Deck the Halls

In a recent episode on Design Matters TV, Linda Kemshall demonstrated how to make some beautiful little Christmas ornaments, and I was so intrigued that I had to make one myself.

The shape of the ornament wasn't unfamiliar to me. In fact, Ive seen something similar by Clover called a 'Clam Shell Accessories Case'. You can buy the pieces that make up the walls of the case, and cover them with the fabric of your choice. In DMTV Linda demonstrated that it is very easy to make these pieces yourself from card or sturdy watercolour paper. Or why not stencil plastic to make them even sturdier? For a Christmas ornament, however, card is probably enough, as most of the time it will just be hanging in your home looking pretty. I say most of the time, because you can also use them for hiding little objects or sweets, if you leave an opening, so they'll have to be able to withstand a bit of handling. If you don't have access to DMTV, Clover has also published an instructional video that will show you another method for making these little cases.

So, with a bit of patience, three little leaf-shaped fabric-covered pieces of card

could turn into something like this:

And if you want to hide something inside it, you just press it open like this:

Pretty neat, right?

And while I'm on the subject, here's another Christmas ornament that Linda and Laura Kemshall have inspired me to make. A few years ago I learned from them how to make triangular hanging bags (here's one that I've made), and that inspired me to make a tiny version that you could hang on your Christmas tree. There's room for a sweet in this one too!

It is so enjoyable to make precious little ornaments like these that I'm thinking perhaps I should start a tradition and make a new one very year.

Thanks for visiting!

Winter Blooming

Since I've been absent from this blog so much this past autumn and winter, I have a lot of catching up to do. Here's another project that I haven't shared with you yet. I learned this technique from Linda Kemshall. She calls the technique 'hydrangea blooming' in an episode of Design Matters TV. I just had to try it. There are four layers of cotton in this hanging bag; three of which I've cut open on the grain, to produce maximum fraying. I like the way the frayed threads form stamens in the middle of the blooms.

Speaking of blooms, here's an image of an amaryllis I was given by some of my students at the end of term in early December. It bloomed just before Christmas, again after New Year, and now it has produced a third stem, which is very short, but with full-sized flowers. Amazing!

Here's a view of my neighbourhood this time of year. We had gorgeous winter weather at the start of the week, and I treated myself to some free light therapy. The snow catching the sunlight and frost on the tree branches was a sight for light-starved eyes.

 Have a great week, and remember to drop by again soon! - Annika