New, New Thirfty Gifty for Christmas and All Ocassions 2011..Santas Challenge...

cdsmiler

Rufus - sounds like you're up to your eye balls in it!

mum2one - yep all sounds good to me too!

mary - hope you're feeling better today.

Quite a productive evening last night. All felt bits for advent calendar cut out (except carrot for the snowmans nose - still waiting for orange felt to arrive!). Covered 3 felt snowflakes with PVA glue and glitter, stick the coloured stripes to the scarf, and backed the letter for DD's name. More gluing tonight - numbers onto the advent pockets I think..... Think that's the best way to do it - stick the numbers on first, then sew the pockets into the base felt. My worry about doing it the other way around is that the glue might seep through once it's stitched on and stick to the back making the pockets unusable.....

Hope everyone else is well and Christmassy!!

Clare x

mary-op

Hello all :j
Headache gone thank goodness...........I began to think it was going to go on and on.
Just as well............went off to Tescos this morning in the vain hunt for xmas biscuits and choccies......cheap ! Not much choice in our branch so ended up at the co-op (prices were the same) and got some bags of xmas pudding chocs and santa chocs for grandson and co-op own brand chip cookies to fill up a storage jar. Might put some smellies in the other pretty one I've got.
Off to charity shops after than and got myself a jumper for £3 -first one this year !!! Thats good for me. Then found a clear xmas tree bauble that takes apart to put photo in............it's plastic but that don't matter. Thought it would do for foster daughters baby as its her first christmas and she won't be old enough to know whether its night or day let alone xmas .............lol Just got to pick out couple of nice photos to put in it. It was only £1.95 complete with little gift box.
My friends still in hospital and has said to only get one present each this year -we usually give each other a bag of all sorts.........so I've got a load of stuff destined for her that I think now will have to be given to charity shop or kept and filtered out for birthdays next year.........that'll save a quid or two.
Builder arrived today and is coming again tomorrow ..............oh will it never end ????
I must get stuff wrapped else I won't know where I am with it all.

Hope you're all ok:)

Anglea

Hi all

Mary, I can well imagine the way you can upcycle the pressies you've already got for your friend next year. Glad you are better.

During being awol from here, I've been making a gift for a friend it's nearly finished and started my cards, brought some advance food for freezer and cupboards (hiding them in my bedroom away from DS1 who'll eat anything that isn't nailed down).

Clare I remember your posts ages ago about the advent calendar and now you're making it. Doesn't time fly!

mary-op

Hello all :j
Spent most of today trying to be very mse painting the kitchen lampshades (boring sort of cone shaped -looked even more boring after painting them ) Now I'm thinking of covering them with fabric.......got some thats perfect in the form of two fabric place mats..........but I've only got two !!:eek: Which is the best way to cut them to stick them on the lampshades ? I'd hate to get them almost covered and then have a gap where I've run out. Do I cut them in a sort of triangular shape or sort of strips/blocks and just hope for the best ??? I've not a clue. I don't want to buy new ones..........after spending on the kitchen I've got to the 'mse' stage of re-using what I've got (old kitchen lino will go on floor of utility room/loo- old pantry door will fit on cubicle built for loo)............needs must as I get the feeling that we're going to have to have a saniflo type loo because of where its placed and they don't come that cheap:eek:
Oh well, c'est la vie...........not worth worrying about.

Hope you're all ok:)

Anglea

Hi all

Mary it might be easier to avoid sticking on fabric (which could crease) by adding a fringed braid, or if you've got beads, add them to wire and put it round the lampshade either from the top to bottom winding round a few times or just around the bottom.

mary-op

Hello all :j

Not done much today..........hospital appt 9.15 and transport came just before 8..........hadn't even had half cup of coffee :eek: Still half asleep when I got there. Least I know its not a hormone problem that caused the osteporisis........so must have been just one of those things. Then doctor showed a lot of concern about my dad having diabetes later in life, then she said my chlorestrol level was higher than it should be and wants to put me on statins !
Least I'd gained weight which was good........gone from 7st.5 to 8st 3............yippee :T

Angela.............not sure what you mean about lampshades...........like the idea oof beads round the bottom and I''ve got some somewhere that might do the job. They're only those cheap lampshades -sort of cross between paper and cardboard and hardly worth bothering with but its just me trying to be a cross between being creative and mse..........lol The first one I did looks like its pleated how I've had to lay the fabric on so a finishing edge might just be right.
Couldn't face doing the other one today though.....took me an age to get myself together so I just did a xmas card for youngest son then realised I'd still got 4 more to do..........eek !!
Still not wrapped anything either.........panic will set in:eek:

Hope you're all ok:)

rufusdog52

Mary I havent started wrapping anything yet either. We will have to make a start next week I think as we still have things to do in the living room.

I have finished the sofa but have not got any photos done yet, I was too tired tonight to bother doing any. The wallpaper is finished as well so we have a new room and it looks lovely, I cant wait to get the Christmas decs out now and get it all looking festive. That will probably be the weekend after this one coming as OH is working all this weekend but will be off the weekend after.

I had three more presents turn up this morning, some bits I ordered off of Arts Cow, a jigsaw for GD, a watch for YD and a pack of playing cards for the youngest GS. We bought middle GS a lamp yesterday in B&Q as he had asked for one on his Christmas list so he can read in bed. They had an offer on the lamps, buy any one and get a second half price and we saw a beautiful lamp for our new living room so GS's lamp only cost less than £4.

I am having a day off tomorrow, need to rest my back as its started to hurt like mad with all this work I have been doing so going to catch up with some tele in the morning and then meet my friend for a natter in the afternoon.

SugarSpun

I wish to order an enormous curse on Amazon Black Friday. I bought the beastie a Very Hungry Caterpillar plate/bowl set and a Cozy Coupe car, then bought myself a set of Denby crockery. £180 and that doesn't include today's trip to Ikea :eek:

mum2one

Hope everyones ok, we've got Miss Hoodie off school with bad sickness bug, bless her, she does look poorly, and gone off food, even favourite cornish pasties, its def bad!!

The craft fair was a washout, we were there 6 hrs and made £25, but pd £20 for the table, there was a few other stall holders who said it wasn't as good, whether its the credit crunch, but people moaned about paying £1 to get in, there wasn't the same amount of people there was last yr, so thats knocked on the head for next yr. To pop i think i've slipped a disc, bent forward and something popped in my back.... dodgy afternoon spent trying to get sorted at NHS walk in, but back to my own surgery 2mor!

My 1st OU assignment for new courses thought lost the plot, my heart wasn't in it, but I got 85, so really pleased.

But bad news just had a text a friend of the family passed away yesterday with cancer, she'd beat breast cancer just under 2 yrs ago, but was told in Aug come back into her bones. A bit of a shock for all, she was a lovely lady, would do anything for anyone, RIP Meg. xx

teabythesea

Hey everyone! I'm new here, so hope what I'm posting is right. This year has been a bit tough on the money front but as always I always make sure I have enough for Christmas...!! Last night I managed to get the Bourne ultimate collection on blu ray for just £12 for the OH everywhere else £20+ so was very chuffed. I plan on making up two hampers of edible goodies for two of my aunts and my mum. I'm also going to be making some suffolk puff cushions as gifts. I also need to get started on my sisters advent calendar. Saw a great felt one to make. Today will be spent browsing the net for the rest of my presents, keeping an ear our for kissmas and amazon black friday!