Beaded bird stocking

All my Christmas stockings are now finished and hanging from my staircase. The last one in my line up is my beaded bird stocking, here's how I made it...

Beaded bird stocking Tools and Materials

• Printed cotton
• magic beads
• Sewing needle & thread
• Beaded trim
• Brocade
• Lining fabric

Beaded bird stocking, How-to step by step

Start by printing off the stocking pattern at 200% and cut out the pattern piece.


Place pattern piece on fabric, using your water soluble pen, trace around outside edge. Flip pattern piece over and draw another stocking piece so you have two pieces. Using a sharp pair of scissors, cut out stocking pieces leaving a 1cm seam allowance. Then pin one cut out fabric piece to wadding. Carefully cut around stocking. With your fabric stocking and wadding pieces still pinned together, join them together by stitching on beads. Pin the two fabric stocking pieces together with the embellishment on the inside. Stitch stocking together with a 1cm seam allowance using your drawn line as a guide.Turn stocking out so print is on outside and hand stitch braid, ribbon trim etc around top of stocking.




Stitch hanging loop to the top of the stocking so that the loop faces downwards.
Place pattern piece on lining, using your water soluble pen, trace around outside edges, flip pattern over and trace a second stocking. Using a sharp pair of scissors, cut out lining pieces leaving a 1cm seam allowance.Pin the lining pieces together with the right side of the fabric on the inside. Stitch around the edges, with a 1cm seam allowance, (you can use your traced line as a guide) leaving the top open. Now slip embellished stocking into sewn lining and pin together at top. Starting at the back of the stocking, stitch the lining to the felt stocking at the top leaving a 5cm gap, so you can turn stocking out. Turn stocking out and hand stitch gap together. Lightly press iron the top so that it sits flat.

Beaded bird stocking, Snowflake felt stocking, Winter bird embellished stocking

Hung from my handmade beaded star garland

Have a sweet day!

Snowflake felt stocking

I finished my second felt stocking, and it is now hanging on my staircase. I made it in exactly the same way as my Winter bird embellished stocking but this time I went for a mint coloured felt and decorated it with white felt snowflake table scatters from Papechase. See Winter bird embellished stocking for the full tutorial.



I then decided that my hand made stockings needed handmade candy! So whipped up some pretty chocolate snowflake lollipops that I packaged in lace printed bags...







For chocolate lollipop tutorial check out my Easter chocolate lollipops



Have a sweet day!

Mini pom pom snowballs

Inspired by my Bringing Christmas outside garland and wreath, I decided to make mini pom poms to hang in my window. I combined them with my glass marbled snowflakes I decorated a couple of years ago and my handmade felt birds from last year. My own winter wonderland, inside and out!
Here's how I made the mini snowballs...

Mini pom pom snowballs Tools and Materials

• White yarn
• fork
• bakers twine
• Glass marbled snowflakes
• handmade felt birds

Mini pom pom snowballs, How-to step by step


Start by wrapping the yarn around the prongs of the fork, (I wrapped my yarn around thirty times)and then cut the end of your yarn.


Cut a length of yarn 15cm, and thread beneth your yarn wraps between 2nd and 3rd fork prong. Pass the other end of this length of yarn between prongs over the top of the yarn bundle. Pull both ends and tie into a tight knot. Slip yarn bundle off the end of your fork. snip through all the loops of yarn


Roll pompom between palms to ‘fluff’and make round. Trim any uneven ends. With an embroidery needle threaded with bakers twine thread pom poms on to twine.








Have a sweet day!

Winter bird embellished stocking

Last year I started making an embellished Christmas stocking but never got round to lining it! So this morning I finally lined my stocking and hung it up on my banister. Hers's how...

Winter bird embellished stocking Tools and Materials

• White felt
• 100% cotton printed Lining
• Wadding
• Yarn
• Wooden Bird buttons
• Snowflake brads
• Covered button brads
• Sequins
• Seed beads
• Needle
• Sewing thread
• Pom pom trim
• Velvet ribbon

Winter bird embellished stocking, How-to step by step




Start by printing off the stocking pattern at 200% and cut out the pattern piece.


Place pattern piece on felt, using your water soluble pen, trace around outside edges so you have two pieces. Using a sharp pair of scissors, cut out felt pieces. Now, with a damp cloth, blot pen lines until they disappear. Then pin one cut out felt piece to wadding. Carefully cut around stocking.


With your felt stocking and wadding pieces still pinned together, join them together using the snowflake brads. Sew on sequins and beads. Hot glue gun wooden buttons and attach button brads.



Pin the two felt stocking pieces together with the embellishment on the outside. With a needle threaded with coloured yarn whip stitch around outside edges. Hand stitch pom pom trim and ribbons around top of stocking.


Stitch hanging loop to the top of the stocking so that the loop faces downwards.
Place pattern piece on lining, using your water soluble pen, trace around outside edges, flip pattern over and trace a second stocking. Using a sharp pair of scissors, cut out lining pieces. Then pin the lining pieces together with the right side of the fabric on the inside. Stitch around the edges, with a 1cm seam allowance, leaving the top open. Now slip embellished stocking into sewn lining and pin together at top.


Starting at the back of the stocking, stitch the lining to the felt stocking at the top leaving a 5cm gap, so you can turn stocking out. Turn stocking out and hand stitch gap together. Lightly press iron the top so that it sits flat.

Fill with candy and gifts...

I decorated mine with a glittery sprig from Festive

Have a sweet day!

Bringing Christmas outside...

A few weeks ago I went to the Achica Christmas Grotto blogger breakfast for a morning of making garlands, wreaths, Christmas cards and tree decorations. The event was held at the stylish Haymarket Hotel and the brands that took part were Konesar, Festive and Five Dollar Shake. I had such a lovely morning and met some fabulous crafty bloggers. I also had a great chat with the lovely folk from Festve about Christmas decorations and am planning on visiting there tinsel factory in Wales in the New Year, which of course I will share with you here...

Festive provided the wreaths and garlands and an abundance of glittery flowers, feathered birds and shiny berries to decorate them with.
I chose to decorate a wreath that I adorned with silver, gold and white glittery sprigs of flowers and fauna. The lovely peeps at Festive also sent me home with a garland and a box of glittery sprigs to decorate it with. So today I hung my wreath from my front door using a pretty polka dot ribbon and hung the garland from my picket fence with the same pretty ribbon. Once I had the wreath on the fence, I decorated it with the silver, gold and white glittery sprigs of flowers and fauna from Festive to match my wreath. I love how it all looks and it inspired me to spend the afternoon making snowball pom poms to hang in the window!











A big thanks to Maxine at Achica for arranging such a great event and to all the lovely brands for there generosity.

Have a sweet day!

Achica - A Review

A couple of weeks back I was invited to review Achica.
ACHICA is the members-only luxury lifestyle store offering you up to 70% off leading home, kitchen, garden, children, baby and fashion accessories brands - all year round.

It’s free to join ACHICA and, as a valued member, you can get your hands on luxurious items for your home, garden and lifestyle every day of the week. They run exclusive daily shopping promotions - each lasting up to 72 hours only. As their sales are time limited, you have to be quick to get your hands on the best. ACHICA members also receive advice on seasonal trends, interior design tips and inspirational ideas.

As a member, you receive a choice of either weekly or daily emails at the opening of sales, with sneak previews of what will be on offer. Their promotions start at 6.30am every day, with late-night shopping promotions kicking off at 6.30pm every Thursday.

It was quick and easy to join and I immediately fell in love with the silver framed cork board. I had been looking to make one like that for ages but why make one when Achica sells the perfect one at such a good price!

So I chose to spend my £40 voucher on the Gallery Brighton Large Corkboard in silver £28, RRP £48.

"Combining the beauty and glamour of a traditional frame with the practicality of a cork board, the fantastic Brighton Corkboard is a must have ? perfect for keeping you organised and your home looking glamorous!"

I ordered the corkboard on the 20th November and it had an estimated delivery date of the 14th - 21st Dec, but it arrived early! As soon as it arrived I unwrapped it and got it hung up on my wall in my craft room. Now I have the perfect place to pin all my inspiration! Thanks Achica.








Please note that my opinions are my own and I am not paid for these reviews. I was given a free £40 voucher to spend at Achica for the purpose of this review. As always, my opinion is nothing but honest.

Have a sweet day!

Glamorous dessert table

Image: Jenna Rae Cakes

As Christmas gets closer and closer it is now time for me to get in my kitchen and bake, bake, bake! Inspired by all the touches of gold in these gorgeous glamorous sweet treats, edible gold leaf is now on my must have list!

Handmade tinsel swizzle sticks

Golden and sweet

Pearlized macaroons with edible gold leaf

Ombre frilled Cake

White-chocolate zabaglione pyramid truffles

Have a sweet day!