Sommaire pour December 2018 de The Simple Things

The candlelit carol service at the Donkey Sanctuary in Sidmouth can also be watched live via webcam at 5pm. (Remind yourself why we all love a donkey on page 19); thedonkeysanctuary .org.uk. What’s the weather like today? Go for a walk and think about how it makes you feel. FASHION SCHMASHION It’s Christmas jumper day on 14 December. Get your naffest knit out and raise money for Save the Children. Resist buying cheap from the high street and check charity shops and ethical retailers instead; christmasjumperday.org. “Change the way you look at things and the things you look at change” Wayne Dyer, speaker and author WORTH A SNOOP Fans of Peanuts can combine ice-skating at Somerset House’s outdoor rink with a visit to an exhibition of original drawings and contemporary…

Of all the earrings in the world, none are as stylish as the gold hoop. Studs may bring a flash of interest to an otherwise neglected lobe, and dangling, diamante shoulder-grazers can enliven an evening outfit, but neither are as chic as a pair of gold hoops, especially those of generous proportion. Sade, that epitome of effortless style, knew this only too well and wore hers all the time, with her hair pulled back for maximum display. Now, a new bunch of stars, including Beyoncé, Rihanna and Victoria Beckham, have rediscovered them and have brought them back into the shops and on to our ears. (To gauge the size of an earring, measure the distance between the bottom of your lobe and the end of the earring. This is known…

The celebrant Humanist Isabel Russo is a believer in the power of humanism to bring people together, to instil a moral code and to address life’s big questions “Ceremony and ritual are so powerful. When done with authenticity – people saying words that chime with them and that represent who they are – they are incredibly valuable. They create a healthier society as a result.” Isabel Russo, head of ceremonies at Humanists UK, believes that everybody should have access to rituals that resonate – that they shouldn’t be the preserve of religion alone. And the vision appears to be catching on in the UK, as formal religious belief declines. The British Social Attitudes survey found that 52% of respondents had no religion in 2017 compared with 41% in 2002. But…

*There’s no better way to get to the heart of a city than through the people who live there. Every month, we ask someone, clearly in love with their city, to take us on a personal tour and tell us what makes it so special. You may feel inspired to visit one day or to rediscover the charms of a city closer to you, but for now just sit back, relax and enjoy some vicarious travel. How long have you lived in the city? I moved to Vienna in October 2013 to do my masters degree. Over time, and particularly since I’ve been blogging about the place, I’ve developed a very special bond with Vienna and it is now the city that I know better than any other. Tell us…

Christmas is so much about familiarity, it’s easy to forget our references are culturally peculiar. Boxing Day isn’t a thing elsewhere, and most countries celebrate on 24 December. Even Santa himself, isn’t omnipresent. In Scandinavia, Julenisse is a Christmas elf who lives in the house year-round, but needs special attention at Christmas, when families leave out porridge with butter to avoid his bad mood. The puckish mischief and moodiness of Christmas figures around the world make our British Father Christmas look a bit puritanical. Take Iceland’s Jólasveinar (Yule Lads), a roving band of naughty elves with names like ‘spoon licker,’ and ‘sausage swiper’ who visit in the 13 nights up to Christmas. Children place their best shoes in their window and find a gift each morning (or a mouldy potato…

25 November Saint Catherine’s day: celebration of learning, the written word, books, libraries, students, philsophers and teachers. 30 November Saint Andrew’s day: patron saint of Scotland; also Cyprus, Greece, Russia, Romania, Barbados and more. 6 December Saint Nicholas’ day: patron saint of children, gifts, balancing of duality of life. 13 December Saint Lucy’s day: a cue to light candles (also to make and eat saffron buns, see page 123). 26 December Saint Stephen’s day: charity to others, giving to others, to people, the land, to yourself… 25 January Saint Dwynwen’s day: the Barry White of holy ones, Dwynwen is the Welsh patron saint of lovers, love and loving.…

Boys and girls, in the spirit of Christmas, season of joy, mirth and boxes of Maltesers enjoyed on tippy-uppy velvet seats, please welcome The Simple Things Fairy (and she really is rather simple) to take you on a whirlwind tour of pantomime from its earliest inception to its happily ever after (sound of magic wand, stage left)… The word pantomime means ‘all kinds of mime’ and panto originates from all kinds of roots. But it’s in 16th-century Italy, with the Commedia dell’arte that our story begins. The commedia featured well worn parts, like panto: Columbine the girl, Pierrot the clown, and Harlequin the servant, famously played by clown Joseph Grimaldi in the late 17th century. And many aspects of the commedia can be seen in panto still. Jim Davis, professor…

Christmas is the time of year when even the most laid-back among us can morph into secret perfectionists. A potent mix of nostalgia, family expectations and marketing hype convinces us we must achieve the impossible on 25 December, and make everyone happy. CHRISTMAS TRIGGERS Our childhood memories of Christmas are infused with emotions that elevate Christmas to ‘special event of the year’ above all else, says clinical psychologist Linda Blair (lindablair.co.uk). “When we’re in charge of Christmas, it’s natural to want to make it just as special as we remember it. But we’re trying to recreate something that didn’t exist. Our memories are edited highlights – it was never perfect, we just remember it that way,” she says. Rachel Shattock Dawson (therapyonthames.co.uk) says: “Even in loving families, old emotions resurface.…

• Cheshire is Britain’s oldest named cheese, mentioned in the Domesday Book in 1086. It was almost wiped out by post-war industrialisation. Only one (Shropshire-based) English producer of unpasteurised farmhouse Cheshire survives (applebyscheese.co.uk). • The biggest cheese ever made in the UK is believed to have been the 567kg Cheddar offered to Queen Victoria as a wedding gift in 1840. Two villages pooled all their milk to produce the three-metre wide whopper. • The annual cheese-rolling competition in Gloucestershire attracts crowds from all over the world to hurl themselves down Cooper’s Hill in pursuit of a wheel of Double Gloucester. The 4.1kg cheese can reach speeds of 70mph: in 2013 a fake foam cheese was introduced to avoid injury to spectators. • Despite what Ebenezer Scrooge believed, there is no…

The revelry that comes with Christmas makes it a great time to pull out all the stops and indulge a love of cheese. You could serve it as the grand finale to a Christmas lunch, the centrepiece at a drinks party, or as a simple supper to graze on, watching a film. Nobody’s saying you have to go to town, but the festive season is a cheese lover’s dream-excuse to try some new varieties and to treat guests to a cheeseboard that looks as good as it tastes. Quicke’s has the formula for a good mix… LESS IS MORE You can avoid overwhelming your palate by sticking to just four cheeses. Quicke’s recommends combining a hard cheese, a soft cheese, a blue and a wildcard – the fourth being up…

Certain pens simply feel so poised in the hand, glide so fluently across the page, they’ll make you wish those piles of blank Christmas cards and envelopes were just a little bit higher. Manufacturing them is, naturally, an elegant line of work. It is also uncommonly rarefied. Not only is Tom Gyr the only full-time calligraphy pen maker on the planet but, to the best of his knowledge, he has only two part-time peers: Luis Creations in Hong Kong, and Chris Yoke in the US, a man who chanced upon his grandfather’s calligraphy kit and began recreating the pens for a modern audience. Tom refers to Chris Yoke as “a bit of a mentor”, and has plotted his own path from familial nostalgia to contemporary design. That he grew up…

“WE DON’T HAVE A CHIMNEY, SO ON CHRISTMAS EVE WE LEAVE OUT A KEY FOR SANTA” “We don’t have a chimney,” says Fiona Burrage of the Norwich apartment she shares with husband Bobby and son Stanley, five, “so on Christmas Eve we leave a key out so that Santa can let himself in, and some carrots for his reindeer. In the morning, Stanley follows Santa’s footprints (made with talc) through to the living room where his presents are.” Stanley also has his own Christmas tree, which he decorates just as he likes and which makes a jolly contrast to his mother’s pure white, larger tree. These inventive solutions to the challenge of living in an apartment with a child at Christmas is typical of Fiona’s approach to life generally. Since…

The moment when festive excitement first hits can be unexpected. It could be a frosty morning on the way to work, hearing a snatch of a carol playing in a shop. Or the day you buy the tree and bring it home trussed up in white netting. Or it could be when you bring the decorations down from the attic, and take them out of their box. Rediscovering familiar decorations and untangling strings of lights is a sure sign Christmas is close. A veteran bauble – maybe generations old – dangling from a thread of cotton is a heart-warming thing to see, as is deciding where to hang it. Alongside the old favourites, it’s always nice to invest in one or two show-stopping baubles to add to the collection, a…

I have heard that tinsel is out of fashion and, sure enough, when I went to buy some in my local department store to decorate my tree, I couldn’t find any. Is it true? I hadn’t realised that fashion extended to Christmas decorations now – and if so, can you suggest any alternatives? Answer in brief: pay no heed to fashion, or opt for fairylights. It is indeed the case that tinsel has been shunned by the stylish and/or eco-conscious (it’s made from plastic) and replaced by all things green and forest-y. Which is a shame as nothing says Christmas like a length of tinsel tangled up in a Norwegian spruce. If you’re wedded to its metallic fronds, and see some for sale, I would grab it and enjoy…

What the partridge was doing up the pear tree and other stories… The origins of the Twelve Days are shrouded in mystery but it’s likely that it once included both English and French, mentioning ‘a partridge’ and ‘une perdrix’ (French for partridge). The latter – with typically British foreign language skills – became a pear tree. One theory is that the song charts a wooing, culminating in the dancing and the drumming of a wedding (with three spare rings, should some get misplaced). There are countless variations, with no definitive version of exactly how many lords are leaping or ladies dancing… so, much like the recollection of a wedding, then. Some versions include ‘Bulls a-beating’ or ‘Badgers baiting’, which both sound decidedly unfestive to us. And you’ll notice the ‘colly…

Chokladbollar This popular Scandinavian recipe for chocolate and oat balls is super-quick, requires no baking and you can adapt the flavours for all ages and tastes. Colourful sprinkles and gentle flavours are favourites with the kids and for grown-ups, more coffee and alcohol tend to go down well! For the recipe, turn to page 17.…

Frankincense & cypress oil face mask A wonderfully warming remedy, this mask magically heats when it comes into contact with the skin. Makes approx 100g 10g (2 tsp) kaolin (or a little extra if the mix is too runny) 25g Epsom salts 60ml glycerine 10 drops frankincense essential oil 10 drops cypress essential oil Baking tray 1 Preheat your oven to its lowest temperature (100C/Fan 80C/Gas ¼ if you have it). 2 Place the kaolin and Epsom salts on a baking tray and put in the oven for 30 mins to sterilise the kaolin and desiccate the salts. (The warmth of the mask is generated when the Epsom salts regain moisture from the dampness of the skin, so don’t skip this step.) 3 Remove from the oven and allow to…

Linzer biscuits These Austrian biscuit sandwiches – dusted with icing sugar – are pretty for both gifts and gatherings. The combination of buttery hazelnut shortbread and raspberry jam tastes good at any time of year. Makes about 24 100g hazelnuts 100g brown sugar 325g plain flour ½ tsp baking powder ½ tsp sea salt ½ tsp ground cinnamon 225g unsalted butter, softened 1 egg 250g raspberry jam 100g icing sugar, for dusting 1 Preheat oven to 200C/Fan 180C/ Gas 6. Toast hazelnuts in a shallow baking pan until fragrant and skins loosen (about 6 mins). Rub the nuts in a clean tea towel to remove any loose skins (some skins may not come off). 2 Blitz the toasted hazelnuts and 50g brown sugar in a food processor until nuts are…

Robert De Nola Cava Brut, £12.50 This excellent-value fizz has bay-leaf notes, which would work really well with the herbs in the spinach, ricotta and pine nut rolls, while its bright, citrussy flavours echo the fresh lemon in the olives. El Garbi Terra Alta Garnacha Blanco, £20 A dry white wine, but with lots of texture and ‘body’. Subtle citrus aromas and white peach mix with floral, and some savoury, notes. It’s very easy to drink though, and a great partner for the tray roast featured. Herdade de Coelheiros Coelheiros Alentejo, £16 Elegant, but also fabulously fruity. There’s a hint of festive spice about this red, but it’s also fresh tasting. It won’t overpower delicate flavours but does have the warmth and robustness you want in a winter red. Wines…

UNA STEFANOVIC Serbian-born Una Stefanovic is a ‘free spirit’ who has travelled widely and speaks several languages. She is founder and editor in chief of blog, Vienna Insider (viennainsider.com). Find her on Instagram @viennainsider and Facebook, facebook.com/ViennaInsiders. Favourite shop LENA HOSCHEK For vintage-style dresses.shop.lenahoschek.com/uk/ Favourite gallery KUNSTFORUM WIEN This private gallery hosts fabulous exhibitions of 20th century and contemporary art. kunstforumwien.at/en Favourite cafés KLEINES CAFÉ In the heart of Vienna, but off the tourist trail, this is a really charming place. I also love Crème de la Crème patisserie in the 8th district; Gerstner in the 1st district (which has a stunning third floor that few people know about) and Café Français for great coffee and delicious food. Franziskanerplatz 3, 1010 Vienna Favourite restaurant KLEE AM HANSLTEIC Amazing food and…

Sacred to the Celts, the hog plays a central role in many Midwinter customs. Despite being virtually extinct in Britain by the mid 12th century, it’s still remembered in carols such as ‘The Boar’s Head’. Why not have a day commemorating the animal who has sacrificed so much that humanity need not go hungry? You might wish to cook a meal, using a joint of pork to its best advantage. Or simply place the offering of an apple outside your back door for the spirit of the Christmas boar to take, along with our deep gratitude.…

• Goodies always come on from the right-hand side, baddies from the left – the left having always signified all things ‘sinister’ and evil. • Pantomimes are traditionally set in the location they are performed in, usually a romanticised or comic version of the same town. They would have once been accompanied by a chorus made up of townspeople. • You might notice that the dame is in and out of the wings like a fiddler’s elbow. These comings and goings are deliberately written in to show off the dame’s many and various costume changes – the more they can squeeze in, the better the show, apparently. • Theatrical superstition dictates that the final rhyming couplet of the performance should not be spoken at all in rehearsal or bad luck…

• Be the bigger person. Christmas is the time of year to let go of the need to be right. A sense of humour can be your best defence. If you feel you ‘must’ do certain things, ask yourself why. Who are you really doing this for? What would happen if you didn’t do it? • Have a Christmas brainstorm. Get the family together and ask them to write down one thing they’d really like to do over Christmas, and one tradition they’d like to drop. Start new traditions. If you really don’t want to spend most of Christmas cooped up in the kitchen, what’s stopping you having a family bike ride followed by a bring-and-share lunch? • Delegate. Put jobs on slips of paper into a hat. Then, when…

Fresh cheese Unripened young cheese with no rind or mould. Typically curds are transferred into moulds, which are left to drain for a few days before being sold. One to try: Crowdie. Soft Cheese Young cheese, such as Tunworth, often characterised by white rind. Penicillium (a type of fungi) can be added at the start of the process; as the curds mature, the Penicillium mould blooms, producing enzymes that ripen the cheese. Semi-soft cheese Older, ripened soft cheese. Includes washed-rind cheeses, which are made by washing the rinds of maturing cheese with brine or alcohol to encourage the bacteria that create smelly orangey or pinkish rinds and break down the soft centre until silky and vegetal, as with Celtic Promise. Hard cheese The likes of Cheddar, Lincolnshire Poacher and Lancashire…

Bookworm: A Memoir of Childhood Reading by Lucy Mangan (Vintage) Lucy Mangan was always captivated by the spell a story could cast and the emotions it could conjure. In this lovely memoir she revisits childhood favourites – from The Very Hungry Caterpillar to The Secret Garden, to the saviour of her teens, Judy Blume. Lucy celebrates what made them so special and describes how they changed her life in ways big and small. Give to: the person who loves nothing better than escaping into a world of words. Give with: a suitably nostalgic Cadbury Selection box. Educated by Tara Westover (Hutchinson) Tara Westover grew up in rural Idaho, in the shadow of a beautiful mountain and under the shadow of her religious, tyrannical, survivalist father, who…

Giant Improved Flak carrot, Black Delgado climbing French bean, Bunyard’s Matchless lettuce, Ryder’s Midday Sun tomato: once staples of patches across the country, these vegetable varieties are now scarcely seen, and were almost lost forever. Since the introduction of seed regulations in the 1970s, the number of vegetable varieties available to growers has shrunk alarmingly, reduced to the ‘normal’ varieties seen time and time again. But what’s happened to the rich varieties of old – the striped tomatoes, white carrots and golden radishes that our grandparents ate and loved? CONSERVING VARIETY Thankfully, many of these varieties are held for safekeeping at Garden Organic’s Midlands headquarters, in its Heritage Seed Library. Over 40 years ago, organic growers at the charity recognised the importance of the genetic resources held within these varieties,…

Stepping out into a frosty garden with a pair of secateurs and returning with bundles of greenery and seedheads is guaranteed to get you into the festive mood. Even now, there is plenty to pick from winter-bare branches and borders: a silver seed-husk here, a wisp of clematis there, plus those perennial favourites, holly, ivy and mistletoe. Boost the yuletide harvest further by planning and planting with the festivities in mind. A little forethought will provide plenty of material for wreaths, garlands and general greenery, and is considerably cheaper than buying from a shop. CHRISTMAS EVERGREENS Holly, ivy (Hedera helix), Skimmia japonica and Christmas box (Sarcococca confusa) all grow in shade, in ordinary soil and with very little care. Each has glossy green leaves that can be woven into a…

Across the pastures of Hyde Park, down the boulevard where the mansion flats stand, around the back of the hotel where the old coach house sits – and up the creaking stairs to the attic. Here, Miss Pettigrew lives alone. Hers is a simple existence: Mondays to Fridays in the post office; Saturdays at a jumble sale with her maiden aunt. These are the patterns of Miss Pettigrew’s life – on all but one hallowed day of the year. The day of the first frost. When Miss Pettigrew wakes to the first frost, she makes her annual odyssey to Papa Jack’s Emporium, London’s premier merchants of toys and childhood paraphernalia. She has been coming here since she was a girl. At 36 years old, she comes here still. Each year,…

MAKER OF THE MONTH Sprig’s gorgeous knitted accessories are designs we’re warming to Wristwarmers, snoods, scarves and beanie hats – all knitted using traditional machinery – make up Sprig’s Scandi-inspired collection. This small knitwear label is the work of Antonia Sullivan. From her studio at home in Hampshire, Antonia creates fair isle-esque patterns inspired by objects or scenes of nostalgia such as vintage matchboxes, candlelit rooms and boiled sweets. Her aim? “To bring brightness on those bleak winter days with colour, softness and warmth.” Job done. sprigknitwear.co.uk A KIND OF MAGIC Every day can be amazing in Bernadette Russell’s The Little Book of Wonder A self-confessed “relentless optimist”, Bernadette Russell wants us to rediscover wonder. It is all too easy, she suggests, to get trapped in the kind of daily…

December is a quiet time on my veg patch, but there are good reasons to be there anyway. I am on a mission to mark every month of the year in some small way, sociable or solitary. December is a funny one for this: as we are all drawn relentlessly on towards the behemoth of celebration at the month’s end, it can be hard to find time to sit in quiet appreciation of the particular things that December brings. So, the excuse that the veg plot provides – to turn the ground, to prune apple twigs, or to check over the sprouts before Christmas Day – is very welcome, providing a moment in which to take stock of a year almost passed. FROST REPORTS Snow is unlikely but air frosts…

Danger rating YOU WILL NEED: 2 STRAIGHT-SIDED CRYSTAL TUMBLERS SINGLE MALT OR BLENDED WHISKY A NON-POROUS CARD Fill a crystal tumbler to the brim with whisky. Fill a second, identical glass to the brim with water and completely cover it with something slim and non-porous, such as a laminated card or postcard. (Note: a thick invitation will create too wide a gap between rims.) Invert the covered water glass and place it directly over the first, fitting one rim exactly above the other. Carefully, gently, pull the card over slightly so that the liquids are just exposed to each other. Water is heavier than whisky, so it will flow straight down, causing the latter to move upwards. The contents of the glasses should be swapped completely – a rough mixture…

Surely a rite of passage: hounding your parents for ‘spare’ newspapers / coat hangers / loo rolls with which to fashion some Christmas décor. Thank you to Blue Peter for 60 years of artistic inspiration. Blue Peter Christmas craft projects are defined by going heavy on the tinsel, glitter, baubles – and enthusiasm. While our advent crowns may not have lived up to John Noakes’ promise that “if you pack it away carefully, it will last for years”, at least our memories have done… * Go on then, we’ll put you out of your misery. It’s Tina Heath (April 1979 – June 1980). Taken from Here’s One I Made Earlier: Classic Blue Peter Makes (Kyle Books)…

From the bottom of the sloping path of Compton village cemetery, the circular chapel looks small, its pinky-orange colour and slender arched windows seem to belong somewhere further south than here; Italy or the south of France, not the Surrey countryside the day after the winter solstice. As I get closer, something odd happens. The designs upon its surface, which from a distance appear an abstract texture, begin to clarify, and I see how immensely detailed the surface is. The chapel was designed by Mary Watts between 1896 and 1898. Typical of her time, Mary was preoccupied with social improvement through creative enlightenment, so the chapel’s construction was a social enterprise created collaboratively with local residents. There is so much decoration I struggle to absorb all the surfaces, it’s hard…

Little Donkey  Wendy Cope The children’s favourite. We had to sing it on the Christmas concert every year, plodding along with me at the piano, and a child going clip-clop with coconut shells or woodblock: a coveted job  It wasn’t my favourite. After I left teaching I forgot about it for more than ten years  until one day, near Christmas in a busy high street a Salvation Army band began to play it. I stood still  with tears in my eyes. Little Donkey. All those children who loved it so much. All those hands in the air begging to be chosen to make the sound of his hooves. About the author Poet Wendy Cope was a primary school teacher for 15 years; as a fine pianist, one of her favourite lessons was music. Walking…

Whether it’s humming along to Christmas songs on the radio or belting out carols in church, December provides many opportunities to rediscover the pleasures of singing. A simple wellbeing tool, singing has the power to connect us with our bodies, open our hearts, move our emotions and express things that wouldn’t otherwise be expressed. Hang on, did you say you can’t sing? Not only can you sing, you are meant to. You came into this world knowing how to do it and loving it. Do yourself a favour and silence that inner critic. Sing on your own, in the shower, in a group, in church, in a choir. Try singing every day for a month and check how you’re feeling about yourself and others at the end of it. You…

Cheese is a food that arouses strong passions. Not just because it offers an almost endless variety of textures and complex flavours, but because it is the most symbolic of speciality foods. During the past half century artisan cheesemaking in Britain has flowered from near extinction to a thriving craft scene, reflecting a wider movement to champion authentic foods and old techniques, from real bread and real ale to heritage veg and charcuterie. A piece of handmade cheese is a slice of history. There are more than 700 named cheeses in Britain, and many of them are unique to particular places, particular dairies, even particular herds. Some have pedigrees dating back hundreds of years, such as the crumbly Caerphilly that provided calorie-packed portable lunches for Welsh miners – the thick…

Dorstone Pasteurised soft goats’ cheese made at Neal’s Yard Creamery (which evolved from the famous cheese shop but is now a separate business). The turret-shaped small cheeses are coated in ash before being matured for two weeks to allow a wrinkly bluish mould to bloom. They look gorgeous sliced open to reveal their fluffy, zesty white paste. See nealsyardcreamery.co.uk Berkswell The closest thing we have to British Manchego is made with the raw milk of East Friesland sheep in the West Midlands. Its distinctive shape and rind hail from the 1980s, when the Fletcher family first made it using two colanders pressed together as a mould. The longer you leave it, the nuttier it gets.thecheesesociety.co.uk Isle of Mull Cheese Any rubbery brick can call itself ‘Cheddar’ (so hurray for the…

I treasure a book. Not very original, I know. But it is not just the story I treasure, it is the book’s history, too. This book was given to my grandmother by her father, and in turn given to me by my grandmother. Sometimes I open the hard, aged cover just to see the inscription inside. The message my great grandfather wrote to his teenage daughter, ‘From Daddy to Sheila, Christmas 1951’. In some ways it doesn’t say much, in some ways it says a lot. She was a daddy’s girl and he loved his only daughter. I still remember first finding this book (it's Jalna by Mazo De La Roche). I was with my grandma and found this on her book shelf. I was struck by it in that…

Seasonal succulents Festive table decorations call to mind seasonal favourites such as ivy, holly, pine cones and fir sprigs. Yet, succulents – also evergreen – make a wonderful centrepiece that’s a twist on the traditional. Their fleshy leaves are naturally architectural, need little watering and offer variety in colour and shape. Using a wreath kit from Dobbies, we’ve adapted it to create a pretty centrepiece for the Christmas table. Louise Gorrod show you how over the page. » Succulent table decoration AN ARRANGEMENT OF SUCCULENTS THAT ALSO WORKS AS A WREATH YOU WILL NEED Approx 12 mini succulents Moss 1 x 24cm oasis ring Florist pins Florist wire A pillar candle Plate to sit the decoration on (we used a cake board) Blu-Tack or candleholder 1 Start by briefly soaking…

“A pot or several of lush green plants will breathe fresh life into winter homes” The hearth, mantelpiece, banister and lintels are all great candidates for greening, but kokedamas and hanging planters are very cool (see page 105), making a foliage ball a fashionable alternative. Lightweight, it can be hung from the centre of a curtain rail or shelf or you could make several and hang them together in a cluster. You will need a 20cm florist’s foam globe, a clear plastic sandwich bag, a long piece of ribbon and evergreen sprigs cut to the length of a knitting needle and stripped of leaves at the base. Soak the foam and wrap tightly in the bag. Tie a knot in the bag (to attach the ribbon). Aiming at the centre…

1 MAKE A Christmas stocking is easy to sew using a simple paper template (sewing4dummies.com has an easy one). Place template on fabric (cotton or velvet works well) and cut around it, allowing 2cm for the seam. Stitch fabric back to back, hem the opening, turn inside out then glue a strip of fake fur to the cuff. Decorate according to whim. Even easier, buy a ready-made plain linen Christmas stocking, above, and use as a base to create something lovely (£1, hobbycraft.co.uk). 2 BUY There are many Christmas stockings out there in a variety of materials. For a touch of yuletide luxe, Ferm Living’s velvet, grown-up’s stocking, pictured above, takes some beating (£54, trouva.com). But there’s something for everyone. This year Jan Constantine’s felt versions (£55, janconstantine.com) are appliquéd…