Everyone loves hot chocolate, right? Right.
Especially at winter, brr.
And in Autumn.
And in Spring.
And, well, let's be honest, just about any time of year.
And what could be better than an enormous jar of your favourite hot chocolate, topped with chocolate chips and eeny weeny mini marshmallows?
I made these as stocking fillers for the children in our family for Christmas Day. Glass jars are best because they show off the layers and make this really mouth-watering. Yum.
I filled each jar about half way with hot chocolate (I bought an enormous tub from the shops, but you could make your own using a recipe like this one if you're feeling energetic). I then mixed milk and white chocolate chips and layered on a cup of each, and finally topped the entire mix with as many mini marshmallows as could fit into the jar.
Tie with appropriately-themed gingham and et voila.
All you need to do now is mix it all up, and add 3 - 4 tablespoons of the mix into a cup of warm milk and stir.
Fastest, easiest and most delicious festive make ever.
I'm really pleased with how these little gift ornaments turned out. I have a huge stash of wooden discs, cut from large branches (!), that can be made into all sorts of wonderful things. You can make them yourself from found branches I'm sure, but I don't have the space for tools (other than my trusty dremel of course!) so I buy them online from this Etsy shop.
In the past, I've made these discs into buttons which are truly amazing showstopper accessories. This time, though, they were destined for a bit of festive glitter.
I used simple letter stickers to mark off the letter I wanted to show off, and then painted over it with the most amazing and magical stuff I've ever come across; Extreme Glitter Paint. Basically, it's colourful mod podge that has been absolutely saturated with ridiculously fine glitter. You paint it on in layers and it gets unreasonably sparkly.
Then add some more.
The stickers didn't do a very good job as the Extreme Glitter paint leaked easily under the edges. I used the remaining outlines as a guideline to carve out the letters using a combination of a fine knife and lino cutter. It was a very quick job, and the results are great. It was very easy to lift the excess paint.
Add a quick hole to the top, thread some silver thread and add a bow. Done! The whole process takes about 20 minutes including drying time, or about five minutes per disc if you do them in a production line and don't have to factor in drying time.
I was determined to make many of our gifts for giving this Christmas. There have been gingerbread men, hot chocolate pots and handmade ornaments. And, just a handful of Christmas Knits. Here's a quick roundup:
Giant Pom Pom Hat for Amelia (Raveled Here)
Amelia, Isla's very best friend from nursery, loves pom poms. Like, loves pom poms. So, she gets a giant pom pom hat. This yarn is an amazing colour; I can't for the life of me find the ball band but I know it is an Elle brand yarn I bought in South Africa.
The pattern is a tried-and-tested favourite of mine (Classic Cuffed Hat from Purl Soho) with a minor adaptation to replace the cuff with ear flaps. I then finished it off with a chunky crochet edging, plaited strings and three giant pom poms.
Hat for Jack (Raveled Here)
Again, back to the Purl Soho from one of their fantastic patterns: this time, it was Super Soft Merino Hats for Everyone. I tried out a new yarn - The Women's Institute Soft and Chunky which is a 30% acrylic 70% merino blend. Should be wonderfully warm and easy to wash.
Flower Girl Purse for Annabelle (Ravelled here)
This was a really quick and fun crochet project, made for Annabelle, Jack's twin. I use the leftover yarn from his hat to make a matching purse that would be perfect for carrying around little sweets, clips, stones or other treasures a two year old might find.
I used this pattern to make the flower and added a leaf and crocheted flower centre to make it stand out a bit. Very cute. Isla was impressed with this one.
Mittens for Isla (Raveled here)
... because I can't really knit up a selection of gifts and neglect little Isla can I?
I used the last little bit of my very favourite yarn to make these mittens using the Another Pair of Mittens pattern. I joined them together with a knitted i-cord because I'm certain that these would soon part ways if they were loose.
She was impressed. After trying on, they got wrapped and put under the tree. Isla loves opening up presents so I've wrapped up a few silly things - not least of all these essential-for-winter mittens that she's already seen. There are fruit sweets, dummies, biscuits...
After all, it's all about the unwrapping, isn't it?
I can hardly believe that it is December. Mid-December. Just five-more-sleeps-until-Christmas-December. Where has the year gone?! It's all very sudden. Work has been very demanding in the last six months, taking over from sensible (read: craft) activities and any kind of artistic expression. Have you noticed that this blog has been much neglected? I have. *embarrassed*.
Still. Here we are. It is the end of the year, Christmas is upon us, and everything is looking festive indeed.
There was even snow.
Snow! In early December!
Still, despite it being Christmas all-of-a-suddenly, we're quite prepared.
This is our second year of having our very own Christmas tree and the decorations are slowly accumulating. The tree is up, Isla has a generously-filled Santa Sack of goodies, and there's a stocking hanging up on the book shelf. It's all very festive.
Still. Here we are. It is the end of the year, Christmas is upon us, and everything is looking festive indeed.
There was even snow.
Snow! In early December!
Still, despite it being Christmas all-of-a-suddenly, we're quite prepared.
This is our second year of having our very own Christmas tree and the decorations are slowly accumulating. The tree is up, Isla has a generously-filled Santa Sack of goodies, and there's a stocking hanging up on the book shelf. It's all very festive.
This year, I've even made a Christmas wreath. Who knew that there were such crafty activities saved for this time of year?! It's all very new and exciting for me. Hand-stitched felt holly, clusters of cinnamon sticks, mini toadstools. Of course. Thank you, Pinterest.
I'm so looking forward to the few days off between Christmas and New Year. I plan to do a lot of hand-carding, spinning and knitting. I'm hoping to head off to see the Christmas lights in Carnaby Street, and Winter Wonderland. And most of all, I'm looking forward to not doing even a drop of work for almost an entire week. Lush.
5 more sleeps :)
