The final festive touches

December seems to be flying by, and I can’t believe Christmas is now just over a week away. Although I put most of our decorations up a while ago (blogging means doing it a lot earlier than I used to!), a few additional festive touches have crept in over the past couple of days.

First up are these beautiful paper pine cones from Danish brand Fabulous Goose, which I made at a fun Christmas workshop with interior designer Mathilde from MK Design London. I first blogged about Fabulous Goose’s 3D decorations last year, so I was very excited to get a chance to try them out for myself. A collaboration with paper artist Theresa Jessing, they’re made from environmentally certified paper and come as flat-packed pre-cut kits which you assemble yourself. There are mistletoe and fir-tree designs as well as the pine cones, and they all look great hung in clusters from windows and ceilings; I’ve dangled mine from branches which I spray-painted white and arranged in a vase on a sideboard.

As well as the paper pine cones, I’ve dotted a few real ones on the mantelpiece in our dining room (you might have spotted them in the background of my table-styling post). They sit alongside a minimalist grey wooden star which I’ve had for a while and which always makes an appearance somewhere around the house at this time of year.

Pine cones also appear in my final festive addition: another wreath (my fourth to date in 2017!). I created this one at a workshop with my lovely friend Kirstie from Ruby & The Wolf (the woman behind the beautiful flowers at our wedding), and it was always intended for the outside of the house. In contrast with the minimalist wreaths that I made for the inside, I wanted to go for a full, slightly wild look to help it stand out on our front door. I therefore used lots of foliage in different shades of green and positioned the sprigs so that they swoosh out from the centre (I had the shape of a Catherine wheel in mind while putting it together).

How about you? What festive touches have appeared in your home?

All photography by Abi Dare