*Get Your Christmas Craft On- Day 6*

Good morning from the Coast of Australia...

Today- Day 6 of *Christmas Crafting* is happening in the beautiful space of my friend Alicia's blog

*La Famille*...

She's a wonderful mum to four, and blogs about family, crafting, home decor and life... 

For this month of December she is sharing Christmas Crafts with various Guest Bloggers -

~Handmade Giving 2013~

You can find today's (my *Day 6 of simple Christmas Crafting*) HERE

Love you to pop over and say G'day to Alicia- and hope you love today's craft!

Melissa xox

*Get Your Christmas Craft On*- Day 5...

Good morning from the Coast- sun is a shining...I'm in one of those *get sorted* moods today...

But first...Day 5 of *Getting Your Christmas Craft On*!

A french inspired cloche...food cover...candle or fruit cover for the centre of your Christmas table...or just a lovely piece to sit amongst your Christmas decorating.

I totally love chicken wire decorating!

I tend to stash anything we may need in the future  put aside various lengths of chicken wire as I see it on sale as we use it for the garden, the puppy {to section of plants I'm growing that don't need digging up!} and for craft projects such as this...or this fantastic home project .

For this project we used a short width of chicken wire- 90 cms wide, which we cut down the centre to make two 45 cm wide pieces to use.

Using this width wire also gives you a clean base edge to the project, as you can see in the image below.

What you will need for this project:

Chicken wire- the smaller the width the better.

Wire cutters.

Gloves.

Christmas ribbon / herbs / baubles / tags etc.

To make the cloche:

1. Cut your chicken wire to size- ours were 45 cms high and random lengths wide - you will see how large you'd like it and cut accordingly.

2. Wearing gloves, unroll your wire till you have made it reasonably flat and able to be wired in a cylinder.

3. Attach your two sides together- we just used the ends of the wire we had cut- but you can also use pieces of thin wire from a seperate roll should you find that easier.

4. Once attached, you should have a large roll- now gather one end as you would a bon bon, or when wrapping a bottle and pull tight. It will bend and stay put- the beauty of working with wire!

5. Attach your ribbons and Christmas decorations as you wish...

We will be using these on our Christmas table perhaps covering whole seasonal Christmas fruit as decoration, and then with candles during the evenings.

They are so simple, beautiful and cost almost nothing...

They are super easy to put together- instantly completed projects so work for us all I know!

Made smaller- they'd be lovely on a deep window ledge, or shelf, with candles or Christmas decorations...

I heard this morning that in a month we'll be waking up to Christmas morning...hoping one of you will tell me I heard wrong!

Happy days!

Melissa x

Also check out this simple *Coastal-Country* project - it would be divine for pegging your Christmas cards on in the kitchen, or by the tree...

*Get Your Christmas Craft On*- Day 4

Hiya...

Day 4 of some Christmas crafting...and this one is the easiest, happiest, simplest, loveliest 10 minute job before the big day, I could throw at you!

I'm flipping doily obsessed  a doily lover, like many of us that blog and read, and craft and blog, and read and *PIN*...

They are timeless...clever...and come in both fabric (for us serious collectors- yes Liz Troy!) and paper which allows you endless craft ideas!

Mason jars, filled with Christmas goodies and wrapped in string and a fabric doily- H.E.A.V.E.N. in my small world!

Beautiful soaps, wrapped in a fabric doily and beautiful, simple fabric ribbon- D.I.V.I.N.E- teacher's present done!

This craft, using paper doilies is fab- perfect for a little Christmas cheer- but simple enough to leave up ALL year...

In the past I have folded larger doilies in half and sewn the strings in the centre (find that *How To* here)...making for lovely paper bunting that stretches across rooms, and windows, and costs virtually nothing in both your time and money...

This year, I decided to make falling strings of doilies- a little like snow flakes- to fill an empty frame we have hanging above our sofas.

You need nothing but a small bag of doilies, any size...and your sewing machine!

If you don't own a sewing machine...or if you're thinking this is the perfect craft to palm off to to share with the kids, and their friends...
Then string or cotton, could be taped to the centre of each doily...(a small piece of invisible tape would do the job).

This is truly the best *10 minute festive DIY*.

I've got wee little nails in the top of my frame up there on the wall...they are at pretty random lengths- totally the way I work when it comes to quick crafting- and are strong enough to bung up a string of paper doily bunting, or to hang some fairy lights and Christmas deco's I can't bare to pack away.

Day 4- *Too Easy Paper Doily Bunting*...E.N.J.O.Y

I also have a stash of coloured paper doilies, gorgeous for birthday parties...this is a craft for every event in your calender!

Happy 10 Minute Crafting...

Melissa xox

*Get Your Christmas Craft On*- Day 3

Hi hi hi...welcome to Day 3 of *Get Your Christmas Craft On*.

Hope you'e been inspired so far to get a little festive and to start planning for the holidays.

Today is another *use what you have* craft post.

Christmas needn't cost a fortune each year...creating simple, beautiful pieces for your home is totally do-able and incredibly rewarding.

Although I'm partial to a little glam at Christmas- for me it only works when sitting alongside natural styling, and simple hand made pieces...think nordic, coastal, minimal glamour!

We find our garden to be full of inspiration most of the year- I'm always dragging in branches for oversized glass vases on our side board...or sticking large succulents in stainless steel buckets from the hardware store and the like.

Whilst I love sweet flowers, I don't tend to have many large vases of flowers around, preferring instead large bunches of greenery, and smaller prettier vases of flowers and colour.

So in this project, my eldest daughter made up an oversized wooden Christmas star, from the branches of a crepe myrtle tree we had just trimmed.

It's as always, a simple, achievable project...

You will need:

5 branches- stripped of any twigs/leaves & of a similar length.
A ball of simple brown string- although a beautiful colourful Christmas colour would also be lovely.
A string of white fairy lights- again if you are all about colour at Christmas, throw on some party lights.

To create your Holiday Star:

1.

Lay out your sticks in the most visually pleasing star shape- they will sit differently due to slight    differences in each stick shape- there will be a *best* way though, so be patient.

2.

Knot each corner join (the five points of the star), and then each cross stick (there should be five of   these too).

3.

Again tie each join with fresh string, to neaten and cover the knots on all ten positions. (It's worth it 

I promise you!) 

4.

Position the star and wrap with fairy lights. This is beautiful on an outdoor serving table, or a window

sill by the front door etc.

We love ours so much that it's been lighting up our home each night since Ella made it...there is nothing like fairy lights to get a home holiday ready!

We had it on our outdoor serving table for Sunday dinner, and it's now sitting on a ledge in our front window that can be seen from the garden....

Simple.
Natural.
Home.

Hope you're inspired to up-cycle again from your garden, or your neighbours, or your mum's...this star will dry in time, and be beautiful for years to come.

Smaller versions would be gorgeous as the final touch to your gift wrapping

Simple white butchers paper, brown string or red & white baker's twine, and a hand made wooden star.

A few of them strung across a window and entwined with fairy lights would be magic on Christmas Eve...the uses are endless, and the cost nothing but an hour or two of holiday planning.

Enjoy!

Melissa x

*Get Your Christmas Craft On*- Day 2

Good Morning Monday.

It's wild and wooly on the Coast here...I'm rugged up and drinking way to many pots of tea!

So...Day 2 of "Get your Christmas Craft On"...

This is a wonderful Christmas Craft- any time of year really- but lovely to do with your kids, or a girlfriend with a glass of something in the lead up to wrapping and gift giving.

I shared this last year, and have heard from many of you again this year, that it's on your lead-up list!

I thought I should share it again as it's simple, beautiful and addictive- perfect!

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*make it monday*...white clay doily bowls...

*make it monday*...

morning lovelies...here's one for your gorgeous teens...

this is so simple & so lovely...using little equipment, the pieces you can create are timeless...

white clay & typeface stamps...doily's & empty wine bottles...

 i've used DAS with my kids forever- purely as it *air dries*...that suits me- it's inexpensive & 

uncomplicated...

we broke off chunks & rolled it flat with an empty wine bottle- sooo handy when one is waiting for

one's goodies from abroad...

our vintage English rolling pin is slowly rolling it's way to Oz across the oceans as i type...

& this is the essential part they i forgot to snap with my camera, as i was helping girls roll with an

old wine bottle ;)

so...i will endeavour to explain how *truly simple* & satisfying this craft is...without images!

1. roll the clay flat...to the rough size of the dish or bowl you would like to make...

{we were making little jewellery dishes- so used asian sauce bowls...}

2. place a cotton / linen doily over the flattened clay & roll again {not nec using an old vino bottle!}

3. peel the doily away & lay the chosen dish over the clay & cut to size...

4. gently place into the bowl & push into shape inside the dish...

my eldest created everything here with her best friend...

both girls are seriously stylish & mad about type face...trained well ;)

so once the clay was in their chosen dishes they stamped letters & words inside...lovely...so lovely...

 

once the decorating...& stamping...& creating is done...

it's as simple as stepping back over night & letting them *air dry*... 

the girls created for hours- they made bowls,squares of clay for brooches & signs for their rooms

all whilst listening to I-Tunes & giggling...talking...creating together...

I love these moments in the lead up to the Holidays...

*make it monday*

clay creating with the gorgeous teens in your life

i'll be the one kneading with the empty wine bottle...

enjoy...

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This is truly a great craft...

I'll have my smallest doing it this year for gift tags too...

Nothing like a little tradition making in the lead up to Christmas is there...

Melissa x

*Get Your Christmas Craft On*- Day 1

Morning all from our little place by the Sea...

As Christmas is literally *50* days away- I thought today was the perfect day to start a new Christmas series here on the blog...

Introducing all you Crafty...Bloggy...Christmas-loving friends to...

*Get your Christmas Craft On*

A series of simple, lovely, making-memories crafting in the lead up to the Holidays.

This series is all about~

Using what you have.
Up-cycling where possible.
Embracing making memories.
Using your creative heart.
Finding your inspiration in the simple things.
A.N.D
Loving your home whether it be by the Coast or blessed by snow.

Today...

The Christmas wreath...we all have one~ and ours tends to remain on some wall all year in various forms!

There are many many many cheap and cheerful wreaths in the shops at this time of year- the world over!
They are pretty average up close...they say nothing about your home, or your family...and most get thrown out as the New Year kicks in, only to be re-purchased again the following year.

This craft will fill your heart, allow your creativity to be imperfect and random, and will make you smile year after year as you add to it...

As mad & dedicated gardeners now in this little beach house- I always often have a huge green recycling bin of garden offcuts- vines, branches, leaves etc.

Now's the time to see these offcuts in a new light.
I made our large Christmas wreath here out of jasmine vines that needed serious pruning.

I twisted & gathered the vines in a ring whilst the vines were freshly cut- and allowed the wreath to dry out in the fresh air before banging another nail in the wall carefully attaching a hook to the wall & hanging it by our sofa's.

The vines can be secured using very fine hardware wire or simply using smaller vines as ties to hold it all together.

I can't tell you how simple & rewarding making this wreath is...nature inside the home for Christmas.

Nothing says Christmas for our family more than *fairly lights*.

I can't imagine Christmas Eve without endless rows of them all over the garden & in many rooms in our house.

Their voltage is low & electrical usage nothing. The smaller battery operated sets allow you to hang them in all those places that you don't have a power outlet.

In the photos here- the battery box is blu-tacked to the wall behind the gorgeous french *1*, that was made for me by a bloggy friend, whilst we were living in England.

Each home has it's own Christmas traditions...it's own people...it's own decor...this wreath can be loved for years by adding what makes your family happy over the holidays.

For my little family here by the Sea- fairy lights, stainless steel industrial decorations, a good whallop of blue & bucketfuls a good dose of flotsam & jetsam we've collected over the year around the world says Christmas.

Get your Christmas Craft On.

Get your children involved...
Collect your inspiration & spend an hour with a cup of tea making your own Christmas wreath this year...

I'll be sharing all we make here as a family in the lead up to Christmas- there is something so lovely about sharing and inspiring one another for the holidays...

Cheeers to a Creative Heart for the Holidays!

Melissa x