Archive for the ‘Wedding Gift Ideas’ Category
Nov
08
Posted by dodo
`There was a point this Christmas,’ said a girlfriend, ‘as I was struggling to get the turkey out of the oven, and my husband was sweating away over the roast potatoes, when I asked myself for the hundredth time whether it was all worth it. The eager little faces all round the table — knife and fork at the ready in each tight little fist — were not those of the children but of the collection of geriatric grandparents, great aunts and uncles we seem to feed each year.’ Read the rest of this entry »
Nov
02
Posted by dodo
Men, who probably long to be given Samantha Fox in a grass skirt and a lawn mower, tend to get black silk pyjamas as the ultimate in sophistication. Invariably they also get something to do with drink: bottle-openers, glasses, wine-coolers. Noel would prefer a wife-cooler over Christmas. A friend says that one of her uncles got fourteen bottles of various kinds of booze one year, and nothing else. He was terribly upset because, he said, anyone would think he was an alcoholic — which in fact he was. Read the rest of this entry »
Sep
21
Posted by dodo
The men and women sailed narrow boats along the waterways of England created a unique style of painted enamelware, said to be the oldest folk-art in the country. Today only a handful of narrow-boat painters are still at work, yet a novice can apply a simplified version of the classic narrow-boat designs to dull household items, and transform them with the colours and vitality of the original ware. Canal traditions are also popular in France as well as Holland where distinctive styles of decoration have evolved over the centuries. Read the rest of this entry »
Sep
14
Posted by dodo
Quilt-making has nearly as many traditions and patterns as there are stitches in a quilt.
There are examples of quilt-work, from cot-size to grand wedding quilts, dating back through centuries and from such diverse countries as the USA, France, Britain, India and Japan.
Currently popular and collectable are the quilts of the American Amish, a conservative religious sect which shuns adornment and does not use floral or patterned fabrics in sewing. Designs on Amish quilts are made up from the shapes of the fabric pieces and the order in which they are assembled. The quality of the handiwork is especially important, as the stitches stand out clearly on the plain fabric. Read the rest of this entry »
Aug
31
Posted by dodo
Makes 30 buns
Fruit Mixture
(Prepare a day in advance)
140ml(1/4pt) water
40g (1′/20z) mixed peel
15g (1/20z) cinnamon
15g (1/2oz) mixed spice
15g (1/2oz) ground ginger
50g (2oz) soft brown sugar
85g (3oz) currants
85g (3oz) sultanas Read the rest of this entry »
Aug
30
Posted by dodo
The decoration of Easter eggs has evolved over the years to a point now when very few are done by hand. Most eggs are bought ready-formed and filled with commercially produced sweets. Originally Easter eggs were symbolic and decorative rather than edible, and were made of polished marble, wood or real birds‘ eggs. Read the rest of this entry »
Aug
23
Posted by dodo
The custom of a bridewearing ‘something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue and a sixpence in your shoe’ is a chance for friends and family to give the bride an appropriate gift.
The garter is another traditional item, worn by the bride on the day of the wedding. Another custom is for the newly wed bride, on leaving the reception, to throw her posy of flowers to her unmarried girlfriends and her garter to the bachelors, those who catch the flowers and garter are said to be the next couple to announce their marriage. Read the rest of this entry »
Aug
21
Posted by dodo
Padded Coathanger
MATERIALS
Wooden coathanger
Strips of thin foam sheeting
Narrow ribbon to cover the hook of the
hanger
A length of satin or other luxury fabric
for hanger covering, approximately
15cm (6in) wide and three times the
length of the hanger
Trimmings of lace and satin bows Read the rest of this entry »
Aug
21
Posted by dodo
Materials
A small open-top wicker or raffia basket
A small pot of emulsion paint in the
colour of your choice
Fabric to line inside of the basket
Fabric to create the upper covering (plus
an equal amount of material for the
lining— approximately one and three
quarter times the circumference of the
basket)
A double length of cord or ribbon to
gather closed the basket top
A narrow strip of fabric, same length as
top covering and wide enough to take
double thickness of cord
Paint the outside of the basket in a colour of your choice and allow to dry. Read the rest of this entry »
Aug
21
Posted by dodo
Needlework samplers make gifts that may be treasured for years to come. Dates, names or initials personalize a sampler and add historical interest.
Samplers have a long and important history as chronicles of the social and domestic times in which they were made, and as records of family names and dates. They were so named because they were sewn by young girls who made up patterns from samples of different types of stitches they had learned. Popular sampler decorations included the maker’s name, the date on which the sampler was Completed, a religious or moral motto and a patterned border. Read the rest of this entry »
