Christmas in July

Christmas came early this year.

It started with a gift for my mum, who is basically Christmas crazy. She has all manner of decorations and even has her own shed to store them in. What she didn't have was an Advent Calendar.

I'm not sure where I found the idea. Probably Pinterest. Or maybe I morphed a couple of ideas together. Anyhoo, I'm sure Pinterest is the reason I held onto my old baking trays when Mr Frog bought me new ones from Aldi. It can't just be because I'm a bit of a hoarder. Right?

Here's what I came up with.

It's one of the simplest crafts I've done in ages.

1.Take one old baking tray/cookie sheet (FREE) and go at it with a can of spray paint. I chose white (because I had some. FREE)

2. Measure some xmas coloured scrapbook paper to size (already had because I bought it on sale ages ago. FREE)  and wrap around some matchboxes (ten of which I already had because I had to have them when I first saw them. FREE) from the craft shop. They come in packs of ten, so I bought another pack ( stupidly expensive when you're buying this many!) and then they didn't have any more. Commence swearing like a sailor, then save the day by buying actual matchboxes and turf the contents. (Seriously thought about keeping the matches, because surely I could use them for something, but after two weeks on the dining table they had to go.)

3. Adorn each box with a number from a purpose made sticker sheet. Thank you Kaisercraft for making my life easier.

That's basically it.

But then I realised that mum could display some of her massive magnet collection on the tray during the year, so I found a box to house the little boxes in (also FREE).

I love it when  a gift does double duty.

So, not long after I posted this off, we were invited to Christmas in July. Of course, I'd need a hostess gift and it would need to be homemade. I've got a rep' to protect.

I've been dying to make Mulled wine "teabags" almost as long as I've been obsessed with handmade tea bags. So, I went to Pinterest again, and used this and this as guides. The American measurements annoyed me no end, so there was a little bit of educated guessing going on.

Sadly, there was no time for a tasting so I can only hope they're as delicious as they look!

One "teabag" will do one bottle of wine, so I figure two bags will generally do for the winter. And of course they need to be packaged just so...

The morning of our lovely lunch date, Mr Frog trimmed the herb garden, so they came too.

Properly dressed of course...

And that is how we Christmas'd in July.

 Mr Frog has decided that next year, from Yule (in June...yes, I'm Pagan. The nude dancing is optional.) until Bastille Day on 14th July we will be celebrating Xmas, with decorations and everything.

You've been warned.

Now, it's time to start preparing those xmas crafts... don't leave them till the last minute, you'll just do yourself a damage.

What do you have planned for Xmas? Or is that a dirty word right now...?

MC

Odd Jobs

Since moving into our new rental, Mr Frog and I have been happily decorating all over the place. Trying out the stuff we already have, wishing for new stuff, making do, and occasionally actually buying when there's not much choice (for example, the pantry.)

Of course, my craftiness helps us out every now and then.

First up, a tissue box cover for the bathroom, which is really starting to look "finished". We bought a paper mache cover, then realised that the cheap tissues we buy from Aldi are not only shorter in length, but higher, if you follow. That means to actually have the tissues covered and not peaking out the bottom, I'd have to either buy more expensive tissues, or extend the cover.

So I extended the cover. Like an idiot.

It involved a bit of faffing...

First, eat an entire box of Cheezels on your own ( I did this over days, but I coulda done it faster!).
Raid the recycling bin for said box and start cutting.

Make a bunch of "planks" but glueing a few pieces together, trying to match the thickness of the cover.

Then get totally jack of the whole caper while having to stop and start while looking after the baby, and forget to take any more pictures.

Just finish the damn thing already.

That's a fabulous piece of scrapbooking paper from Kaisercraft.

 (Looks totally awesome if you ask me... no word from Mr Frog yet)

Next, we went mental with herbs, in pots on the deck. I love them.

 Mr Frog wasn't sure what was what, so, I made labels..

These were also made in stages, because that's my life now.

There was a bit of mucking about working out the best way to write in the clay (toothpick and water), and in the end I'm not sure I like them. Plus, I'm not sure if they'll disintegrate. I used air drying clay from the $2 shop, a bargain at $3.75. According to the packet, it dries to "earthenware hardness". I'll probably give them a coat of PVA or something just to help them out... but I'm not sold yet.

Do you think I should paint them?

Anyhoo, I had left over clay, so I made this...

Yes, that's a piece of wrapping paper in that frame. I'm so arty.

So that's what's been keeping me busy.

Now, I'm getting ready for this...

Come and see me!

MC