snowflakes

i'm really happy with my red and white decorated tree, but sadly, i didn't have anything suitable for the very top. i'm not a fairy/angel type of gal, but i am a starry/snowflake type, so when i read this 3d snowflake tutorial, (found via the lovely zee's homebug site)) i knew i'd found my tree topper. great fun to make, you need a little bit of patience, but it's really, really easy. if you make the size they suggest, it will produce an enormous snowflake, suitable for hanging in a window, but i modified the measurements a little to suit the tree. the author suggests using copy paper, but i used thin card for a slightly more robust snowflake. i think they're fab.

oh, and by the way, the background paper (red with little white stars on) is my super bargain of the century. it looks identical to a cath kidston design but it was from woolworths (in the birthday wrapping paper section) and it cost just 40p for a 2 metre roll! (that's around 80 us cents) it's a little thin, but needless to say, i'll be using it for all my christmas presents, along with some beautiful (but cheap) felt snowflake trimming i bought back from our jaunt in portugal in october.

cute advent calendar tute

i thought you might like to see something a little different from me today, so i figured out a way of making a very sweet advent calendar for the boys...welcome to my first tute!

you will need:
24 little buckets (i bought mine from a florist's shop)
length of rough string (diy store)
24 tiny pegs (craft shop)
24 little tags (office supply shop)
computer printout of the numbers 1-24 (i used 'arial' font in a size 36, you can be more fancy, i just wanted frank to be able to read it clearly...i also printed mine on to graph paper for an interesting texture)
24 five inch (12 cm) pieces of pretty ribbon
you will also need:
scissors
ruler
marker pen
paper glue
pva glue (optional)

1) firstly, take the string and measure around 12" (30cm) and mark using a felt-tip or marker. then measure every 4" (10cm) 24 times. these marks are where the buckets will be tied. leave another 12" at the other end and cut the string. these long ends can be used for tying up the buckets however you decide to display them.

2) tie each bucket at each mark using a small length of the rough string. do this VERY tightly so when the buckets hang they don't slip. tie a double knot then trim the ends. if you like you can dab a bit of pva glue on the knot. leave to dry. (just thought, so you don't have to wait for the pva to dry, you could use a hot glue gun)

3) hide the string knots by tying the pretty ribbon around them. i just double knotted it and left the ends hanging, but you can tie a bow if you wish.

4) take your sheet of printed numbers and cut them out. glue them onto your paper tags. if you haven't any tags, just regular card stock cut into rectangles is fine.
5) use the pegs to attach the numbered tags onto the buckets. you can do this in order, or randomly for the children to hunt for :) fill each bucket with a handful of treats, and hang over a stair banister, mantle, or like me over a dresser.
6) stand back and admire your brilliance, and wait for many, many compliments on your fabulous display!


i do hope this all makes sense, and if you decide to make one, let me know how it turns out! enjoy!
UPDATE: if you can't be bothered with all this faff but like the look of the calendar, the same idea can be bought from www.decorativecountryliving.co.uk (sorry that's not a posh link, for some reason i can't get those to work at all today, either on here or on flickr, grrr) although when i went on the website i couldn't actually find it, which is helpful. not.