Christmas shopping, with stags and owls!

Christmas shopping has begun in our household and rather than completely rely on online purchases this year I decided to venture into a few bricks and mortar shops to look, pick up, touch and feel what they had on offer.  It made for a lovely afternoon of wandering leisurely around the stores, thinking, browsing and purchasing too.  I am always stunned at how cheap Christmas tree decorations are to buy.  I came across a set of 3 beautiful toadstools to clip onto the tree, made from glass not plastic, for only £3.00, and many other really beautiful unusual decorations for similar prices. It made me realise why my own Christmas decorations haven't been selling too well the last couple of years.  Why would anyone purchase more expensive tree decorations from online shops and craft fairs when the big shops are selling them at such silly prices?

Anyway, my wanderings lead me into Hobbycraft for a good old nosey among the hand crafting sections and couldn't resist a few lengths of gorgeous ribbons!  I knew this red tartan would look superb alongside a stag charm.  In fact the new keyring sold within hours, confirming to me that stags do seem to be all the rage this season.


Owls continue to be in fashion too it seems.  My Mum has always been a big owl fan - I remember she had a china owl hanging on the wall which held a ball of string and wore a pair of specs that were the scissors.  I've come across some lovely owl items on Folksy and Etsy - just love all the bright colours people use to make them.  Here's my own little old, watching for lunch from the garden fence I think!


Would love to hear if you are making or buying good featuring stags and owls.  It came up in a forum post recently and there seemed to be mixed views!!

Elaine x