Advent calendar 2020 - day 22. 23 & 24 of Santa's workroom

The last blog before Christmas Day, and the last one of the Advent calendar, and probably the last one of the year ;)
Like I'd said, I haven't done more of the tutorials (it's all too tiny and straining for me atm) but I put in  some final decorations in the workroom and the tree.
So this is it for this year. I had a great time with this project and I'm still amazed at what I've done in less than a month. I guess that's not something I can do again, but I hope I can continue working on this project and maybe add a toy shop next winter :)

The parcels in the lest corner are made by Kim
(Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo)

Also, I finally finished my Santa. He almost would have been a nearly-hairless Santa tomorrow ^^
I used the curly wool type hair Kim had sent me and it worked so much better than the straight viscose fibres I used for Bill! That needed a much more steady and experienced hand than mine ;)

With our crafting club we started making a Santa back in September and I didn't expect him to be finished on time when I started a second project in December.
Jolinda has finished her Scottish Santa as well, and you can see him here: click

Now it's time to put all matererials away and enjoy the holidays. My son arrived today, hadn't seen him in six month, and tomorrow we'll have diner at my parents, what more could I wish for in this very difficult year.

I wish everyone a merry Christmas and hope 2021 will be a good/better year
and most of all a healthy one.

Take care 💗

Advent calendar 2020 - day 20 & 21 of Santa's workroom

I told you I'd think about another layout. However, that will be something to tackle next Advent. I'll see then whether or not I want to make a toy room next to the work room. Maybe I'll keep this whole space for multiple elves to work in, or have a fireplace and a comfy chair for Santa on one side. I could alway make another roombox the same side and have a toyshop with the workroom on the first floor ;)
Since I don't want to make that decision yet, I won't finish the inner or outer walls.
I will make some more decorations for the tree and the room, but not much; making the smaller miniatures, combined with the working pace is taking a toll on my upper body again :')

Though I did do another challenge from the Advent calendar this weekend.. The tutorial used tiny 8 x 10 mm spools which I didn't have, so I made a cylinder shape in that size from Fimo, and then I took some inspiration from this tutorial from Catharine Black. 

It was fun trying to figure it out and I love the result, but two was more then enough ;)

I'll decorate the tree further and I'd almost forget that I still have Santa to finish so there will probably just one more blog about the Advent calendar. Hopefully before the 25th ^^

Here is the complete list:

Day 1 - getting together the roombox
Day 2 - a standing-table
Day 3 - shelf unit above the desk
Day 4 - 3 drawers unit on wheels
Day 5 - a bench stool
Day 6 - Santa's little helper
Day 7 - Santa's little helper
Day 8 - Santa's little helper (hair & beard)
Day 9 - step stool
Day 10 - desk accessories
Day 11 - desk pad & paper bin
Day 12 - Christmas tree
Day 13 - tree skirt
Day 14 - small wall unit
Day 15 - large wall unit
Day 16 - Christmas tree candles
Day 17 - knitted Christmas bauble
Day 18 - little drums
Day 19 - Christmas cookies
Day 20 - little rocking horses
Day 21 - Star anise and cloves
Day 22 - Christmas baubles & garland
Day 23 - Little paper angels
Day 24 - Crochetted Christmas star

Advent calendar 2020 - day 17, 18 & 19 of Santa's workroom & crafting together (December)

Thursday Jolinda and I both have been working on our Advent calendars. She made good progress with both wall units. I started cutting the templates of the boxes for the next couple of days but then had trouble deciding which paper to use, so I started with the knitted Christmas bauble instead :')

Later that evening I made the boxes, using the miniatue wrapping paper Jolinda had suggested. Decorated them some with the coloured straw braids Kim had sent me.

I also kept on knitting, very meticulous but fun. I've choosen 3 colours instead of 2 and I like the combination. The Christmas bauble is turning out a bit bigger than a bauble should be so it might end up being a toy :)

Yesterday I made some long, white - and very thin - candles to fill the box I have made. And then I made a couple of smaller candles to put in the Christmas tree.
I didn't have the same ornaments from Bindels that Thea used for the candle holders but I found some smaller ones from the same shop that I have previously  bought in Rijswijk. I made the handles from wire and painted them with gold acrylic.
I thought they would be difficult to make, seeing that I didn't have the same materials, but it was fun to do and I love how they turned out!

They look very pretty in the tree. The round box with the longer candles is been put on the large wall unit.

Remember the plan I've showed you based on the measurements for the workroom?
Well, even if I'd make the partition wall partly open it still feels to crammed for my taste.

I thought it was because I kind of rotated the layout, but even without the partition wall with a front view the work room feels to small.

So, I'll be thinking about another layout :)

Day 1 - getting together the roombox

Day 2 - a standing-table

Day 3 - shelf unit above the desk

Day 4 - 3 drawers unit on wheels

Day 5 - a bench stool

Day 6 - Santa's little helper

Day 7 - Santa's little helper

Day 8 - Santa's little helper (hair & beard)

Day 9 - step stool

Day 10 - desk accessories

Day 11 - desk pad & paper bin

Day 12 - Christmas tree

Day 13 - tree skirt

Day 14 - small wall unit 

Day 15 - large wall unit

Day 16 - Christmas tree candles

Day 17 - knitted Christmas bauble

Day 19 - Christmas cookies

Advent calendar 2020 - day 14, 15 & 16 of Santa's workroom

The closer to Christmas the more busy it gets :') So another 3 days in one blog.
I've made another wall unit. Same one but larger.
And ... finally finished poor Bill, the previously Nearly-Hairless little helper of Santa ;)

I've never gave a doll (facial) hair, so it was a nerve-racking adventure for both of us. Bill was so shocked and appalled by his eye brows alone, he didn't want to be photographed at all. Took me a while to take this sneek peek ^^

When I had finally finished the job, he told me it could have been worse, but he'll rather wait untill the real hairdressers are open again for his next haircut :')

The new wall unit looked so big, I even double checked the measurements.

I'm not even sure it will all fit when the partition wall is in place. I might have to reorganise things.

Though I haven't done as much this last couple of days as in the first weeks I'm still on tracks. Ticked of day 1-15 and day 19.
This afternoon when Jolinda and I will be crafting together I'm going to work on some tree decorations.

Day 1 - getting together the roombox

Day 2 - a standing-table

Day 3 - shelf unit above the desk

Day 4 - 3 drawers unit on wheels

Day 5 - a bench stool

Day 6 - Santa's little helper

Day 7 - Santa's little helper

Day 8 - Santa's little helper (hair & beard)

Day 9 - step stool

Day 10 - desk accessories

Day 11 - desk pad & paper bin

Day 12 - Christmas tree

Day 13 - tree skirt

Day 14 - small wall unit 

Day 15 - large wall unit

Day 19 - Christmas cookies

Advent calendar 2020 - day 11, 12 & 13 of Santa's workroom

Friday I made a step stool (day 9) and a small wall unit (day 14). The step stool doesn't look very high, but I used the same measurements as given by Thea's booklet.

The wall unit would normally hang on the wall left of the desk, but that will be the front of the building, so mine will be on the partition wall once it's in place :')
I printed some envelopes, and some poster, but those will probably be for the toy shop (so, next year ^^)

 

Saturday I put together a Chrismassy picture in a frame and made a stack of coloured paper to put in the wall unit and two stacks of envelopes.

And a fabric bundle, which I'd rather have on the other wall unit instead of the one above the desk.

Since I'd already made Christmas cookies, I put some in the tree and made a tray for the others. Which meant day 19 was finished as well.

Today I made a 3 drawers unit, but not on weels; I wanted mine attached to the standing table.

Finally, I've made a poster and put it on the wall (top left)

Day 16-24 will be all about making decorations for the tree.  And there's only one more piece of furniture; I find it easier to make a piece to furniture than a Christmas bauble ^^

Of course I still have to finish Nearly-Hairless-Bill (a) 

It's kind of ridiculous though, how much I've already done. Wish I would do so well on the cottage lol

Day 1 - getting together the roombox

Day 2 - a standing-table

Day 3 - shelf unit above the desk

Day 4 - 3 drawers unit on wheels

Day 5 - a bench stool

Day 6 - Santa's little helper

Day 7 - Santa's little helper

Day 8 - Santa's little helper (the hair and beard)

Day 9 - step stool

Day 10 - desk accessories

Day 11 - desk pad & paper bin

Day 12 - Christmas tree

Day 13 - tree skirt

Day 14 - small wall unit 

Day 19 - Christmas cookies

Advent calendar 2020 - day 9 & 10 of Santa's workroom

"She's making a list and checking it twice ..." :)

I've ticked two more items off the list. Even though I 

couldn't work in the right order, I'm still on track!
I won't tell you in advance what the next items 

are going to be so if you want to know you'll have 

to follow along ^^

Day 1 - getting together the roombox

Day 2 - a standing-table

Day 3 - shelf unit above the desk

Day 4 - coming soon ^^

Day 5 - a bench stool

Day 6 - Santa's little helper

Day 7 - Santa's little helper

Day 8 - Santa's little helper ('just' the hair and beard to do x'D)

Day 9 - coming soon ^^

Day 10 - desk accessories (already made the counter roll holder for wrapping paper)

Day 11 - desk pad & paper bin

Day 12 - Christmas tree

Day 13 - tree skirt

Making sure the shelf supports fit like a glove :)

Adding extra support to the bench stool
because it seemed a bit unstable.

With the extra support the bench stool fits
even better with the standing desk.

Advent calendar 2020 - day 7 & 8 of Santa's workroom

Things are a bit busy around here at the moment. Not too busy for crafting, but for taking photographs and writting blogs I need some extra time.

I find making good photos hard at best, and all the more when I can wait for the right moment (light etc). And since English obviously (:P) isn't my native language I have to think about what I write a bit more.

Anyway, I'm still doing the challenges in random order, so here's my take on (official) day 12; making a paper bin and a desk pad. The tutorial used straw braid which I didn't have. Instead I made the paper bin out of decorative Christmas paper and lace. For the desk pad I'd found some fancy ribbon and I combined that with the same lace.

I'm not sure I like the desk pad, but maybe it'll look different on a desk. It also feels like it isn't the right scale? I just don't like such desk pads, I guess. It seems impractical; how could you even write a note on that lace? 😉 

Maybe I'll try to make another one later if I've got enough time. I'm also thinking doing a frame with that reindeer ribbon on the wall would be nice.

When the Balsa wood arrived yesterday I immediatelygot my cutting mat, knife, wood glue from the cupboard ^^

The furniture for the work room in the Advent calendar has an industrial look. I was in doubt about at first, but decided to go with the flow :) I will make little changes in the design though.

I've already started on the shelf unit ^^

The little helper is not finished yet; at the moment he looks like Bill Bailey :')

Advent calendar 2020 - day 5 & 6 of Santa's workroom

Well, it's actually day 6 :) It was getting too late yesterday, but I did multiple things, so there will be two new items today ^^

I've worked on the face of Santa's little helper which I was a bit terrified of doing since I've never done that before :) I painted the place for his hair and beard white just in case you'll get to see though the hairs (a)

I 'd flipped though the booklet to see what else I could do and I decided on making the tree skirt.
That's officially day 12 of the Advent calendar but *wispers* still no Balsa wood :')
Instead of felt I choose some cotton Christmas fabric. I didn't have the double sided tape, so I figured out another way to make the skirt.
First, I adapted the pattern because I didn't want a flat skirt, so therefore my wedges are a bit smaller then the original. Then I glued them on the fabric with a tiny bit of Tacky glue.

I left a small hem around the wedges ...

... and hand sewed the sides together. Used my nails to flattend the fabric and then glued the inner and outer hems onto the paper. The side edge on the eighth one got glued to number one after it's wrapped around the tree trunk.

I like how neat the end result looks. 
Making a Christmas tree is for day 11. I had this tree already. The bits of white ('snow') have been painted green and I replaced the wooden base by a cone shaped one from Fimo.

And here's the result ;) 

Advent calendar 2020 - day 4 of Santa's workroom

Today I've made the sweater and the hat. The hands were cut from some previous made arms and glued to the little helper's arms ;)
Now he only needs a face paint, hair and beard. Just like Santa, which I've been putting off, so hopefully I can do them both this weekend :')

The sweater is actually a more
greenish teal which looks nice
with the burgundy hat (a)

Obviously Santa won't sit like
this in his workroom but I wanted
to show the difference in size ^^

Advent calendar 2020 - day 3 of Santa's workroom

While waiting for the wood to arrive, I'll start working on Santa's little helper.
There are three days in the Advent calendar working on that, so hopefully I can start with the furniture on Monday :')

Instead of Noelle - Thea's little helper with the blond braids - I want to try and make even smaller helpers. At least one for the work room, and maybe later some more for the toy shop. I don't know who to give credit for but I was inspired by this picture. 

I made the frame out of pipe cleaners, 1x 16 cm (bended double for body and legs) and 1x 8 cm (for both arms). I wrapped some small strips of old elastic bandage round the pipecleaners.
Next, I made some little boots from Fimo (black and chocolate mix).

I thought I had to make the head and hands from scratch, but I found some that I had made last year. If I cut of the neck and the arms, I'm sure they will fit LOL
The trousers were finished next and the boots got some grey accents before I geve them a coating of clear nail polish :)

Tomorrow I'll be making the sweater and the hands, and maybe the hair, beard and hat as well (a)

Advent calendar 2020 - day 2 of Santa's workroom

I had ordered the booklet with the 24 challenges/tutorials (instead of getting a daily tutorial by mail). Apparently the first couple of days we'll be working on furniture but the Balsa wood I've ordered hasn't arrived yet :')

So instead of making the standing desk I've made 2 counter roll holders for wrapping paper. 

And this weekend I've already made 30 rolls of gift wrapping paper, some presents and a guirlande. Nothing complicated, just some bits of Balsa, and/or paper and glue.
Some might end up in the workroom and others in the toyshop :)