Make Your Own Christmas Pomander - Guest Post from Stacey

Today's guest post for The Crafting Days of Christmas comes from my cousin Stacey. Stacey runs a lovely company called Designs By Stacey. Stacey has always had a passion for art and when she painted a mural for her first daughter's nursery, it started off a new career for her.

Now mum to two lovely girls, Stacey somehow manages to find enough hours in the day to craft and paint!

Here's a selection of her wonderful work:

  

She has kindly written this great how-to post which I am pleased to share with you all.

This is what Stacey says about her glorious pomanders:

I remember making these pomanders at Llanciach Ffawr on a school trip once and have always fancied having a bash at making another. I spend a fortune on plug ins and especially now that all the Christmas scents are on sale in the shops (I love the smell of Christmas). So, this year, I decided to save my money and make something that will last for much much longer. Some sites have even said that they last for years!

To make a Christmas pomander

You will need: 

about 2 ounces of cloves per whole orange

'x' amount of oranges depending on how many you want to make

ribbon

maybe a thimble (some of the cloves can be quite sharp!)

How to: 

Step 1 - Tie a ribbon around your orange crossing it at the top and bottom and then making a bow. 

Step 2 - Pierce the orange with the cloves- remember to leave a small space between each clove as the orange will shrink as it dries out. 

Step 3 - Hang it up! Simple as that! Your house will smell of Christmas without the need for expensive plug ins! 

Tips: Add a sprig of holly to the bow for extra decoration. Supermarkets can be quite pricey on cloves so try health shops or online. I bought a 250g bag online for £4.20 and it'll make lots of pomanders!

Don't forget to check out Stacey's website.

This guest post was brought to you by Stitch N Ting as part of the Crafting Days of Christmas blog hop!

Refashion - Boring Baby Bib to Funky Bandana Dribble Bib

For some reason we were given LOADS of bibs when IQ was born. While it is a very thoughtful gift and I'm sure once she's eating solid food she'll be getting through loads a day, currently as a breastfed baby she doesn't really use them. She does however DRIBBLE LIKE MAD. There's almost always a frothy dribbly beard below that gummy smile of hers. I saw bandana dribble bibs in Mothercare and they were £5 for two, which isn't bad but with a box full of bibs going unused in the nursery I couldn't part with the money. So I refashioned a boring old bib into a nice quirky bandana bib. It took me all of 5 minutes.


What you'll need:
One bib
Fabric of your choice (cotton or jersey will work best)
Scissors
Set square or anything with a large right angle
Pen
Sewing machine / needle and thread

*note* If your bib was like mine, it had a flannel front with a plastic back. I left the plastic backing in place but you can always remove it.

Instructions:

Step 1:

Take one boring white bib. Using your set square, draw a triangle ON THE BACK of the bib. Cut along your lines.
Step 2:
Trace the shape of the newly cut bib on the the REVERSE side of your fabric. Cut.


Step 3:
With WRONG sides together, sew all around using your sewing machine. Make sure you leave a space for the velcro fastening (not sew over it like I did and have to unpick).

Step 4:
Tidy up your edges with your scissors and you're done.

Congratulations, you now have refashioned a boring old baby bib into a funky new reversible bandana dribble bib.