Best Buy

Never in a million years would I have thought that this was going to be one of my favouritest most favourite deco buys of all time - a fake Christmas garland. I bought this, I remember it well, on the 23rd of December 2006 for about 20.00 Euro. And boy did I have a guilty conscience about this.

And why would anyone in their right mind get their moral knickers in a twist over a Christmas garland? Because it is artificial. *hisssss* Oh, that does not sit well with me. I love my real fir in the house for Christmas. But I have to say that the artificial garland is absolutely fabulous.

Sure, the closer you get, the more artificial it looks. But it comes out of the bag every year, virtually undamaged despite having been squished into the attic and having endured two months in close proximity to the fire.

As you can see above, I have wound some ordinary and cheap Christmas lights around the garland. I don't even bother taking them off when I put the garland  back in storage in January. The little bulbs are resilient and look really cute when switched on. Heck, they even look nice when switched off (see right).

While the garland goes up in the same spot every year - namely the drawing room mantlepiece - I tend to decorate differently every year. Last year, as you can see in the image above, there were just the Christmas lights on it. This year, I decided to go a bit more blingy and added some big sparkly stars.

Best thing about the artificial garland: I can go on Christmas holiday on Wednesday and return the following week, not worrying about a heap of needles on the floor that needs brushing up upon return.
Hooray for plastic trees!

Best,

Christmas Star XXL

If the title makes you expect to read about some X-Factor loony - either from this side of the Atlantic or the other - who is going to torture our ears endlessly with some tackily re-recorded and Cowell-ised, jingly-belled and synthesized crap, you can stop right here. This is about what you see in the picture below:

Christmas is now less than a week away. I bet everyone is done decorating. But in case you aren't, I intend to show you a few easy, quick and cost-efficient decorating ideas in the last few remaining days until the big one. The picture is my starting point for a few posts over the next week. Yes, I intend to post every day, now that I have been released from the prison called college. And contrary to what you might have assumed, I actually have had my sitting room decorated for weeks (I just have not had the time to show any of it). The picture above shows a few things I wanted to share via my blog. And let me start with my pride and joy, the wall deco.

Wall decorations have been very much in fashion for the last couple of years. And I am not talking paint effects or fancy, shiny wall papers here. Three-dimensional wall decorations are pretty in - from starburst mirrors to quilled flowers to Christmas baubles blue-tacked to the wall. With that in mind I resurrected my favourite Christmas project - and went XXL.

Previously the starting point of the Christmas star was a sheet of A4 paper from which I cut paper squares 21x21 cm size. This time I went double that - 40x40. And used slightly thicker matt black crafting paper that you can buy in A1 size sheets in craft shops. This makes you an XXL star about 120cm long when assembled. So you need a pretty large wall for that. If you want to know how to make a Christmas star, hop over to the original blog post which I wrote a hundred two and a half years ago.

The best thing about this wall deco: It is suitably Christmassy, yet I think it will still look well on the wall when I don't take it down in January. I intend to let this sit for a while. And I don't see why not... ;-)

Best,

Kriskindle Has Been

The penultimate semester of college has been put to bed. And finally, after producing a 6.image-photo project, accompanying documentation, proposal and evaluation, plus getting ready for an official exhibition of the work, I am ready to enjoy Christmas 2011.

I have been longing to write some posts here, show what I have been up to in terms of Christmas decorating and crafting. There was just no time for that - between college, journalistic work and occasionally pretending to be on top of the housework, never mind spending time and looking after my children, all else fell by the wayside. Not anymore. Today I am back and I hope to get a couple of posts out before I set off to Djermaniiiiiiiiie for Christmas.

What better way to start off into Chrimbo mood than with a Kriskindle parcel that has been sitting on my kitchen dresser for a good few days now, waiting to be unwrapped. Do you know the Kriskindle idea? Essentially, in a group of people/family/club/school class you write all names on a piece of paper, put them in a hat and then everyone pulls a name out. This is the person you'll be giving a pressie to.

I had participated in one such scheme through my favourite internet forum, a women's forum called "Weibernest". Most of the members are based in Germany, but a few of us live all over Europe, and so I received a parcel from Slovakia. Inside were some yummy Christmas cookies (a typical German thing, culinary Christmas with a least five different types of homebaked cookies a must!!!), a hiking guide to the Tatra mountains (undoubtedly to lure me over there ;-)) and two sheets of original and therefore wonderfully retro stickers of old East German production. (I could tell because the price printed on the back was still for "0.30 Mark" - that is two currencies away from the Euro and was the currency preceding German unification in 1990!!)


Great. Now we can get down to proper Christmas. I shall show some stuff that I have done this year and hope anyone will see it.

Best,

We are off

My favourite time of year has just started. With Rememberance Sunday (and Thanksgiving, for those of you who are living in the US) over, I can start turning Casa Craft-Werk into the Christmas Grotto I like it to be.

Well, I wish I could, but there is one little problem: Mister Craft-Werk is not into Christmas. Not one little bit. A bit of a clash of cultures here. Poor, poor Irish man - he just doesn't know what he is missing. And in any case, little do I care, Queen of Christmas Crafts - except I need him to hoist my two tons of Christmas gear down from the attic. And with cooperation not forth-coming, the Queen of Crafts had to think on her feet. Christmas deco, kitchen-style, so to speak.

My wonderful friend D___ had recently visited me from back home. And she came laden with a present that will now double up as the first bit of Christmas deco in our house. She made me and my family an advent calendar. (You probably know this bit of Christmas tradition that originated in Germany. Here is the advent calendar I made for my kids a couple of years ago.) D___'s advent calendar didn't come in a specific mode of presentation but consisted of 24 individually wrapped presents. In previous years I have attached ribbons to them and hung them on a wreath. This year, I decided to simply display them on the kitchen mantlepiece. They look colourfully Christmassy there and were the easiest bit of decorating I have ever done :-)

Oooops, just noticed that a Whiskey bottle has sneaked into the picture. Ah well, all there for Santa when he comes down the chimney.  As we will start opening the pressies, one a day, and there will be more space on the mantlepiece, I will replace the empty spaces with bits and stuff from the deco boxes. But for the moment, we have this to remind us that Christmas is coming - and to remind us of the friend who so thoughtfully is spoiling us with a surprise that lasts 24 days.

Best,

A closer look

Hehe, I am getting into the teasing game. I keep including photos in the blog that have something in the background which I will come back to in a later post. So, wanna take a closer look at what I have in my frame above the kitchen mantle? Ah, go on. You know you want to. Go on, go on, go on, go on, go on, go on, go on, go on, go on...

 
The frame is familiar, I know. The previous years I have always displayed a few Christmas baubles, suspended from ribbon in the frame. This year, I felt, it was time for something different. And since I had picked up this branchy heart in an online sale somewhere, I just decided to make it a bit more Christmassy.

The vichy-check ribbon stayed on. I only wound some red stars and beads on silver wire around the heart.






Presto! Easy does the trick. I love the way the shadow of the glass stars shines all red onto the wall.

Best,

A little update on my kitchen mantle

You may have noticed my kitchen mantle in my previous post. It was rather blurry in the background. So today I proudly present a clear look at what is happening on my mantlepiece. Well, it is quite similar to last year's arrangement - I love symmetry on display because it gives the illusion of order and space, something that I am usually not associated with *haha*.

Center stage takes our beautiful Peruvian nativity. We have a family connection with Peru and this is the reminder of that, coming out of storage for a a few weeks every year. This piece of folk art is at this stage 40 years old - and is still as shiny and colourful as it was when bought all those years ago. Well, apart from the design on the doors of the nativity. They have faded away over the years - this used to be on display all year 'round in front of my mother-in-law's fireplace. I love the way the nativity scene has been transferred to Peruvian country life...

Now, how do you like them apples? *hehe* They are not necessarily Christmas decorations, but their colour fits my scheme (and my politics *haha*). Never mind they were bought really cheaply from the discount tray in a small interior design shop in the North of Germany...

The hurricane lamps are a relatively recent addition. I had cracked one of my previous two hurricanes by lazily sticking it into the dishwasher - the hot water killed it instantly *RIP*. I found these as replacements - and I love the way they only let the candlelight shine through the small cracks. I've had lots of fun "drawing with light" i.e. photographing that the other day...

So, with the nights starting early (and the days getting darker, too - it is half three in the afternoon and I have to put on the lights in my study because the heavy snowfall outside darkens the sky so much...), I look forward to lighting my candles every night now during dinner...

Best,

First of Advent

The first of advent is through. I have slowly crept into the kitchen with my decorating efforts, but in comparison to previous years this year's decoration is much tamer. The reason is really that I am so busy - and also find it hard to get over my laziness when I do have a free second. Well, it's a process of little steps. And yesterdays steps included decorating the kitchen chandelier.

I was nearly too late to get the holly - we are snowed in. Snow in Ireland is very rare. Snow in  November is nearly unheard of. Luckily there is a park across the street from me, where I was able to nick a few branches.

This is the easiest deco ever - I just weave the branches around the chandelier and then hang the baubles. Nice effect. Only problem are the holly berries which tend to drop into our food when eating at the dining table underneath the chandelier ;-). Especially once the branches have been up a few day and are drying out. But hey, a few concessions need to be made for proper Christmas atmosphere...

Best,

Christmas 2010 begins

Finally, the day is here. Let the games fun begin: Today is the official opening of Christmas season 2010. At least in my books. According to tradition, Christmas decorating in Germany does not begin until after the last Sunday before Advent. The first of Advent, i.e. the first of the four Sundays before Christmas Day, is next weekend. I had been aching to get my Chrimbo decorations down from the attic, but had to wait until Mr Craft-Werk was ready to face my annual Christmas marathon. Truth is - I just love Christmas. Always have, always will. Even if others think it is phoney or overly commercialised these days. For me it is still the family celebration it was in my childhood. And I insist on giving my children the same experience of the magical time up until and on Christmas - even though I live in a country now that boasts little if any great Christmas traditions. No matter. Christmas is firmly German in our household.

Nonetheless, life is about those little compromises. And if Mr Craft-Werk doesn't care much for the occasion, I will at least not subject him to it full-on. So I started off quite lightly today and so far have only decorated a bit in the drawing room. My most coveted item of Christmas decorations is up first - the nativity - and gets centre-stage on the drawing room mantle.

While I was rooting for the nativity and stockings it occurred to me that it was a real shame that I would have to go through the boxes again once I am ready to decorate the tree shortly before Christmas. But then I thought, why not organise that now - and make the best of it by keeping my collection of baubles at hand and also display them.

Out they came out of their boxes. I simply filled them in a large glass bowl.

Some of the baubles are cheap red glass balls. The purple ones I picked up really cheaply this January in the sales. And the silver ones are antique. They came to me from my grandmother (who is now 92). According to family lore, they were bought when my grandmother was born in 1918.


So there is a bit of glamour in the drawing room now, but really just a handy way of storing the baubles in an easily accessible place until I dig them out to put on the tree.

With half the drawing room under my belt, I look forward to starting on the kitchen now. How far have you come??

Best,

Instant Christmas Centrepiece

When I started reading English-language decorating and interior design magazines, I could never get the whole fuss around the "Centrepiece". For each and every dinner occasion, the lady of the house would need a thematically suited "arrangement" - flowers or candles or whatever. Geeez, Germans are so straightforward - none of that fuss for us. Sit down and have your meal! 

However, I have come to like that kind of careful decorating - even though I never really bother to do it myself. (Although that is due to lack of occasion *excuses*...) Here is an idea for a last-minute Christmas centrepiece. Not original, I guess, but it's a show-and-tell of my own Christmas centrepiece.

I actually came upon the idea when sorting through my Christmas ornaments in order to organise my tree decorations. About ten years ago I was given some antique, silver-coloured Christmas baubles. According to family lore they were bought by my great-grandparents when my granny was born in 1918. My granny passed them on to me when I moved to Ireland. They are very precious to me and for that reason have not been used on my Christmas trees very often. 

However, when I saw them I thought that they should really be put on display. Safely. So I grabbed a simple Ikea glass bowl and a block candle. I put the candle into the centre of the bowl and placed the baubles all around it. There were also battery-run, white Christmas tree lights which I wound around the candle, too. Instant centrepiece. I think it is very festive, very simple, very ornate and very nice...

Well, I am off to celebrate Christmas now. Frohe Weihnachten everyone! Happy Christmas!

Recycled Ornaments - Nightlight Stars

It's the day before Christmas. (Well, technically Christmas is the 25th of December, but as a child German, the most important day for me is Christmas Eve when we exchange presents.) And I can't believe that I actually have the time to craft something and to post it in my blog... Am I organised or have I forgotten something??? No, presents are bought, sitting room is decorated and presents are wrapped.


Well, my project is a small one and a quick one. I just made a few nightlight stars. You know those little metal cups that nightlights come in? I have been going through loooooooooooooooads of them recently, as my kitchen advent wreath is decorated with four nightlights. They are lit every time we sit down for a meal, and so we go through a lot of candles. Apart from the fact that my nightlights are not very efficient - they seem to burn out in the middle, leaving a lot of wax behind - it has irked me that I always have to throw out the left-over wax and the metal bits, too. So I came up with a way of turning them into Christmas ornaments.

Take out the left-over wax from the metal holder. If the wax hasn't melted too much, it should be easy to get the candle out and you won't have to clean the holder much.

With ordinary scissors cut into the rim of the holder. It is easiest if you start with two cuts opposite each other and then cut three more times, creating eight evenly spaced strips.

Flatten out the holder carefully. You now have a vague sun-shape.

Now take one of the strips between thumb and index finger and carefully squeeze in order to fold up the two corners of the strip. Do it with all eight strips. And you are basically done.

With a needle and thread you can attach a piece of string for hanging the ornament. It pushes through the thin metal fairly easily.

These stars are really simple. And I actually like the three-dimensionality of it. When you hang a few of them together, the produce a faint little "chink" when they touch... almost like the distant bells of Santa's sleigh approaching. (Or that is what I tell my daughter...) Best of all - they are completely free and making use of recyclable material. 

 

Last-Minute and Recession-Buster Gift Wrap

The countdown to Christmas is nearly there. Christmas tree chosen? *ticks* Last big shop done? *ticks* Money spent on presents? *ticks* All presents wrapped? *ti... eeeeeeeeeek* It's the day before Christmas and you haven't got any gift wrap in the house. No need to worry, there are other ways of wrapping the gifts nicely. And chances are that you have all the "trimmings" for it at home, anyway.

I am well in time with my gift wrapping. All done, actually. And technically I was not trying to beat the recession by choosing cheap gift wrap. It's more of a style statement than a financial decision. I just find that brown packing paper is the new burlap *grins*. Seriously - brown paper can look so nice.  And it leaves you lots of scope to decorate with string, stickers, stamps, bows and whatever you have at hand.Here is a sneak preview of the 2009 Christmas wrapping style in the Royal household:

I bought a roll of packing paper for € 3.98 and some cotton twine for € 1.98. I wrapped all presents in it and put the twine around them for a rather simple, traditional, almost post-y look. The sparkle and the glamour is added by the gift tags. 

The tags were last year's Christmas cards which I saved. With scalloped scissors I cut out the pictures of the cards where the back had not been written on. They make nice tags, cost nothing and are paper recycling in the best sense! So don't forget to look through your Christmas cards this year before you throw them out... For added sparkle I stuck some self-adhesive scrapbooking crystals on the tags.


How many pressies did I wrap *thinks*. Not sure - maybe 40? It only cost me € 5.00 - and I still have lots of brown paper left to wrap parcels.

I was featured on Remodelaholic

I was just checking my blog before going to bed and realized, that one of my projects was featured on another blog. And what a nice blog it is... I am very happy to recommend everyone to check out the talented Cassity's blog REMODELAHOLIC

Recycling - reusing - remodeling - all right up my street. For the past while Cassity has been trying out lots of paper Christmas projects. My paper stars fitted right into that and she has given a blog post over to it. Check it here. 

I am particularly taken by her first project in the series, but I also spent a long time reading up on her remodeling posts.

Thanks, Cassity!

Christmas Window Decoration - Kid Proof

I really had to step away from the internet this weekend - and finally enjoy Christmas time after handing in all my assignments. So I never got round to updating the blog with the post that I uploaded some pictures for on Friday. Here we go - not too late yet for some Christmassy decorating. And you can even involve the kids in this, as it is easy-peasy. 

It was actually my 8-year-old daughter who showed me how to do this. She took some translucent paper and cut it into eight rectangular pieces. (If you want to, you can be all exact and tidy with this - she wasn't and the result was still nice - or is that just Mama's forgiving and proud eye???)

Then she folded them down over to find the middle of the paper. 

Using the fold line as a guide, she then made pointy bits. Never mind if it looks like in the picture left - the finished project still looks like a star! Fold all eight pieces of paper like this. 

Again using the first, middle fold as a reference point, stick one star piece onto another. A glue stick will work fine. Do this with all eight pieces!

In the end you have an eight-pointed star like this:

While it looks a bit irregular, once you have stuck it against the window, it is quite pretty and the overlapping bits of translucent paper create a nice, regular pattern.


Happy Christmas, everyone!