Setting the scene for a cosy January

Whilst I maintain that January is restorative month, making a very tweaks in your home will optimize your hibernation. Last week we dragged our Christmas tree onto the verge and packed up all the sparkly decorations, leaving everything looking dusty, boring and a bit sad. I get a bit twitchy when the house doesn’t feel right so I have made a few small changes to set the scene for a comfy January.

Soft lighting is central to feeling warm and cosy. I am constantly chastising family members for putting on the ‘big light’ instead of all the nice little lamps around our home. I haven’t packed away the fairy lights and these have been draped around surfaces to diffuse a lovely glow. I love having lights at different heights and recently bought this Seletti Mouse from Ebay, who looks rather gorgeous sat on a pile of books on a side table. We have converted some of our lamps to include a rechargeable bulb so that they can be placed in dark corners to cheer us all up. There are so many rechargable lamps on the high street that give you the freedom to put lights where you wish without investing in an electrician to add sockets.

For some reason Christmas seems to leave a lot of dust and clutter. I personally don’t have the energy to undertake a big deep clean, but a few lucky drawers will be getting a makeover and there is a charity shop box on the go. I don’t really want to look at grubby streaks when the spring sunshine finally arrives, so if anything gets a good scrub it will be the windows. I will definitely be having a wipe around everything with a mixture of essential oils and water. Purdy and Figg make fantastic blends which get the job done and hide the doggy/ teenage trainer aroma.

Long before the advent of Christianity, people hung evergreen boughs in their home over the winter months. Green is a great colour to include in your home during January as according to Karen Heller it is ‘restful, creating balance and harmony.’ Apparently green has these qualities because it resides in the centre of the colour wheel and does not require the eye to adjust. I love having large vases of of eucalyptus or foliage from the garden in our home. You could add some fluffy Gypsophila or large white roses from the supermarket, for some winter magic. It’s also very satisfying to force some bulbs at this time of year. I enjoy growing narcissi although they can get out of control pretty quickly and so it’s a good idea to prop them up with some nice mossy sticks. .As well as plants, you could also introduce some green textiles such as our linen tablecloth in Granny Smith or Ruffle Cushion.

Whilst I won’t be transforming into Marie Condo, it is difficult to rest when the house is awry. A bit of a chuck out, some soft lights and lots of refreshing greenery will hopefully set us up for a rejuventating January. I must mention here that I am very diligently refilling our bird feeders, it is so wonderful to hear their little chatter in the morning.

What small adjustments will you make in your home this month?

Linen Duvet Set, Ruffle Cushion, Bolster and Storage Bag in Granny Smith.

Handmade in Cornwall by Poppy and Honesty.

Winter Pursuits- Embroidery

My favourite winter sports include reading, cooking, getting outside and doing a bit of sewing. None of these will incur injury or require extensive travel insurance. Recently I have been really enjoying learning very simple embroidery. It’s a great winter sport because it doesn’t require a lot of stuff and you can do it on the train or in front of the telly. I also find embroidery very soothing and satisfying.

For our Christmas table I embroidered everyone a napkin with their name on it. I didn’t use a particular script, I just used a heat erasable fabric pen and wrote their names on the fabric in my own handwriting. Below I will detail the very simple equipment and method that I used in order to create something that was a little imperfect but special and personal.

Time to get your mob cap on and start an embroidery project before Mr D’arcy arrives. Maybe you can fit in some harpsichord and singing practice if you have time?

Happy January

Sophie xxx

Equipment

Heat Erasable Fabric Pen

Embroidery Hoop

Embroidery Threads (I prefer Anchor)

Method

1. Place your embroidery hoop loosely over the napkin or fabric. Decide where you would like to write (ensuring that there is enough room).

2. Using your heat erasable pen write your name onto the fabric, If you make an error it doesn’t matter as you can remove the ink with an iron and rewrite,

3. Secure the hoop over the fabric. Cut your embroidery thread and split the thread so that you remove one of the little strands (you should have x5 strands total).

4. Make a straight stitch at the top of your first letter leaving a little tail of thread that you can knot later.

5. Continue around all your letters using back stitch.

6. To finish your name go to the back of your work and tuck your needle under some of the thread from a previous stitch. Pull it through - but leave a loop. Pass your needle through the loop to create a small knot. Make sure you go back to the loose thread at the beginning of your first letter and tie off in the same way.

Write your name with a heat erasable marker.

Start your work with as straight stitch and go around all the letters using back stitch.

Handmade napkins make a special gift and create a gorgeously personal table setting.

Napkins shown in Rose Gingham and Florence (in stock).

Non Drinkers and Christmas Parties

I don’t drink. I don’t mind if everyone else does, in fact I want them to have a jolly good time ! But for the love of Aperol Spritz, please stop asking me why I don’t chose to participate. This is particularly difficult over the Christmas season, the television is full of ads for special sparkly wines and cocktails. It appears to be a national expectation that we all get sloshed at Christmas.

As a non drinker at a boozy party, I often feel like a party pooper. It’s true, I can’t stay up late with a bunch of tipsy revelers having fun until the wee hours. However I love a canape and a loaded karaoke machine. i recently heard from a non drinker that they were offered orange squash at a dinner party. (She wasn’t 10 years old by the way). Perhaps this year we can do better and offer the non drinkers something nice in a fancy glass like the coupe’ based on the breast of Marie Antoinette with some sort of frosting?

Shloer does not cut the mustard and neither do regular soft drinks. Fanta with your Caviar ? No thankyou. I recently enjoyed a very nice Seedlip Garden Non Alcoholic Spirit and I intend to try out their Citrus Fizz this season. Otherwise a glass of fizzy water is fine by me. But please don’t ask me why I am not drinking.

Bottoms Up!

Sophie x

Bow in Liberty Fabric Capel

Bow in Liberty Fabric Wiltshire

Bow in Marmalade Linen

How to Autumn - Part 1 BOOKS

I woke up this morning and felt the very specific cool breeze that always comes at the beginning of Autumn. Whilst it was a billion degrees last week, the new season will sneak up on us quickly and I like to be prepared. Like many of you, I find this particular time of year quite tricky. I think that it is the combination of being frankly quite exhausted after the school holiday juggle but also mourning the longer days and time spent outdoors. To avoid that flat feeling, it’s nice to have a few little plans for Autumn to welcome and embrace the new season.

Reading is vital to me, however I don’t always find it easy to find the right book for my particular mood or circumstance. In order to soothe the malaise that comes with the loss of summer and ease ourselves into the colder months, we need books that will warm our hearts as well as keep us engaged. Below I have compiled a little list of books that I find both cheering and comforting.

One Day I Will Astonish The World - Nina Stibbe

I have chosen this book because I thought it was so funny, full of wit and irony. The story follows the rather dull life of Susan in rural Leicestershire and her extraordinary friendship with bizarre Norma. I found the book a little hard to get into but ultimately loved the eccentricities of the characters alongside the frequently dark humour.

Games and Rituals - Katherine Heiny

This is a book of short stories and every single one is a gem. Each tale is a perfect little snapshot of ordinary lives and relationships with all their quirks and complexities. My favourite short story ‘CoBra’ is about a man living with his Marie Kondo crazed wife and his growing fear that she will ultimately ‘declutter him’ now that he is deemed ‘neither beautiful nor useful.’ This is a gorgeous little book.

Without Warning and Only Sometimes - Kit De Waal

Author Kit De Waal grew up with an Irish mother and black father in a very poor home in the 1960’s. Her mother became a Johovas Witness who convinced her five children that any naughty behaviour would preclude them from heaven when the world ultimately ended (1975). In spite of all of these very tricky conditions, Kit De Waal tells her autobiogaphy with such love and affection for her family. I have chosen to include this book because it is so of warmth and hope as well as documenting the most extaordinary childhood.

Darling- India Knight

This is a fabulous fast paced retelling of the ‘Pursuit of Love’ by Nancy Mitford. Staying true to the original story, India Knight follows the eccentric Radettes around Paris and London with perfect dead pan humour. Reflective of our times, this book feels like eating a big box of expensive chocolates. I would definitely recommend reading the original for full appreciation of this decadent new version.

If you have any book recommendations for Autumn please put add them to to the comments.

I hope everyone is settling into the new season

Sophie x