Santa's House

I've got another little house to show you this week and this one is even smaller than the last.

I've just finished this little beaded house which is the first in a series of Christmas patterns from ThreadABead who sell patterns for the most wonderful range of 3D beaded creations. Have a look on their site - I can guarantee you'll be impressed. 

My little house is Santa's House and is just one of many patterns for a complete Christmas Village. There are all sorts of different houses and shops, a train (complete with station), Christmas trees, old-fashioned street lights, everything you could want.

The patterns are full of lovely details; I'll give you a tour of mine to show you what I mean. There's a tiny wreath on the front door for starters.

I like the candy cane stripes on the house corners too.

Standing at one side of the house is Santa himself ...

... while Mrs Claus is picking poinsettias in the garden.

And of course there's a decorated Christmas tree on the other end wall.

The finished house is tiny, as you can see from this picture of it next to my trusted thimble. This means that you could fit a whole village on a mantelpiece or shelf easily.

I had a moment of panic just as I'd nearly finished the house when I realised it needed something to weight it down a bit. Now normally I would use a few coins from my purse but I haven't had any cash for over a year (no need for it when I can't get to any shops). Luckily I found a little pile of pennies and twopences in a ramekin in the kitchen cabinet - two pennies just fitted in the bottom of the house.

I bought the pattern as a digital download and then ordered the beads that I needed. The patterns are long and detailed with every step illustrated by photos.

The chart for the walls looks complicated but, actually, that's the part I enjoyed beading most. I've done beading before but I think a beginner could manage one of these little houses without too much difficulty. Just don't take any notice of how long they say each project will take; they suggested two hours for this one and I was barely halfway across the roof by then.

Now one house doesn't make a village so I shall obviously have to make some more. I've already bought and printed off the next pattern.

This one has two floors and is a workshop for the elves. It should keep me busy for a while. After this, I shall move on to the Reindeer Barn I think.

Which reminds me ... I put quite a lot of links in my blog posts and wondered if you like them or not. Do you tend to follow them or have you not even noticed that there are links? Personally, I like being able to follow up on things that I'm reading in more detail. What about you?

Now I'm going to put my little beaded house on the mantelpiece in solitary splendour - who cares that it's only May?