vintage sledges and berries
9th December 2014
It was such a beautiful, cold and frosty morning today I thought ‘its about time I made the outside of the Mill look welcoming and Christmassy’.
Just wandering through the grounds of Mill is such a treat, stepping over the crunchy grass was a lovely wake up to the fact it really is Christmas. I love natural decorations, nature gives us such simplicity and beauty, why would you not use the things you can gather from the hedgerows and trees. Just as you try to buy and use food that is local and in season then its seems sensible and right to use seasonal decorations, oh yes, I guess that’s why holly and ivy and red berries are a sign of Christmas, it’s because they are in season, isn’t nature clever.
We bought these old sledges on our last Antiques hunting trip, don’t they look pretty with a simple sprig of bare berried branch, I especially like the branches that are covered in lichen and moss, so amazingly intricate its looks like the branches are cloaked in green lace. Seeing a sledge makes you hope for a big dump of soft white powdery snow before Christmas, nothing makes Christmas more special than snow on the ground.
The good old ‘Bavarian hay driers’ are looking great too, disguised as Christmas trees and draped in Ivy. The only thing missing is some Fairy Lights, not from nature but a must for every home. Who can resist a few fairy lights, I have them in my house all through the year, twinkling delicately like stars, they are my favourite interior accessory.
This final sprig of embellishment is on the wall inside the Mill just before the entrance to the kitchen showrooms. I love wreaths and twigs for decoration, I have a special board on the deVOL pinterest site dedicated to Wreaths, take a look at all the clever ways people design and make wreaths for their homes, there’s so much inspiration.
