts so…

For centuries, extravagance and decorativeness in food has been associated with Christmas. Whether it be the pie crusts that were shaped to resemble elaborate architecture in Tudor times, or delicately modelled marzipan animals, or towers of cascading shellfish: the image of a table groaning with sumptuous food is an enduring testament to how we like to indulge in abundance each December. In recent decades, it’s become the norm for people to outsource the more specialised elements of Christmas catering. But with ongoing supply-chain issues and climate impacts on producers around the world, it’s less easy to rely on others for the things we once did. Luckily there’s a seemingly endless supply of traditional recipes for all the tasty treats you could wish for as the Yuletide festivities approach. In this…

(Vegan, processed-sugar free) Love the idea of gifting freshly baked gingerbread biscuits but can’t begin to fathom finding the time to bake batch after batch? Enter the “bake-at-home biscuit dough log”! These cute cookie-dough logs take very little time to prepare and can be made months in advance and stored in the freezer. Wrapping them in a sheet of baking paper (home-compostable for preference) that’s large enough to cover a standard baking tray makes them a sweet, self-contained baking activity. What you need (Makes 8-9 logs) 200g monkfruit brown-sugar replacement 200g monkfruit white-sugar replacement 100ml rice-bran syrup 200ml water 300g vegan butter spread 3 tbsp ground ginger 2 tbsp ground cinnamon 3 tsp ground cardamom 2 tsp ground cloves 1 tbsp bicarb soda 1kg baker’s flour Baking paper Ribbon or…

As a ready-made gift set, this mulled wine kit makes a perfect “grab’n’go” pressie to keep in the cupboard and bring along to those last-minute festive gatherings you may find yourself invited to. What you need A bottle of red wine 1 slice dehydrated orange 1 slice dehydrated apple 1 cinnamon quill 10 whole cloves 10 whole green cardamom pods 1 tbsp rock sugar 15cm x 15cm square of cheesecloth or muslin Kitchen twine Large needle Method To make kit: 1 Place cardamom, cloves and sugar in centre of muslin. 2 Cut a 50cm piece of twine 2 and use it to tie the muslin into a loose little pouch. Tie it with a double knot so the pouch is in the middle of the twine. 3 Thread both ends…

Made with just timber doorknobs, a bit of paint, some glue and wire, these fun fungi are a great project to make with kids. They look just as attractive on the tree as they do as part of a mantelpiece scene or a simple vase full of fresh holly branches. What you need Various sized wooden doorknobs Medium grain sandpaper White acrylic paint Red acrylic paint Medium paintbrush Slender paintbrush Fine-medium gauge wire Scissors Superglue (or hot glue) Method 1 If using any doorknobs with varnish on them, use sandpaper to remove and leave a smooth timber finish. 2 Using medium paintbrush, paint the entire doorknob white. Set aside to dry. 3 Using the medium brush again, paint the top of the doorknob red to resemble the cap of a…

Using a range of pretty simple stitches and some basic materials, you can create this cute embroidered hoop in an afternoon. And then start thinking of new puns and designs for next year! What you need 8cm wooden embroidery hoop 15 x 15cm square of plain cotton calico Embroidery needle Scissors Embroidery thread: red, green, dark yellow/gold, two flesh-tones of your choice (one dark, one lighter). Pattern (see page 126) Pencil Small paintbrush Red acrylic paint Piece of heavy card Superglue 15cm piece of ribbon (your choice of colour) Skills required: ◻ Running stitch ◻ Satin stitch ◻ Stem stitch ◻ French knot ◻ Whip stitch Method 1 Transfer design onto the calico with a pencil, then position the calico in the embroidery hoop. 2 Split the embroidery threads so…

Using bits and bobs of fabric from the scraps basket or buying fat quarters of festive fabric, turn out a range of small and large scrunchies to gift and wear at Christmas. What you need Fabric 35 x 4.5cm Pinking shears Measuring tape/ruler Sewing pins Sewing thread Sewing needle (optional sewing machine) Thin elastic Scissors 5mm braided elastic Safety pin Method 1 Iron fabric. 2 Using pinking shears to prevent fraying, cut rectangle of fabric. 3 Fold the fabric in half lengthways with right side facing in. Pin to secure. 4 Using single thread and using 3mm seam allowance, sew the layers together along the open long edge with small running stitch. Knot off thread and trim excess. 5 Turn fabric tube right side out. 6 Cut elastic strip. 7…

This plum pudding is one you can get behind without having to deal with the “I hate sultanas in baked goods” issue, and it’s a cute and easy way to Yule-up your work clothes to get into the spirit of Christmas leading up to the big day. Method 1 Cut out felt according to pattern (page 123). 2 Tie a knot in one end of your brown thread. Thread the other end through the eye of the needle, and pull it through so that the needle sits two thirds of the way along the thread from the knotted end. 3 Position two brown circles together, and using brown thread and running stitch, secure the pieces together by stitching two-thirds of the way around the edges. This forms the bottom of…

What you need Large pot Water 2-3 orange slices 2-3 apple slices 2-3 cinnamon quills 2-3 whole star anise 8-10 green cardamon pods 8-10 whole cloves 8-10 allspice pimento berries 8-10 black peppercorns A handful of fresh green pine needles Method This one’s so simple it doesn’t even need numbering! Fill your pot with water, add all the ingredients, then bring to a gentle simmer and leave it there with the lid off to bubble away and do its magic. DID YOU KNOW? Keep an eye on the pot if you’ve got kids around, and check every hour or so to make sure it’s not simmered dry. Top it up with more water after a few hours if you like. You can use fresh or dried fruit for this recipe.…

Love them or hate them, you’ve got to admit that having a few “safe” Christmas jokes up your sleeve can be a great fallback when things get a bit stagnant in the old conversation department. Let’s be honest – anything’s better than getting stuck in an exchange where differing politics are involved! So here are a few of the best worst jokes to get you through.…