Merry Christmas and a Spot of Christmas DIY

I grew up with a very different version of Christmas to what I know today. Christmas was about family and friends getting together. It was about sharing kuswar (Manglorean Christmas sweets) with neighbours and singing carols with the church choir. It was about building the best nativity crib with 'meadows' grown using wheat grain. It was about drinking moderate amounts of port. It was not drunken or commercial. Don't get me wrong, I love my current version of Christmas too. I love making our home all cosy with lots of lovely scented candles and Christmas decorations. I love the warmth of mulled wine and hot spiced cider on a cold wintry day. I love Ed's version of  the traditional English Christmas meal. I enjoy getting creative with Christmassy projects. And, who in the right mind doesn't like presents? 

The last few months have been incredibly busy and I did not get up to my usual projects like making Christmas puddings, advent calendars or homemade chocolate. But thanks to my friend Raahil, I did semi-produce a DIY wreath. Raahil is a creative soul and so is her mum Trudi. Trudi sent us some basketry willow (which she grew herself) and we used that to make our fabulous wreath. We used a mixture of foliage from Trudi including holly, and bay leaves and winter jasmine from our garden. We tried to replicate Trudi's version of the wreath but we did have to resort to jute twine to stop ours from having spasms. We intertwined the twigs, secured them into a circular shape using twine and then added the foliage and winter jasmine. I need to add a few winter berries to the wreath for more colour but I *love* how it's turned out. The photos below are self-explanatory and hopefully there is just enough time for you to make one too. Hope you have a merry Christmas. Ann x