Happy Advent! I managed to get a couple of calendars up, though not quite finished! But I had to paint a wall yesterday too, it was so scuffed and messy, I couldn’t bear putting lovely Christmas decorations up on it.
Had hardly any paint and the tiniest paintbrush ever, so I used a screwed up plastic bag to dab daffodil yellow paint onto the orange wall. I put the Advent House up, with a little greenery from the garden and it really is beginning to feel like Christmas here!
Why not try and make an advent calendar yourself. You can find out how to make the easiest last-minute advent calendar here. Make it as you go, just a few minutes every day. (Or find some more last-minute advent calendar ideas here.)
Heartmade Tip ~ Get in the Christmas Groove
Not feeling very Christmasy? Try playing some of your favourite Christmas music. Better still, sing along to some traditional Christmas carols. You’ll be amazed how many of the words you know and they are full of nostalgia, evoking carol singers at the door and midnight mass.
Heartmade Project ~ Silver Heart Paperclip Bookmark
Using some thick silver wire, make a heart shape. Wrap in thin wire, threading beads onto the wire as you go.
Wrap the thin wire and beads around the top half only, so that it won’t cause any damage to book pages.
Heartmade Recipe ~ Shortbread
Make some shortbread squares and wrap in acetate. You can add some gold swirls, hearts or stars, or perhaps some text, in gold pen. Twist both ends and secure with gold ribbon or thread. Add a tag to each piece of shortbread, with a number on it to make an advent calendar. Alternatively, pile up in a pretty bowl as gifts for visitors.
I’ll post a photo when I get chance. The shortbread is still in the oven … it seems I have been left holding the baby, when I never actually agreed to this morning, knowing I had shortbread to make and this post to finish; baby-sitting by default. Again!
Shortbread Recipe
Use one part caster sugar to two parts butter and three parts plain flour. Cream butter and sugar together and mix in the flour. Press into a shallow oven dish or baking tray and bake in a moderate oven for 45 minutes.
Shake some caster sugar over your shortbread and cut into squares while it’s warm. If you are wrapping as an advent calendar or gift, leave to cool while you cut some acetate and decorate with a gold pen (you could draw stars or hearts, or swirly lines, or polka dots.)
When your shortbread is cool, wrap and pile into a pretty bowl to offer as a treat for any visitors during the advent period, or open one every day as an advent calendar.
Have a lovely day! :O)
