Happy New Year

Lots of lovely new goodies waiting to be made into all the ideas I have whirling around in my head!

Have a very happy New Year everyone!

Jo x

Christmas Eve eve

Merry Christmas

Pickle-Lily would like to say a great big happy Christmas to all our lovely blog readers

See you in the New Year!

Last minute idea for a teenage son

I have been racking my brains for stocking fillers for my teenage son. I made him a phone sock - he gave it to his sister, I've bought him some microsoft points, he's not into beautifying (at the moment!) so no need for posh 'products for men'. I had thought of 'googling' Stocking fillers for teenage boys, but the thought of what I'd find made me decide not to do that!!!!
Yesterday P made a jelly in our new jellybaby jelly mould.

Jellybaby jelly mould (from Lakeland)

There had been much debate over what colour, but red was decided and the jelly made (it takes two packets if you buy one). Big brother couldn't wait for it to set! But eventually it was ready and turned out (very easily).

A photo had to be taken!

The laughter and giggles as this poor jellybaby was cut up, had it's legs chopped off and decapitated by the 13 year old son! So ... idea one is a jelly baby mould and some jellies - I've got to go out today for more jelly I have been told!
Stocking filler idea two - a voucher for a cake and one for a pudding of his choice to be redeemed during the year, or knowing him next week!

When Mr PL gets home tonight I'll see if he can do his ICT whizz kid stuff and can put a link on somewhere for the actual document.
The cards are written and the tree is decorated ... cakes to marzipan this afternoon!
Merry Christmas!
Jo x

Merry Christmas to all!

Well - it is now Monday afternoon, and I have finished the last Christmas Fair for Pickle-Lily, dropped off a load of goodies at Seabreeze and sat down to relax.... but I haven't finished my cakes off, bought presents let alone wrapped them or written Christmas cards yet! So I think this week is going to be just as busy! But I have still made time for Handmade Monday - and am looking forward to everyone's blogs this week.

Ice skating at Hestercombe Gardens

I spent last week-end at Hestercombe Gardens as part of the Christmas shopping market. A long day Saturday, left the house at 8 am back home at 9 pm! P visited Saturday afternoon to go ice skating - and loved it, so when she spent the day with me on Sunday she had two more sessions as 'wages'. £4 an hour for a child I thought was very good value for ice skating.
Whilst I was there I had a lovely chat with a lady about the mini Christmas stockings and I said I would publish the pattern.

Mini Christmas Stockings

I once knitted 30 of these as individual presents for the children in my class. On Saturday one of them visited me and told me he still hung it up every Christmas!
Using double knit and no 11 or 3 mm needles, cast on 24 stitches.
Purl 1 row.
Knit 1, increase into next stitch until the end of the row - 36 stitches.
Stocking stitch 7 rows.
Knit 14 stitches, knit 2 together four times, knit 14 stitches
Purl
Knit 12 stitches, knit 2 together four times, knit 12 stitches
Purl
Knit 10 stitches, knit 2 together four times, knit 10 stitches - 24 stitches
Starting with a purl row stocking stitch 13 rows. Finish with main colour.
Garter stitch 5 rows in Sirdar snowflake for the fluffy top.
Cast off
Fold in half and stitch the row ends and cast on edge together to make up.

Merry Christmas to all!
Jo and Pickle-Lily
xx

And another idea!

All ready to go!

A simple gift for teachers, grandmas, grandads anyone really! A hyacinth in a pot, a coloured cellophane bag and a snowman tag.
The tags were made by printing two white circles using a carrot - cut off the top and bottom, smaller end is the head, top end is the body. I used readymix paint. Sprinkle with glitter whilst the paint is wet so it will stick to the paint.
Cut a sponge into a hat shape - any sponge - bathroom or one of the green scrubby kitchen ones - with a pair of scissors and print the hat using any colour you like. Add details of face and buttons when the paint is dry using a felt tip pen.

Great fun, easy and effective.

Christmas Ideas

Welcome to another Handmade Monday - and thank-you to Wendy for hosting it while she is so busy. Congratulations on your success Wendy, and I am so glad I did my Christmas order back in about September! I'm also joining in with this week's Creative Me Monday another blog party full of brilliant ideas. So my blog today is one of ideas for Christmas - I hope you enjoy them.

A gardening gift

Garden book from Paperchase, hand cream and home made plant labels

The lovely hand cream came from The Beekeeping Ladies  Pickle-Lily and I have often met these lovely ladies on our travels their lip balm is amazing and Mr P eats jars and jars of their honey marmalade. The labels were an idea from a Christmas magazine. Paint plant pot wooden shapes with chalkboard paint and glue lolly sticks on the back.

Pudding net bag

The pudding net bag was a gift from P's grandma yesterday. Although Mr P is excellent at tying knots, lifting the 3lb pudding I make, out of hot water (it's too big for the streamer and it will all be eaten by the end of Boxing day) with a string handle can be a little wobbly at times - this is brilliant, and I can make puddings now without having to wait for Mr P to tie them up. 

A new Poinsettia and an old Advent Calendar

I love this variegated Poinsettia - makes a great gift for anyone, but I'm keeping it! The Playmobil advent calendar we have had for years, P loves building it each year and setting it all up, highly recommend this to everyone.

An elf on a shelf! This is this year's 'craze' from what I can gather. One of Father Christmas's elves sits on a shelf and sends messages back to FC on how well behaved people are. P and I saw the original one yesterday - £25!!!! - for a hardback book and a rather disappointing plastic elf (she didn't like his face), so we got this little fellow instead. He is now going to be part of the Christmas traditions and travel around the house (more of a game as who can find him) and will probably visit my last Christmas Fair - Hestercombe House - next week-end with me. P is coming with me on Sunday to go ice skating.

Elf on a shelf

I will be back with more ideas later in the week - have a lovely week.
Jo x
P.S. washing machine repair man has just been, guess what I need for Christmas!

Festive Friday - Decoration Swap

This week an exciting package arrived full of these exciting parcels - all beautifully wrapped up in starry tissue paper.

It was my Christmas decoration swap from Giddystuff - organised by Hookin' With Laalaa (Congratulations). I have been so busy this week with school, family and orders that I saved opening it until this morning to brighten a very wet and hailey day. Inside were all these goodies ...

Thank-you!

How cute!

Perfect!

Beautiful - and it's mine Pickle-Lily!

Very colour co-ordinated, scrummy and lovely!

Beautiful Knitting Goddess yarn, reindeer decorations, a cute crocheted tree decoration and pin cushion (the photo shows you how cute!), chocolates (yum), a mini sock kit and a beautiful beaded bracelet (probably will have to be hidden from you-know-who or I'll lose it!!).

This is what I sent

I'll show you what's in it when I know it's safe!

Thank-you Giddystuff, so much for my lovely things.

Have a lovely week-end

Jo x

Proud Mum

Today P had her work featured on the Crafty Ribbons blog .

She made this all by herself following their tutorial.

Candlelight

Blackmore Farm

A busy week or as my husband would put it ... 'Busy! I just spent four hours burying the cat.' He is a HUGE Monty Python fan.
I have been busy crafting and at Christmas events - some were badly organised, some were fine, some had browsers not buyers and yesterday was super. Pickle-Lily was at Blackmore Farm, Cannington, just outside Bridgwater.
What an incredible place.

The Great Hall

Amazing flowers everywhere! All the candles lit for the evening.



Some of my wares

 I was in the Gallery with Heather who sold beautiful bronze figure, lovely Linda who sold out of scarves and her marvellous mum who does amazing machine embroidery! Full of dark wood panelling and stone walls with leaded light windows. It was very cold during the day, but in the evening when the heating went on and the shutters closed we soon warmed up. The house was lit by candles for the evening, with a blazing log fire in the Great Hall and period live music playing. Mulled cider was available and lots of shopping done. I'm afraid my poor writing skills do not do justice to this place and I couldn't take photos in the evening as it was so busy!

Imagine buying your mulled cider with all the Tilley lamps alight from here.

Things have now slowed down and I am trying to catch up with orders, blogging and housework. So I shall return later in the week.
Jo x