Archive | Christmas waiting

Origami advent calendar

By Rasa Pelham on November 27, 2018 in Arty Love, Christmas waiting, Crafts!, For little ones :), Paper Crafts, Pretty patterns for crafts

So here it is, our advent calendar for this year :). Very very simple to make and I have already received many compliments from friends! I simply used some pattern designs that I created for watercolour challenge few months ago and it brighten up our living room already. Yey!

Each package contain origami idea which is great for me (I love learning something new!) and great with involving kids. I am planning to either teach Lukas how to make stuff by folding paper (for easy ones) or let him decorate completed origami item. I am also considering not to be stuck with using only paper. The possibilities are endless, regular blanket could turn into star for all you know. For those who are following me on social media be prepared for daily dosage of origami! You ready to make your own origami advent for this year? Then let’s crack on!

You will need:

A4 or square size patterned paper, either printouts or shop bought gift wrapping paper
number tags
origami idea “ribbons”
scissors
treats to add into the packages (optional and we decided to go without this year)
a hanger
string or slim ribbon

First, cut out all the tags and origami idea “ribbons”.Make all the packages for every 24 days. Begin with folding in corners (1.), then fold in the sides and insert all the contents (2.). Finally fold in the pointy corners once again on both sides (3) and secure it using double sided tape. Use a string or a ribbon to wrap the package like a gift (4.). Don’t forget to insert the tag before tying the knot. Once all the packages are complete, then all you need to do is tie them on the hanger and hang it on the wall. Happy Christmas waiting!

Rasa xoxo

Watercolour challenge: starry sky

By Rasa Pelham on November 20, 2018 in Arty Love, Christmas waiting, Inspiration, Learn something new

It’s that time of year when the nights are long, Christmas cheer is all around us and neighbours started lighting up their fairy lights. It could not be a better time to learn how to do galaxy paintings (A must must have skill for water colour painters!). These could turn into magical magical Christmas cards, and invites, and so many other things as well as wall art.

First I began by working on my brush strokes. To achieve a deep night sky impression I moved my brush in circular movements to form cloud like patterns. It’s important to use a generous amount of water as well as layering the paint to build darker shades. To begin with I only worked with two basic colours which were black and blue. Once the sky painting is dry, I sprinkled some “stars”. I used a heavy type of brush and using my thumb movement on it I successfully applied the micro sized stars. I then used thin paint brush to paint in bigger stars. Although majority galaxy paintings I have seen around are white, I thought it would be very cool to try gold colour acrylic paint to create some gold stars. I am totally in love with the variation!Once I mastered the galaxy painting with two colours I of course then tried including more colours. I even tried gold colour! Now, I don’t have gold watercolour paint, so I used watered down gold acrylic paint. This experiment actually worked!! The picture bellow cannot do its justice though, the painting sparkles in the real life!Finally I experimented with painting into confined shape (circle). What changed are the brushstrokes. I tend to do longer brushstrokes to define the edges. The borders also meant that the painting had some sort of structure rather than ending up looking like continuous repeating pattern. Tip: when watercoloring with high amounts of water the paper becomes uneven and wrinkly. The best way to make the paper flat again is to iron it. Cover the painting with baking paper and iron it with steam free setting. I find this is safe even with the high temperature setting.When the time came to make the Christmas cards I decided to experiment with foiling (I am so in love with gold right now!). Sadly this did not work out. I am sure it’s all my fault! This foil I bought meant to be used with the foiling machine, but someone suggested this could be used with iron. At the end the foil melted instead sticking onto paper. I even used PVA after unsuccessful application using toner pen. Nothing worked! I decided to leave foiling for later, I am sure I will figure this out some other time. I ended up using gold paint to paint the letters which was acceptable, but not ideal (hope my neighbours like it). White acrylic paint works fine too. If only I did not misspelled “Christmas” over here!Hope you found this helpful! Are you making your cards yourself this year?

Rasa xoxo

Foraged winter wreath + make your own willow wreath base

By Rasa Pelham on November 9, 2018 in Christmas waiting, Foraged, Home-sweet-home, Outdoors

So it turns out this kind of wreath (pic above) is called a foraged wreath. I am so surprised! You see I have been using tree branches and dried plants for deco for years and never considered it as a positive thing to do. When I was little my grandad told me off for breaking the branches off the tree, “if someone broke your fingers off, you would’t like it would you?” he said. So ever since I have been feeling guilty when I “vandalise” (as I call it), but then felt inspired when I see the beauty of nature in my home. Therefore word “foraging” is so much more positive! It sort of makes you feel like you are being savvy and forest wise. Hmm, besides foraging a bit of fir tree branches (pine tree in my case) is better than taking the whole tree just to decorate for Christmas?? Also, not forgetting this is free!!To make a foraged winter wreath collect some tree branches from your forest. Since it is for Christmas you want to pick evergreen tree branches. I picked two pine tree branches and some larch (I was surprised to see that it got coloured for the autumn!). Sadly there were no fir trees in our forest. I did however pick a few bits to accessorise my wreath. Dry dead plants and red berries are great! Since I wanted this wreath be as natural as it can be, I decided to make my own wreath base out of willow. To be honest I made mine out of any twigs I could find. Willow is good because it is supper flexible, but do not worry if you don’t have it in hand. It’s important to pick long twigs that comes from a live tree. You really can’t bend dry tree branch. It would just break! To make the wreath base you will also need florist wire and some good gardener shears. To begin with take the largest twig and bend it to a circle. Secure the ends with some florist wire. Use the next twig to wrap around the circle you have already made. Secure the ends with the florist wire. Carry on wrapping the wreath base with more and more twigs till you achieve your desired thickness. Try to avoid using florist wire on any areas you are planning to leave exposed.I ended up leaving the top of the wreath base exposed. I deliberately focused on tree branch arrangement in the bottom part of wreath base. I as I added more on I placed different pine tree branches between the twig gaps I could find in the wreath base until I filled in the gaps. I secured the ends of the pine tree branches at the back of the wreath. This way it is less visible on the exposed side. Finally I added dry plant bits and berries to decorate the wreath. Now the question is how long this wreath will last. I wonder if my wreath would last till Christmas. Turns out there is hope! Apparently it lasts best outside in the cold (check!), then I read that it may last longer if I spray it with some water when I can (will do!). Finally if any part of the wreath dies out, you can carefully replace it with some fresh branches. Happy Christmas waiting (sorry, but not sorry for mentioning it so early!)

Rasa xoxo

Croissants with poppy seed filling

By Rasa Pelham on December 12, 2017 in Christmas waiting, Lithuanian, Recipes, Sweet Treats

In Lithuania we are big on poppy seed, especially when it comes to Christmas. This is why I feel that these croissants filled with poppy seed goodness is very appropriate for this season. I have been wanting to make this hundred leaves cake to begin with (It’s so traditional in Lithuania like fruit cake in England), but I felt it was too time consuming. This is when this croissant idea came around! You see the dough of hundred leaves cake is kind of similar to croissant dough so I decided to incorporate it with the shop bought dough. Everything went swimmingly well and the rest is history.

CROISSANTS WITH POPPY SEED FILLING

makes 6

100g poppy seed
50g raisins
1tbsp honey (optional)
uncooked croissant dough ( I used Jus-Rol brand as it seem the only one available in the shops)
1 egg, whisked for egg wash

1. Place poppy seeds and raisins into the bowl and pour over boiling water over it. Let it sit for an hour or so till it is well soaked and doubled in size.

2. Using the blender whizz poppy seeds and raisins till it becomes like a paste. Add honey if needed for the sweetness, otherwise it is quite sweet from the raisins. 3. Roll out the dough and cut into triangles. Spoon some poppy seed mixture into each triangle and wrap it using the corners. Place croissants parcels into lined baking tray and brush it with egg wash. Bake the croissants in preheated 180C oven for 10-15min. Happy Christmas waiting!

Rasa xoxo

Christmas wreath chandelier

By Rasa Pelham on November 23, 2017 in Christmas waiting, Crafts!, Upcycle

I don’t know how 2017 Christmas came round so quickly, but our house is still not there yet with all the DIY’s. Although I am glad with current progress on our new kitchen that might be functional this year (yey!), when it comes to Christmas decoration I realised we are still not ready for an actual Christmas tree. For starters, children would rip it apart in few seconds. So not worth the stress…

Unless I can hang it? And this is how Christmas chandelier idea came around :-). To begin with I made the wreath. For this you will need some sort of hoop. I ripped our old lamp shade apart to get the hoop that turned out to be a bit rusted (never mind), but maybe you can use embroidery hoop instead (the inner part)?? Anyways, this is why I categorised this project as upcycled ;-). Because I ripped our old lampshade I also got an attachment to connect the hoop to the lamp. I covered both (the attachment and the hoop) with some greenery (mostly parts of the tree in my friends garden). I used three treads to connect the attachment with the hoop. Hope it’s visible in the picture bellow. As for Christmas “tree” deco I chose baubles that I decided to customise myself. I thought to paint with the acrylic that I already have… very risky I know! But I have to be frugal sometimes. Turned out to be ok actually, not sure how long it would last. The black acrylic pain was a bit watery and run in places a bit, but created a nice sort of vintage look. After hanging all there baubles on the wreath, there were few leftover. I mounted them above our mantelpiece so everything looks Christmas ready. If only we stayed at home for all the celebrations.Hope you feel inspired and ready ahead with Christmas decorating.

Rasa xoxo

Gingerbread advent calendar

By Rasa Pelham on November 16, 2017 in Christmas waiting, Sweet Treats

I have not made an advent calendar for a while so this year I thought I better not miss out and count the days till Christmas in style . I thought I should at least try and make it for Lukas and I am glad that I did. I made it out of gingerbread which means it can be eaten day by day. The only problem is that I made it a little early, a whole two weeks before December! Now daily (sometimes hourly) Lukas asks me for “a bisc” which means biscuit in his language. It’s wonderful to see him so excited but hopefully the calendar will last till advent begins without too many tears! I used this recipe to make the dough for the gingerbread cookies. I made sure I made a hole in each cookie before baking it so I can feed a tread through it and that way cookie can be hanged. I used basic icing (icing sugar mixed with little bit of water) to write the number on each cookie. I originally was planning to use food colouring to make it black, but I am glad I stayed with basics. Sometimes easy and simple stuff look best! Last job was to arrange the cookies. I first arranged the cookies on white surface so I can find the nicest arrangement before actually hanging everything. I used a little bit of greenery as it brings out a lovely contrast that I love. I been very lucky that we have picture rails in our house. I only now discovered the real purpose of them. Before I used to think that it is just a nice trim! If you would like an alternative hanging solution then check out here. I used a wire hanger to make my last advent calendar three years ago. Hope you have been inspired and I am wishing you all an exciting Christmas season!

Rasa xoxo

Garlic rye bread and bean salad

By Rasa Pelham on November 28, 2016 in Christmas waiting, Lithuanian, Recipes, Savoury Delights

It’s becoming to look like Christmas and I decided to share a recipe for a salad that is traditional to have for Christmas Eve. It is that simple and tasty that my brother used to voluntarily go on salad making duty because of that. Hope you like it as much as we do! GARLIC RYE BREAD AND BEAN SALAD

Makes one medium serving bowl (I made half portion here)

1 medium rye bread loaf
6 cloves of garlic, crushed and chopped
generous amount of oil for frying
salt and pepper to taste
2 onions, finelly chopped
2tsp caraway seeds, soaked in water
2 cans of butter beans or cannellini beans, rinsed under cold water
bunch of parsley, finelly chopped (optional)

1. Slice the bread and then chop the slices into 1cm cubes.2.Fry the bread together with garlic in generous amount of oil (very necessary, sorry for dieters). Season to taste and put it aside.3. Fry the onion together with caraway seeds until onions are nice and slightly transparent. Add the beans and take the pan off the heat. 4. Mix everything together. Hope you don’t miss this humble salad at your Christmas table ;-).

Rasa xx

Christmas village display

By Rasa Pelham on November 19, 2016 in Christmas waiting, Crafts!

I must admit, I was a bit scared of Christmas this year because of what is going on around us. House DIY, Lukas often ill (I’ve been told he is perfecting his immune system) and our new baby on the way have added a lot of pressures already, but also I could not quite think what gifts I should get for the family. The major additional pressure I find at Christmas is buying those gifts. Since when did we lose the true meaning of Christmas? When did it get so materialistic? I dread every year of this gift giving madness when I am pushed to get gifts that somebody may not even like. I prefer spontaneous gifts that I put lots of thought in it (such as handmade ones perhaps), not something I got from the amazon to fulfil set occasions. Thankfully our family was very understanding and agreed to gives us a little break this year. My mother-in-law even said “that’s a relief”, bless her. I am very lucky to have such a wonderful mum in law! I was relieved myself as well of course and started looking forward to Christmas already. I took some time to make our home slightly Christmassy with this winter village display. Something to brighten up our otherwise dusty home :D. So here is how you could make your own Christmas village display. All you need is a card (can be a brown cardboard from packaging, but I had some white thick cardboard instead). Use the template below (or make your own) to draw the houses a couple inches above the bottom edge. The next job is to cut out the houses as well as their windows. I used a craft knife and tried a swivel knife as well. The basic craft knife worked perfectly while swivel knife was actually swiveling in a way i couldn’t predict which made me feel out of control. Has somebody had any luck with this type of knife? It supposed to be really good with curves! Anyhow, choose whichever tool suits you best. Although I do recommend using a metal ruler for long straight lines. To make the village houses stand apply a card support on the back. I made some card strips and applied it using double sided tape. Tip: lightly score the strip to help it fold easily. Place your Christmas village on the fire place, shelf, or window sill at least 5 cm away from the wall (I used sellotape to secure it). Fill the backside of the Christmas village with fairy lights!Now it’s time to make the “trees” (I vandalised the local park again this year…oops). I cut the branches into small segments and attached some blu-tack so I could stick them behind my village display. Happy Christmas waiting :)

Rasa xoxo

Our Christmas tree this year

By Rasa Pelham on December 7, 2015 in Budget £, Christmas waiting

I was about to say no to Christmas decorations this year (with all that going on in the house), until I remembered it can actually hide all the ugly interiors that we are not able to amend just yet. Few years ago I posted about controversial Christmas tree DIY’s, I picked fairy light christmas tree for this years focal (and only) Christmas deco for our house. It is so simple to make that I could almost do it with a baby in one hand!

To make this fairy light Christmas tree you will only need 1. fairy lights (I had them since my house warming party in London!), masking tape & scissors (for attaching the lights onto the wall) and/or staple gun (more aggressive tool for attaching lights onto the wall if masking tape does not work). I used a staple gun to attach and arrange the fairy lights onto the wall in fir tree shape because the masking tape just would not stick to the textured wall paper. I know you might be thinking that staple gun would destroy our walls. Well… yes and no! We are painting those walls among other things next year, so we will be treating and fixing those minor damages before doing that anyways. But I do agree the staple gun may not be a right tool for everyone (especially if you re living in the rented place).As for gift wrapping I have been using what I have in the house (such as leftover wallpaper from London house I owned). I sort went with Art Deco style I would say (I am so in love with Art Deco style at this moment!).Happy Christmas waiting!

Rasa xoxo

How to bake Kūčiukai (Lithuanian Christmas Eve biscuits)

By Rasa Pelham on December 23, 2014 in Christmas waiting, Lithuanian, Recipes

As I write this I am Lithuania and I thought it would be nice to post something Lithuanian to make for Christmas. Kūčiukai (Lithuanian Christmas Eve biscuits) are very traditional, but they might not be to everybody’s taste. Some might find them too bland but they are definitely fun to make, so please give them a chance! If you are trying to imagine what they taste like imagine a small breadstick but with poppy seeds in them. They are usually served soaked in poppy seed “milk” but can be eaten as a snack. Interested? Then read on ;-) KŪČIUKAI

500g plain flour
7g dry fast acting yeast
2 tbsp sugar
1 pinch of salt
2 tbsp poppy seeds
2 tbsp olive oil
1 egg, whisked
250ml milk (lukewarm)

1. Mix all the ingredients and form it into a dough. Kneed the dough for at least 5 min. 2. Form the dough into a ball and place it into a bowl. Cover it with cling film and place it somewhere warm for an hour or so. When the dough has risen (at least doubled in size) then punch it to “deflate” it and cover it to proof for another half an hour. 3. Once the final proofing is done shape the dough into sausage shapes and slice them into small bits (about 1cm in size). 3. Bake these in preheated 190C oven for 5-7 min until slightly golden but not brown. I must admit, this recipe is slightly naughty! Traditionally Lithuanians don’t eat any dairy or meat during Christmas eve and this recipe certainly has some milk and eggs. If you want to try you can soak these in poppy seed “milk”. To make the “milk” just soak some poppy seeds in sweetened water and mash them with a mortar and pestle. The water should turn slightly white and milk like. Enjoy! Rasa ;-)

Instructions for Christmas craft kits!

By Rasa Pelham on December 22, 2014 in Christmas waiting, Crochet, Embroidery, Gift Giving, Projects, Sewing

Missed your chance to order Christmas craft kits? Well here is your chance to make your own hanging decorations with the materials you have. We have updated the original instructions and now they are exactly the same as you would have found in the Friendly Nettle craft kits. If you fancy making hanging birdie deco then click here or if you prefer to crochet then hanging star may be your thing ;-).Alternatively if you learn this triangle crochet pattern, you could make these super cute mini buntings!Happy Christmas waiting!

Rasa xoxo

My favourite mulled wine recipe this year

By Rasa Pelham on December 8, 2014 in Christmas waiting, Drinks, Winter Warmers

I lost the count how many mulled wine glasses (or bottles) I drank this year. Many many glasses for sure! That’s because I like mulled wine very much. So of course I have experimented with it a lot. Because I don’t always have ready mulled wine in hand, I often make my own when in need. I have been inspired by Jamie Oliver mulled wine recipe this year. I came up with very smooth and thick mulled wine because of that. It almost taste like a spiced jam! JAM MULLED WINE

2 clementines, cut in half
2 handfuls of mixed berry mix (frozen works well)
100g sugar
3 cloves
1 star anise
1 cinnamon stick
1 bottle of red wine (I like merlot most)

1. First heat sugar with clementines, berries and spices. Mash clementines and berries so the juice come out and the sugar dissolves in it.

2. When everything dissolves, pour the wine in. Heat further till it warms but does not boil (you want to make sure that alcohol does not evaporate!). Pour the mulled wine into the glasses and enjoy Christmas!

Rasa xoxo

Things I look forward to in December

By Rasa Pelham on December 6, 2014 in Christmas waiting, Updates

Well, could I be even more obvious? Of course I am waiting and anticipating for Christmas most! It’s day 6 and 18 more to go!

1. CHRISTMAS DECORATION. I had a branch set up with these bird decorations (soon you could be making them yourself!). Right now I am loving my advent calendar (see the previous post)!2. ONLINE SHOP RE-OPENING. We had our market last saturday where we were selling sewing and crocheting kits together with biscuits! If you missed it, not to worry! They are coming on to our online shop ;-). 3. TIME AWAY WITH FAMILY. We are going to Lithuania and back to UK. So lot’s of upcoming traveling. We are currently deciding if we should take Leia with us so we are testing her on a short trip (Yesterday she took her first car ride!).4. VISITING SEASIDE IN WINTER. I wrote last year about one of my favourite seasides in the world. This year we are visiting it in winter while snowing (hopefully, fingers crossed). Can you imagine this in snow? I bet it will look magical!Happy December!

Rasa xoxo

Star advent calendar

By Rasa Pelham on December 4, 2014 in Christmas waiting, Embroidery, Sewing, Winter

I know, I know this might be a bit too late to make, but I really love how it decorated our house all Christmassy! I also like 1 candy a day diet very much, at least for now it’s not harming anyone. I got this idea from here (even if it looks completely different, my lightbulb lighted up as soon as I saw that raindrop decoration). So, to make your own star advent calendar cut out star pieces out of felt material.1. Embroider the number of the day on one felt star piece. I found chain stitch is the best for that!

2. Join two felt star pieces together by using buttonhole stitch.

3. Once you finished stitching two star pieces together make sure not to cut the string. It will be useful late on!

4. In the back cut the star open so the candy could be inserted. You can finish the edge off with buttonhole stitch as well. Once all 24 stars are made then get a wire hanger and wrap it with pine branches (or fir or spruce or even cypress and cedar). I used a string to keep the branches tight on the wire. Last thing to do is to tie all the stars onto the hanger ;-). Enjoy!Happy Christmas waiting!