Although I like the old header which is still the very first, it doesn’t really fit to this blog anymore. I still do reviews on good books and movies, but the majority of posts is and will be about crafting and sewing I guess. So say byebye to the old one (which is books and a vinyl record by the way) – the new one is on its way (although it may take a little while).
#1 overflowing waterfall Advent calendar
I got this one this year. I’m still overwhelmed. Can you believe what was in there this morning (1st Dec)? A second smaller Advent calendar with 24 different tea bags. Calender-ception!
#2 pillow case into Advent calender
This one I made for my parents last year. It was a last minute project (yeah, December comes after November, I should start to remember that…).
It took a few hours, since I sewed the whole thing myself. It’s basically made from two pillow cases, one brown, one red and small pieces of white cloth.
Unfortunately, I didn’t make many pictures during the process, but it’s fairly easy to explain:
1. Cut one of the pillow cases in half, so one part still has the zipper/fastening part on it. Take that part and close the now open end. (Open the zipper, turn the pillow case inside out, sew right sides together, turn again.)
This way you end up having a narrow pillow case/ bag I used as “door” for Dec 6, St. Nicholas’ Day and also attach the other bags. It was big enough to put a magazine in there and some bigger chocolates.
2. Cut out little fabric square and write the numbers on them (I used fabric paint – makes it more permanent).
3. Cut out rectangle pieces for the “doors”/ little bags. Sew the numbers on before you sew the bags. Makes it much easier.
4. Don’t forget to include the strings so you can close the little bags.
5. Sew some cute buttons on the pillow case / bag 6 to attach the other bags. Make two buttonholes for the calendar to be hung up.
6. Fill with whatever you want.
7. Put everything together.
#3 more cute Advent calendar DIY ideas
1. Advent calendar that’s been refilled every year – some bags lost on the way…
Why not use all kinds of different socks and bags? I love the “patchwork” idea!
2. burlap activity countdown calendar
Optimal for filling with time.
3. matchbox Advent found at Matha Stewart
4. envelope calendar – found at Design Sponge
5. paper bag Advent calendar by lovely things
Simple, yet beautiful.
6. Christmas ornament calendar by life as a thrifter
nice idea for everyone who has too many ornaments lying around in boxes…
#1 book that’s absolutely worth reading
A novel from the author of Sophie’s World – perfect for the first December weekend. It’s short, it’s christmassy and well-written. It’s philosophical (of course) – Jostein Gaarder makes you think in a beautiful way. It’s sad, but in a way makes you happy reading it. I loved Sophie’s World and I love this as well.
#2 movie you shouldn’t miss
Edward Scissorhands is one of my favorite non-christmassy Christmas movies (if you know what I mean). It’s a beautiful fairytale told by Tim Burton with Johnny Depp in the lead. If you need to explain to your kids where the snow comes from and they just won’t believe your mother Hulda (Frau Holle) stories, watch this movie together!
#3 craft idea for the weekend – sock monkey!
I found this beautiful website called craftbits.com. They have a really good sock monkey sewing tutorial – too cute! And a good stocking filler.
#4 recipe to try on the weekend
Sweet and spicy peanut brittle – recipe found at A Beautiful Mess. Looks so delicous!
#5 instead of filling your Advent calendars with sweets – fill it with your time
Time is precious and often much more appreciated than other gifts. Even with kids – try it out. During Christmas season there’s chocolate everywhere, but time is scarce.
Why not put little time vouchers in the Advent calendars of your kids/friends/parents/partners? Vouchers for baking gingerbread together, time for reading stories or going to the Christmas markets, time for collecting chestnuts outside or building snowmans together. Time for making mulled wine yourselves and watching old movies. They’ll love it!
“It is one of life’s bitterest truths that bedtime so often arrives just when things are really getting interesting.”
— Lemony Snicket (A Series of Unfortunate Events, #11)
After seeing some pretty awesome chalkboard paint projects we wanted to do some chalkboard painting ourselves. So we ordered the cheapest paint we could find on Amazon. It finally arrived today and we started right away! We have guests over the weekend and I love to prepare Betthupferl (German for bedtime candy), so I had the idea of upcycling some old jam jars. I keep loads and loads of jars, sometimes they come in pretty handy. Since I never used chalkboard paint before, it wouldn’t have been great damage if the paint wasn’t good at all.
Here’s how I did it:
I used this brand, mainly because it was quite inexpensive. It was really easy to use and worked out well. I wouldn’t use it indoors, since it’s a spray and as you can see on the picture below it scatters the paint on a large scale. It’s best to hold it about 30cm from the surface and whilst spraying keep the can in motion. After applying the first layer wait at least 3-5 minutes until the next. For the jars one layer was enough, I did two though just to be on the safe side.
For labelling I used a liquid chalk marker. Fill with candy, apply ribbon – and you’re done! A cute idea and pretty simple to copy – our guests loved it!
So here they are – stuffed with goodies, sweet dreams guaranteed!
I’m afraid I’m a chalkboard paint addict now… There will be more chalkboard paint projects coming up for sure!
Do you know the feeling of having an uncountable amount of good ideas and inspirations always in moments where you have least time to put them into action?
Well, happens to me all the time. Maybe creativity is part of procrastination, but when I am stressed out and have thousands of other things to do my head just doesn’t stop having loads and loads of crafting and sewing ideas. I started something like a “draft book” to keep track of ideas and inspirations and as soon as I have time I start crafting away my collected “to do’s”.
Once I found a good pattern or idea for a dress, I try to think of what kind of fabric I will use and how much of it I’ll need. Keeping little snippets of the chosen fabric together with the pattern helps a lot at keeping ideas and future project well-assorted and you don’t have to start at the scratch later on.
The dress above is the one I have been working on recently and it just needs some more finishing until it’s done. I used the #133 pattern of Burda Style 8/2012.
I love the pattern and will use it again for sure. I decided to keep the skirt a little longer (as on the picture above) since it goes well with the checked pattern of the fabric. But I’ll certainly make another one with a different and lighter fabric that is going to be way shorter and a little more modern. If only I had more time…!
As mentioned, I am sewing a second (fuller) petticoat, but all the tulle-gathering is very time-consuming and since I want to do a tutorial about petticoat sewing as well (taking pictures, writing instructions) I will probably take a few more days and weeks
.
This looped stole developed more or less out of an accident – it was supposed to become a scarf, but I ran out of wool and couldn’t get more of that kind. The idea of making a looped stole out of it actually wasn’t that bad, it’s really nice and cosy to wear. I am going to adorn it, but I haven’t figured out what I am going to use for that. I’ll post a picture when I am done!
Additionally, I am working on several smaller sewing projects at the moment, mainly christmas gifts. That’s the main reason for not posting any proper pictures yet – I don’t want to spoil anyone. But there are several sewing tutorial in the pipeline for after Christmas, so keep some fabric remnants ready!
