*Stop The Cavalry* It's The 2014 Christmas Chatter Thread

riskyb

PP - what made life easy was me actualy making the shortbread dough 3 weeks before, rolling it out and cutting it. Then froze the already shaped dough. On xmas day I just baked them straight from the freezer about an hr before giving them out. I got very cheap cookie bags with ties (about £4 for a 100 or so, which would last a number of years) and decorated these with ribbons before giving out.
Hope that helps.

pigpen wrote: »

I thought I might do small Christmas cakes and get the littlies to paint little votive jars and add a smelly candle and get a decent pic of the girls for grand parents. Adding shortbread is a good idea too.

Cakes I can do and freeze in the summer if I get the urge.

riskyb

V lovely and extremely cheap xmas decoration ideas I got from a blog mate of mine. I think it would work with any sort of occasions
Google xmas music sheets. Print a few.
Grab jam jars, cut music sheets to size, tie on with string ribbon etc. Look lovely just standing anywhere but even better with candle lit inside. Friends loved it.
See her link below.
http://littlepaperswans.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/christmas-decor.html

riskyb

Hi all,
just started putting together xmas stockings for my LO's for next year. Mothercare have fab half price sale. Got music and bedtime stories CDs (£2.50 each), hair things (£1.50), board games (4), activity sets (£2), xmas paper chains (£1), paint your own wooden dino for my nephew (£4) etc

They had tons of other half price toys and clothes. Worth checking out
I also got lovely rain macs for summer.

riskyb

I am putting together a little pamper kit for a 13 year old for next xmas. I have got lovely 3 set tins of vanilla lip balm (1.50) and chocolate scented hand cream (£0.50) from the super drug sale. My question is nail varnish. They have a 6 set of lovely nail vanish for £3. I want to buy it now for next xmas but worried they might dry out by then. Is that true or am I just over worrying?

7roland8

Love your hanging baubles Nanamia - tried it one year but they got all tangled when I took them down so never bothered again.

Love all the decorating - took pictures this year and put them all into a slideshow.

karinmac45

Well its all over for another year, been great though.

pigpen

riskyb wrote: »

I am putting together a little pamper kit for a 13 year old for next xmas. I have got lovely 3 set tins of vanilla lip balm (1.50) and chocolate scented hand cream (£0.50) from the super drug sale. My question is nail varnish. They have a 6 set of lovely nail vanish for £3. I want to buy it now for next xmas but worried they might dry out by then. Is that true or am I just over worrying?

they will be fine.. I usually buy some in the sale for the following Christmas and never had an issue. they usually dry out when the lid is not replaced properly after use but they last ages and if they get a bit thick a dab of nail polish remover dripped in and shaken through sorts it quick enough.

Ruth_honey

Thanks for setting up the new thread, OMO. I'd been curious what you were planning to call it.
Can't believe we're already on page 9 and it's not even New Year's Eve yet! I'm not a fan of new year either. I find it very sad and usually go to bed before midnight. The last year that I did something was just drinks round my mum's a few years ago with DH and mum's boyfriend, but that was quite nice. Partly because mum's birthday is New Year's Day.

I have given up reading Christmas at the Cupcake Cafe. I really wanted to enjoy it, but got to page 239 (so I gave it a good go!) and I'm just not liking the characters and the plot wasn't great. Shame, as I hate not finishing a book, but what's the point in wasting my precious reading time?

Not ventured into the sales yet. Did buy some coffee syrup and a DVD on amazon and have been tempted to treat myself to a corset from a website, but talk myself out of it before I check out. I hate that it's £10 extra for a bigger size-even though the corset is in the sale at £19, so overall it's still good value.

So, what's your favourite memory from this Christmas? I think mine was seeing how happy Blossom was with her new toy. She was happily playing with it for ages. It made us both smile.

Linda-Lou

Hi lovelies!
Just popped in for a minute - good chance to sit down for a quick rest!
3 lots of washing done, some decluttering done ( where does it all come from? ), and lunch in the oven.This afters I'm going to tidy the snug (aka my craft room), and have a play with all the new goodies I got for Xmas.
Have a good day everyone xxx

pixtotts

riskyb wrote: »

I am putting together a little pamper kit for a 13 year old for next xmas. I have got lovely 3 set tins of vanilla lip balm (1.50) and chocolate scented hand cream (£0.50) from the super drug sale. My question is nail varnish. They have a 6 set of lovely nail vanish for £3. I want to buy it now for next xmas but worried they might dry out by then. Is that true or am I just over worrying?

Ooh ooh I can answer this one, nail varnish is my specialist subject lol.
Unopened and kept out of direct sunlight and heat they will be fine. They may separate a little but just give them a shake and it will go back together. Especially if they are ones with the little metal balls in them they keep really well (if you tip them on their side and look at the lowest side you'll see the ball or a weird dot or swirl if they have one in there).
To be honest even open most nail varnishes will keep well I have over 80 so a fair few of mine sit and don't get used for over 12 months sometimes (kind of sad thinking about it like that even if I painted my nails every day I wouldn't get through them in a year )... Only brands I've had issues with are Rimmel - the dark colours go thick and gloopy, and the pale colours are really bad for separating. And OPI which is annoying because they cost a fortune ggrr I only have 2 but both have gone dodgy within 6 months, I have to keep putting a bit of nail varnish remover in to try and revive them..
Storing them upside down (same with any paints actually) can help them keep better creates a better seal over the top and the process of turning them right way up mixes them a little.

I'm packing to return home now, Christmas officially over. The walk yesterday has left me with two of the worlds biggest blisters, I am prone to blisters, and my nanny would burst them and put after shave on them so I'm used to ouchy blisters, but the one blister I have never had one so painful! It burst itself before I got back n keeps weeping the other didn't so I was able to burst it myself and that ones fine. But Gggrrr I hate blisters!
x