A white christmas?

This completely sums up my 'theme' this Christmas, both at home and with my This is Wiss products. I know the scandi look of red and white can look super cool and oh so festive but I'm yearning for more colours this year. We've got a white box of a dining room, and because we are still settling in the decor in the rest of the house isn't quite what we want it to be so I think I'm overcompensating with the Christmas Decorations, but I'm thinking big, bright and bold!

The same thing has been happening at This is Wiss HQ. I've got some great new, some festive products and they are a bit technicoloured. And why not? I love them and so do kids.

The pink fluoro material I originally made my dice from was strictly limited edition and I've nearly used it all up. I've been searching for a suitable replacement that was just as bright but that could be washed too. A few weeks ago I found what I'd been looking for. Neoprene comes in a range of eye-popping colours but is machine washable, so ideal for my squishy, baby-chewable dice. The new dice are multicoloured - pink, green, blue, orange, purple & yellow - and very silky to touch. I hope you like them!

The felt crowns that I made for The Queen's Jubilee have been flying of the shelves - in fact they are perfect for school Nativity Plays! I have widened the palette for these and the crowns are now available in grey, pink or original yellow, all with multi-coloured 'jewels' and adjustable velcro fastening.

My Moustache t-shirts have been so popular that I thought I'd give some a chWISSmas twist. These Rudolph and Santa t-shirts are available in sizes 4 months - 4 years, and are appliqued onto Organic Cotton shop-bought t-shirts.

I wanted to have a couple of Christmas products this year so thought my Felt Twisted Streamers would be perfect for festive decorations (although they could be used all year-round and are a great alternative to bunting) These are made from synthetic felt so can also be washed and re-used. These will be available in various combinations of pink, aqua, green, red and white.

The final new product I have to show you is something I've been working on for a while. There are more and more people crafting, making, sewing, knitting etc etc and there really isn't a feeling that can compare to creating something yourself. I've been keen to make a kit of one of my products so that someone can make it themselves if they'd prefer and a Rudy Reindeer seemed like the perfect place to start. I've put together a complete kit which includes everything you will need to make your very own Rudy, including the wooden spoon. (You will need a needle and thread, or maybe a sewing machine though!)

All the usual This is Wiss products are still available too. Now for the important bit - where can you get them all from?

I am very excited to be part of two fantastic local Christmas markets. The first is this Saturday in Gipsy Hill, SE19. The Palace Christmas Fair is at Christ Church and will be open from 10.30am-4.30pm. See the link for more details and a list of all the other stalls and entertainment too.

The second is next Saturday 8 December at my favourite museum, The Horniman. The Fair Christmas Fayre is London's longest running ethical market place and will have loads of unique stalls selling handmade/eco/fairtrade items so you can feel good about your Christmas purchases! There is also a Santa's Grotto and a Carol Concert so click the link for more details.

If you can't get along to either of those then you can purchase via my online shop or visit my new Etsy shop!

Enough of the sales pitch now, thank you for sticking with me through it! As you can probably tell I'm a little bit excited (and maybe a little bit exhausted too!) I'd love to hear your thoughts about my new items, and if you've got any thing new you're making for christmas then let me know about it!

See you soon, angela

chWISSmas is coming!

Countdown

I feel like I can hear the Countdown Clock ticking down the days until Christmas. I have so much to do that my 'To Do' list has turned into a day by day timetable, and I'm sticking to it rigidly!

I have got some exciting This is Wiss news that I've been eager to share for a while, but seeing as it is chWISSmas related I didn't want to announce it too early.

Rudy the Reindeer first made an appearance last chWISSmas and due to his popularity he is back! Just like the Bobby Horses, Rudy is made from wool-blend felt with vintage buttons. He is built around a wooden spoon making him the perfect size for little hands, and with added jingle bells he would make a delightful Christmas present.

But new for this year, there is more than one way you can get your very own Rudy:
1.) you could buy one from my online shop
2.) you could buy one from one of the markets I'll be at
3.) you could buy a Rudy kit to make yourself at home - available next week from etsy or online
4.) you could learn how to make a Rudy yourself in a class with me at Ray Stitch!

I am really looking forward to teaching these classes so if you're near to North London then why not book yourself in? Ray Stitch is sewing heaven, with a fab cafe thrown in too! The timetable of events contains a whole range of other projects to make that would be ideal Christmas gifts (for you or even others!)

Right, I'd better get back to my timetable!

Life on Fast Forward

Those of you who are familiar with my blog will probably know that I am always trying to fit as much as is humanly possible into whatever time I have. I've lost count of the times I've said "I have been busy", or "if only there were more hours in the day" but it is especially true at the moment.

I am struggling to find time to blog about what I've been up to as I'm too busy doing it! Now I can't be alone in this very modern dilemma, but if anyone has any tips on how to live life and document it at the same time I'd love to hear them! I'm just hoping that I'll have some breathing space in the New Year and then I can work on building a rythmn or routine that makes things a bit easier.

So I thought I'd make this post a very quick run-down of what's happened recently so that we're up-to-date and I can blog 'for real' afterwards!

Hold on tight, here we go...

My new baby! under the watchful gaze of Raoul



Hot Chip at Brixton Academy for my birthday!



Lewis's Halloween Outfit - he finally decided on being a ghost rather than a yellow wizard!



Making papier mache halloween masks



Behind the Scenes at the Horniman Museum for Halloween



Fireworks at Crystal Palace - a huge hit with Lewis!

Now we're all up to date and with birthdays, wedding anniversaries, Halloween and Fireworks night out of the way it is officially the 'build up to Christmas'. Aaaaaarghhhhh! I've got lots of exciting things planned, of which I will share in my next post, but I can't believe how quickly time is marching on. Oh, if only there were more hours in the day!!! ;)