It is only a couple of days until the start of December, oh my hasn’t the year gone by quickly!

It means people can officially get into the festive spirit and start getting decorations, presents and food for the holiday period.

A tradition which takes place every year, especially to get the kids excited, is advent calendars.

You can buy these calendars from many retail stores, with a variety of popular themes to choose from; Disney, cartoon, chocolate brands etc.

It involves a calendar made of cardboard full of chocolates hidden behind windows and pouches, with every date of the month on, up until 25th December.

But where did the seasonal practice originate from?

HISTORY

The German tradition can be traced back to the 19th century and was a way of counting the days between the start of Advent and Christmas Day. The Protestant Christians would keep track of the days by making marks on their doors with a piece of chalk, which would then be rubbed off one by one as Christmas approached. Other practices were burning a candle or putting up a small religious picture to mark each day.

Why not make your own calendar this year? It is a great way to get the family to spend time together having fun and it’s a fantastic past-time to amuse the children on these cold winter nights.

Here at Ulster Weavers we have found some great ideas for all your family, so grab your apron, get making and countdown to Christmas!

ENVELOPE ADVENT CALENDAR

Why not create 25 envelopes and hang them from the tree or above the fireplace on some string, rather than making a calendar? It is really easy to do and allows the kids to design them however they want. Get imaginative with colours, stickers, glitter, fabric and ribbons; really make them festive!

Instructions

PRINTABLE CALENDARS

Why not find a design on the Internet, print it out on to paper and colour it in! You can get designs to suit all ages such as Rudolph the Reindeer, Christmas trees, a Wreath, Santa Claus or general Christmas themes. And it takes no time to assemble them together with some glue for the kids. You can even find recycled tin calendars to create an earth-friendly advent calendar.

Instructions

ADVENT CANDY TREE AND POEM

Instead of creating a paper calendar version, try making this candy tree that you can include a poem inside. This might be best suited to children over five years old, as scissors and painting is required. Please remember to use glue that is child proof and to supervise the young ones when using scissors. Plastic scissors can be bought for children to ensure safety.

Instructions

A great way to keep the kids entertained this winter season and get them all fired up and excited for Christmas Day is to bake seasonal recipes with them.

There are so many dishes to choose from; Christmas stocking cookies, Gingerbread crackers, sparkly Christmas cupcakes and Heart Cookie decorations and much more.

Have fun and let the festive season inspire you to bake tasty treats for your family and friends; although they might end up looking too good to eat!

Get really imaginative with glitter, icing, gems, chocolate, sprinkles and edible glue and make scrumptious Christmas Village cookies, Christmas Holly, Snowman Cupcakes or a Cookie Mix Jar; the possibilities are endless.

Ulster Weavers have found these amazing easy recipes for you and the family to have fun making, so grab your pvc apron and the children’s aprons and get baking these delicious delights!

Christmas Star Cookies

These cookies are super easy to make, with only a beginner skill level required and they only take one hour to make. You could hang them off the Christmas tree or give a batch to the grandparents as a nice surprise.

Recipe

Snowman Cupcakes

This recipe is fantastic to really let the kids have fun and run away designing with food colouring pens and icing tubes. Although it looks fairly complicated in the picture, it is perfect for baking beginners and only takes one hour.

Recipe

Heart Cookie Decoration

Ideal to hang in the kitchen as a Christmas decoration, this recipe can be adapted to make any shape you desire; a Christmas tree, angel or present.

Recipe

It’s almost a month to Christmas!  

You can tell winter has most definitely arrived, with the icy roads and snow on the roof tops.  

It is perfect weather conditions for the kids to go sledge tobogganing, make snowmen and have snow ball fights.  

But it can be extremely cold, even with your hat, scarf and gloves on; so to ensure you don’t get ill it might be best to stay wrapped up warm inside.  

As most parents will probably know, it can be difficult keeping the youngsters entertained indoors. There is more to it than shoving them in front of the television or computer games to keep them quiet, it is about making sure them are as stimulated mentally as they would be playing games outside.  

Doing homemade projects like arts and crafts is a fantastic way to get the whole family together, to have fun and enjoy each other’s company; as well as keeping the little ones busy and on a low budget.  

As it is almost Christmas, why not spend time making Christmas cards for family members and friends? Sometimes receiving a personal card can really brighten up someone’s day, as that extra effort has been put in. What better way to say Merry Christmas than with a handmade Christmas card?  

You can use glitter and cotton wool for snow and coloured pens to draw reindeer, Santa Claus or robins; really go to town with drawing whatever you want. Cutting out bits and bobs and using glue to stick them down is also a great idea, be as imaginative as possible!  

Arts and crafts are great family fun but they can be dangerous. Please note that some glues are not healthy to be inhaled and may be highly inflammable; and when using scissors children should be supervised. Plastic safety scissors are perfectly acceptable for younger children.  

Ulster weavers have found some really fun card ideas for you to replicate, so get your aprons on and get creative!  

Winter Animals 

A cute little robin is really easy for the children to copy. Trace the outlined image and then colour in your own individual design; why not stick some ribbon on for its scarf and hat? 

  Messaged Cards 

Ok so this is a little bit much to ask your kids to design but it is a great way to show how you can design however you like, sticking gems and stickers on to make it unique. 

You could draw little mistle toes in the corner instead if you like. 

Winter Themes 

Winter themes are so varied there are so many ideas to flow with. A Christmas tree, a star, an angel or a navity play….explore your creativity.

Terry Wogan and Pudsey the Bear

BBC’s Children in Need appeal’s night took place on Friday 19th December and it raised an incredible £18,098,199 million!      

The registered annual charity, although operating all-year round, takes place around this time of the year.  

The aim is to help raise crucial pennies to help improve the lives of disadvantaged children and young people across the UK.        

Although it didn’t raise quite as much as last year’s 2009 appeal, which was  the 30th Appeal and raised a record breaking £39 million, it is still an outstanding figure which will have a massive impact helping the lives of those aged 18 and under.      

It is world-wide known for its’ infamous brown cuddly mascot and logo, Pudsey, a yellow bear with a red bandage.      

ABOUT CHILDREN IN NEED      

The mission is to make a positive change to the lives of deprived children and young people right here in the UK. Their vision is a society where each and every child and young person is supported through school projects to realise their potential.      

They provide this support in the form of grants to organisations working with children who may have experienced mental, physical or sensory disabilities; behavioural or psychological disorders; are living in poverty or situations of deprivation; or suffering through distress, abuse or neglect.      

The BBC’s first broadcast appeal for children was a five-minute radio programme on Christmas Day in 1927, in which it raised £1,143 and the proceeds were shared with four prominent children’s charities.      

The first televised appeal was the 1955 ‘Children’s Hour Christmas Appeal’, presented by Sooty and Harry Corbett.      

The Christmas Day Appeals continued on TV and radio right up until 1979, raising a total of £625,836. It wasn’t until 1978 when Terry Wogan made his debut as its’ main presenter.      

HOW TO DONATE      

It is not too late give a small contribution to the charity!      

There are various methods of donating; including going online to the dedicated Donate page or calling 0345 7 33 22 33; or you can send a cheque through the post.   

You can find the address and all other details at the official Children in Need homepage here. 

Check out these Ulster Weavers shaped tea cosies…

FLOWER POT SHAPED CAFETIERE COSY

OWL SHAPED TEA COSY

So it’s 36 days to Christmas!                    

This year has flown by, so start getting your thinking heads on about present ideas and Christmas plans, if you haven’t done so already.                    

It is traditional and lucky to put your decorations up 12 days before Christmas Day and to pull them down 12 days after.                    

Most people get so caught up with putting up the tree, lights in the windows and wrapping tinsel around the stair banisters that they forget to decorate the kitchen.                    

Why shouldn’t the green and red touches and Christmas feel be spread all over the house, including the main room in which you may possibly be eating your Christmas Day grub in?                    

Ulster Weavers have put together some Christmas ideas of how to spruce your kitchen up this holiday with that ‘ho, ho, ho’ spirit.                    

DECORATIONS                    

Similar to the picture above, you can use the cabinets to add some greenery and garland. Add some big red bows, ribbons and beads to hang down from the cabinets but make sure you are still able to open the cupboards for your food.                    

You don’t have to spend loads of money to creative the festive cheer; why not add a centre-piece in the middle of the dining table or some candles on the window ledge; or hang some mistletoe from your kitchen lights?                     

A really fun way to get the children involved is to frost the windows with that ‘snow in a can’ you can buy from various stores. The kids will love drawing snowmen on the windows with snowflakes and more, and it’s easy enough to be washed off afterwards.                    

Complete the look with a Christmas themed table set of placemat, cutlery, table cloth, and glasses. It will really ‘Christmasify’ your kitchen and make it that little bit more special when your tucking into your Christmas turkey.                    

Really go to town with Pot Mitts, Gauntlets and linen tea towels, it only happens once a year!                    

Here are some fantastic Ulster Weaver products that would really bring your home to life this holiday time.                    

Furry Christmas Cotton Drill Apron

Get into the festive spirit when cooking the Christmas dinner by wearing this Christmas Apron.                    

Christmas Pudding Tea Cosy

This tea cosy would look fantastic on your kitchen work top, perhaps good enough to eat!             

RHS Poinsettia Double Oven Glove

Pair your apron with some oven gloves; you don’t want to be burning your hands on that Christmas stuffing!       

As we get closer to the end of 2010 more and more colour trends information is being released. That being colour palettes, fun fabrics and fashion textiles for your home for the New Year.       

So it is no surprise that Crown has released their colour trends for 2011 and key themes and styles that are popping out are vibrant and earthy; and loud but serene.       

In a previous blog post we chatted about how important it is to colour co-ordinate your home, to ensure all appliances and furniture match to create that homely feel and give it some personality.       

Ulster Weavers have put together the colour styles from Crown’s intelligence, so you can think of some ideas to decorate your home in 2011 if you are wanting that new start and fresh slate.       

Or instead of re-decorating, why not match your home textiles to one of the new schemes so you can stay up-to-date and on trend.       

1950s       

Image Credit: Crown

2011 sees a flashback in time over a decade ago and a return of the 1950s, which can only mean retro with bright turquoise and soft grey colours.       

Amethyst       

Image Credit: Crown

The colour trend amethyst is set to carry on from Autumn/Winter but with softer more earthy tones of amethyst, biloba and lavender, with teal and flax yellow; in comparison to the glitzy eggplant-fuchsia and plums.       

Would look great paired with black and silver, your home-ware would dazzle. Purples can really create a very colourful scene and connote a cool warm feeling.       

Gold       

Image Credit: Crown

Crown is working the sexy bachelor look here and it’s very striking. With striking orange features, tarnish brass and royal golds, your home will certainly look and feel like a palace to eat in.       

Nudes       

Image Credit: Crown

A fantastic colour palette for your kitchen including beige and anaemic skin tones, it glows with soft peaches and blushing cheeks. Perfect to co-ordinate your tea towels and tea cosies with! Your home will feel warm, snug and cosy and ideal to spend time in as a family cooking.       

Natural Primary       

Image Credit: Crown

Here we have natural tones and materials creating a laid back feel but then bright colours adding a vibrant accent to the scene. With the Natural Primary trend we have splashes of unadulterated red and yellows.       

So now you know what colour schemes to go by, check out www.ulsterweavers.com for high quality kitchen textiles that make a house a home, which have become famous all over the world.

Nintendo Wii has brought out an amazing game that is based on animated yarn and a world of cloth and textiles!     

Kirby’s Epic Yarn is a game about a character that has been turned into yarn and his world is unravelling but thanks to his versatile yarn composition, he can take on various forms such as a massive robotic tank, a UFO and a submarine.     

He’ll transform into these various objects in his quest to weave the patchwork land back together; with beads and collectible items scattered throughout the environments for players to find.     

He’ll work his way through the stringy tale showing off some threads, enduring  levels or should we say ‘Patch Lands’ that include Quilty Square, grass land and water, snow and space lands.     

Kirby can be joined as a two-player game with Prince Fluff, who is on a quest to stitch his kingdom back together but they will face some foes along the way such as Yin-Yarn, an evil sorcerer.     

Together though, there’s no tangle too tough to tackle.     

The creative approach is woven into the game play; with interactive pulling on stray threads to reveal hidden areas and behind the scenes, the virtual fabric warps and bends to show his location.     

It is a simple game play that let’s friends have fun together and Kirby’s amazing transformations keep players guessing.     

We at Ulster Weavers have some beautifully designed knitted linen tea towels covering a wide range of styles and shapes for your home. More of a practical product than a novelty design, the wide range of tea towels can make the perfect finishing accessories for your kitchen.     

You can view our complete range of kitchen linen tea towels by clicking the link, or check out the examples below.     

Piggy Linen Tea Towel

Thousands of people across the world have diabetes. It’s not a disease, or a curse, it is simply a long-term condition that affects the body’s ability to process sugar or glucose.

It can have serious health consequences. Left untreated, diabetes can lead to heart disease, stroke, nerve damage and blindness. But with careful management, people with diabetes can lead full, healthy and active lives.

The World Health Organisation and The International Diabetes Federation created World Diabetes Day in 1991, and takes place every year on 14th November. It is a campaign with the theme of “Diabetes Education and Prevention” to create awareness and education. It is hoped that the awareness raised by the campaign will encourage healthcare systems everywhere to recognise the need to provide structured diabetes education and help establish access to skilled diabetes care as the right of every person with diabetes.

It is honoured in over 160 different countries globally.

What is diabetes then?

In people with diabetes, the level of glucose in the blood is too high. This is because a hormone called insulin is either absent from the body or not working properly. 

Glucose is found in starchy foods, such as pasta, rice, and bread. When we eat food that contains glucose, the hormone insulin helps to move it from our blood to the cells where it’s broken down to produce energy. But when the body doesn’t make enough insulin or insulin doesn’t work properly, that process is interrupted and glucose builds up in the blood. This is diabetes.

There are two main types of diabetes:

- Type 1: the body can’t produce any insulin and accounts for only around 10 per cent of all cases. It’s the most common form of childhood diabetes.

- Type 2: the body doesn’t make enough insulin, or the body becomes resistant to insulin so that it doesn’t work properly. It’s the most common form of diabetes accounting for around 90 per cent of cases.

Many people are living with diabetes that has not been recognised or diagnosed properly. These people may be experiencing symptoms that they can’t explain or they may assume that the symptoms are due to other causes, such as getting older or having a busy lifestyle.

FACTS

- 200 children every day (70,000 annually) develop type 1 diabetes.

- There are over 440,000 children living with type 1 diabetes around the world.

- Around 2.8 million people in the UK have diabetes.

Ulster Weavers has brewed up some healthy recipes you can make on the day, so get your apron on and get cooking!

With it coming up to Christmas time, why not get the kids into the festive spirit and pass the time with arts and crafts make your own masks.

Extremely enjoyable on a low budget, you can help make animal masks that the children will love to put on afterwards and play games in.

Homemade projects bring such delight to children as it gives a sense of satisfaction and achievement, and let’s face it you will have just as much fun, if not more, than they will!

What better way to make it seasonal than to portray winter animals such as a penguin, polar bear, or reindeer.

Make a simple paper mask coloured with crayons or paints; or why not create an elaborate paper mache animal face complete with added textures and glued accessories such as fur, glitter and feathers. Use a permanent marker for facial details and pay close attention to your animal’s facial patterns. Once your mask is complete, punch holes by each ear and a tie a string to the mask so you can wear it properly.

Arts and crafts are great family fun but they can be dangerous. Please note that some glues are not healthy to be inhaled and may be highly inflammable; and when using scissors children should be supervised. Plastic safety scissors are perfectly acceptable for younger children.

So get your aprons on and have fun with these Ulster Weaver animal mask ideas.

Penguin

Making a paper mask is much simpler to make if you want a stress and mess free mask making experience.  They also require fewer materials and take less time to complete. Print this image out or trace the outline on to paper and cut along your outline to get your mask’s basic shape. Just put a cross through any areas you plan to cut on the mask such as eye and mouth holes and colour in!

Picture Link

Polar Bear

Similar to the penguin mask, print out this image or find one of your own in a magazine or book and trace it on to some paper; and start colouring away! Don’t forget to make holes for your eyes and nose. Why not create the white/grey affect by using talc powder or white paint?

Picture Link

Reindeer

Print and make your very own reindeer mask this Christmas! Why not use felts to colour the antlers brown and the nose red and shiny? Or draw your own reindeer out to make your antlers bigger/smaller however you want.  Or why move away from the traditional image and create a glittery fun one?

Picture link

Picture Link

Decorating your kitchen can be a wonderful experience.                        

No matter what style you are going for, a colour co-ordinated home is fundamental in creating a stylish home that goes pop! Whether it be a cozy warm decor that is colourfully happy and cheerful, or a classic countryside cottage, or an elegant modern chic, it is important for kitchen appliances and materials to complement each other to bring warmth and personality to the heart of the home.                         

Many things need to be taken into consideration beforehand though to set the mood and bring a decor theme to life. The flooring should be taken into account with regards to dark/light wood or vinyl influencing the rest of the materials; as well the counter work tops and where you live.                         

Whatever colour you have chosen to paint your kitchen should match your personality, the way you use it and what you actually do in there. If your family spends all their time in there and food is a passion and is constantly being cooked, perhaps a rich warm red would be complimentary?                         

A beach front apartment might be best suited in a cool blue, whereas a forest getaway lodge would suit dark browns to bring the forest and its’ wilderness inside.                         

Another key concept is to ensure the colour scheme unites the rest of the house, to ensure a colour flow and theme throughout the rooms. It would seem senseless modernising all of the rooms in contemporary colours and furniture and then to decorate your kitchen in a traditional-barn style.                          

So you have finally decided upon your colour scheme; now for your appliances. Having matching utensils and cutlery etc. will ensure unpleasant chores that you spend hours completing daily such as washing up, a rewardable task that is less daunting.                          

Here at Ulster Weavers we have selected some colour scheme ideas and appliances you may consider for your home.                          

Country                           

Coffee Potts Double Oven Glove

Why not create the cozy cottage feel kitchen by teaming the Coffee Potts Double Oven Glove, with matching Gauntlett, Coasters and Apron.                          

 Retro  

Lola Tea Cosy

Make a bold brass statement in fun and funky colours! Try oranges, yellows and greens to really stand out and bring a groovy disco decadence to your home.           

Sorrento Pot Mitt

Straight off the catwalk and into your home, floral patterns are sprouting up in interiors, with oversized blooms being a key trend. Similar to this Sorrento Pot Mitt, decor your kitchen in on-trend matching items such as Apron, Gauntlet and Tea Towel.                 

 Animals