Christmas wishes from Decorator’s Notebook x

{via Jill Clark}

May your days be merry and bright!

All my love for a wonderful Christmas and a fantastic 2013

DN xxx

Free printable! 16 illustrated Christmas gift tags

It’s been brilliant having you all read my blog over the past year – it feels like last Christmas was only moments ago but so much has happened over the past year and 2013 is going to be the most exciting yet for Decorator’s Notebook. So to say thank you for reading I’ve been hard at work drawing a little present just for you!

{© Decorator’s Notebook / Photographs Joe John}

There are 16 different hand-drawn Christmas gift tag designs to print on any card you like. The PDF is free to download by clicking the link below… in return, please share an image and link via Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest by hitting one of the buttons at the bottom of the post. If you have your own blog please feel free to share it there too, but please post a link to Decorator’s Notebook rather than the PDF itself.

PLEASE SHARE THIS POST THEN CLICK TO DOWNLOAD PDF

Possibly the world’s most beautiful baubles

There have been a lot of white and natural Christmas decorations round here recently, so I wanted to share some slightly different today. Bollywood Christmas sells colourful handpainted papier mache baubles made in Kashmir. Each spring local artisans leave their villages and gather to choose the design they want to paint, then return a few months later with their delicately painted wares.

This year’s designs are selling out fast, but if you’re quick you’ve still got a couple of days to place an order before Christmas and add an extra splash of colour to your tree!

15-minute make: mulled wine syrup

Here’s an odd quirk of mine – I really dislike wine (red, white, rose, sparkling – everything) but I love mulled wine. I’m not sure what that says about my taste buds, but it makes perfect sense to me! So, today’s 15-minute make is a gently-spiced mulled wine recipe that just tastes like Christmas… and makes your house smell like it too. There’s a little more to it than the regular teabag-in-a-pan method, but you end up with a lovely syrup base that can be bottled and used on another occasion. A bottle of this mulled wine syrup would make a nice last-minute homemade Christmas present too.

Mulled Wine Syrup 

Makes 12 servings

1 orange
1 lemon, peel only
150g golden caster sugar
1 cinnamon stick
5 cardamom pods, gently bashed

5 cloves
Pinch grated nutmeg

Splash of red wine

 

Add to…
2 bottles of fruity red wine
150ml ginger wine

Orange slices to garnish

 

1) Squeeze the juice from the orange and place in a large pan together with the orange shells, lemon peel, sugar and spices. Add a small glug of wine (just enough to cover the sugar) and heat gently  until the sugar has dissolved, stirring every now and again. Bring to the boil and bubble for 5-8 minutes until you have a thick syrup. At this stage you can leave the syrup to cool slightly then pour into a sterilised bottle. If you’re thirsty now, carry on…

2) Turn the heat down and add the red wine and ginger wine to the saucepan. Warm through gently, giving it a stir occasionally Have a taste and add a touch of sugar or lemon juice if you need it. Serve in heatproof glasses garnished with orange slices.

{Photographs Hannah Queen / Recipe adapted from Felicity Cloake}

15-minute make: ribbon star tree decoration

So, here begins a new little mini series I’ll be visiting on Decorator’s Notebook from time to time. I love settling down to a day of solid crafting with only a box of materials, cake and tea for company as much as the next girl. But in reality, we all know that finding the time to be creative is hard. So in this post I’ll be collecting together stylish craft ideas that you can reasonably start and finish in the time it takes to drink a mug of earl grey.

{Crafts & Creativity}

To make this ribbon wrapped star Christmas decoration, simply bend a strip of wire into a basic star shape with a hook at the top, wrap with a length of ribbon and tie the loose ends in a bow. Visit Craft & Creativity blog for step-by-step instructions. Try Jane Means for a beautiful selection of seasonal ribbons or try it with jute string or striped baker’s twine for a more relaxed look. Your local hardware shop is the place to buy thick wire (pick up a pair of pliers at the same time to make it easier to bend into shape).

Let me know if you have a go at this and share a photo via Twitter @DecoratorsNotes or my brand new Facebook page.

Have a lovely weekend!

Homemade clay Christmas decorations

Last year I made these snowflake decorations from air drying clay – this easy to use material was a revelation to me, so I wanted to share another lovely idea with you.

{via DillyPad}

You can buy DAS air drying clay in art shops or from Amazon. To make these tree decorations you could simply roll out small sausages of clay, lay on a strip of cotton lace trim and go over with a rolling pin to impress the pattern. Make a hole in the top with a darning needle and then lay out to dry.

I’d love to know if you try them…

Merry Christmas everyone! Love Decorator’s Notebook x

{Decorator’s Notebook}

H is for Haberdashery

I can spend hours looking through the ribbons, buttons, fabric, felt and beads in haberdashery shops. The quirky, independent ones are the best… the ones where tasteful pearl buttons and hessian rub shoulders with tangerine marabou trim and cross-stitch teddy bears.

I hope you’ll find today’s selection of pins falls on the tasteful side!

H is for Haberdashery (with a festive twist)

{I Heart Nap Time via Pinterest}

{Country Living via Pinterest}

{Whipperberry via Pinterest}

{Better Homes & Gardens via Pinterest}

{Fiona and Twig via Pinterest}

{The Clever Life via Pinterest}

{Polka Dot Skies via Pinterest}

It’s nearly here! It’s nearly here! Happy Christmas lovelies!

Dreamy Whites (and a little bit of green)

I love the Dreamy Whites blog – if you’re into restful interiors with a relaxed, country feel I’m sure you will too. It’s packed with beautiful photography and inspiring styling tricks all year round but at Christmas, it’s full of simple ideas to introduce little festive touches throughout your home.

{all Dreamy Whites}

I’m a great believer that Christmas decorations don’t have to be over the top to create a special atmosphere. These ideas are so easy that you could add them without any fuss – a bunch of eucalyptus here, a length of red and white ribbon there – and after the big day there’s not loads of packing up to do.

Are subtle decorations like this enough to get you in the Christmas spirit, or do you see this as your chance to indulge in all the tinsel and sparkle you can lay your hands on? I’d love to know!

There’s only one thing I like more than a moodboard…

There’s only one thing I like more than a moodboard.

And that’s a Christmas moodboard.

There’s only one thing I like more than a Christmas moodboard.

And that’s a grey Christmas moodboard.

{Nina Holst / Stylizmo}

You get the idea…