So this is the first of my Christmas posts. Christmas time is without a doubt my favourite time of year! I love the festive smells of cinnamon Yankee Candles burning, gingerbread men baking and the smell of sweet pine needles from the tree wafting around the house. I’m one of those people who starts shopping before Halloween, books holidays off work holidays to co-inside with Christmas markets, watches ‘Elf’ in November, makes my own cards, researches recipes way in advanced and buys Christmas magazines in October – if you’re not one of those people, well your not going to enjoy today’s post!
The Prima Special Christmas Makes (issue 5) is a craft, lifestyle and baking magazine retailing at £4.99. The magazine comes with a Gingerbread Tree Decorations craft kit, gift tags and craft paper. The kit includes 4 die cut brown felt sheets, 8 adhesive felt pieces, 4 black beads, red grosgrain ribbon, polyester stuffing, 2 red spotty bows and white thread. Today I started my first gingerbread man, I think you can agree he’s very cute! The magazine also comes with templates so you can create more of these little guys with your own craft materials, perhaps a reindeer or candy cane?
There’s alot of Christmas magazines available right now including Mollie Makes Christmas (£7.99) and The Christmas Magazine. For me this magazine stood out from all the rest due to its brilliant mixture of sewing, knitting, baking and simple but beautiful craft ideas, such as their ‘All White’ beaded Christmas stockings, ‘Under the Hoop’ embroidery hoop decoration and ‘Nordic Noel’ pine cone decoration. The magazine is divided into sections; setting the scene, simple sewing, easy makes, decorative stitching, kids’ makes, easy knitting, creative crochet, shopping, baking and travel – alot packed into one issue!
Their festive cakes and bakes section is my favourite, it contains recipes for an indulgent chocolate, ginger and cherry wreath, cute mini gingerbread bird houses, quirky Christmas jumper cookies, fondant fancies, cranberry roulade and many others. At £4.99 with a craft kit included this is one of the most affordable and best quality magazines available.
Although more experienced crafters may find this issue a bit too simple but that exactly what I love; the simplicity of the ideas – the magazines provided me with lot of festive inspiration! I’ll be trying their inexpensive table decorations, over sized advent calendar, ‘Xmas Tweets’ and cheat chic baubles this year! If you haven’t even thought about Christmas yet don’t worry you still have 78 days to go!
