Could I really make my own Christmas?
After lockdown got in the way of her festive preparations,
At the start of the year, I decided that many of my Christmas decorations should be permanently retired. They were decades old and so jaded they gave the term vintage a bad name.
My plan was to shop around to bag a fresh festive look for Christmas 2020. But thanks to lockdown and shop closures, that idea has proved to be a non- starter.
So my manger was empty of nativity figures, the top of my tree angel- less, its branches bare, and my front door was missing a wreath. More miss- mas than Christmas.
Then my best friend Bridget suggested I make my own decorations. Bridget, a keen crafter, told me crafting kits are idiot- proof, so I decided to give it a go.
Dried flower wreath kit, from £ 35
( florenceand flowers. co. uk) When I saw the many and varied parts of the wreath- making kit, my second thought was that getting this right was going to be a challenge.
However, my first thought was: “What is that wonderful smell?”
The dried flowers and cinnamon bundle smelled festive and made me feel Christmassy even before I had done any of the assembly work.
Owner and floral designer Carly Jones- Perks, 41, is based in Suffolk and worked in forensic psychology before her passion for flowers, and the arrival of four children, sparked a career change.
“The beauty of my kits is in the flower choices, along with clear step- by- step instructions,” says Carly.
The technique is to tie the moss to the ring and then the dried flowers to the moss. It’s messy layering work, so best not to wear your new Christmas top for this job. Instructions were simple to follow and the results were glorious.
I tied my beautiful wreath to the front door immediately.
Even my husband ( who wouldn’t normally notice if I pinned the Christmas turkey to the front door) stopped in n his tracks when he saw it and said how w nice it looked.
The bad news is that because of Covid, admiring visitors will be few and far between. However, the good news is that Carly says that stored somewhere dry, the wreath will happily keep until next year.