The Christmas Challenge. Show and Tell for May, part 1.

I am starting Show and Tell for the month a little earlier than usual as I have so many pictures already!  I hope you are having a good month of building up your present cupboard!  Mine is a bit depleted after a couple of birthdays in the family.  So back to filling it up again!

Hopefully you will find some inspiration here.  This all certainly gets me thinking about what to make next!

Firstly we have jewellery from Fiona.

Look closely...

You know when a dandelion goes to seed and you blow the ball of seeds into the wind and make a wish? Well,  here we have a wish in a bottle! 

So lovely!  Some delicate work I think as well!

Fiona also used an old sheet that belonged to her partners Mother to cover a lampshade...

It is beautiful!  I have two lampshades that really need recovering....  

And I can't help but notice the table underneath!  I am trying to peek at that AND the gorgeous lace doilies on top!   I love it all!

Fiona has a lovely blog Saw it, Pinned it, Did it!  You can find more details and other crafts here.

Jacqui made a beautiful Liberty print quilt. When Harper was born Jacqui made her a quilt with deer and farm animals on it... it had foxes and things we love and that the farm actually has.  It is treasured and used constantly. Well... this turns up for Scarlett...

I can't even describe how beautiful it feels as the fabrics have a silky feel to them and are so soft.   Lucy was over the moon.  What kindness and generosity.  With some of the things in the world at the moment that are horrific... here we are with someone we have never met, except through writing and blogging,  doing something like this for my daughter and her new baby.

You can really bless others with your talents and things you make.  Just spread some kindness.  Thank you Jacqui you are amazing! 

Debbie has a new baby arriving in her family! 

She has been busy and amazes me as she can both crochet and knit equally beautifully.

I love these soft rugs with a crochet edging...

These are perfect gifts and could also be made in a small size as a burp cloth.  I would love to make some of these!
She also knitted like cardi's and a little dress, bibs...

Look at the grub roses!

It is all just beautiful.  

Jane made a marbled soap.  To me it looks like chocolate and reminds me of that Neapolitan ice-cream...  

There are already requests for instructions!   This is what Jane shared with me...

I think I have lost the You tube video Jane mentions... we will see if she will post the name of it in comments... sorry about that!

 I mixed up a batch of my plain soap.

1000g olive oil

250g copha

172g caustic soda(lye)

450ml water

Before you start making soap make sure that you are working in a well ventilated area, that there are now small people or fur babies wandering around that could get splattered with the caustic solution. Where gloves and eye protection. 

Pour the caustic soda into the water, not the other way around. Stir until all the soda is dissolved. Into this place the block of copha and stir until it is melted. Pour in the olive oil(you could use canola oil if you want the soap to be whiter in colour). Use a stick blender to bring the soap to a light trace. This is where it looks more like custard. Check you tube videos and you can see some good examples of this.

I placed equalish amounts of this soap into three bowls. One I left the natural soap colour. I did put some vanilla extract into the plain soap but I don't think the scent has taken. One I placed a few spoons of cocoa into until I got the colour I wanted. The third I placed soap colour Carmen into. until I got the colour I wanted. I then placed these in layers in a silicon cake tin. I didn't have a wire coat hanger so I used a plastic one. In could only use the end that would sit inside the shoulders of a shirt. I followed the process in the you tube video. I then placed a freezer bag over the top of the soap and wrapped the whole lot up in towels and left for 24 hours.

When I unwrapped the soap I was not hopeful of a good result as it looked like a cake tin full of pink poo. Once I cut it though, I was chuffed to bits.

Thank you Jane!  This looks so amazing! What a success! 

Maria made her Grandson a batman cape!  Oh my goodness!  

 

Now she will have a little super hero running around!  I bet he loves it! What an idea!  Thank you Maria you just inspired many of us with children and Grandchildren!

Thank you everyone for sending me your photos!  

If you would be willing to share what you have been making please email me at brinkzi21@hotmail.com  

I hope your week is going well. Mine is!  I now have bathroom shelves and it is all looking good!  Also I had a kind of bathroom glory box which had been going for so long I forgot what was in it!  Yesterday I got it all out!  I had towels, hand towels and bathmats I had crocheted around with little grub roses in the corners!  I had candles, soaps, bubble bath and all kind son things!  So out they came and into my shelves! It was really good fun to get to this bit!   Essentially I had made presents for myself!  And I liked them! 😊

Really anyway you can build up your present cupboard is a help.  I found just beautiful wrapping paper at Aldi and got several rolls at at a great price.  Plus I added tape.  Who wants to be running to the shops just to find these things? 

By Friday I might have some bathroom pictures even though I haven't finished painting it is nearly there!  See you then! xxx