An Advent Doll & A Pink Parisienne Boot

Greetings lovely friends & readers 💗

Another Christmas done & dusted - gosh where do the days/weeks go to I wonder ??

A vase of flowers picked yesterday - the smaller roses are "The Fairy" .... I am unsure what the larger ones are - however their scent is divine & fills the dining room.

(Dear little Juno who is almost 9 months old now)

We had a wonderful Christmas spread out over about 3 days which is what happens when you have an extended family all with different places they need to be.

 We got to have an early Christmas tea with Juno & her family which was so lovely - she very much enjoyed the Tilda Angel Mouse I made for her in * this post *

The younger ones really make me enjoy Christmas - I get alot of pleasure seeing it through their eyes. Sid tripped over running in his new Batman Jandals & grazed both knees & his cheek so he was looking a little battle worn.

The week before Christmas a small bundle of beautiful Liberty fabrics arrived from Millymac Supplies

I had found a completed dolls body in my sewing room (Yes - I really do have dolls bodies lying around my sewing room!!) & I had wanted to make an Advent Angel for quite some time.  I had seen one on a vlog last Christmas & just loved the concept ... so I set about making some clothing using my new Liberty fabrics. 

The doll pattern is called Friendship Angel by the late Rosalie Dekker designs - I adore Rosie's doll patterns. I made her pantaloons, a dress & some angel wings & then I embellished her with some festive bits that I pinched borrowed from my Christmas tree 😉

I used my computer to print out the tags & my friend Sally lent me her numeral stamps to countdown each day.  By the time I completed my Advent Angel I only had "7 days to go" but next year I will get to enjoy her for the entire month of December.

I thought this tiny snowflake ornament complimented the snowflake theme in her dress.  The mini wreath was made by wiring a piece of greenery & adding a bow.

When I posted a pic of her on Instagram it was Boxing Day - my friend Chris left me a comment saying I now needed a tag to read "thank goodness that's over for another year !!"  ... I definately think I shall have to make one of those !!! 😉

I'm not sure now how I originally founds Kim's gorgeous Sarahlizzies blog but it has become one of my absolute favorite places to visit - filled with beautiful flowers, quilts & vintage gorgeous-ness.  Kim had a giveaway awhile ago & I entered but my name was not drawn out so I was surprised to get an email from her asking for my postal address.  It took a long time for this package to arrive but when my Rural Mail lady delivered this large box my hands were shaking as I opened it up. 

Inside wrapped up in a beautiful vintage afternoon tea cloth & pink satin ribbon was this beauty .  .  .  .  .  .

A Vintage Lace & Embroidered Parisienne Boot (stocking) - Kim's stunning handwork - embellished with such a mouthwatering assortment of vintage bits & bobs, lace, trinkets, doilies, braid, beads, mother of pearl buttons .......................... 💗💗💗

The other side was just as stunning - how could you choose which side to display .... Oh My that ribbon gathered rosette just took my breath away !!

It was like Kim peeped inside my head & saw all the gorgeous things that I adore & then fashioned them all into a satin & lace Parisienne Boot 💕

Seriously dear friends - my photos do Not do justice to all the detail in this !!

     I still find that everytime I look at it, I am discovering something new ..........

  And so I knew immediately where it would hang ... in my pink Christmas area that I wrote about in my last post - just perfect.  And every time I walk past I see it which is just so special.  

Thank You dear Kim from the bottom of my heart for your kindness which sprinkled so much joy into my festive season. Honestly the friends I have made in this little blogging corner of the world are just extra special.

(Oh & incidentally - when the Christmas is all packed away for another year this stocking will certainly be staying Out !!)

And so dear friends - we close the door on a year that probably none of us have ever experienced before & hope to never again.  What a year it's been & I had such high hopes for 2020 !

I hope the coming year brings you what your heart desires dear friends - thank you for always stopping by to visit me here in this little corner of cyberspace - your visits mean more to me than I can ever explain. Take care dear reader - be kind to yourselves & to each other & may the coming year bring you many blessings & joy filled moments.

With much love & friendship to You All,

Julie & the furry ones x0x0x0 

Christmas Baking, Last Orders .......... & a Little Bit of Pink ..........

 Greetings lovely friends & readers

We had our little craft group break up for the year last Monday - as usual with our small group of 6 - if all else fails we produce delicious food !!! 😉

I made a start on some Christmas baking of my own last week - I only swap baking with 3 friends now so I don't need to make as much as previous years.

This year I made Gingernut Bites, Mars Bar Slice & my usual Fudge cake - I really enjoy packaging everything up attractively for my friends.

Yummy baking both given And received 💕

I cleaned out my worm farm & managed to fill up 10 bottles of Worm Tea (for those that will ask - this is the liquid residue that is in the bottom layer of a worm farm & makes amazing liquid plant food for pots & the garden) I like to gift bottles of this at Christmas time also. 

I finished my final Order for the year - some Soy Candles in vintage glassware - these have been collected now.

I wanted to make a couple of Soy Candles for gifts but had used up all my vintage glass containers so I found these 2 jars at the Op Shop for 50c each.  I filled them with Pumpkin Spice soy wax & then decided to embellish the jars with some Re-design transfers I already had.

Fronts Views                                                        & Backs 

                                   I was really pleased with how they turned out & hope the recipients will enjoy burning them.

Thank You all So Much for your wonderful comments on my Christmas decorating in my last post.  I added a small pink area last week as I came across a selection of pink Christmassy bits in a drawer.  Why Ever Not I decided ??!!

                                Just a tiny selection on a bookcase & an occasional table but I LoVe it 💗

The little fairy in the glass dome below right was made way back in this post * here * - I think I need to treat her fairy lights to a new battery

When I was cutting out the Tilda Reindeer that I shared in my last post - I had the assistance of Miss Pip who very kindly sat on the calico to flatten it for me 😉

When I shared this series of pics on Instagram a lady left me a comment telling me "No - she is actually asking you "does my bum look big in this ??"         I think the lady is exactly right !! 😉  And No Miss Pip - your bum looks just perfect there 😊

Some lovely goodies arrived in the post last week - handmade snowflakes, heavenly soy wax melts & a bright shiny new diary/planner for 2021 from * Here *

As this will be my last post before Christmas Day I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very safe, merry & blessed festive season.  Thank You all so much for stopping by my little corner of cyberspace, reading my ramblings & the lovely comments that you take the time to leave - which mean the world to me.

With much love & friendship to you All,

Julie & the furry ones x0x0x0

Christmas Decorating at Threadbear HQ

Welcome lovely friends & readers

(Warning : a photo heavy post ahead - you may need a cuppa or a snack, or half the contents of your pantry (!!!) before you're finished) 😉

I have finished my Christmas decorating here at Threadbear HQ. Usually I put the tree up, then fling a few Santa's around & toss the rest of the boxes back in the sleepout. This year - for no apparent reason - I decided to get every single decoration out, repair many of them that needed it, & either display them - or send in a box to the Op Shop.

Sid & I started the tree a couple of weeks ago & then my dear friend Carolyn came for lunch so she helped me to finish it.

Though I have photographed it at night the lights are not really showing up.

              Lets start in my dining room - my vintage Singer Sewing table has a small display of Santa's on it

And my Vintage Typewriter is in another corner . . .

This small cupboard is beside my fireplace with some bits on it -

- including the Mossy Gnomes that I made earlier this year.

The little Christmas Pudding elf is handmade by me - as are the chalk hearts poking out of the plants on my hearth.

I LoVe unpacking the handcrafted items made & gifted from dear friends over the years.

A very tiny bit of Christmas in the kitchen including a fresh batch of citrus potpourri in my vintage scales 💗

Moving in to the lounge area now .  .  .  .

A coffee table Christmas display - Lots of candles & fairy lights everywhere

This was my One Purchase this Christmas - bought while shopping down at Mum's in October with my friend Claire. At her suggestion I added moss to the base & also thread a few more pip berries through it - I especially love it at night time when the fairy lights are turned on.

These old ice skates were a Trade Me purchase about 2 or 3 Christmas's ago - I tossed them in the sleepout wardrobe & never thought any more about them.  Last week I pulled them out, scrubbed them & soaked the filthy laces in them - they came up well.  I had an idea in the virtual Pinterest Board that goes around inside my head of what I wanted to do with them 😊

I found my bag of faux greenery & berries & hot glued some in the tops of the boots but first I filled each boot with wadding so my greenery would not slip down inside. I had initially thought about putting them on a wreath but I didn't have anything large enough so I found this old chicken mesh frame in my sleepout & they fitted on this perfectly. 

    

I was able to affix them using the laces so they are removable at any time - I tied some rusty stars & bells to them & then wound a faux berry strand around the frame.

I'm just so pleased I finally did something with my vintage Ice Skates 💕 

 

Here is the fireplace mantle that I revamped in * this Post * - all decorated for Christmas - I really enjoyed putting this area together.

And a little wooden cart of teddies at the base - these Santa Hats are from when I had my Craft Cottage - I would pop them on all the bears & dolls for sale in the Cottage.

The top of the Fireplace Mantle

More beautiful treasures handmade by special friends 💕

(Sid watched me wrap these parcels up so he knows they are just boxes)

Under the tree is this vintage cart & some old teddies that I found in a bag in the sleepout wardrobe - the parcels are just wrapped up boxes - I can't put gifts under the tree as yet as it's too hard on the little ones who want to open them 😉

A Vintage Feather Tree purchased years ago in Australia

More handmade Santa's - these ones are a few years old now

And finally - after all the Tilda Reindeer I have made for orders over the years - I finally sat down & made myself one!!

This is a lovely pattern in the Tilda Book "Homemade & Happy"  - there are 2 sizes & I have made the larger one.

I was able to find some mossy branches on my very old Plum Tree for his antlers. 

Thank You all So Very Much if you have managed to stay til the end (Phew).  I cannot end this post without giving you a link to my friend Claire's Stunning Christmas Home. If you are on Instagram you can go * Here * to see photos & video's of her home - believe me friends - it is well worth a visit.

Wishing you a wonderful week ahead - be kind to yourselves & to each other,

With much love & friendship to you all,

Love Julie & the furry ones x0x0x0