Stacey Solomon’s Crafty Christmas Airs Tonight BBC1 8pm – Q&A Interview

Christmas Feature

If you follow Stacey Solomon on social media, you’ll already know that Stacey is crazy about crafting. From seasonal front door displays to viral home hacks, Stacey loves sharing creative ideas with her army of DIY-obsessed followers.

On our screens tonight in Stacey Solomon’s Crafty Christmas, the Essex born star is looking for clever ways to cut costs, upcycle, and spread some homemade cheer at Christmas time.

Stacey, Joe and the kids as they hand-make gifts and decorations for their family and friends. In true Stacey style there are ideas for all ages, with son Leighton helping Stacey to create personalised Christmas crackers, and three-year-old Rex getting messy with marbleised baubles for the tree.

After consecutive Christmas seasons spent apart, this year Stacey wants to bring people back together for a festive shindig. With the help of professional organiser and Sort Your Life Out co-star, Dilly Carter, Stacey transforms a neighbouring barn into a Christmas grotto for a party with her local community, putting all the family’s crafty creations to good use.

Stacey Solomon’s Crafty Christmas | Q&A with Stacey Solomon

Hi Stacey. Tis the season! Why did you want to make this show?

Anyone who knows me knows how much I love crafting, and there’s no better feeling than giving someone the perfect gift. DIY gifts mean so much more, and they save a bit of money too.

What do you love about crafting?

Crafting is something I can really lose myself in. Life for many people is really fast and busy, and when I craft my mind has to focus on the task at hand. You can have all these thoughts running around in your head but you have to push them to one side to focus on the thing in front of you. It’s so relaxing.

Where do you get your ideas from?

I will look anywhere! There’s so much online now – Pinterest, TikTok, Instagram. I’ll be inspired by anything and everything. I’m trying to adapt the ideas I see online to make them even simpler, and I’m trying to use things that everyone has around the house. The bauble wreath is something I’d seen on TikTok but they were using different materials. We decided instead to use a coat hanger – everyone has one of those.

What top tips would you give to someone who’s never tried crafting before?

It’s fine if it goes wrong… that’s part of the fun. I’d say the bauble wreath is one of the easiest crafts you can do. It’s literally threading baubles on a hanger. It’s minimum effort and maximum satisfaction because it looks really posh!

What was your favourite thing to make with your family?

Me and Rex made these marbled baubles by dipping them in old nail varnishes in a bowl of water, which I thought was really cool and really easy. He loves messy play so it kept him occupied for an hour. He didn’t leave the table. He’s three years old and his attention span is questionable, but he loved it!

…and Dilly came to help too?

Dilly is so savvy. Even when you think that an idea is a good one, she’ll either tell you an evolution of that idea, or why it won’t work. She elevates everything. She doesn’t just look at things that are aesthetically pleasing, she actually finds things that will make people’s lives better.

Christmas is just around the corner. What’s planned in the Solomon family household?

Lots more crafting, of course. I’m yet to make my Christmas door! But I’m most looking forward to spending time with Joe and the kids. It’s been a busy year so I’m excited to wind down and just do nothing.

Crafty Ideas

Homemade Bauble Wreath

Essential Equipment

• Baubles (these can be spray painted to your preferred colour palette)
• Wire Coat Hangers
• Jewellery Pliers
• Glue Gun
• Ribbon
• Scissors

Instructions

1. Open the coat hanger using the small pliers.
2. Shape the coat hanger roughly into a circle.
3. Slide the baubles down the metal wire one-by-one, making sure you alternate the colours and, more importantly, the sizes. The smaller baubles will fill in the spaces between the bigger baubles, making the wreath look full.
4. Rotate the baubles around the wire to fit snug against one another as you place them one by one.
5. Once the wreath is full, use the pliers to bend and wrap the end of the wire back into position.
6. Glue gun and wrap coloured ribbon around the exposed hanger. Add a bow using the ribbon.

Homemade Wrapping Paper

Essential Equipment

• One Roll of Brown Paper
• Acrylic Paint
• Sponges
• Old Pen
• Paper Plate
• PVA glue

To make the Dabber

1. Get a sponge and cut it to the shapes of holly and berries.
2. Stick sponges to an old pen using glue, to make it into a dabber.

Custom Paper

1. Roll out your paper.
2. Get a paper plate and pour the two desired paint colours.
3. Take the leaf dabber and dab your design onto the roll of paper.
4. Take the berry dabber and repeat.
5. Leave to dry for approximately four hours.

Marbled Baubles

Essential Equipment

• Baubles
• Plastic Container / Bowl
• Toothpicks
• Nail Varnishes
• Water
• Disposable Gloves (if desired)

Instructions

1. Fill a plastic container with water.
2. Choose 2-3 colours of nail polish.
3. Add several drops of the first colour from the brush of your nail polish into the water. Put the brush close to the water to help drop the polish. If the brush is too far away, the polish will sink to the bottom of your container.
4. Add several drops of the second colour inside several of the dots already in the water.
5. Add more drops with a third colour, some inside the other colours and some outside. There’s no right or wrong way to do this! You can just drop polish randomly into the water if preferred.
6. Using a toothpick, quickly swirl a line or two through the nail polish.
7. Dip the ornament face down into the water. The polish will adhere immediately.
8. Hang the ornament to let it dry and repeat process.

Stacey Solomon’s Crafty Christmas | Coming to BBC One on 15 December 2022 at 8:00pm