Merry Christmas to all crafters, creatives and handmakers from the Vintage Celebrations angels!

It's the most magical night of the year and all of us here at Vintage Celebrations would like to wish our readers past, present and future a very Merry crafting Christmas and healthy, happy handmade 2015. 

Let the fun & festivities commence!

In case you're wondering our darling angel is made from muslin bags, vellum card, lashes of glitter, leaf punches, bakers twine, tea doilies and some glitter feathers from my stash. 

I'll be back in the New Year with more interior decoration & styling ideas!

Handmade Christmas burlap & rolled ribbon flower evergreen bird napkin rings craft tutorial

Dress your table in a handmade style this Christmas with these gorgeous burlap & rolled ribbon napkin rings!

In just a few days time we will be tucking into Christmas lunch, all the preparations, planning & panicking well and truly behind us for another year ;) 

My Christmas table this year will be predominately white with mercury glass pots, plain glass accessories, candles, silverware & dominated by our mini Christmas tree in a gorgeous pained french style white urn I picked up from West Barn Country interiors a few weeks ago.

These napkin rings were really easy to make (everything I make is!!) - I simply took a piece of florists wire and covered it with frayed burlap trim for a rustic look then fashioned into a circle.

The rolled ribbon flowers were made from neutral and dark red seam binding - see my tutorial how to make them here and then I added evergreen leaves & ickle dove birds were punched using a bird punch.

The tags were cut from natural card papers, tied with festive bakers twine and the the table guests initials were die cut using with alphabet dies which I rarely ever put away as they are so vital for most personalised projects!

Have a look at my other handmade Christmas table decoration ideas by clicking the links below!

• Simply stars Christmas garland
• Autumn inspired place cards
• Handmade crackers

Happy decorating!

Mini handmade Christmas treat gift baskets craft tutorial

These little Christmas Treat Baskets are just perfect for holding a handful of yummy sweets for a little gift for friends, family, neighbours, teachers, employees, postman, hairdresser etc etc - most people I know would be happy to receive one! Good job they are quick & simple to make!

I found the tutorial on Vicky Hayes blog  - her baskets were made for Easter so I've given thema  seasonal twist!

In real life the baskets measure around 3" x 2" so only little presents need apply to be wrapped in them - although some of my most coveted and treasured presents have been the ones in the smallest packages (pale blue boxes with white satin ribbons are always the best boxes!

Our tree and decorations will be going up this weekend and I will spend hours lovingly and carefully unwrapping my collection of vintage glass ornaments - my tree is my pride and joy each year and at 7.5ft tall commands a lot of attention! Have you done yours yet?

Handmade paper pine cone ornament Christmas decoration tutorial

Aren't these paper pinecone ornaments just darling? Want to make one of your own? I used some left over Christmas themed paper which is full of great patterns in my favourite winter pale blue, silver & white colours and I followed this fabulous paper pine cone ornament tutorial found here.

The pine cones are super easy to make, just a little repetitive with the folding but I did mine watching the latest episode of Downton Abbey - can't wait for the Christmas episode! The leaves were cut usinga leaf punch and then slavered in silver glass glitter for extra sparkle.

You can just see the little pins holding the layers in place - at least they're silver and coordinate too!

If you're looking for more handmade Christmas craft decoration ideas then take a look at ...

• Simple Silver Star Christmas hanging garland banner
• My Christmas craft pinterest board

Handmade silver stars Christmas garland decoration

A simple star handmade sparkly Christmas garland .... super quick, super shiny & super inexpensive!

 I used star stamps of varying sizes and patterns stamped in silver metallic ink, some silver glitter which could be sprinkled on or embossed with a heat tool and then strung with linen thread to hang it from. 

Happy stamping!

December Daily art journalling 2014 days 1-5

Here are the first few pages of my December Daily art journalling project for 2014. I've used a wide variety of materials from Studio Calico, Pretty Little Studio, Pink Paislee, Teresa Collins and a huge bundle of Christmas emphemera from Julie Kirk at Notes on Paper, one of my favourite journalling artists.

This years December journalling prompts that I created to were:

1. The meaning of Christmas for me

2. Plans for December

3. Best gift memories

4. All about Christmas Cards

I'll be sharing more next week (yes I have created more than 4 pages seen as it is the 10th December!)

How's your December Daily coming together?

Pretty packaging and gift wrap ideas for home made jams, preserves, canned & chutneys mason jars

Something pretty for you if you're canning, jamming, preserving or baking this week - preserve gift wrap & packaging ideas! 

You can't beat home grown and home made gift giving and as usual I felt the  urge to pretty up the jar beforehand ;)

Using some old fabric I cut scallop edge circles and then tied these onto the jars with twine. Using a flower shape punch I made a layered flower out of scraps of paper which matched the colour scheme on the fabrics - can't beat a bit of colour coordinatio! 

A tea doily, a decorative label using sweetly framed and some hand cut banners and stamping and the jar was ready to gift!

Happy gifting!

7 ways to build customer sales in your craft, creative or handmade business

If you publish a blog, manage a facebook page, tweet, share on Google+, receive emails or participate in forums & meetings, one of the easiest and nicest ways to build a relationship with potential and actual customers is through simply talking & making a connection with them through leaving comments, profferring advice, asking questions, showing genuine interest and sharing your knowledge.

Whether you operate online or in person ....

• listening to others
• answering questions
• sharing highs and the lows
• encouraging & motivating
• providing expertise when appropriate
• sharing information and knowledge
• showing up where the action is 

will ensure you are well on the way to becoming memorable, valued and sought out by customers who will genuinely appreciate the value and wholeheartedness you bring to the table.

Make it your goal to engage daily even if just for 10 minutes and see how rewarding it can be in building a relationship with others. 

Vintage theme Christmas Vignette inspiration

Here's a sneak peek at this year's vintage theme Christmas vignette that graces the Vintage Celebrations fireplace, resplendant in shades of cream, natural, gold and silver sparkles. 

The decorations have been built up over the years - there are so many now I may have to buy a bigger fireplace ;) 

The wooden tree and mini wreath are from Hunt Bespoke Kitchens in Bloxham whilst the Believe angel, the glittered stags are from Wyevale Garden Nurseries in Bicester, the patinated glass is from Next & Dunelm Mill and the gorgeously fragranced candles are from White Mgick Alchemy in the USA and are magically named Yule Faerie Silver Forest & North Woods Winter White (I always have a totally spot on Old English Egg Nog with cream, rum, spiced sugar, bourbon & vanillascented candle which smells good enough to eat from them!). The large wall mirror is from Next, the tall pillar candles either side of the fireplace are from Next and the fire itself is from Dimplex - the Alameda Opti Mist. 

Happy December Decorating!

December Daily craft project 2014

Are you up for the December Daily creativity challenge? 

December Daily is a month long art, journalling, scrapbooking and paper crafting project showcasing the daily highlights of the Yule season. 

There are no rules, you don't have to consider yourself artistic or creative and you can use whichever medium you are most comfortable with - fabric, paper, paint, clay, yarn, metal or a mixture of all - the choices are endless!

This year, I'm using scrapbooking materials, magazine cutouts, project life paraphenalia and scraps of inspiration & creativity found from everyday life.

Follow my daily journey and prompts and join in the festive fun by sharing your December daily pages here too!

Join in the Christmas cheer and chat with me on Facebook on my Vintage Celebrations page!