Work In Progress: Weekend in Stockholm Blanket Throw

Hello all blog readers! Happy New Year! I hope you've enjoyed your holidays and managed to have a bit of a break. I was lucky enough to have nearly 4 weeks off work! We holidayed at home, went away for around 10 days and did a lot of spring cleaning and tidying up. I'm ready to tackle the New Year and have lots of ideas for the blog this year. 

Although I having been writing blog posts, I've still been keeping up to date with what's happening via Instagram and posting there too. (Find me @itsmariemade). One super-crafty and talented fellow blogger (One Crafty Mumma) posted about a new crochet blanket pattern she was starting, which has turned into a sort of crochet-along a lot of other people are doing the same blanket. I liked the pattern so much I was inspired to start my own one too. The pattern is Weekend in Stockholm and is available free. It looks complicated but actually once I got going I didn't have too many problems. I do admit I found the pattern instructions a little confusing so I just interpreted it the best I could from pictures of other people's squares. I also found a couple of helpful videos on YouTube that someone else had uploaded. I did a test square to see if I actually liked it, then I went out to pick my colours. 

Finished Projects: Bucilla Felt Christmas Stocking

I did it! I finished my first Bucilla Felt Christmas Stocking Kit! And just in the nick of time! I really enjoyed this project. It was quite a challenged and I needed to learn quite a few new sewing and embroidery techniques, but overall, the instructions were fairly straightforward and I didn't have too many problems. 

D.I.Y: Easy Christmas Door Wreath

Now that the Thorndon Fair is over, I feel like I can join the land of the living! I also want to do anything but yarn crafts! I've have a few ideas for Christmas projects that I wanted to do this year, but they've been on the back burner until the fair was over. I am hurriedly trying to do something so I can enjoy them while we are still in the Christmas season. This particular project has to be one of the quickest and easiest I've done all year!

I've always wanted to hang a wreath on my front door. Something about a door wreath is super Christmassy to me! While I admit I probably didn't look very hard, over the years I hadn't found one that I liked enough to buy. I also thought I could probably easily make my own, and I was right! Armed with my glue gun and a few other bits and pieces I literally made this wreath in less than half an hour! I chose natural neutral colours to go with the green and silver theme that we have going on in our house. 

Thorndon Fair Experience and Gallery of work

***Warning photo heavy post*** Hello poor neglected blog!! I am still here! If you have been reading along for the last few months you would know I have been otherwise occupied! This past 6 weeks I was just too busy making for the Thorndon Fair which was on Sunday 7th December. With all the best intentions, unfortunately the Wellington weather did not play ball, so the fair itself was almost a complete washout. It didn't start very well when at our original stall site we were literally blowing away. We ended up moving across the road to an empty site which was slightly more sheltered but not really. I spent the majority of the time standing with my umbrella trying to shelter the table at the same time trying not to let the drips from the umbrella fall on the table! While I did manage to sell a few things, it was definitely disappointing. Especially considering this is something I have been working towards for the past 4 months or so! AND for the other people I shared the stall with as well as only one of the others managed to sell a few things. (Check out Lara Dawn and Meghan Maloney Photography). But, as I like to say, you live and learn, and I will take away a lot from the overall experience. The most important thing I think was that stall location is everything! We were at the distant end of the route, which meant we either got the last stragglers, or people just starting who wanted to wait until they'd seen other stalls before purchasing. As it was just soooo dismal, we ended up packing up our stall early and going home. The majority of stall holders around us were doing the same thing too. 

Cheese Twist Scones

Here's another recipe from the archives of my Mum's Little Red Recipe Book. My mum grew up on a farm, and I'm sure there would have been a lot of home baking done, along with ingredients being readily available. I would categorise this recipe as farm style baking as it's not particularly healthy, but a comforting, tasty treat. Especially on a cold, wet, windy (Wellington) day with a nice hot cup of tea!