Empress Wu Designs with Wilma

Advent Blog Day 25  - MERRY CHRISTMAS  Here is my own contribution to the unusual Christmas trees. My tree this year is a wire tree with all 193 stick dolls I made for the "Stitched Up" exhibition, celebrating the lives of 193 girls, inmates of the  Newcastle Industrial School 1867-1871 (a NSW government welfare institution).  The safety pins as hangers  are deliberate  as the girls had to work at "stitching" while they were at the school, so at Christmas they have some time off - no sewing, safety pins will do.  Thank you for following this Advent Blog these last 25 days.... 

Branch with Christmas ornaments  Advent Blog Day 24 - Last Minute.  I have a friend who always says " If it weren't for the last minute, nothing would get done!"  Today's post is for the 'last minuters' and  the busy -  some great ideas with spectacular results, all using materials you can find easily around the home  and assemble quickly with minimum equipment....   Go for a quick walk and find some branches or collect some bits of wood from your garden or shed.... just a single branch with a few shop bought decorations  or some acrylic paint can create some magical effects.  Branch with lights  Bits of wood decorated with paint  Wood, string and a few ornaments   Most people I know have balls of wool, yarn or string in a stash at home , just stack them up and there's a Christmas tree like no other in your neighbourhood.  In fact, you only need one ball of string or yarn to make a small table top tree.  Woollen yarn - ready f

Mannequin   and Mercedes Benz logo Christmas trees  Advent Blog Day 23 - Mannequins and Motors ... or... What does a Mannequin have in common with a Mercedes Benz?   I have been in such a dilemma as I have so few days left and so many Christmas trees I want to feature.  So, in the spirit of balance today, I've combined a couple of categories into the theme of Mannequins and Motors -   winsome wonders and winning wheels ....  Mannequin and motor oil   Christmas trees  Hubcaps and Mannequin Christmas trees  Not satisfied with auto parts? Decorate with the whole car....  Mannequin and Mini Cooper cars Christmas trees  And tyres seem to be a popular choice and somehow they go beautifully with these 'green' mannequin trees...  Tyres and red ribbons  Tyres and baubles on mannequin Christmas trees  Red bird  wire form and sparkly tyres  Christmas trees Who would have thought trees could be created from road signs and

Red and Green Ribbon Christmas tree   Advent Blog Day 22 - Ribbons and Lace Yesterday it was the bizarre, today's nothing but pretty! Today's Christmas tree ideas are for all my sewing friends and family who I know have lots of bits of  ribbons and lace in their stashes.  All these ideas are easy to assemble, so there's still time to create one before next Tuesday. Many of the links in the photo captions are "how to" files.  Black and White Christmas Tree These folded ribbon trees make beautiful table trees and are so simple to make. Ribbon Christmas Tree in progress  Other very easy to make ribbon trees are wrapped around a cone shape. Lights and beaded embellishments add some sparkle to the simplicity of design. Wrapped with ribbon and lights  Horizontal wraps  Small Christmas tree ornaments are a great way to use very short lengths of ribbon. Hanging Ribbon Trees  Scrap Ribbon Tree   More romantic Christmas