Jewellery Club | Pizza Party

That magical time of the month has come around again (how fast has this month gone?!?!) where I get to share with you the contents of this month's jewellery club. This months theme was of course Pizza Party v v v v

I seriously loved designing this month and think this collection features some of my best designs! So what goodies did this month include I hear you ask?

:O :O :O Pretty awesome huh? Let's have a closer look at some of the goodies... I'm warning you now this post is pretty pic heavy (!) :D 

So, in this collection I created: 

-Dripping Pizza Charm Necklace (RRP £13)

-Party Hat & Satin Bow Charm Earrings (RRP £7)

-Double Layered Fizzy Juice Charm Bracelet (RRP £8)

-Fries Before Guys Stud Earrings (RRP £6)

-Set of 3 weatherproof Fries sticker pack (RRP £3.75)

I adore every single item this month. I think my favourite has to be the pizza necklace and the fries earrings. They are simple and delicate but still eye catching. Which item is your favourite from this months collection?

I think we still have a few of these left over on our Etsy store here if you missed out.

So couple of updates before I go! :D

Firstly, the next box.... ekk! This will be our FINAL jewellery club box! :O :O :O This is the 20th jewellery club theme and we are finishing it up this month to focus on a brand new project launching in January. I have enjoyed working on all of the boxes however it is soooooo time consuming and we would love to focus our efforts elsewhere. The final box will be Pugs & Kisses and it will launch as normal on the 1st of December over on our website at jewelleryclub.co.uk 
We have also launched a children's Christmas eve box which is an exclusive one off. We only have a limited number so be sure you don't miss out!

Our magical, wonderful box will include:

-A5 Christmas sketchbook

-Letter from santa with badge

-'I believe' christmas bell

-Christmas colouring crayons

-Snowman soup hot chocolate

-1" badge set

-Snowman poop Candy

-Candy Cane rudolf

-Santas magic key

-Reindeer food AND it even smells of Christmas!!! :O :O :O 

Finally dates for your diary:

1st of December - Pugs & Kisses last ever Jewellery Club launches at 9am 

2nd of December - Facebook Christmas Flash Sale

9th of December - Worldwide Christmas delivery cut off

15th of December - Europe - Christmas delivery cut off

21st of December - Jewellery Club orders ship

21st of December - Christmas boxes ship if they haven't already been shipped by now

21st of December - UK - Christmas delivery cut off

24th - 27th of December - CLOSED (but orders will shipped when open)

31st of December - 1st of January - CLOSED (but orders will shipped when open)

PHEW! That was a long post! :D That's all for now. Hope your week is full of MAGIC!

Make Your Own Childrens Belt

Yesterday I dusted off my sewing machine in order to make some things for our boys that have been on the list to do for quite some time now. Top of my list was to make a belt. Here is the completed belt....

Isn't it great?! To make one of these you will need:
-1m 1" printed grosgrain ribbon (I found mine here)
-1m of 2mm thick coordinating webbing, 1" (I found mine here)
-Coordinating thread
-Belt Buckle (I found mine here)

I managed to source all of these supplies from eBay but you should also find them at your local craft store/habadashery. So let's get started!

1.  First we need to secure the ribbon to the webbing. Hold this in place and sew using a topstitch close to the edge.

2.  See down both sides of the ribbon to secure.

3. Next we need to attach the belt buckle to the webbing...

4. Follow the instructions on your manufacturers packaging to attach the belt. Mine didn't come with any instructions so this is how I done mine... Insert the webbing through the little space near the teeth. I folded mine over so it would give the buckle something sturdy to sink the teeth into!

5. Next I covered up the buckle with a piece of felt and hammered the teeth down to secure. Test it by pulling it! It shouldn't come loose at all!

6. Lastly you need to finish off the other end of the webbing. To do this I used a little fray check along the edge. But also sewed a little box with a cross in it just in case!

And we are finished! Whoooo hoooo!

I'm planing to make loads more of these for my little ones! If you make one using my instructions be sure to tag @ or # houseofwonderland as i would love to see how it turned out!

Have a magical week!

Quick Make! Crochet Heart Tree Decorations

I know it has been aggggggggggges since we released a new crochet pattern.  This was pretty much down to our recent relocation as well as illness but we have been working on something special! All will be revealed soon! ...but in the meantime here is a quick festive make for your tree or to gift to family and friends...

So here is what we are going to be making....

Aren't they just adorable? So to make your very own you will need:

-A 4mm crochet hook
-Scraps of Red and Cream DK weight yarn
-Needle
-Scissors

Terms:
MC - Magic Circle
CH - Chain
SC - Single Crochet
HDC - Half Double Crochet
DC - Double Crochet
TR - Treble Crochet
SL ST - Slip sitich

*note- I didn't use and stuffing in my hearts.  I left long tails and used them to pad my hearts.  But of course do whatever is best for you :)

1.  Make a MC and CH2.  Into the circle work 3TR, 4DC, 1TR, 4DC, 3TR, CH2 and SL ST.  Pull tightly to close the ring.
2.  CH1. Make a SC in your first TR from the previous row. 3HDC into the next st, 2HDC in the next st, 4SC, 2HDC in the next st, 4SC, 2HDC into the next st, 3HDC in to the next st and finally 1SC in the last st.  SL ST to the base to join.  Fasten off leaving a long tail.
3.  You will need to make 2 hearts to make this decoration.  Once you have two use the contrasting yarn to embroider snowflakes, stars and long stitches.  Fasten off leaving long tails.
4.  Hold two hearts together (with right sides facing out) and with one of the long tails sew the hearts together though the back loops using a whip stitch.  Stuff will polyfil or push in all of your long ends to pad.  
5.  Make the loop with one of your long tails knotting inside the heart and fastening off to secure. Taaa dahhhh we are all done! Time to go hang up these bad boys...

I hope you enjoy making up these heart Christmas tree decorations! Please feel free to share your heart decorations on any of our social media pages :) Wouldn't these look amazzzzzzzzzzing in rainbow colours???

Alice In Wonderland subscription boxes

So as you may have heard our latest HOW Jewellery club box has been released! EEEK! This month's theme is Alice In Wonderland!! This has been such an exciting theme to work on so I wanted to give you a little more info on the designs and box itself! :)

Researching this theme couldn't have been anymore fun! We spent weeks watching alice movies and reading infamous books and quotes.  Here is just a brief snapshot of what has inspired this months jewellery club box....

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Alice In Wonderland (1951) film, Alice In Wonderland (2010) film,  

Alice TV series, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland Lewis Carroll, Alice In Wonderland (1972) film, 

Alice au pays des merveilles (1943) film, Through the looking glass Lewis Carroll, Quote from Lewis Carroll, 

In this month's box you can expect to find our very own spin on this awesome book/film as well as a little nod to the classics! Each box is approximately A4 large letter in size and comes filled with at least 7 little one off goodies including an item from our guest designer this month Bookishly worth a total of at least £45! Order your very own Alice box today for just £19! That's about £2.71 an item! Bargain!!

We hope you choose to sign up to this month's HOW jewellery club box and that you enjoy it as much as we have enjoyed making it for you :)

Sign up here ^ ^ ^  

Tess

It's nearly Christmas!!!

It's been completely manic over the past month or so.  I can't wait to have a little rest and get on with some drawing and crocheting/knitting again! And it's already begun! You may have spotted my little baby booties about and a few of you have asked for the pattern for them which I will share below... So here are the little baby booties in question... 

Aren't they just adorable?  They are made for ages 0-3 months and are knitted in Sirdar Simply Recycled Aran yarn which is made up of 51% recycled cotton.  Fancy making your own? I found the pattern for these on Ravelry right here.  It took just one evening to do to! So is great if you need a 'quick fix'!

So before I head off and get on with my endless list of things to do I thought I'd remind you that over the festive holiday's we will be operating a limited service.  See the picture below for opening times :)  

^ ^ ^ It's during these times we will be here at HOW HQ cracking on with your orders, answering messages and making up pieces.  So don't fear if you don't get a reply instantly to your messages this is why ;) 

From everyone at HOW HQ we wish you a truly magical and glitter filled Christmas and a happy healthy new year.  Thank you so much for sticking with us!

Tess x

This year im sporting the 'Christmas Geek' look....

After discovering a truly wonderful shop by the name of Laquerdaisical I knew I had to have some! And after spending way, way, way too long browsing all of the awesome nail polishes available I finally settled on....
Top left: Frosted Fancy, Top right: Candy Caned
Bottom Left: Tannenboom, Bottom right: Holoday Pud
I was so excited when they arrived and even more so to discover they are a pretty damn good size! This lady doesn't scrimp! So I decided to use all of these festive varnishes along with a few I had at home and some HOW geek heart nail decals. So here is the result....
So I also used a couple of bits I should mention.  Under the Holoday Pud I used a Nails Inc in Victoria as a base.  On the Candy Caned I used Révérence de Bastien in No8.  I applied 2 coats of all of my Laquerdaisical varnishes and then applied 3 HOW geek hearts the my nails.  I secured all of this with a top coat of Maxfactor Glossfinity.

I am very impressed with how easy it was to all apply and love my glittery Christmasy geek nails! I urge you to check out the full range of Laquerdaisical polishes and of course our HOW Rockin Claws.

Tess

Santa Paws is coming to town....

With Christmas just around the corner Santa Paws has begun the EPIC search of perrrrrrfect gifts for one's feline companion.  Whist hunting around for the best gift it has come to my attention that gifts for cat's are hard to find! There seems to be so much aimed at dog lovers and not enough for our fluffy friends... So with that in mind I begun the great hunt for the most superb gift for a certain little playmate!

As an independent shop my first stop was other British designers.  Here are a few I discovered along the way...

Top left: Custom made cat dish from here

Top right: Candy Cane collar from here

Bottom left: Pack of 2 catnip mice from here

Bottom right: Hello Kitty cat bowl from here

And after discovering petplanet.co.uk I may have gotten a little tiny ikkle bit carried away and went on a spree! So I did manage to find some gifts for Dinah (I say some.... hummm... a few....) Well our little fluffball has been well and truly spoilt! BUT! I did find some other mention-worthy goodies that I have to share with you!.... Feathers & Tails... now they make the most ADORABLE little bows, collars and harnesses for cats and dogs! Be sure to check out their sale price for half price offers ;) Zukie Style is also a great stop for pet bandannas, collars and leads.  The Natural Pet toy company has the sweetest little gifts for your loveable friend.With a page dedicated to Christmas bits as well as stocking items for Cats, Dogs and even Rabbits! AND finally Norsvana have fantastic handmade pet toys made in the UK.  Go check them out!

So that concludes my great search.  I hope that helps.  If you know of an awesome pet gift give us a comment below!

Tess

Christmas in other Countries

Christmas in other Countries

Now that the month of December is fastly approaching, HOW takes a look at how Christmas is celebrated around the world.

Sweden = In Sweden, one of the biggest celebrations is St Lucia’s Day (or St Lucy’s Day) on December 13^th, which comes from stories told by monks who brought Christianity to Sweden. St Lucia was a martyred Christian girl killed for her faith in 304 AD. Legend has it that she would bring food to persecuted Christians living in Rome, hiding in the catacombs underneath the city. The event was preceded by a Pagan festival of lights and is now celebrated by a girl in a white dress (with a red sash around her waist and a crown of candles on her head.

Spain = The most important aspect of a Spanish Christmas is Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve, which is preceded by the main Christmas meal. A traditional Spanish Christmas dinner consists of turkey stuffed with truffles. After the midnight service, a procession takes place through the streets involving people carrying torches and playing various instruments.

Russia = Christmas in Russia is now celebrated on the 7^th of January, as the date is different because the Russian Orthodox Church uses the old calendar for religious celebrations. Russians also celebrated Advent, which runs from the 28^th November to the 6^th of January.

Poland = In Poland, Christmas starts with Advent. Excess is prohibited during this time, and people often give up their favourite food and drinks and parties are also scarce during this time. Christmas Eve in Poland is traditionally a day of fasting, although a special meal is eaten after the first star appears in the sky. Meat cannot be eaten on this day and the meal usually consists of beetroot soup, pasta and fish.

The Netherlands = Dutch children traditionally receive presents on the 5^th of December and major celebrations are also held on this day. St Nicholas’ Day takes place on the 6^th and involves St Nicholas travelling around the country – sometimes he even travels to the Palace in Amsterdam!

Mexico = Christmas is celebrated from the 12^th of December to the 6^th of January in Mexico. During this time many “Posadas” (processions) are held, celebrating the part of the Christmas story where Mary and Joseph are looking for room in an inn. This involves several children calling at the homes of neighbours and friends, they then sing a song and are told there is no room and that they must leave. Eventually they come to a house where they are told there is room and they go in to say a prayer of thanks and they then have a party with food, games and fireworks.

France = In France, Nativity scenes are widely used to decorate houses. They also burn Yule Logs (usually made of Cherry Wood), which are sprinkled with red wine to make them smell nice when burning. They are kept burning during the night with food and drinks left out in case Mary and the baby Jesus visit during the night. In French tradition, Santa is dressed in black. Rather than the traditional Christmas pudding served in the UK, the French tend to eat chocolate yule log cake.

China = China is a mostly secular country with only a small minority of Christians. When Christmas is celebrated it is usually in the major cities and in a similar fashion to Western society, with Christmas trees, lights and Santa’s grottos on display. Giving apples on Christmas Eve is becoming a popular tradition (this is because Christmas Eve in Chinese is known as “Ping An Ye” – meaning silent night – and the Chinese word for apple is “Ping Guo” so they sound similar).

Source: www.whychristmas.com/cultures

My top 5 HOW products for spreading Christmas cheer

With Christmas fast approaching we are working hard to spread Christmas cheer over the lead up to the big day.  Over the past week or so we have slowly been introducing some of our Christmas goodies. So here is my top 5 ideal for spreading that festive feeling...

5.  SET OF 8 POLAR BEAR CHRISTMAS CARDS (£7)

Spread the festive cheer with our pack of 8 Christmas bear cards.  These cards each come with a rustic craft envelope and are printed in the United Kingdom.  The cards are printed on 300gsm cardstock and come bundled in string.  Get yours here.

4.  MAKE YOUR OWN CHRISTMAS BEAR GIFT TAGS (£4.50)

Great for getting the kids involved this Christmas! Get your little Elf helpers to help you cut and decorate our gorgeous bear cards.  Each pack contains 25 tags which could also be used as Christmas tree decorations!

Find them here.


3.  SANTA TREATS MAT (£13.00)

Our special santa snacks mat is perfect for all ages this Christmas eve.  Made from a sturdy hardwood it truly is magical! With a special space for everything and a little checklist, this mat will last year after year.  It is completely washable and is made to order.  Order yours now.

2.  THIS STOCKING WAS FILLED BY ... BADGE (£2.50)

These are the perfect way to finish off the magic of your stocking and gifts this year.  Once the stockings are filled pin one of our Elf badges to it.  They are pretty much the equivalent of an Elf business card! These are sent at random by our magical unicorns.  Grab yours here.

1.  PERSONALIZED CHRISTMAS CHILDREN'S LETTER FROM SANTA CLAUS (£4)

And here is my top goodie for spreading Christmas cheer.  And what could be more magical than a personalized letter from the big man himself?  Each A4 letter can be either folded and placed in an envelope or rolled and tied up with string.  Quick, go get yours now.

Have a truly magical weekend

Tess

That Festive Feeling

At House of Wonderland we are excited for the festive season, the one time of year where a girl can make herself sparkle like the fairy on top of the Christmas tree. Low key fashion is for once shunned in favour of full of glamour.

Here House of Wonderland put together our ideal Christmas party outfit, chosen for the girl who wants to shine!

The Little black dress is the centre of any outfit, allowing your accessories, makeup and natural beauty to shine. HoW loves this Cosmic Sparkle Maxi Dress from French Connection, in sequin which are perfect for reflecting those glittering Christmas lights.

The plunging neckline makes this a great dress for wearing with a statement necklace, such as this striking Amethyst Gemstone Necklace from HoW. The darkness of the dress will bring to life the vibrant colour of the necklace, making a bold statement, suitable for a girl who’s ready to stop an entire room as they turn to look at her. In this dress you will look like a siren from a Hitchcock film, and you could even wear HoW’s earrings, with a Silhouette of the famous director, a subtle nod to the old school glamour to which you are paying homage.

Team with a Smokey eye, as seen in this tutorial by celebrity makeup artist Lisa Eldridge,  and high heels  (HoW loves these Polka Dot ones also from French Connection) but remember to bring a pair of flat shoes in your bag, because life isn’t fun unless you can dance.

Talking of flat shoes HoW loves these Ruby Slip ons from Pretty Ballerina, as they remind us of the Wizard of Oz, a pair of shoes you can click together to take you home for Christmas. Continuing with the fairy tale theme, these would be beautiful worn with House of Wonderland’s  Black Silhouette Peter Pan and Wendy Earrings.

 The Romantics among you could float through a starlit city in this pale blue dress from Monsoon, teamed with these Love Tattoo Swallow Stud Earrings from HoW, bearing the word Love.