Happy Homemade Christmas

I have been AWOL the last week due to the other half doing something(Goodness only knows what) with the computers. Unfortunately most of what I have been doing craft wise can't be shown yet, just in case certain people read it.
But what I do have to show you is some lovely Christmas stuff!
Firstly we have the tree...

This is the first time that I have ever had a "real" tree.  When we moved, everything from the cellar in the old house had to be dumped due to damp (we were not very impressed I can tell you!!). So this year we needed to buy a tree whatever happened.  I will admit it was my lovely husband's idea, so we all tootled off in the car to the garden centre and had a great day out choosing our tree and buying decorations, which again we had to start from scratch with! I can tell you transporting our 7 foot tree in our little car was an experience, but it got us all in the Christmas spirit and now the house smells lovely and Christmassy as well!
We do however have some lovely decorations on the tree courtesy of my gorgeous kids.  The salt dough decorations have been painted and glittered and hung on the tree:

I am really happy at the way these have turned out, and the kids had a ball making them.  I think the only thing I would do differently is to coat them with something, possibly a varnish, as the glitter tends to get everywhere! (If you like the look of these the recipe for the salt dough is here ) We let the kids decorate the tree, which was so much fun and more than makes up for the fact that everything is slightly wonky.  I am very much of the opinion that me and the hubby will have years to have things done neatly when the kids are grown up, yet we have limited time when the kids can be kids.  I love the fact that they decorated and made decorations.  It makes our Christmas Tree truly ours.
Also, thanks to friends and family the kids have also received Christmas craft packs resulting in these beauties:

The Christmas Tree's were from a good friend of mine, along with some colouring in boxes which I just need to glue together, and Rudolph is from Grandma.  She got both the kids a lovely books with lots of different things to put together. I'm saving the rest for the week before Christmas when my daughter's not at school, as I know that she will get bored within half a day of not being at school!
I have cross stitched decorations on the go, which should hopefully be up by the end of the week and only one more homemade present to make...probably....
I hope you are all having as lovely a time as we are, and that you are enjoying the Christmas season! 

Internet Brilliance

I was reading through some of the blogs I follow this morning (there are quite a few...) and found this brilliant link over at Owens Olivia 

So pop over to the Random Tutorial Generator and watch how quickly your morning goes! x

Map of Middle Earth:Mordor

Among trying to get Christmas craft stuff done in time, (pictures and posts to come) I have managed to get quite a bit of my Middle Earth map stitched. 

I haven't really used a hoop before, but with fabric this big I have found that actually it is the only way to be able to control my map.

 I find myself stitching this of an evening most nights, and must say that although there is a lot of it to do I am really enjoying it.  Because there is so much detail and different fonts and sizes of lettering, it doesn't get repetitive and so far this is how much I have got done.

 I am really really happy with Mordor. It looks quite impressive and I actually think you get the feeling of how Mordor is.

 I have tried a few different styles of stitching for the mountains (there are quite a lot of them) so thought I would dare a close up of some of them ....

All three of these have ended up looking completely different to each other, which has given different mountain ranges their own feel and personality which is a happy coincidence.
I don't think that I will be able to get much done this side of Christmas now but I will keep you updated and I will  should have some photos of Christmassy stuff coming up.
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Giveaway Winner

Today I chose a winner for my simple bag giveaway and (using random.org) drew entry number 1 which is KerryP77 so if you could email me at msstitcher@gmail.com with your address I will get that in the post for you.
 Congratulations to Kerry and Thank You very much to everyone that entered my first giveaway.

Easy Knitted Bag Pattern and Giveaway

Giveaway Bag

I love handbags! I have probably mentioned this a hundred times once or twice....So I decided I would knit one to make for one of you lovely readers. And being quite a stubborn old thing I decided to just kinda make one and see what happens rather than go by a pattern, so I've added my instructions as well. 
This is quite a little bag measuring 8" by 7" so I think it would be a perfect Christmas gift for any little Princesses out there :)
This is my first pattern so  I hope it is clear and helpful.  It is definitely nice and simple. (Some may say , just like me)


Pattern
Using 6mm needle and 100g Chunky Wool 
Bag
Cast on 30 stitches
Knit 5 rows
Work in stocking stitch until piece measures 12"
Knit 5 rows and then Cast Off
Handles (make 2)
Cast on 5 stitches
Knit until piece measures 10"
Pocket (Optional)
Cast on 10 stitches
Work in Stocking Stitch until piece measures 2" 
Knit 4 rows 
Cast off


Sew the pocket as desired (I have mine on the inside, but it would also look good on the outside)
Fold the main bag piece in half and then sew up the sides.
Sew both of the handles in place

All the Pieces

"Bag" before it is sewn up

Pocket on the inside

Giveaway Bag

 This is my first Giveaway so I am quite excited.

How to enter

There are three chances to win so good luck  : )

1. Follow me, either by email or Google Reader and leave me a comment to tell me you have done so
2. Leave a comment on this post saying whether you would keep this bag or gift it at Christmas
3. Link back to me on your blog and leave me a comment to let me know you have done so

This is open until midnight GMT  Tuesday 29th November when a winner will be chosen at random.

This is open to everybody and Good Luck!

Guest Post

I am very excited to say that I have done a couple of firsts today.
I have done my first guest post that includes my first tutorial! 
Head over to tinyangrycrafter's blog to have a look.

15 Handmade Christmas Gift Ideas

With Christmas just around the corner I thought that I would start a list of ideas that us crafters can make as Christmas gifts.  Because I know that sometimes we all need a little bit of inspiration.

1. Bags  Every girl loves a bag! From a simple tote bag  that a beginner can make, to lovely complicated bags. This would be a gift anyone would love to recieve!
2. Calendars These are a great make for a family with kids.  We did them last year for the "Nanny's". I simply got the kids to do drawings, paintings and pictures and then attached them with a few photos to card with the calendar dates at the bottom and attached a ring binder at the top.  Alternatively you can buy sets to make these. 
3. Soft Toys These don't have to be just for the kids either. I'm in the middle of making my hubby a dragon! Again these can be dependent on your skill level, from a nice simple felt toy through to beanie toys.
4. Bookmarks  I know a lot of bookworms, so these always come in handy.  I cross stitch mine, but you could make them from the craft that you are most talented at.
5. Jewelry  If you can make jewelry I can almost guarantee that people will be happy to receive a trinket or two for Christmas! I love wearing my home-made earrings and getting asked "Where did you get those from?" 
6.  Gadget covers  These could be knitted or sewn.  But you could easily make these for most gadgets out there, from iPhones to Kindles
7. Baked goods Who doesn't love something yummy that someone has taken the time to make?! Want to make them look more festive? Put them in a jar and make your own labels, or add ribbons to make it look more "you".
8. Homemade Ornaments These are really nice to give, as they can become a family heirloom.
9. Fleece Blankets   I love the fleece blanket I made for my daughter and they are ridiculously easy! You don't even have to do any sewing if you don't want to. Or you could add something personalized, either with unique fabric  or embroidery or felt cut outs.
10.  Cross Stitch or Embroidery  If you can stitch/embroider, make something for someone that they will like and frame it.  This is personal and generally people appreciate the time gone into these.
11. Personalised Cushion Hangers  You've probably seen these in the shops, the cute little cushions with a saying stitched on and a little bit of cord to hand them up with.  These are super duper easy to make, and even if you just put someone's name on it, it's better than "bog standard" from the shop.
12. Cake Jar If you are good at cooking and know someone who's not, or if you know someone who has always said how much they like for example your cookies,  make them up a jar with all the dry ingredients then make a nice label with instructions and ingredients they need to add. This could be for any cake or biscuit or goodie.
13. Jar of Sweets You can pick up glass paints relatively easy these days, so get a few little jars and decorate them, add your friends favorite sweets and add a nice label and ribbon.
14. Sewing Kits Make up a little needle book and pin cushion and add a few bits to make a sewing kit for your crafty friends.  
15. A Mini Scrapbook Make these with photos of the last year, photos of something they have a particular interest in, or something that you have in common.  

I'm sure there are hundreds of ideas that I am completely missing and I would love to hear from you if you have any other ideas.  But hopefully this will have got the creative thoughts going if nothing else.  Because every time at this year I sit and think surely I should be able to make something as a gift....but what????