Christmas Wrapping Ideas - Part Three

All you need to do is cut some washi tape and bend it over the bakers twine and simply cut the end in the shape of upside down V.


Top it off with a personalised gift tag of course!

Bespoke Bunting

This is a photo that quite the nicest customer sent to me at the weekend. I did some bespoke bunting for her, very much to her design, and was intrigued to know what it would all look like. I made the bunting that hangs in front of the table and you may also just be able to spot some little signs on cocktail sticks. There was lots of other bunting too.

She was a pleasure to work with and I think it looks amazing and was just thrilled that she sent me a photo. I only wish all my customers would do that!

Lovely customer - lovely job - lovely photo.

Another Walk

Another Sunday and another Sunday walk. I'm loving these warm, mellow, sunny and dry November days and so does Jake the dog.

The light was fantastic on Sunday afternoon and the trees looked absolutely beautiful silhouetted against the sky.

Archie found some balloons in a field and so, as we like to pick up litter and it was Oscar's birthday, we took them home with us! 

Christmas Wrapping Ideas - Part Two

All you need to do is thread the bakers twine through the leaves and it creates a gorgeous smelling decoration. I wonder how long this would last? 

If you didn't fancy using bakers twine, although why anyone wouldn't I can't imagine ;-), then I think this would look just as good with leaves stuck down with double-sided sticky tape. And because you're using sticky tape you'd also get to pretend to be Valerie Singleton or whoever your Blue Peter idol is.

Top it off with a personalised gift tag of course!

Oscar's Birthday Weekend

It was Oscar's birthday yesterday but he managed to stretch his birthday out for the entire weekend! It started straight from rugby training on Friday with a sleepover and then it was off to the skatepark early on Saturday morning.

His birthday/Christmas present was a new bike and it had to be tried out ... of course. He was one happy boy.

We are really lucky to live close to an excellent skatepark which was deserted early on Saturday morning mainly because, although it was a gorgeous sunny day, it was damp. This made it very slippy and they all fell off at least one. He scared me half to death when he decided he had to have a go "in the bowl".

Then on Sunday it was pancakes for breakfast, rugby match and steak and chips for lunch/tea.

It was pretty much his perfect weekend really. Happy Birthday Oscar x

When I should have been working ...

On Saturday morning the boys and I went to our local village Sale of Work. We came home with lots of cakes and sweets and also a couple of other things.

Love this Ladybird Weather Book.

And even if the boys don't use it I shall look at this history book.

The doily was 20p, only 20p! And I loved this little mouse, which will live in my kitchen and will hopefully frighten off all the real live mice that seem to so love my kitchen.

When I got home, I should've done some work  ... but I couldn't because Archie and I had to go and buy some batteries for the best thing ever. On Friday night I got given a Kandela which we have had so so so much fun with. EVERYONE should own one.

When I got home, I should've done some work ... but some friends popped in for a cup of tea .... which then led to wine ... then another friend turned up and, well, it was the end of Saturday.

On Sunday I really I should've done some work ... but I had to go and take 24 pints of milk and about 400 bread rolls to the rugby club so that was Sunday morning and most of the afternoon.

I did do a few hours work on Sunday afternoon ... but then the boys decided they wanted to cook tea and so I had to loiter in the kitchen to sort of help. Oscar made some soup, Archie did the veg and yorkshire puddings and Ed cooked the meat, luckily I had made jelly the day before so it was a real family effort. The boys set the table, had a menu and a seating plan!

Lucky we had some pretend money - v expensive restaurant.
I was mightily impressed with the name - my boys have good aspirations!

Christmas Wrapping Idea

I discovered that you can use a normal stamp pad and stamp to make your own customised ribbon. I bought the cotton tape from Hobbycraft ages ago so can't remember how much it cost but I don't think it is expensive.

I used a long stamp for this but I've also done this with a small flower one too which looked really good. If you happen to have a snowflake or star you could make lovely christmassy ribbon.

Top it off with a personalised gift tag of course!

If you like this post please leave a comment and I'll do some more wrapping ideas. Thank you.

New - Small Personalised Gift Tags

If you found my personalised gift tags - large* just too big for your presents, then don't worry because I now have personalised gift tags - small. These are the same design but just a little smaller for those presents that contain something a little more delicate.


* By the way, this now has a five star rating on nothonthehighstreet which I'm very pleased about :-)

Happy Birthday Abi

It is my niece Abi's birthday today, which is obviously blogworthy in its own right, but today is extra extra special because today my gorgeous Abi is 11.

Yup that's right she is 11 on 11.11.11. How cool is that?

So in honour of Abi at eleven minutes past eleven I shall have elevenses. Shame she's in Australia and I can't go and see her in person but I hope she has a wonderful camping trip to Pittwater. 

I also thought I'd try and think of eleven things I wish I'd known age 11.

1.  That working hard at school is useful later on.
2.  That it's OK to still be a child - don't try and grow up too fast.
3.  If you don't have the latest hairstyle/shoes/clothes it really doesn't matter.
4.  Not everyone can be your friend but look after the ones that are.
5.  Most of what you worry about now doesn't really matter.
6.  Be yourself - don't try to be an imitation of anyone else.
7.  Be the person who doesn't gossip about others.
8.  Say yes more than no.
9.  Enjoy time with your family.
10. Don't be afraid to make a fool of yourself.
11. Enjoy eleven years old and be happy :-)

I really should think things through

All links can be found on my Pinterest page here

I seem to have volunteered to go into school to help make Victorian Christmas Stockings.

Five things tell me this is a bad idea:

1. The teacher asked them to bring in velvet. 
2. We looked at the needles they had. Tapestry.
3. Their teacher would like them to sew on buttons.
4. She'd also like them to do a Christmas shape using different stitches on the stocking.
5. They will be allowed to express themselves.

Oh I'm sure it will be fine. I'm certain they'll be much better behaved than the last time I did sewing with this class about three years ago, when I felt like Joyce Grenfell as I kept having to say to one particular little girl, (names changed to protect the guilty)

"Isabella, please don't dig the needle into Sophia like that. She doesn't like it."

It will be fun won't it? I mean, what can possibly go wrong? 

Has anyone got any advice on helping a class of 10 year olds make Christmas Stockings from velvet {apart from don't do it}?

I'm always up for a challenge

A customer recently asked if I could do a wonderfully long quote for her in my personalised bunting but she wanted very specific colours. After a couple of emails back and forth and a few photos we finally settled on the colours she liked and it went off in the post on Friday.

I really hope she likes it.

This week I have also been introduced to a new word Chrismukkah.

I had no idea that selling through notonthehighstreet would become an education in different religious holidays. According to the customer there is even a website dedicated to Chrismukkah!

I don't think ;-) there will be a big demand for Happy Chrismukkah bunting but if you do know anyone who wants any then they can order it as if they were ordering my normal Happy Christmas bunting just with a note to me that it should be Chrismukkah.

Anyway the point of this post is to say that I'm happy to try/learn anything.

Half Term Happiness

It was half term last week and Oscar was in dire need of a week off and it seems to have done the trick. The grumpy, sulky, teenager-like boy has disappeared.

We had a relaxing first half of the week. Oscar went on a sleepover and Archie got to visit Bluewater for the first time ... he loved it!

Going with Archie to Bluewater I visited shops that I've never so much as glanced at before - Lego shop, gadget shop etc etc and I was most certainly NOT allowed anywhere near any girlie clothes shop no no no. We did find one shop that we both loved though and that was Paperchase. I bought some wonderful cards.

1 and 4 Paperchase sticker postcard; 2 and 3 Alison Hardcastle;

Isak

And I also bought some sparkly silver bits and bobs!

The rest of the week the boys attended a rugby camp (like they don't play enough rugby as it is).

Oh and we went to see Johnny English Reborn which was really good apart from, dare I say it, me thinking that Rowan Atkinson is just too old even to be playing a spoof James Bond.

Good week off - shame it was only a week.

Mellow, Autumnal Colours

Autumn is not my favourite season by a long shot but this year I've started to see why other people love it. Everywhere is just a riot of colour.

Everywhere I go there seem to be golden avenues of hedges and trees.

Is it because we haven't had any wind or rain that the leaves have stayed on longer? Or is it just that I've never really looked before? Perhaps it is because it has been so warm?

Well, whatever it is I am definitely coming round to the idea of liking Autumn but if it gets cold and rainy and miserable I reserve the right to start disliking it again.