Crafty Christmas – U Magazine feature

This time last month I spent the afternoon with the lovely Nathalie and Ben while they took pictures of my Christmas spread. I was very excited when Nathalie approached me to be part of U Magazine‘s crafty Christmas feature because let’s face it – I’m tore up from the floor up for  both Christmas and making stuff with my hands so that was a no-brainer. Not to mention it was an excuse to crack out the Christmas decorations and mull into some mulled wine a month early …

The DIY and handmade pieces that are featured above are my DIY edible ornaments {serious nom}, my seasonal switch plates as well as a glimpse of our Christmas bar cart
Some more decorations that are included on our tree but are way too tiny in the picture {they’re there, trust me} – give a lease of new life to old decorations with some custom revamped Christmas decorations, my easy-peasy hydrangea Christmas ornaments, some straw himmeli ornaments {I just made teeny versions}, and my deceptive dust covers.


The current issue of U Magazine is on shelves now, should you like to take a closer gander at all the amazing crafty Christmas features. And be sure to tune in on Friday where I’ll be sharing my five steps to a festive table! Happy holidays 🙂 xx A

Christmas bar cart

Christmas officially arrived in full swing this week in our household and I couldn’t be happier. We prematurely decorated a couple of weeks ago for an exciting Christmas photo shoot {more on that soooon!}, but I knew if we kept the tree and decorations up that long, I’d end up getting tired of them. I love Christmas so much so I didn’t want to overdo it. So my lovely assistant husband tidied the {fully decorated} tree into our spare bedroom for a couple of weeks, and out she came on Sunday for reals.
As part of the photo shoot I had the idea to fancy up a Christmas themed bar cart. I redecorated it this week to cater to our 3 main Christmas drinks – Irish coffee, hot chocolate and mulled wine. Yes and please. I dedicated one shelf of our cart to each drink and decorated accordingly …

Husbands signature drink at Christmas is Irish coffee. He really hits the nail on the head. This year our household is rolling not one, but two Baileys deep. If you can, I would highly recommend the new Baileys Chocolat Luxe. I also included whiskey for old school Irish coffee, along with our favourite over-sized mugs ready to go. A perfect way to wind down at the end of a cold day.

The middle shelf is dedicated to hot chocolate. Mmmm. We splash out and go for Green & Black’s organic hot chocolate, which is well lush. Want to be a extra naughty? In stead of adding milk or cream to your mug of hot stuff, try a scoop of ice cream. Husband came up with that one last year, and it is heaven in your face. You will never be the same.

And last but not least, mulled wine. Husband was first introduced to mulled wine at my cousins wedding reception and loved it so much that 5 years later when we got married, we had a mulled wine reception. Every year when we decorate our Christmas tree, our tradition is to crack out a bottle of red to accompany our decorating. We do cheat and use those mulled wine tea bags with a couple extras {orange peel, brandy etc} when it’s just the two of us, but when we have guests, we go whole hog and make it from scratch. 
I couldn’t resist taking a picture of our cork collection while I was down there. Whenever we visit a new country or have a special occasion we always keep the cork, write on it and add it to our collection. There are a lot of special ones in there – our engagement cork, new years corks, our honeymoon in St. Petersburg, Russia, and ones with cheeky stories … 
So what are your favourite winter drinks? Are you old school like us, go for the usual beer or wine, or do you go for fancy cocktails? Eggnog is another one of my favourite Christmas drinks but a tier of eggs and cream wouldn’t really have looked very Christmassy on our cart. xx A

Crafty Christmas tutorial link-up

As promised in my edible Christmas ornaments post, here is the list of all the projects involved in Lupin’s Christmas Link-up! The perfect little projects to get you in the mood for the encroaching season … 

ROW 1 – felt house gift tag holder by i ManuFatti, Christmas trinket mobile hoop by Carina’s Craftblog, felt polar bear ornament by La Creature and You, and Christmas Hoop by Claire Payne.
ROW 2embroidered Christmas mug rug by Button Button, polymer clay star ornaments by Saraccino, and knitted Christmas stockings garland by Knit Me a Cake.
ROW 3DIY Christmas ribbon by Adventures & Tea Parties, embroidered mistletoe ornament by Bugs and Fishes, scented salt dough ornaments by Retro Delicious, and crochet Christmas tree decorations by Homemade@MyPlace. 
ROW 4Christmas cross stitch raccoon ornament by Hugs are Fun, polymer clay Christmas tree by Little Creatures, Christmas wish-list felt envelope by Jumbleberries, and felt Christmas tree toy by Pinwheels and Stories. 

ROW 5let it snow embroidery pattern by A Little Happy Place, festive wanderers embroidery pattern by Unexpected Kitty, festive felt and fabric coasters by Betz White, and holiday ribbon pillow by Mrs. Saint Nick.
ROW 6felt gingerbread man gift tag by Grace’s Favours, crochet Christmas star jar covers by Dinki Dots, and edible Christmas ornaments by moi! 
ROW 7cross stitch Christmas trees by Made by Mrs M, secret love letter Christmas gift tag by Crafts of Texture, applique love Christmas card by Halcyon Threads, and Christmas mini mitts by The Crimson Rabbit. 
ROW 8felt reindeer ornament by Pickle-Lily, Christmas carousel by Aura Verde Crafts, embroidered Christmas stocking ornament by Cocojude, and stenciled Christmas embroidery hoop by Angharad. 

Enjoy! xx A 🙂