Bastelesel

18 Nov 2015

Stars shown in 2013 but unfortunately the original post was lost. I still love them a lot and therefore thought it worthwhile to publish it again.
Stars – the symbol of Christmas time. Today we’ll sew some of them. The advantage is the numerous fabric designs allowing to match them with your table decoration, the colors of your flat or the occasion you want to use them for. I lined them with waddings of different thickness. But for all stars is important that the fabric is to be placed left side on left side and the motive (template here) drawn on the right side with a textile marker. The outlines are only cut out roughly (for cloth remainders I didn’t even do that – see gallery)and the lining is to be ironed on one left side of cloth. Now fix both stars with pins their right sides to be seen. Now sew the marked contours with a narrow zigzag-stitch and cut out the stars along the seam.
You may place the stars individually on your table, attach them to a gift or combine them with a satin ribbon to a string or garland. For our living-room table I made a bigger star with a zigzag border too because it matches very well with our Christmas decoration made of natural accessories.

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Stoffsterne – Sewn stars

17 Nov 2015

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by Elke

Advent calendar for cooking affectionates

A cooling rack, cooking ingredients, some kitchen tools and the corresponding recipes. All this makes a lovely advent calendar for all those who love cooking. I printed a recipe for Christmas cookies and one for cupcakes and packed up the necessary ingredients (except eggs, milk and butter) in small cellophane bags.Cookie cutters, small cake moulds, a baking brush, vanilla sugar and baking powder can directly be fixed to the rack with a ribbon. Among the ingredients place some chocolate Santas to be savoured while waiting for the recipe to be completed.
I took all ingredients of the cookies’ recipe for the first advent days so that the cookies can be made before Christmas. The cupcakes will have to wait until after Christmas, they could be a nice surprise for New Year’s Eve.
Rack and ribbons are decorated with some fir and conifer twigs. A little nice decorative apple and a white Christmas bell create further Christmas atmosphere. Fastened to a less frequented wall cabinet it’s hanging right where it should be used lateron. A link for lovely advent calenar numbers was already posted in my las proposal for a calendar.
This method works well for other crafters too. Take papers, punches and pencils for scrapbookers, wool, needles and instructions for knitters, small tools like nails, screws and folding rule for crafters etc…..

14 Nov 2015

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by Elke

Hedge reloaded

Autumn – time to make your garden winterproof and to cut the hedges. If you have a conifer or yew tree hedge you can use the cut branches for Christmas time. If you leave them outside so that they will get some rain from time to time they’ll really last until Christmas. We will take them to form some small Christmas trees. According to the length of your branches you’ll need a piece of tree chunk making the base of your Christmas tree. I had only left some pieces of a birch tree chunk but it doesn’t really matter. Leave the tree natural with some cones at its side and keep it outside on your balcony or terrace right now. For Christmas decorate it with some Christmas balls or other accessories.

Twist some florist wire around the ends of three or four conifer branches or twigs. Then add further branches placing them a bit higher than the first one to get a fir tree shape. When the tree’s finished twist some extra wire round the ends to get a thin tip. Then put your tree chunk in the middle of your branches and here you are with a lovely little Christmas tree.

Today I already decorated one little tree for Christmas to show what they look like when decorated. On top I glued a small wooden star and some angel hair goes down the branches. Combined with a yew tree twig and some Christmas balls it makes a lovely fragrant center piece. If you take even smaller twigs for your tree you may use it as a decoration for every seat. Write down of your guests’ names on the stars or on Christmas balls attached to your tree.

11 Nov 2015

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by Elke

Chocolate squares

Yum, yum, delicious chocolate cake. The recipee was found at Dr. Oetker’s but the reason to look for it where lots of last year’s still edible chocolate Easter bunnies and Santas.

Pastry:

200g dark chocolate (bunnies and Santas)
125g butter
125g caster sugar
1 bag vanilla sugar
3 eggs
1 cup of soured cream (150g)
175g wwheat flour
1 tsp baking powder

Icing:

200g dark couverture
3-4 tbsp desiccated coconut

Melt chocolate in a bain-marie and leave to cool again.
Grease a baking sheet, flour lightly and place a baking frame (30×25 cm).
Preheat oven at 180°C.

Blend butter in a large bowl with the whisk hooks of your mixer. Add sugar, vanilla sugar and the melted chocolate step by step until creamy. Then add the eggs one by one stirring each at least 1/2 minute. Fold in soured cream. Sieve flour and baking powder in two portions. Pour pastry on baking sheet and spread evenly with a bendy spatula. Cook for about 25 minutes and cool on a rack.

Meanwhile melt couverture in a bain-marie too, stirring softly and pour over your chocolate cake. Spread coconut on top. When tempered cut into 5×5 cm squares and serve. Adding a teaspoon of cinnamon to the butter mixture makes them perfect for Christmas.

07 Nov 2015

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by Elke

Advent calendar 2015

Looking out of the window we feel like having spring time but a look at our calendar just tells us it’s only three weeks until the 1st of December i.e. only three weeks left to finish one or maybe even several advent calendars. I’ll start with one that is done rather quickly at least if you already bought all sweets and little gifts for it. Container for my gifts is a shabby chic basket decorated with a star garland. Cut or punch stars in different sizes and twist a thin silver wire through the baskets edge attaching the stars every now and then. Stars, gift wrapping paper and calendar numbers were made with papers and cardstock in harmonic colours.

The basket’s bottom is covered with a handmade doily but you may take a Christmas paper napkin as well. My little gifts are wrapped in three different papers and calendar numbers glued on top. In the web you’ll find lots of free templates for calendar numbers. Some of them are hidden behind this link.

The basket’s not yet filled but the last gifts only have to be wrapped to join the others. The day before handing it over I’ll put some fir sprigs among the wrapped gifts. A Christmas cardboard box will hold the gifts as well.