It’s been a week of sparkles and festive cheer around here. The annual Victorian Christmas Fair has come to town, and left again. Snowpeople have been crocheted, a few pine trees have been decorated, though only crocheted ones so far – it’s still a bit early for the real thing – and holiday plans are coming together nicely.

My first Christmas tree of the season gets a makeover with a pack of shiny new pins… I knitted this one a few years ago from Amanda Berry’s lovely, free pattern which you can find here.

Inspired, or more accurately, panicked, by the fact it’s almost December, I’ve crocheted up a new design to further help me get into the festive zone. We narrowly missed out on a flurry of snow last week when the temperatures suddenly nosedived so, not to be foiled by the weather, I made a couple of snow people anyway.

They’re called Mr & Mrs Snow – for obvious reasons. Not the most original name I’ve ever come up with but it sums them up pretty well.

Mr and Mrs Snow love to do a bit of Christmas shopping whenever they get the chance so I crocheted them up a couple of Christmas tree shaped drawstring bags for stashing all their shopping in.

Then I got to add an extra touch of seasonal sparkliness, spending a pleasant hour decorating my second and third Christmas trees of the season. I love an excuse to get the sequins out and have a jolly good root through, finding just the right colour and size and getting lost in the iridescent awesomeness.

How scrummy!

Now the bags look a million dollars all decked out in their best jewels.

I think Mr and Mrs Snow are pleased with them.

I’ll definitely be making a few of these for giving small gifts in this year. (Mr and Mrs Snow’s pattern comes complete with instructions to make these little gift bags too, in case you should feel inspired to do the same).

A quick tidy up and all the unused sequins are more or less harmoniously restored to their rightful boxes.

To add to the magic, Mr and Mrs Snow have been made from glittery yarn.

I find it somewhat difficult to resist anything shiny so I’m slowly amassing a shimmering collection of these pretty yarns.

They’re going to be perfect for all sorts of Christmas projects.

When I do get around to decking the halls my new snow people are going to have pride of place over the fireplace. Or maybe on the kitchen dresser… hmmm, decisions, decisions…but that’s leaping ahead a little yet. I’ve only just taken down the last of the Halloween stuff, and it is still only November (for a few more hours anyway!)

I’ll also have to decide where to put this fella…

…and I need to finish off this supersized aran weight version…

It will be time to dig out the tinsel and get me a real tree soon enough. But I have a few more Wintery patterns up my sleeve that I want to concentrate on first. Back to the crochet hook and twinkly yarn then, and if the weather delivers it’s usual dose of rain and grey skies I’ll still be making a bright and shiny Christmas of my own.

I have enough glitz in my craft stash to last me a lifetime so it will be a Winter Wonderland indoors regardless of what’s going on outside.

I hope your December has a good share of sparkly fabulousness too!