It is all about the little moments.  The calendar has turned, the decorations are coming out and we are counting down to Christmas.  We have a nightly tradition of advent calendar and Christmas stories before bed.  The candle is new for us.  We pop up between stories to check how far it has burnt, with a little line for each day. We take it in turns to blow it out.

Oh, we have so many Christmas stories, that I really must share them at some point.  Stories that warm the heart, talk of a certain Saint Nicholas (anyone remember him in all the rush?) and some that have me so misty eyed I find them hard to finish.  We sit on the couch, huddled, necks craning to see pictures and we read.

It is nice to be spending the time together.  As we hear of family members battling with illnesses and odds, the lists of perfectly co-ordinated decorations fall away, and we remember it really is a privilege to spend these moments together.

To celebrate the end of the end of the festive season, we made galette des rois.  While the galette baked, we broke down the Christmas tree and boxed up decorations.  We celebrated a few days early this year to avoid a clash with first day back to work blues.  Great food and company made a fantastic end to our Christmas celebrations.

Unlike last year, we had a tiny ceramic charm to bake into the pie.  If you look carefully, you can see her standing on a dollar coin for scale. 

The preparations are laid, and traveling done.  It's time to just enjoy the moment.

Wishing you a Merry Christmas from our little Seven-Stitches Family.

This is what happens in our house, when the adult take their time putting up the advent calendar*.  Small children take matters into their own hands.  She's done a great job recreating our calendar don't you think?

I was worried that I may have lost some of the pockets between the years.  But this little burst of creativity from miss H was all I needed to get myself sorted and out calendar up.

Sorted - now for the chocolate.

Then the thrifting - I found a breadmaker at a recent garage sale.  At $10 with a "it might not work" caveat I wasn't expecting much.  I found a copy of the manual online and 3 loaves of bread later, the bread maker has more than paid for itself.


Finally, the Christmas - With a surplus of quince meat, 3 pints to be precise,I'm on the lookout for recipes to use it up.  This braided loaf recipe was in the bread maker manual.  I had my fingers crossed behind my back expecting disaster but it was brilliant.  It tasted even better on day 2 and 3, which is a little unusual in my experience of home made bread.


Now I only have 2 1/2 pints of Quince Meat to go, any ideas?

I have been sketching, carving and stamping up a storm, gradually reducing this stamp until I was happy with it.

Every Christmas I think, this is the year I'll start sending Christmas cards again. I used to be so dilligent, posting them out to my university friends as  I went home to my parents each summer, sending little notes and baubles to friends as they travelled around the world.  Somehow it all fell by the wayside when I had children, but this year it really will happen.  The international ones went out a month ago and I'm gradually getting together the less urgent, local ones.

Such fun!
The Yellow Owl Workshop Carve a Stamp kit was birthday present earlier in the year.  You can get yours from The Village Art Shop, they are ever so friendly.

The Christmas count down started early in our house. To be precise it started the morning after Halloween. I woke to find two little girls at the breakfast table, felt pens in had and a long list of 'How do you spell...?'

The lists sat on our fridge until last week. We didn't want to bother Santa before December. H and I folded them up and posted them to the North Pole.  New Zealand Post runs an annual Postbag to Santa.  You can read more about it here.  You can even Email him.  We are waiting in anticipation for our return letters.

Sometimes projects are just an angels breath from completion.  These little pegs had been sitting painted for a while, waiting for wings, skirts and faces.  I imagined skirts made from slices of lightly coloured vintage embroidery and paper doily wings.  Consulting my drawers of damaged, vintage embroidery, I found other ideas. 

A hand embroidered table cloth, too long in the napisan was waiting for me.  It had been so long bleached that the thread work and hems were dissolving, but still not long enough to remove whatever the tenacious stain had been.  The white on white details remind me of feathers and so wings they were.  The tattered edges became an underskirt for each modest angel, with just the smallest whisper of cotton lace over the top.  My very own mini host of mini angels.

The strangest things rise to the surface when parents start clearing out spaces.  I spied a pair of these glass domes on a shelf in Dad's garage.  At first he though they might be old valve domes, but closer inspection and splashes of white paint suggest they were outdoor light bulb covers.  With $2 of thrifted decorations,  they look grand. 

The kids are latching on to the idea of treasures under domes.  I found a little match box house hiding under a crystal glass (you can see it if you squint).  I just couldn't resist playing with lego trees and a sugar bowl.

Stir it up Sunday is something my grandmother introduced me to.  Before launching into all the rush of Advent and associated Christmas preparations, we have Stir it up Sunday.  It takes it's name from a 1549 prayer

"Stir up, we beseech thee, O Lord, the wills of thy faithful people; that they, plenteously bringing forth the fruit of good works, may of thee be plenteously rewarded;"

While this could trigger all manner of contemplation, this talk of stirring and fruit sounds suspiciously like pudding. Since the 1800's Stir it up Sunday, has been known as the perfect time to be making Christmas pudding.

Gran took great pride in sharing traditions with me.  As she told me all about this day, she smiled conspiratorially, and told me she had already made her puddings.

Given the day and all it's traditions, it could only mean a trip to Grandma's, my mother, for the girls to Stir it Up.

Measuring

Making bread crumbs

Cutting liners

Stiring it Up

And finally - the first cooking

 These ladies have been waiting a very long time to get their skirts.  But don't they look so happy now?  They were left in painted on hot pants for over a year, as I tried to work out how to make them stand up.

The original plan was to hand turn some wooden bead and route out a centre that let each doll stand.  The problem was I haven't touched woodwork since manual training and have no idea where to find a freindly wood turner.  In the end, it was air dry clay to the rescue with hand molded bases holding each lady.  They look just about ready to start singing

Putting it simply, this book is brilliant.  It takes a lot for me to rave about a craft book and Christmas Crafting with Kids, by Catherine Woram,  has a lot. 

It caught my eye on the library shelf and jumped in my bag. The title tells a lot.  Unlike some deceptive grown up craft books masquerading as a kids book - this book contains projects that with a little guidance, kids really can make.  There is baking, decorations, gifts and cards. 


We poured over the pages and decided to give the peg dolls a try.  Miss H was keen to make them her own way,  using the paper doilies as wings rather than as a dress.  We had a great time painting up the pegs. Two were left unpainted for E to make later, much to the concern of her sister.  She was very worried about the dolls being "naked".

Format - The book is hardcover, 125 pages with 35 projects.  the projects are divided into decorations, gifts, cards and wrapping.  The materials used are relatively straight forward.  you may need to duck out for airdry clay, fimo or sequins for some.  With a little thought, most people should be able to find some projects that don't require additional materials.  Each step is illustrated with photos of real kids making things.  While the finished products often look like they have had some older hands helping, I'm sure little hands would add their own magic.

Who would I recommend it to?  The projects look to be for about ages 4 and up, and will require some adult guidance.  Consequently, I'd recommend it to people wanting to take the time with children, to make something special for Christmas.  Thinking about it, I might just be the author's target market.

Would I buy it? If it wasn't already in my local library - YES, I would buy it in a flash. 

Disclaimer - I love books and devour them with cups of tea and gingernuts.  I also love honest book reviews that let you know what is in store. This book was kindly lent to me by my local library, because that's what they do.

The Printed Zipper Pocket Tutorial is ready to go. The instructions include how to print on the fabric and sew it together. You can download it by clicking on the link below.

Printed, Zipped Pocket

These pockets are the result of an afternoon of printing with kids aged between 4 to 8. Armed with painting shirts, and precut fabric we were able to make stamp pads and explore printing with everyday objects.

Each artwork was then turned into a zipped pocket.  I have simplified the steps and used pinking shears where ever possible, to streamline the construction.  It took about 3 hours to sew all 12 pockets together (only 15 minutes each!).

I am planning to enlist the kids to help me make some more for Christmas presents for their friends and teachers.

We had a great time making them.  If you have any questions, suggestions or even photos of the ones you have finished, please drop me a line - seven.stitches.amy(at)gmail.com .

A few notes to start

• The images display best in Adobe Acrobat.  They show up a little blurry on Google Drive

• The measurements have been given in imperial first with metric in brackets.

 It's the Twelfth Night.  Does anyone else get excited about this?  Other than Utah School Boards*?Our decorations stay up until  the last possible day.  Today we packed them up,and tucked them away until next December.  The Christmas CD's get a last little work out and we take a moment to celebrate yet again.

This afternoon we had a Galette du Rois (King Cake) to celebrate the arrival of the three kings.  E hand crafted a crown for the occasion, complete with stickers.  I had been aspiring to try the recipe for years.  In the absence of a silver charm, a plum stone was hidden in the pie, waiting for the day's king to find it.  While the kid's weren't too fussed about the almond filling, they were delighted when Granddad found the stone and was presented with the crown.



*  For a little giggle, check out the story about a Utah school and a "controversial" Elvis version of The Twelfth Night.
* I've used the Nigella Lawson recipe from "How to be a Domestic Goddess".  Of course it was a little over the top in the sweetness department and with the filling bubbling over the tin.  Next time I will halve the filling.

Our family has recipes that are held close to hearts and saved for just special occasions.  Christmas is one of those times. They are treated with such reverence, that it can be surprising to find out that secret family recipes can sometimes turn out to be not so secret, after all.

There are the beautifully chewy, almost butter-scotch meringues. Malt vinegar and a fickle oven appear to be the key in this one.  There is the dip that Gran used to make only on Christmas day. This was then rationed out on snax crakers for the following days.  It turns out that with help of onion soup, reduced cream and the recipe in fine print on the bottom of the can, you too can make dip like my Gran.

Then there is the pickled pineapple.  Mum found it one year in her "Triple Tested Cookbook"*.  It became her specialty.  She cooks it every year to serve with ham.  The vegetarian relatives can attest that it goes just as well with cheese.  It is one of those magical, "there's still time" recipes.  While the recipe recommends it sit for a week, it still tastes pretty good if made the night before.  Just the smell is enough to tell me it is almost Christmas and the secretly saved pineapple juice appeals to my sweet tooth.

The recipe is held in high regard, but I have heard rumours that one aunt passed a copy to a catering friend.  Further to that, the latest Dish magazine recipe boasts a glazed ham recipe tailored for serving with pickled pineapple.  If you feel the need to add something new to your table, here is the recipe for the original pickled pineapple.

1 can pineapple chunks
3/4 cup malt vinegar
1 1/4 cup white sugar
pinch of salt
6-8 cloves
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Drain syrup from pineapple. Place vinegar, sugar salt and spices in saucepan and simmer for 10 minutes.  Add pineapple and boil a further 1 minute.  Cool and bottle.  Store in fridge for 1 week before serving with ham or chicken.

*  Well done to Lower Hutt Plunket Society for this 1959 Gem.  May all Plunket groups create such a legendary cook book.

We love pop-up shops in our house.  Often there will be a book store, complete with scanners in the middle of the lounge.  Often, they will sell ice-creams and other treats from the car window.  While they are only pretend, I'm not sure whether to embark on the "stranger danger" or "drugs are bad, ok?" speech.  The Christmas shop above is the result of leaving a box of unhung decorations in the lounge.  How could you resist such exuberant shop assistants?

We have been making paper angels for the tree.  They are incredibly simple.  In the interests of angels for all, here is the tutorial.

To make your own Paper Angel you are going to need:

Colored craft paper for gown, wings and face.
PVA glue
Glitter
Sellotape
Double sided tape
Wool
Pens, glitter and stickers for decorating

Trace and cut  a circle from card and cut in half. We used a desert bowl, approx 180 mm diameter.
Decorate one piece for a gown and the other as wings.

Draw a smaller circle on skin toned paper. We used a spice jar, approx 45mm diameter.
Draw a face and glue hair onto the top.
Cut the circle out.

Sellotape the gown to make a cone.
Using double sided tape attach the face.
Fold the wings in half and check for fit, before cutting into the wing shape as below.
Using double sided tape, attach the wings.

Lastly, attach a loop and hang from the tree.

Before you get worried, this is not that picture.

E went pine cone collecting with her Dad.  After a few lessons in swinging a hammer from Granddad, they were off, separating cones and branches, filling the bag. 

It wasn't until afterwards that she remembered the candle holder she had seen in a shop.  It was a pinecone hollowed out to hold a tea light.  E drew her picture to explain to Granddad what she was talking about.    After a little explaining, the tools were gathered by Grandad.  E lost interest once the drawing was done, leaving me with tools and a mission.

After a bit of experimenting, I can attest, you will need a vice, drill, hole saw, spade bit and a chisel.  The green pine cones were easier to shape and are probably more fire resistant.  Despite her lack of interest in power tools, E was delighted to see her picture come to life.