Handmade Christmas Decorations with Gem's Country Life Dream

We have had handmade gifts and baking thus far on #CraftyChristmas but Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without some more handmade decorations! 

Hi I’m Gem, I blog over at Gem’s Country Life Dream. I’m a twenty something girl loving life in my little countryside home in Essex with my husband and chickens, blogging about lifestyle, crafts and home décor.

How to Knit a Whisky Flask Sleeve with ELMrocks

We have already had some inspiration for handmade gifts on the #CraftyChristmas takeover. Now it is time to get our knit on with Eleanor of ELMrocks who is sharing how to knit this Scandi style whisky flask sleeve. 

I always find that it's so much easier to make homemade gifts for the women in my life and I really struggle to add that personal touch to presents for the male members. I'm not saying that whiskey is just for the chaps (it's my favourite thing to drink), but I'm sure your dad, husband, brother or uncle would love hip flask made festive with this cute sleeve. And the girls'll like it too, I reckon.

How to Make Mulled Wine Scented Christmas Candles by Becster

This year I have homemade candles on my 'to make' list so I could not be happier that one of the contributors this week, Rebecca of Becster.com, is sharing how to make these cute little jar candles. A great project for #CraftyChristmas and what's more, we all love a bit of upcycling! 

Last year we were feeding Little Miss ready made jars of baby food after the complete failure that was baby led weaning! So of coure we went through quite a few jars - at least 3 jars per day so as you can imagine, our recycling boxes got quite full with these cute little glass jars. After throwing a few out (recycle I must add), I thought that there must be something I could do with them….. and so I came across the idea of making some simple homemade scented candles.

How to Make a Classic Knotted Bracelet with Happiness Wherever

I don't need to tell you #CraftyBs how much I love the idea of handmade gifts. With so much inspiration all over the web, it is easy to get carried away and overwhelmed (a common practice at Crafty Bs HQ). Handmade jewellery doesn't have to be over stated and Zen from Happiness Wherever is up next for #CraftyChristmas sharing how you can make this very classic looking bracelet very simply! 

Christmas is round the corner and a lot of us are busy with our Christmas shopping. But as they say, the best gifts are handmade ☺ So here’s a simple, classic bracelet project- you only need basic plier skills and 5 minutes to whip it up!

A Crafty Sparkly Christmas with Pink Pear Bear

Today for #CraftyChristmas we are joined by the lovely Louise of Pink Pear Bear who is giving us a lesson or two in making Christmas crafty and sparkly. What more could you want?! Louise is drawing inspiration from this fabulous looking Usborne book '100 Christmas things to make and do'.

I'm lucky enough to have several shelves jammed full of craft idea books, many of which are kiddy ones, as I can't resist when I see an offer on. In actual fact, all the ideas came from just one book. It was small and light enough to take out and I ended up finding so much in there I didn't even need to look at the others.

My craft bible for this post.

Meet The Maker: A Christmas Special with Tiny and Toad

You may or may not have noticed that #MeettheMaker has been taking a little break. #CraftyChristmas is the perfect opportunity to bring it back for 2016 and I am pleased to be featuring Louise of Tiny & Toad with her very lovely crocheted Christmas wreath!

Little Mince Pie Cakes with Sally Akins

Welcome to the first post of #CraftyChristmas with Sally Akins. What better way to start than with some delicious Christmas baking. I am sure you will be whipping these little gems up in no time. Perfect with a cuppa whilst you are catching up with the latest #CraftyChristmas link ups.

Mince pies are one of my favourite Christmas foods, but I have very warm hands and I can't tell you how many times I have had to throw away a batch of pastry. So I really love these little Mince Pie Cakes. They're incredibly quick and easy to make, and have all the flavour of mince pies without the hassle of making shortcrust.

Little Mince Pie Cakes with Sally Akins

Having a Crafty Christmas - A Blog Takeover and Link Up

This week the Mrs Crafty B blog is being taken over for #CraftyChristmas

Some #CraftyBs from the blogging world have got together the best of their Christmas crafting activities to share with you, but thats not all...

The Making Home Weekly Link Up #14

 Welcome to the #MakingHome weekly link up!

Be inspired by posts all about home; moving house, decorating, DIY, handmade for home, crafts, family activities, recipes, gardening and more.

Don't forget to join in this week and add your own posts if you are a blogger.

It's time to talk Christmas! I know I have tried to avoid it a little bit but after two Christmas based events this week and with Baby B getting excited, I have given in. Mince pies are being stocked, gifts are being planned and I am desperate to get a tree up. I normally refuse to think about Christmas until December, usually it is after Hubby B's birthday which is at the start, but Baby Bs enthusiasm is making me keen to embrace it. Unfortunately I have not yet convinced Hubby B that it is acceptable to put the decorations up in November!

 One of the best parts (which I don't have to wait for) is Christmas themed crafts and I would love to see what you have been up to with your #MiniMakers. I haven't got our crafting underway yet so this week I am featuring a recipe for puffy paints. I think these would be great for Santa faces on paper plates or cute penguins! Have you ever tried these?

How to make puffy paints

Crafts For Christmas Extravaganza with ICHF

You will have seen recently on my social media ramblings that I had the pleasure of visiting the ICHF Crafts for Christmas show at the NEC in Birmingham. Not only did I return with an eagerness to get Christmas underway (yes yes I know!) but I was totally inspired by new projects, craft supplies and products. I met lots of lovely new people as well as catching up with some familiar faces and ICHF did not fail in putting on yet another great event. Festive offerings all round, Christmas displays and a live band. I was not disappointed.

The Making Home Weekly Link Up #13

Welcome to the #MakingHome weekly link up!

Be inspired by posts all about home; handmade for the house, moving house, decorating, DIY, family activities, recipes, gardening and more. It’s all here under one roof at Mrs Crafty B’s.

Don't forget to join in this week and add your own posts (see end of this post to find out how).

Most of you will not be thinking about the garden at this time of year, however I have it on good authority (from Hubby B) that now is the best time to put in your spring bulbs! Even if you aren't a huge gardening fan, everyone loves a few flowers right? Especially if they are low maintenance.  Hubby B will be out this weekend (alongside various other DIY jobs I have planned for him) to put in clumps of daffs, tulips, crocus, snowdrops and whatever other 'pretty' things I agreed to during our online shopping spree.

Popping bulbs into the ground is a fun and easy activity for your #MiniMakers to get involved in but if it's not your thing there are other fun 'garden' activities to keep those green fingers busy. We haven't done much in our garden yet and being on a newly built site, we are lacking a bit of wildlife. We are hoping these homemade birdseed cakes and pine cone bird feeders will help us along the way with bringing back a bit of an eco system to our outdoor space.

A Craft Box Subscription for #MiniMakers: A JacDo Review

Over the last few weeks my #MiniMakers have had the pleasure of dipping in and out of their very own JacDo 'treasure chest'. If you haven't yet discovered JacDo; this is one not to miss. Especially with Christmas around the corner.