While it is lightly snowing outside, I’m comfy and warm inside typing this after-Christmas blog post.
I hope your Christmas was as wonderful as ours, filled with things that – I think – matter most during this festive season: quality time spent with people who are important to you, enjoying each other’s company, a beautifully decorated Xmas tree, candle light, nice food & drinks, music, and gifts made (or bought) with love ……
To me this holiday it was all about home and/or handmade and I loved every minute of the process, from deciding what to make for whom as well as the making itself.
Maybe slightly overdoing things, I even made my own gift tags this year – using some of my cookie cutters to shape them.
Now that all presents are gifted I can safely show you what I’ve been doing, so here’s a little round-up with links to patterns/recipes I used.
For my kids I made hot water bottle covers, using leftover yarn from the chevron blanket I crocheted earlier this year – no pattern, just following the outline of the hot water bottle (the hot water bottle cover granny style-diy can be found here).
Since my mom owns the black Nordic Shawl I crocheted and my mother-in-law the blue/pink one, I decided to make them matching wrist warmers (link to My Rose Valley‘s paid pattern here).
My father loves to read, so a bookmark was what I made for him – flower pattern here, for the leaves I used Lucy’s holly pattern, but crocheted no prickles.
For my brothers, sister-in-law and friends across the ocean I crocheted Christmas balls and snowflakes – loved making them very much! I stiffened some of the snowflakes with modpodge – worked great.
Patterns can be found on my “Christmas Crochet“-board on Pinterest.
Another little gift that traveled quite the distance – all the way to a dear ig-friend in Australia – was this pincushion. The tutorial for the basic pattern can be found here.
Since we have a tradition of baking Xmas cookies in our house, I made these jar lid covers for the containers that I planned on using this year – they turned out great and looked so festive! I just made them up as I went, but there’s a wealth of tutorials to be found here.The little holly leaves are the ones I’ve made before (links here and here), after Attic24’s diy, I just added the red berries …..
Other than baking cookies, I made these yummy pretzels (recipe here) and as place cards for our Christmas brunch I thought these chocolate candy cane hearts were just right (diy here).
Just because I loved this little guy from the moment I laid eyes on him, I hád to make this very cute snowman, free pattern from the “Dapper Toad”-blog, link here.
The only gift that I did not manage to finish in time, was a hat for my husband …… As you will understand, that one is high on the wip-list right now!
These days in between Christmas and the New Year seem to have a slower pace and we’re quite enjoying these lazy days. Some crochet, a little (sock) knitting, a nice book, some hot chocolate, a glass of wine, fire place going …. oh yes, I can get used to this!
Wishing you the joy of calm days as well!
Love,
Marianne
Can you believe it’s only 16 days until Christmas? Are you as frantically crocheting, crafting, decorating, and planning as I am? And having a good time while doing that?
Oh, and how about this adorable tea cosy …….
Have a great week,
* attach the ribbon-yarn again in the top stitch of your square, leaving a long tail;
maRRose CCC 