Have Yourself a Crafty Little Christmas This Year…
- Words by Peppermint
Saying Christmas has become an over-commercialised holiday is a bit like saying water is wet or global warming is a serious concern that requires immediate drastic action. Itβs likeβ¦ yeah, duh.
But Christmas isnβt about buying a bunch of unnecessary trinkets to be disposed of come January, itβs about peace and love and family and good vibes and stuff. To get in touch with those warm fuzzy feelings without a price tag attached, why not gather round with your loved ones and craft some Christmas cheer yourselves?
To ensure you have some good times making good memories and useful, economical, ethical or at least adorable Christmas DIYS, weβve compiled a few great ideas to get you started.
Trim the Tree
We donβt all have space in our humble abodes to cram in the traditional Christmas tree. Real trees are usually the most sustainable option but are sometimes not the easiest, and who wants to shell out for a scratchy plastic replica?
DIY queen Geneva Vanderzeil of Collective Gen has a whole series of space-saving Christmas tree alternatives including a DIY Foraged Branch TreeΒ to bring that touch of nature, an All String Lights Tree, or a DIY Tree made out of hanging shelves β an absolute stroke of genius which can be used to store presents out of the range of pesky pets and children…
Deck the HallsΒ
From basically October onwards, stores are overrun with cheaply made, poor quality, plastic Christmas decorations. Instead of contributing to that, why not make your own? Youβre never too old to give your parents something terrible made of popsicle sticks that they have to hang on their tree but if you want to go a bit more upmarket there is a whole world of gorgeous DIY decorations out there.
You can use origami to make sweet little stars out of fabric scraps, leftover gift wrap or cereal boxes and other cardboard. You could go all natural and dry out some citrus slices to make traditional, festive and fragrant garlands. And if you have a handle on terracotta clay sculpting and a little bit of imagination, the world of ornaments is your oyster.
Wrethink your Wreaths
Wreathe your house in festive cheer with some funky homemade wreaths! There are a million and one ways you can remix that simple circle into a one-of-a-kind work of art that reflects your own personal style and the supplies you have at hand.
You can make a Scandi-style wreath out of leftover fabric scraps, a leafy paper wreath out of wrapping paper β go full collage art and upcycle some old magazine or comic book pages β or head out in nature and forage up some greenery to create a beautiful Christmas wreath out of Australian native botanicals!Β Β
WANT MORE DIY CONTENT? RIGHT THIS WAY!
top imageΒ GENEVA VANDERZEIL
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Dreaming of a flowy, blousy dress with beautiful details to take you through sunny days and beyond? Same babe, same β so we designed it!…
Itβs beginning to look a lot like Christmasβ¦. Which means we are officially entering party season. Work parties, friend-dos, family get-togethers and then weβre straight…
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How much do you LOVE the Waratah Wrap Dress? A lot, it seems! πͺ©β
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This fabulous gingham linen version was modelled (and made) by the talented Mel of @Melt.Stitches π«ΆπΌβ
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If you need more of a reason, @ePrintOnline are offering Peppermint peeps a huge π 30% off ALL A0 printing π when you purchase the Special Release Waratah Wrap Dress pattern until 29 February β jump on it while you can!β
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Head to the link in bio now. πͺ©β
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#PeppermintWaratahWrapDress #PeppermintPatterns #SewingPattern #WrapDress #WrapDressPattern
Fun, fabrics, florals and fab fashion fits by local sewists β what a way to spend a day!
The @LibertyFabrics Showcase hosted by @2GreenZebras and @Regent_Street_Fabrics in Brisbane/Meanjin was a spectacular event. We learned the history of the iconic Liberty Fabrics from two legends, Mary-Ann Dunkley (Head of Design) and Anna Buruma (Archive Director), browsed stalls bursting with Liberty delights and cheered on our local sewist pals on the runway with the @StyleArc Fashion Parade. A little biased shoutout to our Sewing Manager Laura who graced the catwalk with her gorgeous make (check the bag and shoes!). Well done to all involved. ππΌ
Melbourne/Naarm β itβs your turn this weekend. We canβt wait to see what our Southern friends create for the event.
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#LibertyFabricsShowcase #RegentStreetFabrics #TwoGreenZebras #LibertyLondon #LibertyFabrics
We know what we saw.
Incredible quilted art from Pam Brisse of @Pamdorra:
βJust sharing this intense quilting job, itβs almost done!
All I can think is people are HUNGRY for protest art. And for ICE to get the hell out of our cities. We wonβt give up.β
#ProtestQuilt #StandWithMinnesota #Craftivism
Totes stylish π₯¦β
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Keep your swag safe and close to hand with this sweet tote bag DIY!β
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This cute craft project is a nicely oversized tote with exposed bound seams to add a bit of spice, and an internal pocket to keep your essential essentials in.β
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With this beauty on your arm, youβll be TOTE-ally ready for your next adventure!β
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The pattern is only $5 over on our website β link in bio!β
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#PeppermintMarketTote #PeppermintPatterns #MeMade #ShoppingTotePattern #BagPattern
Wrap dress wardrobe malfunction? Not with the Peppermint Waratah Wrap Dress pattern!β
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Our number one complaint is wrap dresses flying open in the wind, leaving you clutching a handful of skirt in your paw to avoid a public indecency offence. So we designed the Waratah to make sure this never happens. πͺοΈβ
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And yes, you could say we had a lot of fun on this shoot! πβ
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MODELS/SEWISTS: @Melt.Stitches, @KatieMakesADress @Tricky.Pocketsβ
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Head to the link in bio for the #PeppermintWaratahWrapDress πͺ‘β
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#PeppermintPatterns #SewingPattern #MeMade #WrapDress
Secret pjs all day everyday!
How sweet is this version of our Samford Set pattern - created in collab with Lindsey of @SewToGrow π
From @Claire.Creates.Clothes:
π€π£π’ Colour spot blocking pregnancy friendly set π’π£π€
I wanted some #secretpyjamas that I can wear on the couch when Iβm pregnant and after for breastfeeding, with a top that I can wear out of the house. Welcome the #PeppermintSamfordSet
I made the Samford set top in a size F, one size up from my current bust and itβs the perfect amount of room for my expanding tummy, and will hopefully not be crazy oversized after pregnancy. I used a spotted linen that used to be considered good fabric, blocked with a organic linen sheet that was gifted to me for the sole purpose of being fabric by the lovely @heather_steenholdt
The top came together super quickly and has already had lots of wear - couch, dinner and work βοΈ I even attached the buttons within a week of starting the project, who am I?!
I already had the shorts in the rust linen but never wear them because I donβt like the length or shape at all - they were a pants pattern that I just made shorter. So I cut them to have an inseam of 2.5β and added a 1.5 length ruffle cut at 3β in the contrast spot linen and love them so much more already. Although the shorts will now just be reserved for in house.
Iβve already planned 2 more Samford sets, but will size down to get more post pregnancy wear. And will tackle the pants!
Special thanks to Laura at @peppermintmagazine for sending me the Samford set instructions, you motivated me to put the buttons on before the baby actually arrives! π
Pattern: @PeppermintMagazine Samford set top
Size: F
Fabric: Linens
#PeppermintPatterns #PyjamasAllDay
