kits

But the most fun ones are make it yourself ones and the internet abounds with ideas and directions.  Here are just a few links.

1. Felt advent calendar with stories in each ornament.

2. Matchbox garland with treats or surprises in boxes

3. Origami envelope advent calendar

 4. Links to 24 craft advent calendars

My favorite advent calendar resides at my church.  It was a group project.  Our quilters group made the tree with pockets for ornaments.  A member who does professional embroidery, embroidered the numbers on the pockets. I donated the vintage pearl buttons. Each pocket contains a Chrismon ornament made by a member of the church.  We made the ornaments over  two year period with individuals making some and a couple of group project nights finishing the rest.

IF you choose to make an advent calendar this year, you need to start now.  These aren’t that quick to make, especially if you use ornaments.  You have the time to make the display and the time to make each ornament to consider.  But once made,  think of the holiday memories that your family will enjoy!

So handy for creating instant decor. Lovely in the traditional places:  your christmas tree, mantle or bannister. But don’t forget that depending on the size and scale of the garland, they can find their way into other holiday displays, wound between treasured figurines or enhancing a wall or mirror.

So the first thing that you need to understand about making a garland is that it is basically a string or rope or wire length with stuff either STRUNG onto it or ATTACHED to it.

ATTACHED Style Garlands	STRUNG Style Garlands
The traditional evergreen wreath is usually a rope with handfuls of greens wired onto it.  Much like you make a wreath, you hold a handful of greens to the form/rope and wrap it on there with wire.  They even sell wire in paddles so this process is easy.	Traditional cranberry and popcorn garlands are strung thru the fresh cranberries and popcorn kernels. The material is tightly grouped so the string doesn’t show.
This is an example of an attached garland made from fabric scraps. The scraps are tied on a sturdy string along with other embellishments like tin ornaments to create a country look.	Another popular strung garland is made from dried fruit  and the stringing material is part of the decor.
Here’s another fabric attached type garland.You can cut the fabric into any desired shape before attaching to your string or bias tape.	And a fabric strung type garland.

What do you think you can use to create attached or string garlands?

Here are some of my thoughts:

• String buttons on wire or narrow ribbon.
• Use adhesive dots or stickers and stick onto both sides of a colorful string.
• Tie glass ornaments to a sturdy wire at varying lengths with fancy ribbons.
• String mounted paper images on a wire–vintage Santas, letters spelling a word, family photographs…whatever you like best.

Both Simplicity and McCall’s have costume pages on their websites showing you all of the costumes they are currently producing.  For easily made costumes which require little sewing experience look for “easy to sew”.  Whether you are looking for a historic costume or a more popular halloween theme, you’ll find a selection in a variety of sizes and for infants through adults of both sexes.

Once you’ve picked your costume type, you should do an additional search for bargains.  Look on ebay or google your costume keywords.  Example, for clown costumes use “clown costume patterns“.  Usually eBay listings will come up on this search as well as other sites like eCrater,Amazon and Bonanza in the “Shopping Results for clown costume patterns” section of your Google search.

I’ve made a list of the costume patterns that I currently have for sale on my website:

6 Weeks Before

• Choose a party theme.
• Draw up the guest list. Have a large guest list and don’t know where to draw the line? Try hosting a single party in multiple shifts.  For example,have a party from 5:00-9:00pm – invite co-workers from 5:00-6:00pm, family from 7:00-8:00pm, and friends from 8:00-9:00pm. No one has to know you double-dipped, and guests will feel more comfortable with people they already know.
• Reserve an entertainer or venue, if you’re not planning to have this party at home.

4 Weeks Before

• Buy and prepare invitations for mailing.
• Decide games, activites and food that fits your theme. Make only easy, impressive Food yourself. Think about making a menu with finger foods to cut down on cleanup. Don’t forget to include foods for your vegan and food-allergy sensitive guests.
• Order prepared foods from caterer,deli or bakery

3 Weeks Before

• Mail invitations
• Purchase party supplies. Don’t forget to look online.
• Hire extra help. If you want to host a party with alcohol, consider hiring a bartender so you don’t have to focus on serving drinks. Or serve a punch that can be offered with or without alcohol. Hire serving help. Having someone to run to the kitchen for more food and manage the cleanup is a real stress reducer.

2 Weeks Before

• Purchase craft supplies and favors
• Call guests who haven’t responded to the invitation
• Draw up a schedule of activites for the party
• Reserve a coat rack at a party rental supply company if you don’t have a portable one.

1 Week Before

• Buy food, alcohol, punch mixers, napkins, garbage bags, and toilet paper.
• Charge your video and digital cameras
• Call your entertainer to confirm the appearance and review what he will be doing during his alloted time. Reconfirm your venue.
• Assemble favors
• Create a music playlist.
• Clean your serving dishes and glasses.

3 Days Before

• Make the make ahead items on your menu and store in your refrigerator or freezer.
• Rearrange your furniture. Put out party seating.

One to Two Days Before:

• Bake or pick up your pre-ordered baked goods
• Confirm your help
• Decorate your home or be sure decorations have been gathered for your outside venue
• Prepare food if possible
• Stage your buffet table so all you have to do before the party is put the food on the table. Place plates, napkins, and serving utensils on the buffet, and glasses and napkins on the bar. Set out extra platters for any dishes that guests may bring.
• Fill large bowls with nuts and non perishable cookies. Set them on the coffee table

Day of the Party

• 6 Hours Before
  Make the house drink, but leave out the fizzy stuff. Frost the cupcakes.
• 3 Hours Before
  Buy the ice.
• 2 Hours Before
  Bake the items needing 1 hour or more to cook. Shower, primp, and put on your party costume.
• 1/2 Hour Before
  Bake last minute items. Slice the meat or cut portions and put it out with the side dishes, condiments, and cold finger foods.Uncork the wine and make an ice bath for the wine, beer, and sparkling wine. Fill the ice buckets. Finish the house drink and put it in a punch bowl or several large pitchers.Fill a plastic bin with soapy water and place in kitchen.
• 15 Minutes Before
  Broil the last minute items. Put it on the buffet table. (Place extras in a 200° F oven.) Lighting. Turn off your bright overheads and light votive holders, which give off a warm glow. Tape light and dimmer switches in place so guests won’t lean on them and ruin the vibe. Clear the air. Crack a window open to circulate fresh, cool air, then adjust as the party heats up. Keep prepared food warm. A 200-degree oven works as a warming drawer.
• At the End of the Party
  Signal that the party is over (subtly). Lower the music, blow out a few candles, turn on one light. If guests don’t get the hint, resort to plan B: Start cleaning up. Dole out leftovers. Buy Chinese to-go boxes for people to take extras home. The more you get out and give away, the better. Tidy up a tad (then hit the hay). After guests are gone, take out the trash and recycling so your house doesn’t smell like a bar when you wake up. Check for furniture or carpet stains and treat those immediately, but otherwise leave the heavy cleaning and furniture moving until morning.

One Week After the Party

• Send thank you notes.  Tuck in some memorable photos.

Sources: Purple Trail, Real Simple,Red Plum

•  Ghoststitchers uses a proprietary formula for estimating time based on the actual number of stitches in a piece modified by a number of factors that they publish on their site.
• The American Needlepoint Guild estimates the time for needlepoint as one hour per square inch of the design area.

So I took the chart that Ghoststitchers uses, the estimate by ANG and extrapolated the time for the different types of stitching. You’ll need to calculate the total number of stitches in your project and divide by the estimate that you think fits your stitching speed the closest.

We’ve all done it! We see that perfect kit or pattern for crafting a lovely holiday gift and then stress ourselves out to complete it in time to give it. Or we give up in frustration and set it aside. The Holidays bring stresses of their own. Our priority should be to spend stress free time with family and friends actually enjoying the holiday season. So here are 10 Tips for having a stress free holiday and completing your crafts on time.

1. Plan Ahead.

Make a list of the projects you want complete for the holidays. Organize them by type of project–knitting, crochet, cross stitch, needlepoint or sewing. Organize them into a notebook with divider tabs by month.

2. Set a Calendar

It helps to estimate the total amount of time that it will take to complete each project and place it on your calendar accordingly. Use this as a guide. The first month is for gathering materials including pattern,fabric and materials. Or purchase your kit if working from a kit. The second and third months should be dedicated to completing the needlework. The fourth month you should finish the completed needlework by making it into the final form, whether it is to frame it for hanging on a wall or make it into a functional object. And wrap it beautifully as a gift for mailing or slipping under your tree.

3. Don’t Over-Obligate Yourself

Be careful not to plan too many projects within a given time. It’s best to choose only as many needlework projects as you can take on, without creating undue stress on yourself. Make the most of your time by choosing projects that aren’t trendy and will be classics.

4. Work on uncomplicated patterns

Though there is a time and a place for more complicated, multi-colored patterns and projects, during the holiday rush may not be the best. You might be surprised by how much time can be saved just by choosing patterns and projects that don’t require a lot of color changes., and will be timeless for years.

5. Make multiples of the same project

Perhaps one of the best time saving craft project tips is to make multiples of holiday gifts you will be giving. If you are making one Christmas ornament, could you go ahead and make several for others on your holiday list? Over the course of working the projects, you will find just the familiarity of the pattern and the process will save you time and frustration.

6. Work on Multiple Projects

Work on more than one project at a time. If you get tired of stitching on one, you can turn your attention to another one until you are ready to return to the first. Just don’t get too many projects going at once.

7. Keep Your Stitching Space Organized

If possible, make a spot for your stitching where it is easy to get at to avoid having to put it up and take it out each time you start working again.Keeping your stitching stash organized will definitely help with making more time to stitch. You won’t dread starting a new project because your supplies are all over the place. Make an organized system so it is easy to find your floss and fabric for a new project. And, you will know exactly what you have at a glance.

8. Use the Rotation Method

If you have several projects going at once, then use the rotation method to save time. Work on one a week, one a day, or whatever schedule you choose to set up.

9. Set Aside Time for Working on Projects.

Set a daily or weekly time for projects. I use the time that I watch TV as a time for my projects as well. Some of you prefer to have some time to do nothing but stitch. Work this into your daily or weekly schedule.

10. Utilize “Found Time” to Work.

Carry smaller projects with you to work on as you wait for an appointment, watch a child’s game, lessons or during storytime at the library. When you take a break from your chores, spend a few minutes stitching.  Carry your work in a tote bag that you can grab and go.

Sources:

http://www.wikihow.com/Plan-Needlework-Projects-in-Advance

http://crossstitch.about.com/od/tipsforbetterstitching/tp/time_saving_tips_for_Stitchers.htm

http://crafts.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Needlepoint_Christmas_Stocking

And if you can’t finish it yourself consider hiring help from Ghoststitchers

Milky White Cabochon

I listed some cabochon buttons this week and thought it might be helpful to define what a cabochon is. The term comes from the Middle French caboche (head). It is applied a gemstone which has been shaped and polished as opposed to faceted. The resulting form is usually a convex top with a flat bottom. Cutting en cabochon is usually applied to opaque gems, while faceting is usually applied to transparent stones. Hardness is also taken into account as softer gemstones scale are easily scratched, mainly by silicon dioxide in dust and grit. This would quickly make translucent gems unattractive—instead they are polished as cabochons, making the scratches less evident.

Cat Eye in Bronze

With stones such as star sapphires and chatoyant stones such as cat’s eye chrysoberyl, a domed cabochon cut is used to show the star or eye, which would not be visible in a faceted cut.The usual shape for cutting cabochons is an ellipse. This is because the eye is less sensitive to small asymmetries in an ellipse, as opposed to a uniformly round shape, such as a circle, and because the elliptical shape, combined with the dome, is attractive.

Stamped Cross Stitch Kit

Since I’ve started listing needlework kits, they’ve been steady sellers for me. As I was browsing the selection at my favorite thrift store the other day, I began to wonder which type of needlework kit sells the best. Obviously, I should buy those and pass on those that don’t sell so well. Just recalling my sales record, I’ve found that needlepoint and tatting kits were quick sellers. Followed by cross stitch and embroidery kits. So I thought I’d see if that holds true across all eBay sellers. Here’s the result of my search of terapeak data for the last 3 months.

7

Yep, it looks like my experience is similar to other eBay sellers. Kinda makes you trust your gut a bit more.

Their website has a lovely gallery, information on joining, guides for beginners and entries in their competitions, links to regional button collector clubs, and information about local and regional conferences. Membership brings you a lovely “National Bulletin” 4 times a year packed with lovely photos and stellar articles.

They have a monthly column in Bead & Button Magazine that has articles by button collectors and extraordinarily good photos.
And last, my favorite, their google group discussion board Buttonbytes. This group is truly a community of button collectors and so informative. It is worth joining the National Button Society and don’t forget to join the Buttonbytes group as well.

Vogue Attitudes American Designer Original - Tom & Linda Platt

“Life is complicated,clothes should be simple” is the essence of the Tom & Linda Platt Collection. Designing together since around 1970, this couple use simple basic designs with extravagant fabrics, innovative finishes and daring color choices in their garments.

I just had to look these designers up when I posted one of their patterns recently in my eBay store. I found they have a website and a facebook page. And in my noodling around the web, I found that their Vogue patterns are now retailing at $27-30. So quite a savings to buy on eBay!