Friday 20 December 2019

All lights and no baubles..

Well now, some weeks ago, I chatted about making some small gifts for the staff at my Mama’s care home. So here we are on the Friday before Christmas, which for a lot of people this year is the last working day. How lovely, if you’re one of these worker bees, I hope you enjoy the small extension to your Christmas break. A small procrastinating-type diversion there. A good indication of what happened to my intentions. I decided this year that I wouldn’t make edible gifts. Too many gluten, nut, alcohol, dried fruit, veggie, vegan requirements to trip over. So I hit on the idea of cookie cutter baubles. Not too difficult and relatively easy to source. Yeah, right. I could only get them in sets, so already there are erm, ‘choices’ for the recipients to make. Which takes the stress of wrapping doesn’t it...I can just present them all on a tray for people to choose from! Cool Yule.
So I chose my weapons, and soon realised that it wasn’t the quantity that was going to make things slow. It was what I wanted to do. Ergh. I wanted to glue the cookie cutters to sparkly (non-shed) glitter card. And the only glue that would grab properly was silicone. Ergh again. I hate silicone, it’s so difficult to dispense and a steady hand is not one of my skills. Good grief, I haven’t got good enough eyesight for steady anything! so, once all were stuck fast to the sheets, I cut round them and used red tape to hide the join, especially useful on the messy ones. Red tape was then dusted with glitter. Punch a hole with the trusty cropadile and thread some ribbon for a hanger. Then a little bit of decoration. It hasn’t been too complicated. 
I found some MDF shapes in the back of my Christmas stash and decided this morning to make a few more ‘just in case’. They are very different to the cookie cutter style, but hey, choice is good. Today was to be delivery day, but I failed on that. My glue gun needed recharging and doesn’t work plugged in, only charged. So I had to use more silicone. Lots of silicone.
And that means drying time. So Monday will be delivery day. It’s all good- after all, I know with amazing certainty that however many people did finish work for the holiday today, a lot of people don’t finish work at all. Saved by other people’s vocations! And don’t fret gentle Christmas holiday reader, I too have noticed the lack of ribbon in the slow drying MDF baubles. Cool Yule. And phew. 


7 comments:

Robyn said...

cool yule to you and yours! thanks for another year of community building, sharing and just a lot of fun!

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

Absolutely fabulous gifts. I really like both sets, but the baubles with their flowers were one I was first drawn to.

Merriest of Christmas to you, dear friend.

Sue said...

Hi Julia, They look fab. Hope you can get them delivered Monday.

Hope you have a nice weekend. Sue

Lillianb said...

They are lovely. Hope the delivery went well, just wanted to wish you and all your family a lovely Christmas and 2020 and thanks for your weekly blog hop. Love it

Lilian b

Helen said...

I am so sorry I missed this until now - not sure why I didn't notice it in my blog reader list (or blog side bar for that matter) I am sure by now the baubles are delivered and missing ribbons applied and went down well, as they all look fabulous.

Shoshi said...

Cool Yule lol lol!! How right you are not to stress over failing to finish before the agreed date... Whenever you take them in, they are bound to wow everyone - they are beautiful! What a clever idea, making decorations out of cookie cutters. Sorry you had a wrestling match with the silicone. I love Pinflair silicone gel glue for some things and find it easier to apply it straight from the tube with the aid of a cocktail stick, rather than trying to decant it into a syringe which always ends up drying out before you can finish it anyway! Glossy Accents works pretty well as a strong adhesive, too.

Hope you are having a lovely Christmas despite these difficulties!

Shoshi

Sylvia/LittleTreasures said...

Oh darn...I had a post and it just disappeared. I was peeping beyond for posts I've missed and really like what you have made for your little gifts. I too did not make food ideas this year. Mom had several things sitting on her little table and unless someone helps her she's oblivious to any of it.
Her new roommate loved the small journal type calendar I gave here. She loves game books and dabbling with papers. She is a true delight. I gave mom a open work lace angel window hanger and she liked it. So I think your idea will be festive. Many have the glass sun catchers so I'm watching for sales on them.
Merry Merry Everything.