Styling the Seasons: December

: Styling the Seasons, by Apartment Apothecary and Lotts and Lots :
“Reflect the change of seasons and show those changes in your own home, by styling any surface (shelf, dining table, mantelpiece) with something you like to reflect the new month and what it means to you”

I’ve loved taking part in Katy and Charlotte’s ‘Styling the Seasons’ challenge since they launched it in September, and the afternoon I spent at Liberty with a roomful of talented bloggers last month was a perfect way to celebrate its success. We knew before we went along that we’d be Christmas crafting with Liberty’s Tana Lawn cotton, and as my sewing skills are basic to say the least,  I wanted to find a no-sew project that I could work on for the afternoon.

I decided to go for a plaited garland – I chose three fabric designs  and then tore strips of the cotton (ripping Liberty fabric whilst sat in a beautiful wood-panelled room at the heart of Liberty felt pretty irreverent I have to admit!). I plaited these and then threaded the plait through an offcut of copper pipe (yes, the pipe cutter strikes again) before forming a loop (like a paper chain) which I secured in place with some florist’s wire.

Each loop was linked together with a piece of the copper pipe, and at each end I tied some lengths of the fabric unplaited, so that the beautiful fabric patterns were more visible.

All of my Christmas craft projects this year have involved copper in some form, so I wanted to use this element to unify my Styling the Seasons post this month. I sprayed a simple Ikea bottle vase with some copper spray paint from Plasti-Kote, and used my trusty snail tape to add a touch of copper to the bottom of some white pillar candles. I’ve made a few different copper garlands to go on our tree – the one here was just circles punched out of copper card, folded in half and glued over a length of string.

I also need to give my five-year-old daughter Ez a styling assistant credit for these photographs! She was very patient with my faffing while it was just the two of us at home this morning, and she helped me out by pressing the shutter button for most of the shots above. Thanks Ez x