Homemade Crafty Christmas

This is an update of a blog I wrote back in 2013 about the Christmas food I make. Now I've been making lots of new decorations I thought I would add those in too. They are easy and cheap to make but add lots of festive cheer to the house. I love making new things from what I have lying around or things that are easy to get, cheap, recycled, and lovely to look at.

Another new and easy to make Christmas decoration I made this week. All you need is a length of easily bent wire, some star anise, some ribbon and a glue gun. You can make the wire rings as big or wee as you like and vary how many times you wind it into a circle. Tie on a ribbon so you know where the top is and glue the star anise on and that is it.

A simple wee decoration I put together. You need two jars, a larger one and then the smaller needs to fit inside but with room for the decoration between the two. I've used rose hips and hawthorn berries because I like the light of the candle reflecting on the red of the berries. Pop a candle in the smaller jar and job done

I didn't have any allium seed heads this year but the angelica seed heads have done just grand. I sprayed them with silver spray and they are adding a bit of Christmas bling to the kitchen window sill.

I made this wreath two years ago at a Christmas willow weaving workshop. It has birch branches wound around a willow ring. When I made it I wired in some cones and bits and pieces. Every year it changes depending on what I have to hand. This year i have wound ivy into it, stuck on some dried lemon slices, rose hip berries and some pine sprigs.

Adding some willow branches to the Christmas decorations in the kitchen

I have made this citrus and spice decoration for years, it has evolved once or twice over the years. Originally I had it in a basket which was lovely and rustic. A few years ago I unearthed this candle plate from a box in the attic and the citrus decoration moved to it, a bit more classy. Usually it sits on the dining table, but it depends where there is room where we are. The bundles of cinnamon with ribbon and berries are years and years old, they get packed away with the decorations every year, as do the nuts. No point buying new ones every yea when they are just for decoration. Quick tip - sometimes it can be tricky getting the cloves into the fruit, use a cocktail stick to pierce the skin first, saves the skin on the fingers! 

Citrus and spice 2020

The ingredients

Putting cloves in the fruit

In a basket

Drying orange slices to go on the tree

Home made orange decoration for the tree, dried slowly in a cool oven
 for hours, then threaded with string. Back lit by the tree lights these 
decorations are cheap and easy to make.

Christmas cakes through the years

A simple but beautiful cake

Homemade white chocolate piped christmas trees!

Pine flavoured marshmallow trees!

Candy cane christmas cake

Cranberry Christmas cake

Gold dusted stars

Almond themed cake with lots of marzipan, gold almonds and 
amareti biscuits

Every year there is a mountain of mincemeat pies

Home made mincemeat pies filled with home made mincemeat which has been marinating for nearly three months.

Sometimes there are helpers

Then there are the truffles

I've been making these for twenty years or more, with several variations in recipes over the years. Many of them get wrapped as gifts for family and friends but there are always plenty left over to enjoy in the house or when we have visitors. I usually make about 200!

You can read the original bog here: Homemade Christmas

 I hope you are enjoying a relaxing and home made lead up to the festive season

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